In The News

Can Western Companies Put an End to Bangladesh Factory Disasters?

Pramila Jayapal May 1, 2013
Responsible corporations prioritize workplace safety. Building-structure codes, fire and smoke alarms, multiple exits, limited work hours and other standard safety regulations are documented to prevent accidents. Consumers may appreciate low prices, but will avoid brands that become associated with brutal workplace conditions. A factory fire in November and a building collapse in April have put...

Water, Down The Drain

Nayan Chanda April 30, 2013
Subsidies can lead to excess and waste. India is an export leader in water-intensive crops like rice and cotton due to subsidy-driven overproduction, aiming to provide low-cost grain. “Huge subsidies and wastage of food grains belie record exports and reckless use of India’s precious water patrimony,” argues Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor, in his column for Businessworld. One study suggests...

Canada Must Face Globalization Head On

Rod Szasz April 25, 2013
Information technology, a global marketplace, wage differentials, plenty of skilled labor and a quest for profits have made outsourcing inevitable for banking and many other businesses. Workers lose jobs as consumers consistently choose low-cost electronics, apparel, news or banking services. “No country is unaffected by these changes,” writes Rod Szasz, trader and founder of an industrial...

Is Tourism the Most Destructive Enterprise?

Elizabeth Becker April 23, 2013
Travel has grown exponentially since the 1960s, and tourism employs more people than any other industry. As political developments have opened borders, as new technologies in aviation and communications provide new access, few destinations go unexplored, suggests Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism. She explains that any human endeavor can be...

Baby Milk Rationing: Chinese Fears Spark Global Restrictions

Celia Hatton April 22, 2013
Any food-safety crisis drives consumers to seek alternatives. A series of reports of contaminated infant formula since 2008 have driven Chinese mothers to look for foreign brands of infant formula – though after the Fukushima tsunami/nuclear disaster, the consumers quickly shifted from Japanese to US imports. Chinese consumers pay double the price for foreign brands. “Fearful of the dangerous...

China Targets Greenland for Mining

Will Hickey April 18, 2013
Tight profit margins in the mining industry – along with consolidation among large multinationals, huge capital investments, high-tech automation and rigid equipment maintenance contracts – have reduced job creation for nations with natural resources. Greenland, with 57,000 citizens, mostly indigenous, has vast deposits of minerals. A logical move would be for Greenlanders to rely on Danish...

Have It Their Way

Afshin Molavi April 18, 2013
Investors in emerging markets increasingly target iconic brands in the US. Writing for Foreign Policy, Afshin Molavi offers a long list of brands, including Heinz ketchup, Burger King restaurants and Budweiser beer with ownership, and points out that “Chinese companies – and others from emerging markets – [are] making a major push to buy American and Western brands and companies.” A poll shows...