In The News

Last Stop, Lhasa: Rail Link Ties Remote Tibet to China

Joseph Kahn July 6, 2006
In terms of engineering, there is no doubt that the completed railway connecting Beijing to Lhasa, the remote capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, is a great feat. It traverses a total of 710 miles, much of it over unstable permafrost at astonishing altitudes. Chinese officials hailed the $4.1 billion project, expecting it to increase the flow of tourism, information and development to the...

Smiley Face Is Serious to Company

Thomas Crampton July 6, 2006
Trademark and patent laws have not kept pace with globalization – and conflicting laws among nations raise the question about whether a trademark registered in one country has any bearing on use in another. “We may live in the era of globalization, but trademarks are still rooted in territoriality," explains one attorney who specializes in intellectual property. In 1997, the French company...

Globalization’s Hidden Benefits

Richard W. Fisher July 4, 2006
Globalization has its roots in the logic of capitalism and will continue to advance, unless authorities make a concerted effort to reverse or halt it. While some critics malign globalization, increasing evidence suggests that its benefits go hand in hand with fair, conscientious policies. Globalization rewards decision-making that serves the interests of many types of people living in diverse...

Globalization and Muslim Identity Challenges and Prospects

Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk July 3, 2006
Providing five definitions, author Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk describes how most Muslims understand “globalization” as an ongoing and ancient concept that is in its most rapid stage of development. Using the theories of scholars such as Francis Fukuyama and Samuel P. Huntington, Abushouk chronicles historical clashes between what have been termed as “Western” and Muslim civilizations, as well as the...

Managing Globalization: Economies Have a Stake in Where Companies Find Employees

Daniel Altman June 26, 2006
A growing interconnectedness of the global economy means companies will find skilled workers one way or another. The motives for companies to turn to outsourcing or the recruitment of immigrant labor are often similar: a domestic skills shortage, jobs that local workers will not take or the comparatively cheap cost of foreign labor. The forces driving companies’ choices to outsource or recruit...

Coming to Terms With the Forces of Anti-Globalization

Nick Mathiason June 23, 2006
Increasing criticism of capitalism and multinationals, even by British Conservatives, neglects an emerging trend in global commerce. Cited in the May/June issue of “Foreign Affairs” by IBM chairman and chief executive Samuel Palmisano, the “globally integrated enterprise,” or GIE, is a new trend. The GIE no longer invests in outsourcing cheap labor to poor countries while reserving the...

The Real Disaster: Inadequate Preparation

Kevin O'Marah June 21, 2006
Businesses are often not prepared for large-scale disasters – and as a result of globalization, a threat to one business has become a threat to all. Large-scale events in the form of terrorism or natural disasters hinder the supply-chain for businesses and the flow of goods to consumers. Despite widespread agreement that supply-chain disruptions can harm a business, few companies have plans in...