In The News

India's Call Centers Face Struggle to Keep Staff as Economy Revives

Ashok Bhattacharjee October 29, 2003
One the paradoxes of the call-center industry in India is that it requires English-speaking university graduates to answer questions from US customers but offers little in the way of advancement and intellectual stimulation. High turn-over rates are inevitable if the economy keeps expanding and thus offers more compelling employment options for well-educated Indians. Moreover, the rapid...

Following the Pepper Grinder All the Way to Its Source

R. W. Apple Jr. October 29, 2003
If it had not possessed such a monopoly over pepper during Europe’s Age of Exploration, “India might well never have been colonized at all,” remarks the managing director of Cochin Spices. His company is a modern-day link between the world’s most ubiquitous spice and its oldest source. They buy raw pepper from local farmers in southwest India, where the spice originated, and process it....

Multinational Corporations: Pro or Con?

Gauri Bhatia October 29, 2003
India's love-hate relationship with multi-national corporations (MNCs) is more complicated than simple fear of big, faceless companies. MNCs bring jobs (but also "hire-and-fire" policies), consumer choice (that push traditional foods out of the market), and brand-name products (which is feared to lead to 'US-worship'). The recent environmental and health debacles in...

Bangladesh Faces the Challenge of Globalization

Wahiduddin Mahmud October 22, 2003
Bangladesh's economy grew rapidly during the 1990s as the country liberalized its markets and became increasingly integrated into the world economy. Until the 2001 global recession, Bangladesh ranked third for improvement of human development - behind only Cabo Verde and China - thanks in large part to exports from its blossoming garment industry. Wahiduddin Mahmud, economist and former...

Sizzling Economy Revitalizes India

Amy Waldman October 20, 2003
For young urban Indians, there seems to be no better way to celebrate Gandhi's birthday than going to the mall. The Indian middle class is spending money like never before – and now they have a lot more to spend. This year's visible economic confidence is partly a result of the political decision in the early 1990s to open up the Indian economy to increased foreign trade and...

As It Tries to Cut Costs, Wall Street Looks to India

Saritha Rai October 8, 2003
In the latest development of the trend towards outsourcing US jobs to India, some Wall Street financial houses are looking to hire India-based researchers. J. P. Morgan, Lehman Bros., and Morgan Stanley are among the latest US investment firms to seek cheaper, well-educated labor in India. Merrill Lynch already has a technology center in the country, and Goldman Sachs has similar plans to...

Sportswear Boycott Over Burma Links

Vivek Chaudhary October 6, 2003
A British-based campaign for democracy in Burma urged soccer fans to boycott goods produced by Kappa, a popular sportswear supplier with stores all over Europe. The campaign claims that Kappa indirectly supports the brutal Burma military regime by continuing to stock its stores with products made in the country. Although Kappa says it has already severed its links to Burmese manufacturers, goods...