In April 1998 negotiations were launched to create a free trade area among thirty-four countries in the Western Hemisphere. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) will eliminate barriers to trade in goods and services and will remove restrictions on investment among the countries of North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. At the same time, negotiators in the World Trade Organization (WTO) are preparing to begin talks on agriculture and services, with the possibility of a n...

Twenty-first century Africa is in a process of economic transformation, but challenges remain in areas such as structural reform, governance, commodity pricing and geopolitics. This book looks into key questions facing the continent, such as how Africa can achieve deeper integration into the rules-based multilateral trading system and the global economy. It provides a range of perspectives on the future of the multilateral trading system and Africa's participation in global trade and under...

This book presents a rich collection of research studies on the theory and practice of CSR in Asia. It includes valuable contributions of practice-oriented researchers from various Asian countries such as Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore, and from several non-Asian countries, such as Australia, Canada and the USA. The book presents a comprehensive overview of the practice of CSR in Asia. Normally CSR is seen in the Western angles, but here, in this boo...

This book examines the essence of leadership, its characteristics and its ways in Asia through a cultural and philosophical lens. Using Asian proverbs and other quotes, it discusses leadership issues and methods in key Asian countries including China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Singapore. It also explores the leadership styles of various great Asian political and corporate leaders. Further, it investigates several unique Asian philosophies, such as Buddhism, Guan Yin, Confucian...

This compilation of 22 firm-specific case studies is an important contribution to the discussion of 'servicification' trends in manufacturing. 'Services have increased in importance and value in many manufacturing value chains, making companies that produce physical products look more like service enterprises. What services do global value chains use in their operations, how important are they and how do economic policies shape firms' configurations, operations, and location of global valu...

It is not just a book on Singapore companies and strategic thinking and insights but rather one that is applicable to anyone anywhere in any country. The future is really in your handsit is up to you! And, indeed, individuals must succeed, getting ahead and companies must become or emulate to be excellent organizations. The book tells you the answers to these questions: What is adversarial thinking? What is strategic thinking? How do you set personal goals? Why is goal-setting so critical?...

This edited collection offers multi-disciplinary reflections and analysis on a variety of themes centred on nineteenth century executions in the UK, many specifically related to the fundamental change in capital punishment culture as the execution moved from the public arena to behind the prison wall. By examining a period of dramatic change in punishment practice, this collection of essays provides a fresh historical perspective on nineteenth century execution culture, with a focus on Sco...

Successful negotiation requires understanding your counterpart’s culture, their feelings, habits and values. When planning to do business with suppliers and other partners in Asia, thorough preparation is essential in order to avoid misunderstandings, confrontations and disappointments, and to ensure the mutually desired success.This book offers a comprehensive guide to communication, argumentation, and negotiation by demonstrating success pathways with a focus on specific types of...

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks attempt to link together at least nine countries in three continents to create a 'high-quality, twenty-first century agreement'. Such an agreement is intended to open markets to competition between the partners more than ever before in sectors ranging from goods and services to investment, and includes rigorous rules in the fields of intellectual property, labour protection and environmental conservation. The TPP also aims to improve regulatory coh...

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferated around the world in the past two decades, and now nearly all members of the WTO are party to at least one. Besides tariffs and rules of origin regulating trade in goods, many RTAs now include provisions on services, investments, technical barriers to trade and competition rules, as well as a host of issues not directly related to trade. The geographic reach of RTAs is expanding, with transcontinental agreements spreading forcefully alongsi...

One of the most pressing issues confronting the multilateral trade system is the challenge posed by the rapid proliferation of preferential trade agreements. Plenty has been written about why governments might choose to negotiate preferentially or multilaterally, but until now it has been written almost exclusively from the perspective of governments. We know very little about how non-state actors view this issue of 'forum choice', nor how they position themselves to influence choices by g...

The book examines trade agreements in the context of the current world economic crisis and the uncompleted World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round of trade negotiations. With economies shrinking and protectionism on the rise, many fear a protracted global recession. This raises important questions as to what role trade agreements – multilateral, plurilateral, and bilateral – should be playing in the current climate of uncertainty, and how best to plan for a more stable economic future. P...