Friday, March 30, 2012
Audit Faults Apple Supplier
Anyway, now that things are in perspective, Apple found that some of its factories in China were not complying with Chinese law and CEO Tim Cook has laid down the law. Apple is committed to sustainable labor policies in regards to their manufacturing.
Why include this article? Well, I feel that we have heard so much about sweat shops and people working 500 hours per week (if that were possible), that I have this stereotype in my mind that people living in Asian countries do nothing but work in factories all day and all night and never sleep or eat (except for rice). If you also struggled with this same misguided view, this article provides hope that you too can one day overcome false stereotypes, at least when it comes to Chinese workers in Apple's supplier's manufacturing facilities.
Cheers!
Jeff Carroll
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303404704577311943943416560.html
Shanghai Gets Rich As It Gets Old
One-fourth of Shanghai's residents were at least 60 years old last year. What this means is that there is more wealth in Shanghai per individual than most other Chinese cities and that in parks you will see more elderly people walking around in the mornings.
Although a bit random, I thought this was interesting because now I will probably notice more the age demographics of the cities we visit and pay more attention to it.
Jeff Carroll
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/03/30/shanghai-gets-rich-as-it-gets-old/
Thailand Becomes a Connecting Country
Thailand is beginning to look like it will become a key connecting country across the region. Companies are beginning to invest millions of dollars to meet the needs of the increase internet demand in the country. Thailand is also in high demand because they just opened up to foreign investors. I thought this was interesting because I never thought as Thailand as a country that would link countries together. They have a bigger impact on the world then I was ever aware.
Stacy Collyer
Thailand Raises Minimum Wage
Thailand has recently raised their minimum wage. Their main purpose in doing this was because of the rising cost of living for the people. However, this rise has had a negative effect on firms. Firms need workers to increase their skill level in order to offset the higher cost of running a business. The Government also agrees with businesses in hopes that the higher skill levels will attract more advance industries to Thailand. I thought this was interesting because the article also mentions that despite everything unemployment is not a problem for Thailand. I think it is fascinating that they are able to keep unemployment so low even with the rising minimum wage.
Stacy Collyer
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Hong Kong Airlines new flight to London
Hong Kong's newly elected Chief of Executive
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertolsen/2012/03/25/hong-kongs-elite-selects-citys-new-leader-amid-protests/
Brandon Wise
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A Debut in New York, 20 Years in the Making L’Arc-en-Ciel’s New York Debut at the Garde
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/arts/music/larc-en-ciels-new-york-debut-at-the-garden.html?scp=4&sq=japan&st=Search
A new player on the London-Hong Kong
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/03/hong-kong-airlines
Cambodia PM in Trouble
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/investigations/drugs-our-man-in-cambodia-20120325-1vsiz.html#ixzz1qQr7Tcoj
Lauren Neeleman
Competition for Worlds Largest Economy
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/india-to-surpass-china-will-become-worlds-largest-economy-by-2050-report/articleshow/12443008.cms
Lauren Neeleman
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Cheap China
Kimberly Young
http://www.economist.com/node/21549956
Not so popular in Japan?
Kimberly Young
http://www.economist.com/node/21551062
Chinese Firms, Regulators in Talks on Yuan-Fund Program (By Lingling Wei March 22, 2012):
China’s economic slowdown may impact Thailand’s export sector (By Zhong Li - Mon, Mar 26th, 2012):
~Chet Matsuura
Monday, March 26, 2012
Another Japan reactor shuts down; only one left
I am interested to see if there will be any noticeable damage leftover from last year's earthquake. It truly must have devastated the country, especially since only one of the 54 reactors is up and running.
http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/95508.php
Tsai blasts proposed ‘one country, two areas’ policy
I find this article interesting because it shows a new dynamic that is arising between China and Taiwan. I believe that this is mainly due to the increasing economic advantages that can be enjoyed by Taiwan if they form closer ties with China.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/03/27/2003528816
Hong Kong appoints new leader
Sarah Bilton
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/25/world/asia/hong-kong-election/index.html?npt=NP1
On the Menu in Taiwan? U.S. Beef with a Dash of Ractopamine
In this article it talks about meat in the US and Taiwan. The beef in the US has ractopamine in it. Taiwan has a policy against chemical that harm people. The US states that ractopamine is not harmful for humans. Only for beef, the government says there will be a partial ban. The views of this subject is interesting.
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/03/07/on-the-menu-in-taiwan-u-s-beef-with-a-dash-of-ractopamine/?KEYWORDS=taiwan
McKenzie Carpenter
Taiwanese Sakura - A Symbol of Japanese Influence
This was a very interesting article about the influence of Japanese culture and infrastructure on Taiwan. The country was ruled by Japan for 50 years up until Japan’s defeat in World War II, but, unlike Korea (who also were ruled by harsh Japanese taskmasters), the Taiwanese have embraced much of what Japan infused in them. The article focuses on one example in particular, the fact that Taiwanese have made sakura (cherry blossom) planting and sightseeing a major event. In a quote directly from the article, “Analysts say the obsession with sakura -- a key symbol of Japanese civilization -- is a measure of the enormous cultural clout Japan wields on the island, second only to China in its impact.” The article ends with a submission that while Taiwan has embraced much of Japan for themselves, they are still Chinese by culture.
There were a few points I found particularly interesting about this article. First, the fact that Korea and Taiwan had such drastically different reactions to the Japanese occupations of the early 20th century. Second, the fact that Taiwan has managed to infuse the form of Japanese culture into their own culture without loosing their distinct Chinese identity. I have never been to Taiwan before, but friends who have served missions in Taiwan often told me about the Japanese influences they experienced there. I am really looking forward to going there! But too bad we won’t be in Japan or Taiwan for sakura season…
Ma's Trade Leadership
Although Taiwan had experience a tusnumi in the year 2008, there has been some improvements. In 2009 the unemployment rate was at 6.13% and by Novemeber of 2011 it went down to 4.28%. As far as the economy, it grew an average of 3.2% every year from 2008 to 2012. It also says the preliminary estimate grew to 4.51% for 2011. This is interesting to see where Taiwan is at.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204369404577208284259490226.html?KEYWORDS=taiwan
McKenzie Carpenter
The death of trust
Japan has passed its one year mark of 3/11. The after effects of this disastrous tsunami are still causing many civilians major problem. The reason why so many are still suffering is because Japan’s response to the disaster has been unbearably slow. The government’s Reconstruction Agency, the agency in charge of deciding where money is spent for rebuilding towns and villages, didn’t open its doors until 11 months after the disaster! Many people have not been able to return to their villages because of the nuclear chemicals that are still in the air because of the exploded power plant. I think this is interesting because many Americans complain how slow the government was in giving aid to those harmed from hurricanes. It seems like we are leaps and bounds ahead of the response effort that happened in Japan.
http://www.economist.com/node/21549917Sarah Bilton
Taiwan: Noble Efforts Towards Eliminating Corruption
This article discusses the efforts of Taiwan’s ACC, or the Agency Against Corruption, which was launched last July. The organization aims to increase “cleaner government”, or government that is not tainted by corrupt politicians and practices. The head of the organization made an interesting observation about their efforts, saying that “if Taiwan expects to be seen as a responsible member of the global community, corruption must be eradicated.” The ACC sees greater transparency as one of the main functions needed towards “cleaner” government.
I was fascinated that such an organization exists in Taiwan—do we have an equivalent in America? Forgive me for being ignorant. I am just impressed that Taiwan would go to such great lengths to ensure greater equality and non-corruption in their government. One point I found personally interesting was made by the head of the ACC, in which he said that we often believe officials commit crimes out of greed or some internal flaw, but their actions are actually often a reflection of their desire to appease gangsters and other organized crime units that may threaten their lives and property. I wonder how often this is a problem for governments around the world.
Google’s Street View Debuts in Thailand
Google Inc. today officially unveiled its new Street View service for Thailand, releasing online a vast collection of panoramic street-level images of the country. Reading this sparked my interest for two reasons. #1. As technology continues to expand, and Google continues to take over the planet, it is interesting to see countries adapt to and adopt the new technology. As far as business travel is concerned, this should make things a lot easier on foreign travelers unfamiliar with the territory. #2) We are going to Thailand, so once we get our itinerary (hopefully soon) we can maybe check out the street view just for fun. It will be interesting to see how some of these developing countries in Asia (such as Thailand and Cambodia) have adapted to technology.
http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/03/23/googles-street-view-service-debuts-in-thailand/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_SEA_Blog
Ben Rindlisbacher