· May, 2007

Stories about Economics & Business from May, 2007

India: Development and West Bengal

  31 May 2007

Singur underlines why development is crucial in West Bengal. “Today, regional and sub-regional cooperation is the axis around which the wheel of economic growth is turning. The nay-sayers to new investments in West Bengal and Bangladesh should glance eastwards to see how this wheel has turned in the direction of...

South Africa: Media Tech Africa 2007

  31 May 2007

Media Tech Africa 2007 is taking place in South Africa: “Organised by Thebe Exhibitions, mediatech africa 2007 showcases cutting edge technologies and services from industry leaders in television and broadcast, sound and audio, lighting and staging, animation, communication, and every related field. The combination of technology, demonstrations, networking opportunities and...

China: Entropia Universe

  31 May 2007

Peijin Chen from Shanghaiist reports that Entropia. Inc will soon enter China and create a cash-based virtual world, where millions of people can work, socialize, learn and fall in love, Sweden-based Entropia Universe announced Wednesday.

Zambia: does Zambia-China relationship worry IMF?

  30 May 2007

Is IMF concerned about Zambia-China relationship?: “This warning appears to reflect IMF concern about the blossoming Zambia-China relationship, and the investment conditions established for Chinese companies entering the recently announced ‘economic zone’ around Chambishi. The site is already a source of major conflict between workers and communities and the existing...

Zimbabwe: inflation exceeds 10,000%

  30 May 2007

“The Zimbabwe opposition Movement for Democratic Change’s economics spokesperson, Eddie Cross, says that judging from his own bakery business in Bulawayo the country’s inflation rate now exceeds 10 000%. In his regular newsletter on Wednesday, he said that he was told by a supplier that flour for his bakery would...

Oman: Minimum Wage and Omanisation

Omani blogger Suburban questions the effectiveness of setting an Omanization quota for corporations in order to reduce the reliance on expatriate labour and provide greater work opportunities for Omani national citizens. Suburban argues that the stringent rules for laying off non-performing Omani employees along with the proposed increase in the...

China: Internet Bookstore

  30 May 2007

Fangjun discussed about the competition of internet bookstore business in China (zh). Joyo and dangdang were competing the status of the biggest Chinese internet bookstore in the world. Recently Dangdang issued a statement and asked joyo not to lie again.

India: In Dharamshala

  29 May 2007

Feringhee on Tibetan refugees and Indians in Dharamshala. “The Tibetans are here as refugees with very few rights; however, their presence and that of the Dalai Lama brings in the vast numbers of tourists, around which the local economy is completely based. The Tibetans draw a great deal of international...

Sierra Leone: State Led Prostitution, Diamond Tales, And More

  29 May 2007

After three years of peace following eleven years of civil war, Sierra Leone is engaged in concerted efforts to attract investors. The efforts, which are led by the the government of Sierra Leone and the the Department of International Development in the UK, involve a campaign, Sierra Leone: Back in Business. Sierra Leone, like many other African countries, is guilty of "state led prostitution" in its attempts to bring investors back into the country, argues Sweet Sierra Leone.

Jamaica: Requests for Proposal

  29 May 2007

“Only recently have I come to understand why my stomach churns and I politely demur, when I am told that several companies will be bidding on a solution”: Jamaican Francis Wade reveals why he runs away from Requests For Proposal.

Kuwait: What Kuwaitis Did This Week?

It's been yet another busy week for Kuwaiti bloggers who give us a break down of their day to day activities. While one contemplates why he should register to attend a film festival, others are visiting relatives and friends, ordering lunches in, comparing hypermarket prices and scrutinising Google Earth for places they didn't know existed in their country. Abdullatif Al Omar has more.

Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Caribbean Customer Relations

  29 May 2007

“We all like to belong, most of us like to be acknowledged, and if we're paying you for a product or service, we most definitely like to be kept in the loop,” writes Karel Mc Intosh as she examines customer relationship management in the Caribbean.

China: GFW and Google

  29 May 2007

Zola claims that once he becomes more well off and famous, he will sue GFW and Google, the former blocks his blog from local access, the latter stops his adsense account without giving him any reason (zh).

China: Google China Stock Search

  29 May 2007

Google China announced on May 25 that they were adding a new stock search function to the search engine that provides a real-time information about the performance of that stock. –more from Peijin at Shanghaiist.