Southeast Asia – 2011
Photos
Day 2 in Malaysia
If yesterday’s visits were about Malaysia as a Muslim country, today’s were about Malaysia’s still-predominantly agricultural economy. Oil is the No. 1 product, accounting for about 35% of its total revenue, but No. 2 is palm oil, which represents about 10% of the country’s export earnings. Indonesia and Malaysia are the two major exporters of … Continue reading
Hello from Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, a fact brought home today at our three stops–two business visits and the newly built capital at Putrajaya. The first visit was to a University that specializes in Islamic finance, recently empowered to award Ph.D.s in the subject. The Qu’ran forbids interest, which gives finance a different spin here. … Continue reading
Leaving Singapore today
What can you do on a free day in Singapore, provided you’ve been here before and done the basics? Here’s what I did. The free day started Thursday night, with about half our group signing up for the “night safari.” While I recall some of my students had gone to it, I had been skeptical. … Continue reading
Singapore, Inc.
One of the questions we’ve been dealing with is whether Singapore Inc. is a government running a business, or a business running a government. The two notions are certainly connected. The government is a partial owner of some of the most successful businesses, including Singapore airlines (if you ever get a chance to fly Singapore … Continue reading
I have seen Singapore, and it works
In the euphoric days that followed the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the American journalist Lincoln Steffens reported, “I have seen the future, and it works.” He was wrong, of course, but whenever I get to Singapore, I wonder if he’d have the same observation. I think I’ve seen the future, but in … Continue reading
Hello From Singapore
Associate Professor of Business Administration Fred Hoyt was selected to participate in a Faculty Development in International Business program in Singapore and Malaysia, where he visited factories and learned about the current state of these Southeast Asian economies and their relationship with American business. He’ll return to the area with students for a May Term travel course. It’s been … Continue reading