International and Area Studies Commons^™

The Statutory Derivative Action In Singapore: A Critical And Comparative Examination, Pearlie Koh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

As a mechanism for shareholder control of corporate wrongs and thus as a tool of corporate governance, the statutory derivative action has had much international attention given to it, particularly in the last 10 years. Singapore introduced its statutory derivative action in 1993 and since then, there have been two reported cases in which the action was invoked. In this paper, I consider the Singapore derivative action as contained in sections 216A and 216B of the Singapore Companies Act. The approach taken is a comparative one as I also look at the statutory derivative actions in Australia and other common …

Linguistic Gender Is Related To Psychological Gender: The Case Of Chinese Characters, Yuk-Yue Tong, Chi-Yue Chiu, Ho-Ying Fu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Past research (Ervin, 1972; Konishi, 1993) suggests that a noun's linguistic gender is not just an arbitrary, semantically-empty linguistic category. Rather it may connote masculine or feminine properties, and thus can subtly influence responses to the noun and its referent. The present study extended this research by exploring how gendered radicals of nonsense Chinese characters might affect the characters' connotations. The results showed that when an unfamiliar Chinese character is encountered, meaning interpretation can be affected by the meaning of the radicals. Moreover, since gendered Chinese radicals are linked to share representations of psychological gender, such as representation may then …

Is The Crisis Of 1997 A Watershed In Thailand's Political Development ? And Is There Any Forthcoming Solutions?, Suthiphand Chirathivat

Asian Review

This article reveals lessons to be learned and important aspects of the Thai crisis of 1997 which were often misunderstood. It shows the country's weaknesses and vulnerability that led to the crisis and the aftermath impact that hed reached all quarters of the economy and society. Policy response after the crisis with the help of several institutions such as the IMF was keys to restoring economic confidence and recovery. The development process of the post-crisis on country's political development is also an integral part to understand the future of Thailand's economy and society beyond the recent turmoil, thus including themes …

For Better Or For Worse? : Female Labour Migration In Southeast Asia, Supang Chantavanich

Asian Review

This study focused on female labour migration from four countries in Southeast Asia; namely Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Yunnan- China. The research covered a sample of 387 female returnees from the a fore-mentioned countries who had migrated internationally for employment. The major findings for each of the countries's case studies are summarised as follows. They were engaged mainly in the services sector, i.e., engaged as domestic helpers, caregivers, entertainers and sex workers. Some were hired in the manufacturing sector and a few to do agricultural work. All migrants from Yunnan were undocumented while those from the other three countries were …

China’S Cautious Participation In The Un Human Rights Regime, Greg Moore

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of China, the United Nations, and Human Rights: The Limits of Compliance, by Ann Kent. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. 328pp.

When most Western students of human rights and/or international relations think of China, unfortunately they are most likely to think not of the greatness and longevity of Chinese civilization, the goodness of Chinese cuisine, or the grandesse of the Chinese landscape. Rather, they are most likely to think of the Tian’anmen Square incident of 1989 and China’s human rights problems. Considering both the interest and the emotion generated in the West over the issue of human …

Information And Communication Technology And Poverty: An Asian Perspective, M. G. Quibria, Feichin, Ted Tschang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Many commentators have extolled the virtues of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in reducing poverty and improving the quality of life. While such arguments have been used before in relation to many predecessor technologies, including other earlier communications technologies, the promise has often floundered. This paper attempts to provide a more balanced analysis of the question, by exploring the linkages between the new ICTs and poverty reduction. It examines the linkages in two ways: the potential for direct impacts of ICTs on various areas of poverty and development, and the indirect impacts of ICTs on economic growth, exports and …

Trends. The Unconditional As Conditional: We Are All Tamils, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the problematic nature of the term "unconditional" when applied to peace talks, in this case in Sri Lanka between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government.

Sanctions And Nonproliferation Behavior: Missing On Missiles, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes political psychologies supporting United States (US) sanctions-related behavior towards the People's Republic of China's (PRC) exporting of missiles, missile components, and missile technology.

Patriarchy And Pragmatism: Ideological Contradictions In State Policies, Lily Kong, Jasmine S. Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Theories concerning the state sometimes treat it as a rational system. This paper raises questions about this assumption by examining the coherence of the ideological frameworks underlying state policies in Singapore. The contradictions are shown most clearly when state policies deal with gender issues, especially where they concern women. Through an examination of such policies, we show that, under some conditions, state patriarchy may be subverted by the state's capitalistic developmental considerations. We are aware that patriarchy does not stand or fall by state policies alone, but the following article illustrates how such policies can limit the space for negotiation …

Confucian Ethics And The Critique Of Ideology, Alan Kam Leung Chan

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The debate between Hans-Georg Gadamer and Jürgen Habermas provides a fresh perspective from which Confucian philosophy may be approached. In this paper, focusing on the Lunyu (Analects), I argue that the sayings of Confucius reflect an essentially 'conservative' orientation, finding in tradition a reservoir of insight and truth. There is a critical dimension to it in that ethical reflection and self-cultivation would enable the individual to challenge particular claims of tradition. However, can self-cultivation transcend tradition as a whole and enable the individual to effect radical change? Following the strategy of Habermas' critique of Gadamer, what happens if tradition is …

Cultural Policy In Singapore: Negotiating Economic And Socio-Cultural Agendas, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this paper, I examine the role of cultural policy in a newly industrialised economy, which is at the same time a state with a short history and only nascent beginnings in nation-building and efforts to construct a distinctive cultural identity. Using Singapore as the site of analyses, develop an understanding of the intersection between the economic and socio-cultural agendas behind cultural development policies. I illustrate the hegemony of the economic, supported by the ideology and language of pragmatism and globalisation. At the same time, I explore the reception of and attempts to negotiate (and at times, contest) state policies …

The Protection Of Well-Known Marks In Taiwan: From Case Study To General Theory, Kung-Chung Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Although the use of trademarks in China can be traced back over one thousand years (Liu's needle shop with the "white rabbit" mark ca. A.D. 960-1126), a statutory regulation of trademarks was not undertaken until very late in the Qing dynasty, and this only happened due to foreign pressure.' In 1904, the British Herd helped draft the "Shang Piao Chu Ts'e Shih Pan Chang Ch'eng," which never took effect.2 In 1923, the government promulgated the Trade Mark Act and in 1927 the "Ch'iian Kuo Chu Ts'e Chii Chu Ts'e T'iao Li."3 In 1930, the "New Trade Mark Act," 4 which …

Nationalism In The People's Republic Of China: A Consequential Chameleon, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes how nationalism among political leaders in the People's Republic of China (PRC) can be the linchpin of divergent views on the desirability of the PRC's future in a globalized economy.

The Need For Racial Profiling: Negative Fallout Of The Wen Ho Lee Case, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes a counterproductive theme within public discourse on racial profiling, as the Wen Ho Lee case has been resolved.

Human Rights, Foreign Policy, And Religious Belief: An Asiaflacific Perspective, Pamela A. Jefferies

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Trends. Why The United States Still Hasn't Shaken Its Vietnam Syndrome: The Case Of Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the the lingering presence of the Vietnam Syndrome - the idea that military successes seem to have little impact on the hearts and minds of large segments of a given country's population - in the United States' Operation DESERT STORM in Iraq.

Injunctions Restraining Calls On Performance Bonds: Is Fraud The Only Ground In Singapore?, Quentin Loh, Hang Wu Tang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This paper traces the divergence of Singapore law from English law with regard to the grounds upon which a call on a performance bond can be restrained, in particular the recent recognition of the Singapore Court of Appeal's ruling that "unconscionability" is a separate ground to restrain the call of a performance bond. This article examines the legal nature of an on demand performance bond and seeks to challenge the assumption that a performance bond is a mirror image of a letter of credit. This paper also discusses the recent case of Cargill International v. Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries …

Singapore Management University: The First Term Of Asia's New University For The Millennium, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

Classes will start tomorrow (Tuesday, August 1) for the very first academic term for pioneer students of Asia's first new university of the 21st century. The 306 undergraduates of the Singapore Management University (SMU) will launch into the first phase of their Bachelor of Business Management curriculum modeled on the successful Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania tomorrow. SMU's pioneer undergraduates will begin their first day of the first academic year in "smart" classrooms in a purpose-built, two-storey building on Evans Road that will serve as their campus for one year. Concurrently with the first day of term, SMU …

The Psychology Of Rogue Nations, Missile Defense, And Self Defense, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the construct and psychological meanings of "rogue nation."

Management And Cultural Values: The Indigenization Of Organisations In Asia: Edited By Henry S R Kao, Durganand Sinha And Bernhard Wilpert, New Delhi: Sage Publishers, 1999., R C Sekhar

IIMB Management Review

This is the third of a series of publications on inter-cultural studies emerging out of three conferences organised by the International Union of Psychological Science at Hongkong, Taiwan, Guang Zhou, China (Mainland). The studies are focused on Asia and are spread over more than a decade.

A Story For All Americans: Vietnam, Victims, And Veterans, Frank L. Grzyb, John F. Kerry

Purdue University Press Books

Story for All Americans: Vietnam, Victims, and Veterans (formerly titled, Touched by the Dragon) details wartime accounts of average servicemen and women-some heroic, some frightening, some amusing, some nearly unbelievable. The work is a historical compendium of fascinating and compelling stories woven together in a theme format. What makes this book truly unique, however, is its absence of literary pretentiousness. Relating oral accounts, the veterans speak in a no-nonsense, matter-of-fact way. As seen through the eyes of the veterans, the stories include first-person experiences of infantry soldiers, a flight officer, a medic, a nurse, a combat engineer, an intelligence soldier, …

Achieving Growth Through Corporate Partnerships And Joint Ventures: Will Singapore's Strategic Leap Into The Region Work?, Ravinder K. Zutshi, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

One of the characteristic features of the East Asian economic development strategy has been the interventionist role of the government in the economic sphere (Amsden 1989; Kwon 1994; Wade 1990; Zutshi and Gibbons 1998). Governments in East Asia have traditionally, worked closely with the private sector. As a result unique business systems embedded in networks and alliances have evolved in countries like Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore (Hamilton and Biggard 1988). Singapore has attempted to extend this model of strategic cooperation beyond its borders into the region. Schein (1996) identifies a number of major development eras in the evolution of …

Enhancing Economic Cooperation: A Regional Arbitration Centre For Asean?, Pearlie Koh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Economic co-operation within ASEAN can be said to have seriously begun only at the beginning of the nineties. Prior to that, it was well known that, ASEAN as a co-operative grouping, had existed mainly with a political and strategic focus. It is with this focus that ASEAN managed to establish and maintain cohesiveness through the years despite the shaky beginnings of what has been described as a 'brittle alliance' borne of a common fear of communism. And it is with this focus that ASEAN, as a regional grouping, has generally been hailed as a success.

Downsizing, Debürokratisierung Und Krisenmanagement: Neuere Entwicklungstendenzen In Malaysias Öffentlicher Verwaltung, Thomas Menkhoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Der Beitrag analysiert mit Blick auf die Asienkrise Entwicklungsaspekte und ausgewählte Strukturmerkmale der öffentlichen Verwaltung in Malaysia, an die nicht zuletzt im Rahmen des derzeitigen Krisenmanagements hohe Anforderungen hinsichtlich Effizienz, Professionalität und Kundenorientiertheit gestellt werden. Besonderes Interesse gilt den vor einigen Jahren eingeleiteten Reform- und Debürokratisierungsmaßnahmen, durch die die Leistungskraft der öffentlichen Verwaltung und der in ihr Tätigen erhöht werden soll. Der Beitrag verdeutlicht die Hintergründe der anhaltenden Restrukturierungsanstrengungen, zeigt interne Schwachstellen auf und untersucht, inwieweit die öffentliche Verwaltung in der Lage ist, die an sie gestellten Erwartungen einzulösen.

Assessing Export Platforms: The Case Of Singapore, Kong Weng Ho, Hian Teck Hoon

Research Collection School Of Economics

The aim of this paper is to try to understand how Singapore was generally successful in its export promoting strategy. Historically, Singapore experimented with an import-substituting strategy in the first half of the sixties in anticipation of forming a common market with Malaysia and also briefly after its independence in 1965. The level of protection, however, was relatively low during its import-substituting phase.

Trends. Syria, Lebanon, And Israel: Is There A Psychological Difference Between The Abusive And The Abused?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the psychological difference between abusers and the abused in the context of relations between Israel and Syria as well as Indonesia and East Timor. The concept of control is also discussed.

The Price Of Democracy: Pakistan, India, And The United States, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores some likely consequences of a United States (US) foreign policy that emphasizes the spreading of democracies throughout the world.

Crisis Of One China, Two Systems: Great Leap Backward, One Step Backward, Or The Old Two Step?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores the political psychology of crisis through analysis of a political document recently released by the top leadership of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Military Arms To Taiwan: Competing Agendas, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores competing cognitions about the advisability of the United States Government (USG) selling advanced weapons to Taiwan.

Review Of The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism And The State. Roger Goodman, Gordon White And Huck-Ju Kwon (Eds.). Reviewed By Kwong-Leung Tang, University Of Northern British Columbia, Kwong-Leung Tang

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Roger Goodman, Gordon White and Huck-ju Kwon (Eds.), The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism and the State. New York: Routledge, 1998. $90.00 hardcover, $29.99 papercover.