International and Area Studies Commons^™

The Portuguese In Siam And Pegu, Suthachai Yimprasert

Asian Review

After the Portuguese conquest of Melaka, the Portuguese official contact with the kingdoms of Siam and Pegu followed. Then the official relations between Melaka and Siam and Pegu were established. After this, the Portuguese came to stay in the main ports in the region, such as Ayuthaya, Pattani, Mergui, Martaban, and Pegu. However, their activities in this region suggested that they were freelance warriors fighting for fortune. Their communities were unofficial, independent from the State of India in Goa. These Portuguese became not only traders but also mercenaries and advisers in the Siamese army for using cannons and guns. In …

Western Mercantile Organization In The Early Twentieth Century Penang: An Examination Of The Chamber Of Commerce's Records, Chuleeporn Virunha

Asian Review

This paper examines changes which occurred within the Penang western mercantile community during the early twentieth century through an examination of its official organ, the Penang Chamber of Commerce. Through the Chamber of Commerce's records, the history of this organization, its memberships and components, and most importantly, the western mercantile views on business and Penangs affairs, are delineated. The focus is on underlying conflicts between the local and metropolitan-based trading firms operating in Penang and whether or not the differences, if any, affected the Chamber of Commerce's performance as a pressure group. Our examination of the Penang Chamber of Commerce's …

Contributors

Asian Review

No abstract provided.

Law And Values In Governance: The Singapore Way, Eugene K. B. Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The article examines the role of law and the legal system in catalysing Singapore's development success. It argues that there is a dichotomy in the approach with regard to commercial law and law relating to individual freedom and rights and civil society. Universalism characterises the treatment of commercial laws while cultural relativism and a communitarian-based understanding of rights and obligations are features of the law relating to the rights of the individual. Instrumentalism, driven by a particularistic 'communitarian' political philosophy underpinned by strong Confucianist values, is very much motivated by the need for good governance as a prerequisite for economic …

The Singapore Legal System – History, Theory And Practice, Andrew B.L. Phang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Law is central to order and stability and, without order and stability, societal as well as economic viability (let alone progress) are impossible The alternative is 'rule of man', and all the dangers of fallibility and (consequently) despotism that that entails. One central difficulty has, of course, been the maintenance of the argument that law is consonant with objective truth for if the law does not in fact possess this quality, then the 'rule of law' turns out to be the 'rule of man' after all. However, it is difficult, on rational grounds at least, to reject the concept of …

The E-Landscape: An Unexplored Goldmine Of The New Millennium, Thow Yick Liang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The Internet is an intangible cyberworld created by the human mind. Exploring and exploiting this e-landscape requires a totally redefined mindset. The fact that it exists in the mental realm also makes it a nonlinear system. In this respect, understanding both intangible and nonlinear dynamics is a requisite to the proper exploitation of e-commerce. The e-landscape is a new edge of chaos where order and disorder co-exist. It could be a goldmine for those who swiftly recognize structure in this highly disordered territory. The tremendous number of opportunities and uncertainties embedded in the submerged portion of this iceberg are still …

Hong Kong And Singapore, Sock Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

There are many similarities between Hong Kong and Singapore. They have both enjoyed high rates of economic growth over the past three decades, averaging six percent a year in real terms. The two have become known as “East Asian Tigers,” having made the transition from poverty to newly industrialized economies in a relatively short time. Both started off as British colonies, with British legal and administrative systems, and made their living as trading ports serving their respective regions. Singapore has been an independent republic since 1965; Hong Kong was returned to China on July 1, 1997. While Hong Kong and …

An Empirical Analysis Of Unit Trust Performance In Singapore, Joseph H. H. Chia, Yiu Kuen Tse

Research Collection School Of Economics

The Singapore government’s recent strategic plan to develop the financial sector has placed much emphasis on the fund management industry. In this paper we examine the unit trust performance in Singapore in the 90s. Our results show that fund managers in general performed poorly in security analysis and market timing. However, they performed fairly well in risk-adjusted returns and generally maintained well-diversified portfolios. We find that there is little consistency in the performance ranking of the evaluated portfolios, although there is evidence of repeat performance of some top funds. Our analysis also shows that fund managers could indeed make excess …

Ibpp Research Associates: Seattle, Washington, United States Of America, Catherine Stupar

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article is a November 30, 1999 interview of two Pakistani representatives by IBPP Research Associate Catherine Stupar at the World Trade Organization's 3rd Ministerial Series, Seattle Round.

IBPP Commentary. The conflations of political rhetoric by privileged speakers with phenomenologies of the spoken for--viz., the wretched of the earth--are as timeless as they are intractable. Too often, the privileged come and go, while the wretched of the earth remain.

Author commentary is included in the article.

On Business Education In Singapore: The Past, The Present And The Future, Teck Meng Tan, Kwong Sin Leong, Yang Hoong Pang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Examines the developments in business education in Singapore and directions for its development. Post-graduate programs; Status of management education at universities; Broadening of education in Singapore universities.

Imagining The Future: Training Hong Kong Lawyers For The 21 St Century, David N. Smith

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Hong Kong must commit itself now to becoming one of the leaders in legal education in Asia and the world. To do so, it must dramatically rethink the structure, process and content of legal education. This will not be easy, but it is essential if Hong Kong is to continue to serve as one of the great centres of finance, trade and technology in the world and if it is to maintain and secure a position of leadership in 21st century China and the Pacific region.

The Persistent Competitive Advantage Of Traditional Food Retailers In Asia: Wet Markets' Continued Dominance In Hong Kong, Arieh Goldman, Robert E. Krider, Seshan Ramaswami

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The focus of this article is the persistent continued strength of wet markets in Hong Kong and the weakness of supermarkets in the fresh food area. This phenomenon is surprising because, based on the experiences in North America and Western Europe and given the well-developed economy of Hong Kong, one would have expected supermarkets to dominate fresh food retailing and wet markets to be in retreat. In this article, the authors explain the reasons for the continued dominance of wet markets. They argue that consumers’shopping and consumption culture, the effectiveness of wet markets in handling consumers’needs, and the appropriateness of …

An Investigation Of Price Discovery In Informationally-Linked Markets: Equity Trading In Malaysia And Singapore, David K. Ding, Frederick H. Harris, Sie Ting Lau, Thomas H. Mclnish

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Using transactions data for the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) for a major Malaysian conglomerate, Sime Darby Berhad, and intraday exchange rate data, we investigate whether and to what extent each exchange contributes to price discovery. Results indicate that the price series are cointegrated. The raw data appear to indicate the presence of arbitrage opportunities, but none exist after taking exchange rate changes into account. Using the common long-memory factors of Gonzalo and Granger (1995, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics 13, 1-9), we show that while the majority of the price discovery (approximately …

Ibpp Research Associates: East Timor, Anonymous

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article is a rushed letter from an anonymous individual involved in East Timor in late August or early September 1999 when Indonesian troops were present in the area. The letter was sent to the International Peace Practitioners Network (IPPN). For reference, IPPN is a project of the Peace Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association and of Psychologists for Social Responsibility

The letter itself was subsequently forwarded to IBPP by IPPN, and the content of the letter was not verified by IBPP.

IBPP commentary includes a discussion of the role of political psychologists, and other interested parties, in the …

Ibpp Research Associates: Azerbaijan, Government Of Azerbaijan, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article involves fragments of the English language version of the constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic- -in force since November 27, 1995. The full version of the document is currently available at https://en.president.az/azerbaijan/constitution.

The following articles from the Azerbaijani constitution are listed, complete with text from the document:

• Article 72. Principal Obligations of Citizens.
• Article 73. Taxes and other State Duties.
• Article 74. Loyalty to Homeland.
• Article 75. Respect For State Symbols.
• Article 76. Defense of Homeland.
• Article 77. Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments.
• Article 78. Environmental Protection.
• Article 79. Prohibition to Execute Responsibilities Contradicting The Law.
• Article …

Implementation Problems In The Development Of Urban Community Services In The People's Republic Of China: The Case Of Beijing, Agnas K.C. Yeung, Kwok Kin Fung, Kim Ming Lee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

To review the ten year implementation of the community service policy of the People's Republic of China, community service implementers and academics located in Beijing were interviewed. By employing implementation theories as a framework of analysis, a number of implementation problems are identified. In terms of policy characteristics and the structuring of implementation, this case shows that the objectives are not specific enough. The decentralized implementation strategy allows the implementers too much discretionary power. The shortage of qualified and motivated personnel further complicate the issue. Lastly, the policy environment of Beijing does not lend adequate support to the policy.

Asian Higher Education And The Politics Of Identity, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

In The Service Of Market Socialism: The Quest For A Welfare Model In China, Bong-Ho Mok, Jitong Liu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The socialist market economy in China has brought about impressive economic growth. It has also resulted in serious social problems such as unemployment, deteriorating family relations, prostitution, and poverty among the disadvantaged groups. This paper discusses a welfare model proposed by the Chinese Government to contain the destabilizing effects of the social problems and to serve the newly adopted market socialism. The authors argue that although this welfare model is still very much residual by western standards, it is a big step forward in building a modern Chinese welfare system.

Selection Of Expatriates For Regional Business Operations In Asia: A Study Of Mne Managers In Singapore, A. Ahad M. Osman-Gani, Wee Liang Tan, Thian Ser Toh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The recent interest for regionalization of business operations in Asia underscores the demand for expatriates. While much has been written on expatriation, very little was documented on expatriates assigned in Asian countries. In this respect, American, German, Japanese and Korean MNEs have been found to take active interests in regional expansion of business in Asia. Expatriation is a significant international management issue for them. The high costs of expatriation and the risks for expatriate failures also underscore this importance. As such, selecting the right candidate for expatriation success is a crucial issue for these MNEs. This paper presents the findings …

Globalisation And Singaporean Transmigration: Re-Imagining And Negotiating National Identity, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Within the context of globalisation that confronts the world today, I aim in this paper to illustrate one particular state's attempts at constructing a 'nation' amidst efforts to encourage its citizens to globalise, actions which are ostensibly, or at least, potentially, contradictory; and to analyse how these citizens who became transmigrants construct and negotiate their sense of 'nation' and national identity. Specifically, my empirical questions centre on Singaporean transmigrants working in China. I ask the following questions. What happens to the sense of national identity among Singaporeans and their relationship with the 'nation' when confronted with transnational conditions? What are …

Population Aging, Changes In Living Arrangement, And The New Long-Term Care System In Japan, Wataru Koyano

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

During the last five decades, family life of the Japanese elderly and longterm care have drastically changed. As a response to the rapid population aging and the increasing difficulty of family care, a new universalistic system of long-term care services is going to be introduced in 2000. The new system, called the Insurance Against Care, acknowledges societal responsibility for long-term care, and guarantees a certain level of provision of care services. While the insurance is a response to the changes in family life of the elderly, symbolized by the decrease of co-residence with adult children, it may further stimulate and …

Differential Emphases On Modernity And Confucian Values In Social Categorization: The Case Of Hong Kong Adolescents In Political Transition, Shui-Fong Lam, Ivy Yee-Man Lau, Chi-Yue Chiu, Ying-Yi Hong, Si-Qing Peng

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study investigated if modernity and Confucian values were ingroups positively valued distinctiveness for Hong Kong adolescents with different social identities. Participants (236 Hong Kong adolescents) filled out a questionnaire which tapped social identity and intergroup perception. They also participated in a card-sorting activity in which they decided if any of 20 attributes (e.g., advanced, respecting collective will) could be used to characterize a specific ethnic–social group (e.g., mainland Chinese, Hongkongers, Americans). Multidimensional scaling performed on the card-sorting data resulted in a two-dimensional solution. Emphasis on Dimension 1 (modernity) correlated with positive perception of Hong Kong and Hong Kong people …

Language Use As Carrier Of Social Identity, Yuk-Yue Tong, Ying-Yi Hong, Sau-Lai Lee, Chi-Yue Chiu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In the present study, we examined the relationship of social identity (Hongkonger or Chinese) and the attitudes toward bilingual code switching in a conversation between a Hong Kong person and a Chinese Mainlander. Students from a local university in Hong Kong (N = 159) listened to a four-turn conversation between a Hong Kong person and a Mainlander in a wedding party. As expected, when the speaker converged to the Putonghua (the Mainland official language), those who claimed a Hongkonger identity judged the Hong Kong speaker less favourably than did those who claimed a Chinese identity. In addition, participants who claimed …

Population Aging In Korea: Social Problems And Solutions, Ik Ki Kim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Aging in Korea is discussed in light of the rapid growth in numbers and proportion of the Korean population and has a great impact upon planning and policy development. The demographic transition has implications on the traditional family caregiving system. Living arrangements and employment status of the elderly will be described, and the economic implications on society will be addressed. There are many roles for the Korean Government to provide for the welfare of the country's growing elderly population.

Aging In China, Nelson W. S. Chow

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports on a description of aging in China, in general, and Shanghai, in particular, with contrasts to the aging taking place in Hong Kong. Focused upon are the consequences of population aging on informal and formal support systems in the present and for the future. The efforts in the two cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong reflect differences in systems but are both influenced by traditional practices of a Chinese society.

The First Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Legislative Council Elections, James T. H. Tang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Legislative Council (Legco) Elections in Hong Kong on May 24, 1998, isthe first open multiparty electoral competition in the People's Republic of China(PRC). Since Chinese leaders have repeatedly rejected Western-style democracyor multiparty competition for China, the extent to which the Hong Kong experiencewould serve as a model for political developments on the mainland isclearly limited. Nonetheless, political changes in Hong Kong has to be seen aspart of China's experience following their reunion. Under the "one country, twosystems" formula, Hong Kong is given the freedom to conduct its own internalaffairs as a Special Administrative Region (SAR), but the formation of …

Cemetaries And Columbaria, Memorials And Mausoleums: Narrative And Interpretation In The Study Of Deathscapes In Geography, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper reviews research on deathscapes, particularly by geographers in the last decade, and argues that many of the issues addressed reflect the concerns that have engaged cultural geographers during the same period. In particular, necrogeographical research reveals the relevance of deathscapes to theoretical arguments about the social constructedness of race, class, gender, nation and nature; the ideological underpinnings of landscapes, the contestation of space, the centrality of place and the multiplicity of meanings. This paper therefore highlights how the focus on one particular form of landscape reveals macro-cultural geographical research interests and trends.

Social Comparison During Political Transition: Interaction Of Entity Versus Incremental Beliefs And Social Identities, Ying-Yi Hong, Chi-Yue Chiu, Grace Yeung, Jennifer Y. Y. Tong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The relation between intergroup perceptions and peoples implicit theories of the malleability of human attributes or character was examined. We predicted that people who believe that human attributes are fixed (entity theorists) may also view a group as an entity and thus would rely on trait-based dimensions in social comparison to achieve group distinctiveness. By contrast, people who believe that human attributes are malleable (incremental theorists) may focus on the dynamic aspects of social groups (e.g., group goals) and thus would be less likely to rely on trait-based dimensions in social comparison. Moreover, such differential tendency was expected to become …

Taiwan's 1998 Legislative Yuan, Metropolitan Mayoral And City Council Elections: Confirming And Consolidating Democracy In The Republic Of China, John F. Copper

Maryland Series in Contemporary Asian Studies

No abstract provided.

Berita Volume Xxiv, Number 4 (Winter 1999), John A. Lent

Berita

Table of Contents

Periodicals... 2

Books... 3

Conferences... 5

MSB Studies Group Meeting Announcement... 5

Amnesty International Issues Malaysia Report... 6

K.S. Jomo on the Situation in Malaysia... 7

Subscription Form & Prospectus... 13

Graduate Student Survey (repeat)... 14