The speed of change is increasing and and the influence on the global economy and world population is more pronounced than ever. The "old manufacturing base" in the northern and western hemisphere is moving towards the eastern and southern parts of the globe. New technologies move from one country to the next within months. New Asian companies are emerging with global ambitions as old western brands dissappear or are overtaken by Asian competitors. How will the "old world" respond? How will Asian economies act? How will China continue to develop? What will define success and failure in this rapidly changing environment? Seventeen Euro Asia experts present conceptual and empirical regional research that reflects the emerging multiplicity in Asia and offers comprehensive answers to such questions. This book is a must for anyone participating in the global realignment, or trying to understand the effects being driven by Asian countries.

The Palgrave Macmillan Asian Business Series seeks to publish theoretical and empirical studies that contribute forward-looking social perspectives on the study of management issues not just in Asia, but by implication elsewhere. The series specifically aims at the development of new frontiers in the scope, themes and methods of business and management studies in Asia, a region which is seen as key to studies of modern management, organisation, strategies, human resources and technologies. The series invites practitioners, policy-makers and academic researchers to join us at the cutting edge of constructive perspectives on Asian management, seeking to contribute towards the development of civil societies in Asia and further afield.

List of Figures and Tables
Foreword
Notes on the Contributors
List of Abbreviations
PART 1: CORPORATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS ARE MAKING MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS TO RE-ALIGN THEIR POSITIONS WITH NEW REALITIES
Asia and its Actors, their Logics and the Challenges; G.Redding
Export-Led Growth in East Asia: Lessons for Europe's Transition Economies; A.Kokko
Organizational Learning Capacities of Policy-making Systems for Financial System Recovery: The Case of Sweden with Some Suggestions for Japan; K.Suzuki
Levitt Emphasized Markets but Manufacturing Leads the Way; F.Robins
PART 2: DEFINITION OF HOW SUCCESS OR FAILURE OCCURS IN THE FACE OF SURROUNDING TECHNICAL AND INFORMATIONAL ADJUSTMENTS
Japanese Foreign Direct Investment and the Transformation of the East Asian Political Economy: Corporate Strategy in the Automotive Sector; A.J.Staples
Foreign Ownership, Human Capital and Earnings in the Japanese Labour Market; H.Ono
Gaining Societal Advantages in Emerging Markets: International Stakeholder Management in Malaysia; H.Jansson
The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the Economic Development of ASEAN Economies; H.Mirza & A.Giroud
PART 3: CHINA'S RECENT SURGE OF INDUSTRIALIZATION HAS CAUSED A MASSIVE GLOBAL RE-DIRECTION IN THE MOVEMENTS OF CAPITAL, LABOUR AND TECHNOLOGY
China's Changing Role in Industrial Value Chains and Reverberations on Industrial Actors in Germany; U.Jürgens & R.Rehbehn
Local Responsiveness of German Firms in International Joint Ventures in the PRC; A.T.Mohr & J.F.Puck
Foreign Direct Investment Communities and the Legitimation of Wholly-owned Foreign Subsidiaries in China; J.Li & J.Y.Yang
The Changing Environment for Entrepreneurship Development: Private Business in the People's Republic of China; H.Dolles
Index

STEN SÖDERMAN is Professor of International Business at Stockholm University School of Business, Sweden. He has worked and lived in Asia and has conducted several research projects on Asia and multinational firms' activities in the region. He has taken part in several international seminars and has published articles and edited a number of books. His writings include books and several research reports for major international organizations.