Capital Outflows from China and the Hidden Story in China’s FDI Statistics

© 2015 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University Permission to Reproduce: A version of this post was published as  “The Chinese prefer investing overseas; dummy companies may ease transfers and devalue renminbi” by  YaleGlobal Online, September 10, 2015; it was the number-one story in a Google search for “China FDI” that day and is also available as a  podcast. The global panic … Continue reading Capital Outflows from China and the Hidden Story in China’s FDI Statistics

Updates: What the Iran Nuclear Deal Means for American Business

© 2015 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University Since I published the blog post What the Iran Nuclear Deal Means for American Business on July 14, 2015, it has received additional media attention. Please see the following sources: CBS News MoneyWatch – Online Article, July 14, 2015 The Conversation – Online Article, July 16, 2015 At Night  – Corus Radio, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with … Continue reading Updates: What the Iran Nuclear Deal Means for American Business

What the Iran Nuclear Deal Means for American Business

© 2015 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University PLEASE SEE UPDATES IN THE AUGUST 6, 2015 POST The following comments are based on a telephone interview with Bob Hennelly of CBS News MoneyWatch on July 14, 2015. The potential for US business to engage with Iran can be summarized in one sentence: Iran exports crude oil but imports … Continue reading What the Iran Nuclear Deal Means for American Business

Is China set to become the world’s largest economy in 2015?

© 2015 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University The business press has been excitedly predicting the day when the Chinese economy will surpass that of the US in size. Just when this will happen has been a matter for debate—estimates have ranged from 2016 to 2025. In order to compare a nation’s economic size to that of … Continue reading Is China set to become the world’s largest economy in 2015?

Global Management in a Still-Fragmented World

© 2014 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University In this post, we look at the job of the global manager, which covers two broad domains: Internal corporate strategy—which must address the issue of how international firms need to strike a balance between global standardization of their products and processes and the benefits of local adaptation (while at the … Continue reading Global Management in a Still-Fragmented World

Some Reflections on Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday

© 2014 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University I used to have some doubts about the suitability of Mohandas (“Mahatma”) Gandhi (1869–1948) to participate actively in the governance of post-independence India. Some of his ideas would have been antithetical to the development of large-scale industries, where scale is needed for efficiency. Often portrayed spinning his own … Continue reading Some Reflections on Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday

What Drives Narendra Modi? – Swami Vivekananda and Hsuan Tsang

© 2014 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University *An expanded version of this article was published in the June 21, 2014 edition of Parsiana—International Zoroastrian Community Magazine as a “Comment” under the title “What drives Narendra Modi? Hindu reformist Swami Vivekananda’s ideals and Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang have helped to shape the new Prime Minister’s worldview.” Click here for the PDF: What … Continue reading What Drives Narendra Modi? – Swami Vivekananda and Hsuan Tsang

Whither the Chinese Yuan? Is the RMB Still Undervalued?

© 2014 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University Introduction to my May 8, 2014 YaleGlobal Online article: “Renminbi Undervalued? Think Again” The exchange rate between the US dollar and the Chinese Renminbi Yuan (RMB) is of crucial importance to both the American and Chinese economies since the bilateral trade between the two nations (imports plus exports) is nearing … Continue reading Whither the Chinese Yuan? Is the RMB Still Undervalued?

The US – One of the World’s Most Competitive Manufacturing Locations?

© 2014 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University In 2012, I was one of the observers who indicated that American manufacturing productivity was, by far, the best in the world. (See my August 7, 2012 Yale Global Online article “7 Reasons to Expect US Manufacturing Resurgence,” which provided figures from the International Monetary Fund and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.) In … Continue reading The US – One of the World’s Most Competitive Manufacturing Locations?

Learning from the History of Globalization

© 2014 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University Since the year 2000, the US has suffered a horrendous merchandise trade deficit against China, adding up to $2,947 billion over the 14-year period. This means that China has accumulated nearly $3 trillion surplus dollars—much of which they “kindly” reinvested in US assets, notably US Treasury debt. … Continue reading Learning from the History of Globalization