天下雜誌英文頻道

Bye-bye, Burma, bye-bye

The Economist — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:17:17 GMT

TO THE regret of some of its stick-in-the-mud writers, The Economist has long followed a strict policy of using official names for places. No East Timor for Timor-Leste, no Ivory Coast for Côte d'Ivoire, and of course, no Peking (heaven forfend!) for Beijing. So not long after the junta ruling Burma in 1989 changed its name to Myanmar, we followed suit.

Personality-driven

The Economist — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:16:46 GMT

Mid-term elections expose the fickleness of politicians and voters.

Titans of Taiwan Finance Head South

Hsiang-Yi Chang — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:44:38 GMT

More and more Taiwanese banks are setting up shop in Southeast Asia, establishing comprehensive regional networks in a quest to become "supra-regional" banks. What are the hurdles, and the rewards?

Taiwan's Top 50 Performers

Jin Chen — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:30:51 GMT

Several relatively obscure companies serving Taiwan's domestic consumers defied the economic malaise of 2012 to join high-tech enterprises among the year's top performers.

Aiming to Be Financial 'Pride of Taiwan'

Yi-Shan Chen, David Huang and Hsiang-Yi Chang — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:30:13 GMT

Fubon Financial has led Taiwan's financial holding companies in net profit four years running and has gained the deepest foothold in China. In an exclusive interview Daniel Tsai reveals his personal goals and aspirations for the company.

Follow my leader

The Economist — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:23:07 GMT

The Kim regime is despotic, deadly and deeply rational. It will not change.

A destructive streak

The Economist — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:21:38 GMT

OVER the course of three days in April 2011, around 300 tornadoes touched down around the south, centred in Alabama. At least one of them was large, but many were not, and it was shocking to see the amount of devastation even a small tornado could rain on a targeted area. I drove down streets thick with workday traffic, then peered around corners and saw now-empty lots strewn with giant-sized toothpicks—the remnants of houses, foundations still protruding uselessly from the churned earth—and overturned cars.

Polls apart

The Economist — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:09:36 GMT

IT IS not hard to find reasons why disaffection with the European Union might be growing within Europe. GDP in the euro area has declined for the sixth successive quarterand unemployment is running at record levels in many countries. Germany resents bailing out profligate neighbours and its relationship with France, which has just slipped into recession, is at a low ebb. In Britain, the Conservative prime minister faces one of the periodic uprisings from within his party against membership of the EU. Nonetheless, it is sobering to see a new survey on public opinion in Europe by the Pew Research Centre confirming much of this disgruntlement, and more besides.

Boom and gloom

The Economist — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:09:01 GMT

Our latest round-up of house prices reveals some sharp contrasts.

Notes on three scandals

The Economist — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:59:01 GMT

A bad week for the president is revealing of what really irks voters.

Rough and Tumblr

The Economist — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:58:18 GMT

AT A recent conference, Ken Goldman, the chief financial officer of Yahoo, admitted that the internet giant had an ageing audience and was looking for things to “make us cool again”. The firm's senior executives appear to think Tumblr can give it a shot at rejuvenation. According to various mediareports, Yahoo is likely to announce tomorrow that it is paying $1.1 billion for the popular blogging service. Other companies like Facebook are said to be interested in Tumblr, but Yahoo is thought to be the preferred bidder.

Seas of troubles

The Economist — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:07:06 GMT

Taiwan and China share the same maritime claims, but have very different interests.

Girl power

The Economist — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:06:27 GMT

As the supply of female factory-workers dwindles, blue-collar women gain clout.

Unannounced inspections

The Economist — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:57:51 GMT

GIVEN that oil is a vital source of energy and its price has ramifications for every economy on the planet, it is not surprising that regulators keep an eye on the way it is set. Europe's antitrust watchdogs clearly believe something is amiss. On May 14th the European Commission said that it had carried out "unannounced inspections" at big oil and biofuel companies which it suspects of having colluded to manipulate prices in the physical market.

Difference Engine: The caring robot

The Economist — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:57:07 GMT

WITH many of his friends and family getting on in years, Babbage has had perforce the chance to compare how the elderly are cared for professionally in America, Britain and Japan.

Riding Technology, Flexibility to Success

Hsiao-Wen Wang — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:32:20 GMT

In 2012 Taiwan's manufacturing sector saw revenues and profits fall, but some companies are fighting back and reversing the tide with technology and innovation.

Overseas Shift Leads to Record Profits

Hsiang-Yi Chang — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:31:45 GMT

Bucking trends, Taiwan's financial sector has surged to its highest profitability since the global financial crisis, largely driven by opportunities farther afield, in China and Asean.

Hidden Champions Transcend Gloom

Yueh-lin Ma — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:53:15 GMT

CommonWealth Magazine's traditional Top 1000 Survey has been changed to the Top 2000 this year to recognize the under-the-radar medium-sized companies that are doing well despite a difficult economy.

The Big Crossover

Margaret Pai — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:52:36 GMT

Striving to carve out bigger slices of the same consumer pie, retailers expanded into one another's territories, brick-and-mortar stores went virtual, and hoteliers put on the glitz for top tourist dollars.

The health paradox

The Economist — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:07:26 GMT

America’s rampant health spending threatens its economic future. It also supports tens of millions of jobs.

Wasting time

The Economist — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:06:47 GMT

India will soon have a fifth of the world’s working-age population. It urgently needs to provide them with better jobs.

Microsoft blues

he Economist — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:53:20 GMT

Windows 8 is only the beginning of Microsoft's problems.

By the numbers

The Economist — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:52:10 GMT

Cities are finding useful ways of handling a torrent of data.

Subject: Asset protection and regime change

The Economist — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:59:25 GMT

From: Mirkwood Capital To: High-net-worth rulers.

Speed isn't everything

The Economist — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:55:44 GMT

The hidden consolation of disappointing Chinese growth is a more modern economy.