Maquiladoras: the First World Abusing the Third World?

The industrial border region between Mexico and the USA is notorious for its physical, social and moral squalor. But is it entirely a matter of total exploitation or is the answer to the title’s question more complex than a simple yes? The author is completing his MBA degree at London Business School, is an American citizen and has a background as a consultant in information technology.     

Economic relations with newly industrialising countries

It is often maintained, with reference to the increasing competition from newly industrialising countries, that Western support for the development of LDCs' economies would only amount to supplying the rope with which one will later be hanged. Our author argues that, contrary to that opinion, the coming into existence of NICs should be looked upon not as a threat, but as a chance for improvement of the international division of labour and for further growth.     

Key countries in the Third World

Present classifications of the developing countries are of limited usefulness as a basis for determining development policy priorities in the industrialised countries, argue our authors. They define a group of “key countries” which are of strategical importance for the world economy and outline the development risks facing these countries.¹ They suggest that the OECD countries would be better advised to follow a policy of cooperation with these key countries rather than the “man mind thyself” policies which are presently gaining in popularity.     

Automobile industry in the Third World

During the fifties and sixties many countries of the Third World endeavoured to set up steel Industries of their own. These efforts seem to have awakened a wide-spread desire in these countries to produce also their own motorcars. As was the case with steel production, this desire is partly motivated by prestige partly by economic considerations.     

The new protectionism and the Third World

Although there is general agreement on the fact that the new protectionism of the industrialised countries is damaging to developing countries, the majority of the latter show hardly any interest in a return to the classical GATT system. Prof. Körner provides an explanation for this apparently paradoxical attitude on which be bases his case for a reform of the existing system of international trade.     

A performance analysis of the Third World

The dispute between the proponents of the market-economy road to development for the countries of the Third World and the advocates of the socialist road is an old one. Too often have the arguments been based on ideology rather than on facts. The recent publication by the World, Bank of comprehensive and comparable data for almost all the countries of the Third World makes it possible to compare the achievements of these two alternative roads on the basis of empirical evidence.     

Regional policy in Third World countries

A great deal would suggest that the process of urbanisation in developing countries leads to both negative allocation effects and to an increase in income inequality between urban and rural districts. Regional policy measures almed at improving the lot of rural areas would seem called for. Which concepts exist on this issue and how are they to be rated?     

The “Third World” in the 1990s

Given that the developing countries today present a highly differentiated picture, is it appropriate to continue to speak of a “Third World”? If so, how does this group of countries appear to the present-day observer? What is their position within the world economy? What problems and challenges are they facing?     

The economics of Third World arms imports

The international trade with weapons and its effects on the Third World are rarely mentioned in papers on international trade. This is not really surprising, given the fact that military affairs are kept very secret. Of all social science data it is probably that of the military sector which is the most scarce and unreliable. Despite these difficulties the author of the following article describes some recent trends in the international trade in major weapons and analyses their negative effects on Third World countries.     

Multinational Strategic Planning for Third World Markets

There are compelling reasons why multinational corporations (MNCs) must improve their marketing performance in less developed countries (LDCs). A solution to better performance may be creation of a separate strategic business unit, known as the SBU (LDC), to be responsible for all third world operations. A strategic planning model for the SBU(LDC) is presented; it parallels the typical corporate strategic plan but differs in significant respects. Planning steps discussed include mission and objectives, market opportunity analysis, target market evaluation, product strategy, entry strategy, marketing program, and impact analysis. Key issues involved in implementing the SBU (LDC) within the corporate framework are discussed.     

Be Glocal——中国广告走向世界的第三条路

WTO的规定：2005年12月10日，中国全面对外开放广告市场，并允许外商在中国建立独资的广告公司。这意味着中国的广告业将真正进入与世界广告竞争的环境，真正实现了china=global，中国广告业将与其它行业一样面临着全球化的竞争。而2005年中国广告界接连发生了许多具有影响力的事件，这些事件不约而同地集中在这个时候发生，其中是否有什么内在的联系？