How ECFA threatens Taiwan news freedom (Jul 30)
Taiwan will face greater challenges in defending existing hard-won levels of news freedom in the wake of the signing of the controversial "Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation


Relationship between capital, labour has changed (Jul 30)
JUDGING from corporate profits, the US should be enjoying a powerful economic recovery. The drop in profits in the recession was about a third, apparently the worst since World War II. But every day brings reports of gains. In the second quarter, IBM's earnings rose 9.1 per cent from a year earlier.


China factor puts new spin on energy race (Jul 30)
EARLIER this month, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that China has now overtaken the United States in total energy consumption - a position that the US had held for more than a century. China's new status has enormous implications for global demand for fossil fuels and the global emissions fight. It might even determine what type of cars or power plants are built in the future.


Bhupesh Bhandari: First in, first out? (Jul 29)
Raj Jain, the president of WalMart India and managing director & CEO of Bharti Walmart, made an interesting observation at a recent Business Standard event. The first-mover advantage, he told the audience, is a grossly over-rated business tactic. In their eagerness to be the first to hit the market, companies often come out with an incomplete or imperfect product. Those who do well, said Jain, are often the second or the third movers. They learn from the mistakes made by the first mover.