http://clynchinternational.com/blog Asking the Right Questions About International Business Sun, 04 May 2008 23:16:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en On the Oceania Cruise, we stopped in Hiroshima, Kobe and Okinawa. Kobe offered insights into Japan's economy. The area has always been a major sea-port and the new airport juts out into the Bay. We took the latest, fastest and most energy-efficient version of the bullet train to Kyoto. It ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/05/04/japans-economy-balancing-traditional-export-oriented-economy-and-consumerism-2/ On the Oceania Cruise, we stopped in Hiroshima, Kobe and Okinawa. Kobe offered insights into Japan's economy. The area has always been a major sea-port and the new airport juts out into the Bay. We took the latest, fastest and most energy-efficient version of the bullet train to Kyoto. It ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/05/04/japans-economy-balancing-traditional-export-oriented-economy-and-consumerism/ On the surface, China remains a Marxist-Leninist state. Yet the economic system has lost most of its ideological content. Here are a few scenes: At the Temple of the Jade Buddha, monks chant while the courtyard is filled with ordinary people -- old and young -- burning incense sticks that waft ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/04/29/the-contradictions-of-modern-china/ Sailing into Shanghai's harbor was an amazing sight. By the entrance from the ocean, the banks of the Yangtze River were littered with the relics of the heavy industry investments of the Central Planning years under Mao and early years of Deng Xiao Peng. As we grew closer to the ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/04/29/shanghai-bursting-at-the-seams/ South Korea has moved into the developed country category. You can see it in Seoul not only in the impressive skyline but also in the incredible shopping districts. The stores were filled with shoppers at mid-day on a Wednesday and the young population seems confident in their own ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/03/26/day-3-oceania-cruise-seoul-faces-its-own-congestion-crisis/ Today is an at-sea day for the cruise. What struck me was the huge volume of inter-coastal freighters going from Japan and Korea to Tianjin. I presume this reflects the flow of semi-manufactures to China for final assembly. Over the past five years, the economies of East Asia have prospered ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/03/26/day-2-oceania-cruise-the-yellow-sea-as-a-highway/ It is certainly busy times for China. Flights across the Pacific remain full, despite the run-up in oil prices. Those on board the flights include businessmen and more importantly China is a burgeoning tourist destination (in fact a bargain compared to Europe in these days of the plummeting dollar). From the ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/03/26/day-1-oceania-cruise-beijing-tianjin/ As the Democrat party race for the nomination has tightened, trade became a major issue in the debate. Hillary Clinton claims that the US needs to take a second look at NAFTA and negotiate a better deal. Barak Obama made similar statements while campaigning in Ohio, although an aide explained ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/03/14/trade-policy-and-the-us-presidential-election/ I'll be the enrichment lecturer on Oceania Cruise Line's Nautica which will sail from Beijing on March 24. Other ports along the cruise include Inchon (Seoul), Shanghai, Hiroshima, Kobe (Kyoto), Okinawa, Taipei and Hong Kong. The topics of my lectures will concern business and politics in the above nations. I'll ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/03/06/oceania-cruise-to-china-korea-and-japan/ My family and I have had the privilege of living in five countries and three continents. Being nomads of sorts, we frequently talk about our experiences. Tonight, my daughter Megan brought up the issue of differences in boundaries in personal relationships across cultures. She had been talking over the past ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/02/22/cultural-boundaries-and-successful-international-business/