This fourth volume in the Studies of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in East Asia series focuses on regional and sectoral dimensions in a number of regional economies and economic sectors. The contributors place special emphasis on the importance of SME networking and clustering initiatives and activities. They argue that these initiatives support and nurture the global competitiveness of local SMEs in various economic sectors across the East Asian region. The book goes on to illustrate the increasing recognition that important local, regional and sectoral dimensions of SMEs, activities require their own specific micro policy measures. This is significant as the vitality of many local regional economies depends upon the activities of these local SMEs. The importance and inherent potential of SMEs as small but significant players in national economies and industries is increasingly recognised by policymakers and scholars around the world. Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in East Asia will therefore strongly appeal to both academics and practitioners involved with business and management, Asian studies, industrial organization and entrepreneurship.

The first East Asia Summit in 2005 prompted discussions of enlargement of ASEAN free trade agreements to include all major trading blocs and their regional and global implications. In this timely and original study, Tran Van Hoa and Charles Harvie explore the likely effects of new regional development. With more than half of the world's consumption and production market, well-defined trade agreements in Asia remain crucial to the economic growth and stability of the area. This book contains scholarly and well-researched contributions from internationally renowned experts from ASEAN, East and South Asia and Oceania who discuss this major new development and its impact on trade, investment, services, development, industry, poverty and economic relations. An important collection of new research, this volume will be used by economists, trade experts, academics, students, government advisers, policymakers and all those interested in these significant contemporary developments and their far-ranging implications in an enlarged Asia.

East Asian countries - currently the most dynamic region of the global economy - have recently pursued trade liberalization through the adoption of various forms of bilateral and plurilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The book explores the key issues and possible outcomes arising from this departure from the region's traditional multilateral approach to trade liberalization. Implications of this new approach for the region as a whole, and key participating individual economies and blocs of economies, are emphasized. New East Asian Regionalism includes up-to-date analysis of the most recent developments in FTAs between countries in East Asia, as well as those involving countries from outside the region. Furthermore, the book includes invaluable projections on economic and welfare outcomes of regional trade agreements, using the very latest empirical techniques, and data. The book also considers the implications arising from closer financial integration in the region. This book will be warmly welcomed by scholars of regional science, international economics and business, as well as Asian studies. Policymakers at both the national government and international organization level will also find this book of great interest.

Korea has played, and will increasingly play, an important role in the future development of the South East Asian region, including the expansion of regional economic cooperation and interregional trade. Indeed Korea has been a leading proponent of the idea of ASEAN+3. Clearer understanding of this economy, its major contemporary policy and reform issues and its future, are of particular interest from both regional and global perspectives.A remarkable recovery of the post-crisis Korean economy occurred, but questions over its sustainability remain. Korea, therefore, stands at an important economic crossroads. This opportune book draws upon the knowledge of a wide range of experienced Korean economists and specialists to cover in detail many specific sectors and policy areas, ranging from the key reform sectors - financial, corporate, and public and the labour market, to that of monetary and exchange rate policies. The role and contribution of the 'new economy' is also examined along with developments in Korea's trade and foreign direct investment, free trade agreement policy, inter-Korean economic relations, and the core ingredients of a 'new' growth and economic development paradigm. Scholars and researchers of comparative economics as well as more specifically contemporary Korean and Asian economic, development and financial studies will find this book of great interest.

The 1997 financial and economic crisis in East Asia provided the catalyst for an important reappraisal of the Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME) sector across the region. In this timely book, a distinguished group of contributors discusses the role of SMEs in the globalisation of the East Asian economies, and assess how the financial crisis has impacted on them. They focus on a number of key aspects of SMEs in the region, including: * financing issues * the role of entrepreneurship * the diffusion of technology in the region * Chinese small businesses * SME requirements for information technology * the opportunities afforded by electronic commerce * regional labour markets and their impact on SMEs. Globalisation and SMEs in East Asia will appeal to academics and researchers of Asian economies and studies, globalisation and those interested in industrial organisation.

This volume presents detailed analyses of the role and significance of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the economies of East Asia. Various aspects of SME operations are studied, including: * the role and significance of networking in the conduct of business * the contribution of culture to business acumen and entrepreneurialism * human resource development constraints and issues * technology transfer processes * the utilisation and application of information technology by SMEs * the impact of electronic commerce * the policy framework needed to stimulate the growth of the SME sector. A common framework is adopted between the different studies, enabling substantive lessons to be derived and policy measures to be identified. The Role of SMEs in National Economies in East Asia will be of interest to academics and researchers of industrial organisation, Asian economics and Asian studies as well as policymakers concerned with SME growth in the area.

International production networks in manufacturing, particularly in machinery industries, have rapidly developed over the last two decades, resulting in dramatic increases in intra-regional and intra-industry trade, providing a key source of regional growth, integration and development in East Asia. This book provides a better understanding on how to effectively further increase SME participation in East Asian production networks, and in doing so identifies key challenges and issues that they need to address. This book aims to not only fill the theory-practice gap, but also to lay solid foundations for designing national arrangements and a regional institutional frameworks to further encourage and support SME engagement and participation in regional and global production networks. The book contains several country case studies and by drawing upon individual country experiences, at various stages of economic development, this book demonstrates the varying difficulty faced by SMEs in ASEAN member countries attempting to participate in regional production networks and highlighting differences in needs and policy priorities. This book offers both a more focused theme on the assessment of globalization and a rather unique approach by focusing upon the particular importance of SMEs, and by utilizing micro-level data at the firm or plant level. Its policy insights and the richness and uniqueness of the empirical findings will make the book an invaluable contribution to understanding East Asian production networks.

This third book in the series focuses on how small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute to achieving and sustaining growth and performance in their economies, as well as the ways in which governments can assist and enhance that contribution. This is of particular concern given the trauma suffered by East Asian economies in the wake of the financial and economic crisis of 1997-98. Faced with the need to restructure and reform their economies and thereby achieve a firm foundation for future sustainable growth, many East Asian countries actively pursued SME growth, focusing on the encouragement of entrepreneurialism in the private sector. Drawing on the insights of a wide range of SME experts, the book provides a broad coverage of important aspects of SMEs, including: the contribution of micro-enterprises to economic recovery and poverty alleviation measurement and evaluation issues managing knowledge development ethical values in SMEs the internationalisation process entry mode decisions in export markets technological sourcing use of the Internet. Presenting a contemporary analysis of SME developments in East Asia, both academics and policymakers will find Sustaining Growth and Performance in East Asia of great interest.

International production networks in manufacturing, particularly in machinery industries, have rapidly developed over the last two decades, resulting in dramatic increases in intra-regional and intra-industry trade, providing a key source of regional growth, integration and development in East Asia. This book provides a better understanding on how to effectively further increase SME participation in East Asian production networks, and in doing so identifies key challenges and issues that they need to address. This book aims to not only fill the theory-practice gap, but also to lay solid foundations for designing national arrangements and a regional institutional frameworks to further encourage and support SME engagement and participation in regional and global production networks. The book contains several country case studies and by drawing upon individual country experiences, at various stages of economic development, this book demonstrates the varying difficulty faced by SMEs in ASEAN member countries attempting to participate in regional production networks and highlighting differences in needs and policy priorities. This book offers both a more focused theme on the assessment of globalization and a rather unique approach by focusing upon the particular importance of SMEs, and by utilizing micro-level data at the firm or plant level. Its policy insights and the richness and uniqueness of the empirical findings will make the book an invaluable contribution to understanding East Asian production networks.

This book focuses on strategies to achieve economic diversification in Asian landlocked countries. It does so by analysing the impact of the Dutch disease, non-resource firm heterogeneity, trade logistics operations, trade facilitation, aid for trade, small and medium-sized enterprises, and foreign direct investment. Offering a wide range of expert views and opinions, research findings, information and data, the book will be of value to policy makers and students of trade and development economics.

This book focuses on strategies to achieve economic diversification in Asian landlocked countries. It does so by analysing the impact of the Dutch disease, non-resource firm heterogeneity, trade logistics operations, trade facilitation, aid for trade, small and medium-sized enterprises, and foreign direct investment. Offering a wide range of expert views and opinions, research findings, information and data, the book will be of value to policy makers and students of trade and development economics.