This book presents critical analyses of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from economic, social, political and geographical perspectives. Contributed by academics and business professionals from Asia, Europe and Australia, the chapters offer readers a range of regional viewpoints and insights into China's grand development strategy - primarily aimed at boosting connectivity across Asia and beyond via investments in infrastructural projects. The chapters also discuss the contemporary economic, financial, political and infrastructural developments related to the BRI and the challenges that confront the Initiative.This edited volume serves as a primer to China's mega strategic undertaking, a supplementary companion and reference resource to those familiar with the BRI.

Cities around the world are becoming increasingly popular as economic powerhouses and magnets for migrants from rural and suburban areas. All big cities in First and Third World countries as well as emerging markets such as New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Delhi, Jakarta etc. have to cope with high population density and serious challenges such as air pollution or traffic congestion. How do we pack more people into big cities and yet continue to realise a high quality of life? How do we plan, create and manage 'good cities' which are safe, spacious, green, connected, fair and resilient? How can cities create economic wealth while still fulfilling the vision of sustaining our 'Green Planet'? What are best practice designs and innovative technical smart city solutions which could be leveraged to tackle these challenges and how can they be successfully commercialised?These are some of the questions the reader addresses from a multi-disciplinary perspective with special reference to Singapore whose development from regional entrepot to First World Metropolis continues to impress business and societal leaders around the world.The book's contents are broadly structured according to the following aspects: (i) definition and taxonomy of innovative & sustainable cities, including its core characteristics and how they create value in terms of innovativeness and sustainability; (ii) governance, planning and selected design principles of innovative & sustainable cities and how they pan out with regard to livability and sustainability; and (iii) in-depth study of selected smart city dimensions such as governance, clustering, connectivity, mobility, ageing, water, sports, and safety.

Cities around the world are becoming increasingly popular as economic powerhouses and magnets for migrants from rural and suburban areas. All big cities in First and Third World countries as well as emerging markets such as New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Delhi, Jakarta etc. have to cope with high population density and serious challenges such as air pollution or traffic congestion. How do we pack more people into big cities and yet continue to realise a high quality of life? How do we plan, create and manage 'good cities' which are safe, spacious, green, connected, fair and resilient? How can cities create economic wealth while still fulfilling the vision of sustaining our 'Green Planet'? What are best practice designs and innovative technical smart city solutions which could be leveraged to tackle these challenges and how can they be successfully commercialised?These are some of the questions the reader addresses from a multi-disciplinary perspective with special reference to Singapore whose development from regional entrepot to First World Metropolis continues to impress business and societal leaders around the world.The book's contents are broadly structured according to the following aspects: (i) definition and taxonomy of innovative & sustainable cities, including its core characteristics and how they create value in terms of innovativeness and sustainability; (ii) governance, planning and selected design principles of innovative & sustainable cities and how they pan out with regard to livability and sustainability; and (iii) in-depth study of selected smart city dimensions such as governance, clustering, connectivity, mobility, ageing, water, sports, and safety.

This book serves as a textbook for courses on Asian studies with a focus on ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs and business management in Asia. It provides a comprehensive Asian perspective on the organizational peculiarities and changing business practices of ethnic Chinese businesses and their leaders who continue to form the backbone of Asia's dynamic economies. The book features selected chapters written by reputable scholars on Chinese business, covering diverse and yet closely related topics such as the role of ethnic identity, trust, guanxi, Chineseness, leadership, change management, learning and knowledge management in organizations owned and managed by ethnic Chinese.

This book serves as a textbook for courses on Asian studies with a focus on ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs and business management in Asia. It provides a comprehensive Asian perspective on the organizational peculiarities and changing business practices of ethnic Chinese businesses and their leaders who continue to form the backbone of Asia's dynamic economies. The book features selected chapters written by reputable scholars on Chinese business, covering diverse and yet closely related topics such as the role of ethnic identity, trust, guanxi, Chineseness, leadership, change management, learning and knowledge management in organizations owned and managed by ethnic Chinese.

Based on the success of the "World Scientific publication Governing and Managing Knowledge" edited by Thomas Menkhoff, Hans-Dieter Evers and Chay Yue Wah in 2005, this unique volume presents 16 new theoretical-practical papers on the strategic aspects of developing knowledge-based economies with case studies from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Uzbekistan. A key question which the book seeks to answer is what Asian policy-makers and leaders in government, economy and society can do to further enhance learning and capability formation so as to foster sustainable development in an increasingly globalized world. It addresses the politico-cultural and socio-economic challenges of effectively managing both knowledge resources and coping with the great digital divide created by globalization, continuous technology innovations and rapid external change. A key objective of the publication is to enable latecomers in the knowledge race to understand some of the critical success factors of sustainable knowledge-based development and what it takes to build a resilient knowledge-based economy.

The field of knowledge for development now occupies a top position on the agenda of all Asian governments as well as large development organizations. This book reflects this mega-trend of development towards KBEs (Knowledge Based Economies). For this 2nd edition all chapters have been thoroughly edited and data, tables and graphs have been updated to reflect the latest available statistics. Trends have been re-evaluated and adjusted to reflect recent developments in the fast-moving scene of knowledge governance and knowledge management.