Small and Medium Business Improvement in the ASEAN Region : Financial Factors

The identification of small and medium businesses (SMBs) as a target for development policy is a comparatively recent phenomenon. It is clearly linked to the realization in developing countries that large capital-intensive industries which formed the basis of earlier development policies had failed to provide the hoped-for engine of growth. Only in the 1970s, as planners realized the mismatch between Western large-scale technology and local factor endowments, and as urban unemployment became an increasingly pressing problem, did attention turn to smaller scale and more labour intensive enterprises to provide possible solutions.

From China to Facebookistan, the Internet has transformed global commerce. A cyber-law expert argues that we must free Internet trade while simultaneously protecting consumers.

On the ancient Silk Road, treasure-laden caravans made their arduous way through deserts and mountain passes, establishing trade between Asia and the civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean. Today’s electronic Silk Roads ferry information across continents, enabling individuals and corporations anywhere to provide or receive services without obtaining a visa. But the legal infrastructure for such trade is yet rudimentary and uncertain. If an event in cyberspace occurs at once everywhere and nowhere, what law applies? How can consumers be protected when engaging with companies across the world?

In this accessible book, cyber-law expert Anupam Chander provides the first thorough discussion of the law that relates to global Internet commerce. Addressing up-to-the-minute examples, such as Google’s struggles with China, the Pirate Bay’s skirmishes with Hollywood, and the outsourcing of services to India, the author insightfully analyzes the difficulties of regulating Internet trade. Chander then lays out a framework for future policies, showing how countries can dismantle barriers while still protecting consumer interests.

CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES CONTRIBUTORS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PREFACE I. FINANCIAL FACTORS RELATED TO SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT: AN OVERVIEW II. FINANCIAL FACTORS AFFECTING SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES IN INDONESIA III. STUDY AND EVALUATION OF EXISTING FISCAL AND FINANCIAL POLICIES AND SUPPORT FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES IN MALAYSIA IV. FINANCIAL FACTORS AND SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES V. FINANCING OF SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES IN SINGAPORE VI. FINANCIAL FACTORS RELATING TO SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT IN THAILAND