Asia Future Shock:Business Crisis and Opportunity in the Coming Yearsby Michael BackmanPublished by Palgrave-Macmillan, 2008
This is marvelously written and well researched book. It is definitely worth to read. However it suffers the typical fate of a book written by a "gui lo" on Asian countries. It is good to have an outsider view and this has its shortcomings. Because it is very difficult for a 'gui lo' to understand us asians, unless he is born in Asia and raised in Asia, with Asian culture.
Backman not only provides us with facts and figures , he tends to put in his own prediction of our multi myriad Asia. I wouldn't agree to the term 'prediction' , I think 'projection based on current observation' will much more appropriate.
The part where Backman regards Malaysia as a country started out with all the right footing (English language, civil and jucicial system, tin, petroleum, palm oil) but somehow lost its way and will soon lament on its lost opportunity really make me sit up and think. To a great extend I think he is probably right, otherwise will be like Singapore, only much larger.
Contrary to what he thinks, I think the Peteronas Twin Towers are beautiful and it should be built. The so called 'precessional effect' of the project were a lot.
1) uplifting a generation of local contractors and material manufactureres & suppliers to global standard. These local companies with credentials such as KLCC, KLIA, F1, PLUS Express way are all getting impressive jobs from overseas. These projects had trained so many good project managers and skilled labour and they are all in demand in overseas countries. WCT has gone on to build F1 tracts in Middle east, and a lot of our civil engineers are now in Dubai and Bahrain. Moreover we Klites certainly need a philharmonic, Great Park and world class shopping center. All these projects had certain helped malaysian to think big and deliver big.
2) hello, what about the post cards, tourist destination, crafts, PR the twin towers has done for vist Malaysia Year ? everyday I see bus loads of people gathering in front of the twin towers to photo shoot. Without the Twin Towers of KL towers, I wonder how will thier travel itenery be like.
3) the real estate boom around KLCC area ? the total retail value of the projects currently around there is easily more than the cost of the twin towers. Some condominiums are now going for more than Rm2000 per sqaure foot.
4) the project has revitalise KL and gave the city and country an identity. Isn't it typical, if Paris has Eifel Tower, the Louvre Museum, St Loius and Washington have the arches, it is okay. we have the twin Towers is not okay. At least the twin towers are better than arches.
A lot of the book focus on China. A lot of the assumptions are based on projection. If everybody in china becomes middle class and behaves the same way for the next 20 years.
What it says about Singapore is interesting. It says that, Singapore is and will be the place to park illgotten gains, lifescience with no regards to ethical and animal or even human rights. All with the intention to survive and thrive as a city state. This sounds no better than what the 'west' labled as 'rougue' country, such as Myanmar.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1Population Dynamics: How Asia’s Face is Changing
Chapter 2 The Internet, Big Business & Freedom
Chapter 3 China’s Military Build-up
Chapter 4 20 million Japanese to go Missing
Chapter 5The Two Koreas to Reunify
Chapter 6The Rush out of India by Indian Companies
Chapter 7Asia’s Nuclear Future
Chapter 8Water Wars
Chapter 9China to have the World’s Biggest Number of English Speakers
Chapter 10China’s HR Nightmare
Chapter 11India’s HR Nightmare
Chapter 12Wanted! 250 million Wives: Asia’s Shocking Gender Imbalance
Chapter 13Asia’s Meaningless Borders
Chapter 14Growing Family Breakdown in Asia
Chapter 15China builds an Economic Bloc based on Corruption
Chapter 16Vietnam: The New China?
Chapter 17.Burma: The Next Vietnam
Chapter 18Does Indonesia have a Future?
Chapter 19From Malaysia Boleh to Malaysia Bodoh?
Chapter 20China’s Healthcare Sector to Boom
Chapter 21The Next Tsunami: Mainland Chinese Tourists
Chapter 22Medical Research to shift to Asia
Chapter 23New Switzerlands: Private Banking & Money Laundering shift to Asia
Chapter 24Asia’s Coming Medical Tourism Bonanza
Chapter 25Growing Corporate Ownership by Charities in Asia
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