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We are bound together by the Singapore idea but it is not easy to define what exactly constitutes it. It involves both the heart and the mind, and probably includes aspects like good governance, civic responsibility, honesty, strong families, hard work, a spirit of voluntarism, the use of many languages and a deep respect for racial and religious diversity. George Yeo, as Singapore's Minister of Information and the Arts (Yeo 2000, 25).

Revisits the debate about the attractiveness of Germany as a business location and traces developments in German inward and outward investment during the 1990s. Measures, actual and promised, which will serve to bolster the attractiveness of Germany as a business location, are identified. Drawing on the experience of British/German trade and corporate relationships during the decade, it is recommended that the 1990s be seen as one of adjustment rather than catastrophic dislocation. British/German corporate relationships are reviewed, with the conclusion that allowing for the environmental turbulence of the early years of the decade, the 1990s can be considered as a decade characterised by the steady development of reciprocal relationships.

Focuses on a business philosophy, usually labelled efficient consumer response (ECR), applied in the retail industry. Its application in a firm's current business activities may lead to the achievement of substantial business potentials but there can be problems in its implementation. Explores and describes the perceived potentials and obstacles in the implementation of ECR in the Swedish retail industry and introduces a model of a firm's driving force to implement and incorporate ECR in its current business activities. A firm's driving force may be in part analysed, if ECR's achievable and non‐achievable potentials, as well as ECR's probable and non‐probable obstacles, are simultaneously taken into consideration. Furthermore, a model is introduced in order to analyse the driving force of a business philosophy in a specific firm. The models may be applicable also in the context of classifying, measuring, and evaluating a firm's driving force to implement and incorporate any other business philosophy.

Demonstrates that the European Union (EU) has moved from a twin‐track to a triple‐track approach to the vetting of cross‐border competition concerns. The twin‐track approach is based on co‐operation at the multilateral and bilateral levels. The new third track, not based on co‐operation, is the legal right to unilaterally apply competition instruments extraterritorially. The EU has pushed to establish a multilateral approach through the auspices of the World Trade Organisation. Although there has been some support for this, the reservations from the USA and others make this track unfeasible for the foreseeable future. In the absence of any significant multilateral progress, the EU has concluded bilateral agreements with major partners, but the approach has its limitations – the EU can only deal with the countries with which it has such an agreement. The Commission's third track unilaterally applies EU competition instruments extraterritorially using the effects doctrine.

Observes that, until recently, the European car industry has focused its efforts almost entirely within the boundaries of its domestic markets. Since the rise of the Japanese car industry and those of emerging economies such as Malaysia and Korea, the Europeans have found that the levels of competition in the world market have intensified. Examines how European car companies have responded to global challenges both at home and abroad. The main responses of the European producers in the home market, albeit late, have been to reduce costs, shed labour, rationalise plants, raise productivity and improve their relationships with suppliers in attempts to boost efficiency. Outside Europe, in the search for global status, they have sought new markets, entered into joint ventures and opened new plants worldwide. Nonetheless, Europe remains the weakest of the triad car producers.

Investigates the role of direct foreign investment (DFI) in promoting employment in host regions in the European Union (EU). A theoretical framework is developed which suggests that the initial impact of DFI on employment is likely to be small and mainly linked to the creation of low skilled jobs with the loss of employment in host economies due to the displacement of domestic output by increased exports from the parent companies of subsidiaries. However, in the longer term, DFI flows should diversify the operations of subsidiaries thereby inducing a change in the pattern of jobs in host regions. The framework is assessed using evidence from a survey of German subsidiaries in north‐west England. Concludes with some policy implications and a future research agenda to expand and develop knowledge in this area.