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Cover Story

New guy at work may be a robot

2015-06-19 06:52

Today, it's hard to imagine mass production, especially in automotive and other large-scale industries, without robotics. Yet when General Motors installed the very first robot, in 1961, it was as revolutionary as it was innovative, thanks to several key characteristics.

March of the steel workforce is unstoppable

2015-06-19 06:52

Half a century ago the first industrial robot, Unimate, was put to use at a General Motors plant, signifying the start of the third industrial revolution, and robots have been slowly replacing human workers in manufacturing operations ever since.

Money chasing more localized startups

2015-06-12 06:37

Raising capital for a startup has traditionally been one of the most difficult parts of getting the idea off the ground, but circumstances have greatly changed recently, and many Asian startups have become billion-dollar success stories.

The will to change the world

2015-06-12 06:37

When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang recently visited Zhongguancun, the technology district in Beijing often referred to as China's Silicon Valley, he was told that the startup job-listings website Lagou.com had helped more than 1 million IT workers land jobs since it was set up less than two years ago.

Shoestring innovation gives more for less

2015-06-12 06:37

The number of frugal products and processes in Asia has grown rapidly recently, and emerging markets such as China are proving to be a breeding ground for new ideas.

Help entrepreneurial fence-sitters jump

2015-06-12 06:37

For me, topics of conversation during dinner with friends are always the best way to gauge social and economic trends. This is especially true in Shanghai, China's financial center, where I live.

Picking right investment target crucial

2015-06-12 06:37

In an extraordinary British documentary series, the latest edition being 56UP, a director has attempted to show how difficult it is for a person to escape their social class in the United Kingdom, highlighting how children from rich families tend to stay rich, while children from poor families often remain poor.

Chinese newcomers can 'boost growth'

2015-06-05 05:58

It is not just distance that separates Hebei and Hungary. The northern Chinese province has a population of more than 72 million and a GDP of $379 billion (336 billion euros). The European country has a population of less than 10 million and a GDP of $225 billion.

Overseas Chinese to send home $66b

2015-06-05 05:58

China will receive $66 billion (59 billion euros) this year in remittance inflows, according to World Bank projections.

Language opens doors in jobs market

2015-06-05 05:58

Job seekers in Britain who have a Chinese background and are deterred by stricter immigration rules and the difficulty in gaining work permits are being offered some solace by the increasing activity of Chinese businesses in the country.

Dark side of good-news story about Chinese immigration

2015-06-05 05:58

Ke Sudi, a 20-year-old delivery worker from Fujian, arrived in the back of a lorry in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam on June 18, 2000.

Phone firms dial into smarter world

2015-05-29 08:20

For Zhou Hongyi, China's smartphone market is like "an ocean of blood", and yet it is an ocean he is happy to dive into. "I'm getting into this because I believe you can shake up any market, and those at the top cannot stay there forever," says Zhou, founder and CEO of Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd.

New phone emerges from Jobs' shadow

2015-05-29 08:20

He stood there looking for all the world like Steve Jobs - garbed in black T-shirt, blue jeans and holding his company's latest gadget.

Smartphone makers must up the ante

2015-05-29 08:20

Four years ago China overtook the United States as the world's No 1 smartphone market. Now the Chinese market is reaching saturation point, with about nine out of 10 mobile phones sold in 2014 being a smartphone.

Knocking Apple from top perch is a long-term project

2015-05-29 08:20

It is likely domestic smartphone brands such as Huawei will one day be able to challenge the likes of Samsung and Apple in global sales. But before that can happen - and it is still probably at least five years off - Chinese smartphone makers will need to do a lot to become global brands.

Women on top (almost)

2015-05-22 08:03

Ma Yingying says women are increasingly making their mark in Chinese business. The 33-year-old chief executive officer and founder of Lux Shine Media Company, which stages modernized performances of Peking Opera, says there is now a complete break from the male-dominated business environment of the past.

Career blessings of late childbirth

2015-05-22 08:03

Wang Chun took an unconventional approach to not letting children get in the way of her business career.

Athlete, model, actress, designer and now, boss

2015-05-22 08:03

Leading fashion designer Mary Ma insists she has achieved success in spite of, and not, because she is a beautiful woman.

The importance of holding up half the sky

2015-05-22 08:03

It is worth considering how little has changed in the world since Grant Thornton started tracking gender diversity in business leadership in 2004.

Why female managers have edge over males

2015-05-22 08:03

Women in China play a very important role in management. A larger proportion of women occupy leadership positions in China than in most countries, including most Western countries, though the proportion is still far below half.

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