Books published by ISEAS

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for more than 90 per cent of all businesses in the Asia-Pacific region - an area which is rapidly updating its competition laws and regulations to encourage greater entrepreneurship and open, dynamic economies.Yet SMEs are almost invisible when those competition policies and laws are developed and enforced. SMEs are often quite different businesses than large, multinational corporations, but their nature, significance and characteristics are often overlooked. This book seeks to rectify the relative neglect in research and policy discussions on the role of the SME sector in competition policy and law. Drawing on contributions from a wide range of competition regulators, lawyers, academics, consultants and advisers to the SME sector, it addresses such important issues as:- perceptions and views of small businesses about competition law;- regulator engagement and education of the SME sector;- the link between competition law and economic growth;- franchising, SMEs and competition law;- issues in enforcing competition law against SMEs;- the role of Chinese family firms;- trade, professional and industry associations;- country case studies from Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, Japan and the Pacific Islands. "This book is an important step in remedying the gaps in our knowledge and policy of this important area." -- Dr Alan Bollard, Executive Director, APEC Secretariat

The twelve essays in this collection represent the latest research in the field to deal with the dynamics of mainland and (pen)insular Buddhism between the sixth and nineteenth centuries C.E. Drawing on new manuscript sources, inscriptions, and archaeological data, they investigate the intellectual, ritual, institutional, sociopolitical, aesthetic, and literary diversity of local Buddhisms.

Explores the history of the modern Indian presence in Malaysia, and traces the vital role played by the Indian community in the construction of contemporary Malaysia. In this new study, Carl Vadivella Belle offers fresh insights on the Indian experience spanning the period from the colonial recruitment of Indian labour to the post-Merdeka political, economic and social marginalization of Indians.

'Know your enemies, know yourself', advised Sun Zi in his famous Art of War. In contrast, the legendary Admiral Zheng He would have said, 'Know your collaborators, know yourself', and this would be the essence of his Art of Collaboration.

Takes stock of the results of two decades of intensive archaeological research carried out on both sides of the Bay of Bengal, in combination with renewed approaches to textual sources and to art history. This volume brings together specialists of both India and Southeast Asia, in a fertile inter-disciplinary confrontation.

This collection of essays reflects on some of the major political and security issues in the region in recent times, including the balance of power among the major powers, American engagement and policies in Asia, India's rise, the global war on terrorism, the Iraq war, domestic developments in some countries as well as ASEAN's efforts to build regional peace and security.

The book aims to further the debate on the impacts of fisheries policies in the Indian Ocean Region in order to facilitate a new regional policy direction. A key argument of the volume is that ecologically sustainable and socially just development and management of Indian Ocean fisheries require a paradigm shift in the perceptions and policies of major stakeholders.

Chronicles the life, times and achievements of David Marshall ('Singapore's Conscience'). This book presents the story of this extraordinary man who was, for many, Singapore's 'missionary of democracy'.

In May 2007, the European Union and ASEAN agreed to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). This book identifies the barriers in the relations between the regions, and aims to make an ASEAN-EU FTA useful as well as understandable to the business sector.

Offers an understanding about motivations of New Zealand and Singapore to enter into other bilateral FTAs and some of the visible impacts observed since their implementation.

Philippine observers are often baffled by the economic and political turmoil that dominates headlines about the country. Yet, at the same time, the Philippines holds the potential for successfully combining political freedoms with sustained economic growth and, thus, improving the lives of its people. This book examines these contradictory trends.

Examines the growing interdependence between ASEAN and Korea and the political and economic realities governing the relationship. This work discusses the issues in areas of domestic and regional security environments, non-traditional security, regional trade arrangements, and Korean relations with the new ASEAN member states.

This book fills a gap in authoritative analyses of the causes of inter-religious conflict and the practice of religious toleration. The rise of more overt expressions of Islamic piety and greater bureaucratization of Islam in both Indonesia and Malaysia over several decades have tested the "live and let live" philosophy which used to characterize religious expression in these nations. The analyses in each chapter of the book break new ground with contextualized studies of particular and recent incidents of conflict or harassment in a variety of areas - from urban centres to more remote and, even complex, locations. As these studies show, legislation stands or falls on the ability and determination of local authorities to enforce it.