This book addresses a selected number of key topical issues that East Asian economies are facing today. The intensity of these issues has particularly risen since the advent of the 2008 global financial crisis. Written by a number of international experts in the area of Asian economics and business, the book presents the most recent macroeconomic outlook in East Asia and then goes on to analyse a number of business corporations and industry-related cases, focussing on the theme of firms' strategies, particularly in relation with the issue of corporate social responsibility.

Introduction PART I Global macroeconomic slowdown and East-Asian Economies 1..The lion's share: what's behind China's economic slowdown? 2. On a path towards financialization? The expanding role of finance in China's growth regime 3. Reappraisal of the Environmental Kuznets Curve in East- Asian Developing Countries Falling into Middle-income Traps 4. Economic and social importance of the growing natural fibre market: China's role in the international cotton market PART II Corporate strategy and social responsibility 5. The influence of national characteristics on corporate social, environmental and governance performance 6. Does Corporate Social Responsibility Enhance the International Transfer of Environmental Management? 7. The Status of Financial Accounting Standards for SMEs in Japan and the Philippines 8. Review of Evaluation Methods on Economic Benefits in Relation to Corporations' Environmental Sustainability Activities - A Trial Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation 9. Cultural Differences Towards Business Ethics - Implications for French and American Investors in Vietnam 10. Synthesis and Conclusions