The International Management Accounting Conference 4 was held in August 2007 in Kuala Lumpur to discuss issues pertaining to the role of accounting in liberalized economy. From the conference, it was clear that liberalized economy does impact the direction, nature and practices of accounting. In response to these challenges, accounting must play a proactive and relevant role to sustain the competitiveness of companies in the business environment. Therefore it is the intention of the conference organizers to share the issues, problems and challenges in sustaining competitiveness in liberalized economy with a larger audience through the publication of this book. The book is organized in the following themes:  Cost and Information Management  Performance Measurement  Strategic Alliance The articles included in this book were selected from the papers reviewed and presented at the International Management Accounting Conference 4. The articles were written based on research findings of studies conducted in several countries including Malaysia, New Zealand, Indonesia, UK, India, Saudi Arabia and Botswana. Therefore they are expected to have high academic value, each complete with literature review, methodology, data analysis and references. Even though that is the case, the papers have been carefully chosen and edited for mass readers. This book is suitable for researchers, academicians, graduate students, and practitioners with interest in business, economics and accounting:

'This is a thoughtful volume providing a well-rounded treatment of some of the main economic issues currently confronting Singapore. It will be of greatest interest to Singapore watchers, but given the range of issues it grapples with, a much wider audience of policymakers and those interested in development economics will also find it stimulating.' - Alfred Oehlers, Asian-Pacific Economic Literature While the Singaporean economy has experienced one of the highest rates of growth in the world over the past three decades, questions have recently been raised about the sustainability of the Singapore development model and its continued relevance in the global economy. This book is a compilation of specially written essays by a select group of leading international scholars. The authors analytically examine a number of related issues pertaining to national competitiveness, structural and macroeconomic concerns and policy options for the Singapore economy in order for it to sustain its economic viability in the global economy.

This book examines how consistent the post-war process of globalization has been with the basic requisites of sustainable development. It argues that the polarization of public opinion into support of either globalization or sustainable development has not helped an understanding of the issues, and that the confrontation should be abandoned.

Which political and institutional factors trigger reforms that enable the poor to benefit from the process of economic growth? How can the incentives of policy makers be influenced in order to achieve such a dynamic? These are the questions this study seeks to address by examining the transition process in post-communist countries. The author argues that political competition within an accepted and respected institutional environment has been a driving force in shaping the direction and success of transition reforms. Evidence shows that in countries with a sufficient degree of political competition, citizens responded to economic crises by calling for economic liberalization. Economic liberalization removed existing distortions, increased economic efficiency and raised public welfare. This activated a dynamic, self-enforcing reform process that also strengthened the political and economic power of the poor. In the absence of political competition, such a process failed to emerge, thereby contributing to the persistence of poverty. Based on these findings, there is good reason to postulate that some level of political competition is essential for transition reforms to improve economic efficiency and public welfare in a sustainable manner.

'The state-of-the-art studies in this volume are to be warmly welcomed. The authors successfully explore the economic, environmental and social consequences of policy-failures, and identify practical corrective measures.' - Charles Perrings, President, International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) Macroeconomic policies have come under justifiable scrutiny because of their powerful and pervasive impacts throughout the economy. This book examines the sustainability of growth-oriented macroeconomic strategies, starting from early ideas linking macroeconomic policies, growth and sustainability. A comprehensive and up-to-date literature review and theoretical framework are presented, including both macroeconomic and microeconomic analyses of the linkages between the economy and the environment.

The purpose of this book is to provide a systematic and policy-focused analysis of Korea's development performance from a historical perspective. The book begins with post-war reconstruction efforts and extends to recent developments in the Korean economy. Through a comprehensive analysis of Korea's development performance over the last six decades, the book examines in detail how development strategies and policies evolved over time, what were their consequences and underlying factors, and what lessons can be drawn from the Korean experience. A wide range of issues are discussed, including the role of government, capital accumulation, growth and structural change, industrial development and concentration, economic liberalization, human resource and technology development, social development and income distribution. The important features of the Korean development model are highlighted to draw lessons from the Korean experience.