Labor Migration Challenges in Economic Planning: A Case Study of Astana

The end of the cold war removed a major barrier against free trade and consequently, globalization of business spread economic developments around the world, created job opportunities, particularly in industrial sectors, which led to migration of many people who were in search of a better life. Newly independent countries have emerged and many have been, or are in the process of, integrating into various trade packs of the free market system. This labor migration has taken place at various levels. This work studies the attributes of domestic migration and the challenges it has created for economic and urban planning. The article outlines the results of a study conducted to understand the migration patterns into the newly established capital city of Kazakhstan, Astana, for planning purposes

Emergent Realities of Global Competition

Purpose -- The purpose of the paper is to discuss the new realities of global rivalry which has been elevated to include economic competition between nations, in addition to the more traditional forms of competitive interactions between firms, Design/methodology/approach -- The Introduction section discusses the changes that global geopolitics and the economy have undergone from the end of the Second World War to the present time. The 11 macro-economic factors that have impacted international business over this time period are then discussed. The next section of the paper discusses the nature of the new relational assets of firms, their locations, and the means of harnessing and utilizing them in knowledge-based economic competition. A series of propositions relating to the nature of these assets, how managers of corporations can access them, the roles and skill sets required of these managers, and the competitive advantages these assets provide, are then presented. The Conclusion section explores the impacts of these global economic changes for national governments and government bureaucrats, for managers of international firms, for their roles, perspectives, and their skill sets. Findings -- These changes have modified the competitive landscape at the level of competition between nations, across industries as well as between firms. These changes have necessitated modifications in the roles, training and skills required on the part of government bureaucrats and managers of international companies. New roles and skills are needed to meet these challenges. Practical implications -- The paper has implications for competitive advantages of firms as well as nations. Executive education and training programs for managers may need to be restructured to provide these managers the required perspectives, skills and knowledge that will equip them to compete and be effective champions of their companies, and also to some extent, ambassadors of their nation states. Originality/value -- The paper offers a new way of thinking about competition and competitive advantages

Transitional Economies of Central Asia and Business Education

Economic development projects benefit, among other factors, from a supporting education system, particularly business education.However, in Central Asian countries, insufficient business education is a pressing problem. This is partly due to the lack of qualified experts in business education and unavailability of teaching material. Therefore, most of them rely on imported business programs to satisfy their economic development needs. In this paper, we present a model of business education importation and adoption that could be useful to these countries in their economic development efforts

Migrants to Astana, the New Capital City of Kazakhstan

This paper discusses a research that deals with the pattern of labor migration into Astana. The research was to be used by the Kazakhstan policy-makers. The results, however, are very useful for the purpose of comparison with the patterns of labor migration into other cities which were constructed to serve as capital cities. Astana has fulfilled all expectations, but the problems of the new city could be a challenge for planners and policy-makers for year to come