Skype hit by global service crash

Skype has moved quickly to fix problems that hit users around the world.

Many people started to report that they had problems making calls via the net-based phone system earlier today.

The problem did not seem confined to one group, with users on machines running Windows, OS X and Linux all reporting trouble.

Scholar offers tips for major firms in China

China's nonstop economic growth presents multiple opportunities for companies that understand the ins and outs of China, said scholar Kenneth Lieberthal during a discussion on his new book Managing the China Challenge: How to Achieve Corporate Success in the People's Republic.

The event, held on Tuesday night at the New York Times Building, was organized by the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

Chinese firms gain ground

Many multinational corporations believe their Chinese rivals will pose an increased threat due to improving brand recognition levels, wider product portfolios and stronger marketing capabilities.

Trade body the European Chamber, representing 1,600 regional firms active in China, worked with consultancy Roland Burger to survey 598 of its members. In all, 79% of featured organisations agreed the outlook for their category in China should remain positive over the next two years.

Multinational Companies Riding China’s Economic Wave Take a Hit in the Talent Market

Organizations from the US and around the world who expanded into China to leverage its powerful economy are lagging behind their local competitors when it comes to leadership talent, according to a trend research report from Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Multinational firms in Turkey owe success to local staff

A recent poll carried out by Msearch INAC among 70 top-level executives of multinational companies operating in Turkey has found that 75.7 percent of the executives preferred hiring local people with multinational work experience, a major factor that the company heads cited behind success both in Turkish and surrounding markets.

GE Joins Intel to Advise Obama as Overseas Holdings Expand

Seven publicly traded U.S. corporations represented on President Barack Obama’s advisory council for jobs and competitiveness -- including General Electric Co. (GE) and Intel Corp. (INTC) -- have devoted a growing pool of their non-U.S. earnings to investments in other countries.

As a group, multinational companies with current or former chief executive officers on Obama’s jobs council have, over the past four years, almost doubled the cumulative amounts they’ve reinvested overseas, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Drug MNCs play safe on licensing

Drug multinationals are treading with caution on the molecules to license from Indian companies, meaning Glenmark’s deal with France’s Sanofi may not be a forerunner to a clutch of similar agreements benefiting local firms.

Indian pharmaceutical companies outlicense a drug under development to foreign players with deep pockets as it is an expensive process. The latter undertakes trials to develop the drug.