technology

The United States government runs a joint congressional and executive branch commission that monitors China’s record on the rule of law, human rights, workers’ rights and a broad array of related areas. As China joined the World Trade Organization in 2000, the U.S. government established the commission to monitor China’s commitment to living up to the principles expected of WTO members.

The rise in global competition between nations has highlighted the importance of research and development spending for fostering economic growth and development.

Social media have transformed corporate communication practices: Tools such as Twitter and Facebook allow organizations to speak directly to and solicit responses from the public quickly and affordably. But the original intention of these media were to connect friends, not customers or employees; for businesses, accustomed to managing all aspects of communications (and muting dissent), social media can be an awkward fit.

Recent history has been extraordinarily difficult for U.S. and foreign car makers, as they’ve been hit by everything from the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression to a tsunami in Japan. In response to consumer concerns about operating costs, the 2012 Detroit Auto show featured many models with higher gas mileage, but there was also plenty of choice for those still in the market for bigger and more powerful vehicles.

While Twitter is wildly popular, too many journalists still don’t understand it.

Some are critical without ever trying it out. Others tried it when it first started out, found it lacking and never went back. Some look at folks who advocate Twitter’s use as time-wasters who are somehow less serious about their work.

Even as China rapidly modernizes, its government continues to tightly monitor the media to ensure that state control remains unchallenged. This task has become more difficult with the rise of the Internet, which can function as an informal media outlet.