Feature Article Archives

TOEIC to Include Speaking, Writing Options in December

Rahn Kim

Beginning in December, optional speaking and writing tests will be included in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), which is used worldwide to test English language proficiency in the workplace.

Broadcast News Industry Still Has a Way to Go in Increasing Journalists of Color in its Newsrooms

Melanie Hall

UNITY: Journalists of Color is encouraged at the small growth in diversity in television stations but remains extremely concerned about the continuing erosion in the percentage of people of color in radio news.

MacKenzie's Cafe: A film about going after your dreams, living passionately, and making a difference

AD Magazine

Film, famously cited by Frank Capra to be one of the universal languages, can have the eloquence to make a minority experience relevant to the mainstream, and to unite a diverse audience with a reminder of shared human qualities. The dramatic feature film MacKenzie’s Café, the current project of independent filmmaker Donna Tsufura, is one example of such a work.

NYC Asian Entrepreneurs Take Matters Into Their Own Hands

AD Release

The absence of an Asian business association in New York City prompted Asian American entrepreneurs to hold a networking event.

Cai Guo-Qiang on the Roof: First solo Met exhibition by a contemporary Chinese artist

Naomi Takafuchi & Elyse Topalian

Cai Guo-Qiang, acclaimed internationally for his elaborate sculpture installations and gunpowder projects, is the first contemporary Chinese artist to create a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Asian Small Businesses

C.N. Le

The phenomenon of Asian American small businesses has gotten a lot of attention in the last several years. Some of this attention has been positive while some of it has been negative.

Asia rides wave of Korean pop culture invasion

Evan Osnos

The ever-growing fever for Korean pop culture is generating a Korea boom in Asian countries while boosting the Korean economy and tourism.

Pacific Islanders Balance Cultural and Workplace Demands

Dan Woog

Once lumped together with Asian Americans by census data and stereotypes, Pacific Islanders are now seen as a distinct group with its own traditions and concerns.

Chinese language catching on in US classrooms

Julia Silverman

The level of interest in establishing Chinese language programs in K-12 schools is rising rapidly.

Making an Impact in Corporate America: A Panel Discussion

Danny Kim

Read about ACLN's second Business Speaker Series event on changing Corporate America from within.

Retail, Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Logistics

Denise Santos-Dizon

Asia remains poised for growth in the coming year in the sectors of fast moving consumer goods, retail and logistics. The region is practically on a hiring spree, says Kelly News Services.

A View of Asians at Work - What Keeps the Buzz Going

Mercer Human Resource Consulting

What factors generate motivation and loyalty at work? See how employees in Asia view their work environment and address the issue of pay.

Children of Asian Immigrants: What Shapes Their Career Paths?

Dan Woog

The stereotypes are vivid: New immigrants from China and Japan gravitate to technical jobs, while those from Pakistan and Bangladesh work in small businesses or drive taxis. But what about their children? Do they feel free to choose nontraditional career paths?

Japan's 'Womenomics'

William Pesek Jr.

Are women in Corporate Japan finally breaking through the glass ceiling? Read what Bloomberg columnist William Pesek Jr. thinks.

"Banzai" - Hilarious or delirious?

anonymous

A couple of weeks ago, Fox Television premiered a new reality comedy show "Banzai," a British imitation of popular Japanese game shows featuring practical jokes, silly stunts and experiments with a chance for audiences to place an interactive betting on their outcomes during the show. Since the show aired, many Asian American organizations and civil activist groups have protested against the show's condescending nature towards the Asian ethnicity, inspiring a current debate on whether the show is a demeaning Asian stereotype or just a goofy, harmless comedy. Here are two opinion columns presented over this current debate.

Sexploitation of the Asian Kind in Advertisement

Ji Hyun Lee

Media saturation dominates in our lives. Every second of the day is a decision about what to eat, drink, wear, who to date, and how to think. 'Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun,' raps the multi-cultural cast on television. 'Drink the un-cola,' Seven-Up says. 'Get into a pair of khaki a go-go's,' Gap entices with tantalizing dancers and a catchy tune. 'The right relationship is everything,' Chase entreats. 'Think different,' Apple computers emboldens its consumers.

Ultimately, advertisers decide who we are and how we are going to live. After all, how could anybody resist Foxwoods Resorts' buoyant jingle that tells us to live for the wonder of it all. But with all this seemingly positive mantra bombarding us on a minute-by-m

Asian American and Female in American Television and Films: Lynn Chen from All My Children

Althea D. Chang

As a 5-year-old child in a family of musicians, Lynn Chen was performing with the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus and was at home on the stage.

At a young age, encouraged to pursue her interest in the arts, Chen, who was told she could sing before she even learned to speak, sang, played instruments, and practiced ballet. By word of mouth through contacts at the Metropolitan Opera, Chen heard about castings, and got acting roles in New York City opera houses and even a role in a Broadway musical. Chen came of age on the stage, and who could imagine a more supportive environment to grow up in than a theater full of people applauding?

Asian American and Female in Corporate America

Seo Hee Koh

Colorful crayon drawings form a less than corporate back drop to her desk. But it is obvious that Jeannie Diefenderfer, Group President at Verizon, knows the ins and outs of climbing the corporate ladder while hoisting her race and gender on her small shoulders.

Then again, perhaps ''hoist'' is less than accurate.

Dell's Deals

Althea D. Chang

In the same way that malnutrition will not end by simply giving food to the hungry, big computer companies giving away computers does not ensure that people will be able to educate themselves on how to use them.

Luckily, Dell Computer Corp. does not just give away hundreds of computers to the community and call it a day. They start at the source: education.

Market Snapshot: Chinese-American Consumers Prefer COSTCO, Bank of America

Chan Cho

Twelve percent of Chinese Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area are planning to purchase a home and 21 percent plan to buy or lease a new car in the next year, according to a new survey.

The findings are part of an annual report by KTSF-TV, San Francisco, that provides a snapshot of the Chinese-American community's purchasing, language and political preferences.