That's important anywhere but arguably more so in a trade- and manufacturing-oriented economy such as Asia's.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Asia Buzz: Let's Lose the Prefix

So world-class, export-oriented manufacturing companies based in Japan could lead Japanese stocks higher.

FORBES: I'm Buying Japanese, I Really Think So!

Anecdotal evidence abounds of falling employment, particularly in construction, mining and export-oriented manufacturing.

ECONOMIST: Unemployment

If the government meets its goal of massively expanding the export-oriented manufacturing sector, for example, India will become another big target for developed-country protectionists.

ECONOMIST: As India's clout grows it will reshape the world around it

In a recent study of seven different sectors of the Thai economy, McKinsey, a consultancy, found that poor government regulation was the single biggest barrier to productivity growth in almost every instance, whether in manufacturing or services, in export-oriented or locally consumed products.

ECONOMIST: Give it a chance

Keep in mind that this was a stodgy, male-oriented company whose leaders had been in manufacturing forever.

FORBES: Think Outside the Goggles!

YouSendIt is a file-sharing service focused on business-oriented uses such as: lawyers sharing files with lawyers or companies sharing files with their manufacturing partners overseas, or physicians sharing medical images.

FORBES: YouSendIt Launches File Syncing, Takes On Dropbox