ABSTRACT
The far-reaching economic and political turmoil that has rocked Asia for the past few years continues to have profound repercussions both in the countries of the region and throughout the rest of the world. Touched off by a devaluation of the Thai currency and expanding in a ripple effect that grew to tidal-wave proportions, the crisis roiled world financial markets, plunged national economies into recession, and threatened the existence of a ne~' middle class created as a result of rapid economic growth. For foreign companies, including medical device finns, that had looked to Asia both as a site for expanding manufacturing operations and as a market of enormous potential, the crisis was a rude awakening.
