THE NEW ASIAN CORPORATION: Managing for the Future in Post-Crisis Asia, by Michael Hamlin. Jossey-Bass, 1999, $21.95.

There are few more compelling subjects than the future of the Asian corporation.

Are these once-legendary -- and feared -- titans poised for growth, or permanently wounded by the impact of the protracted Asian contagion?

Michael A. Hamlin attempts to answer this question. In doing so, he raises several fundamental issues. He explores pre-1997 conditions and looks back highlighting both business and governmental policies -- on conditions leading to the dramatic economic upheaval. As seen through Hamlin's eyes, there were clear signs that urgent reforms were required to propel Asia past its low-wage manufacturing phase.