Questions about growing your business in India & China?

Prepare to Tap into Chindia by dialing in for the India, China & America (ICA) Institute's Global Virtual Seminar Series.

Join us for a Webinar on Tue, Feb 26 at 11am.

Dr. KRS Murthy, an internationally reputed Serial Entrepreneur and C-Level Executive with an executive track record in NASA, Bell Labs and GE, will present his vision of imminent mergers, acquisitions and consolidations in India, as well as between India and USA, thus launching India into the orbit of world's super technological and economic powers. He will discuss a variety of ways Indian entrepreneurs and NRI entrepreneurs could be part of this upcoming wave of the strange combination of organic and inorganic corporate value creation. Dr. Murthy will also address potentiality of the international M&A dynamics with respect to China, Korea and other countries.

The speaker will highlight a number of key factors that will drive industry consolidation, including the ability to gain economies of scale, access to Fortune 500 customers, talent cross fertilization, increased globalization of Indian companies, horizontal expansion of services and access to global investor resources and most importantly the IPO potential in the world's financial markets.

The attendees of this Webinar will benefit from understanding and preparing their companies to plan for financial resources for growth, acquisition or exits.

How much does the Webinar cost? Your only cost will be the long distance phone call to dial in.

Title: Corporate Growth & Acceleration: Organic & Inorganic Strategies in India & China
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows� 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh�-based attendees
Required: Mac OS� X 10.3.9 (Panther�) or newer

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/64470247 2

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ICA Institute Education Research Director, Dr. Robert L. DeHaan, and Dr. K.M. Venkat Narayan recently edited a collection of articles arising out of the Education for Innovation conference held in 2007 by ICA Institute and Emory University.

In Education for Innovation: Implications for India, China and America, distinguished thought leaders explore cutting-edge questions such as: Can inventiveness and ingenuity be taught and nurtured in schools and colleges? What are the most effective educational strategies to promote these abilities? How are vibrant economies driven by innovation? What is the relationship between education for innovation and national competitiveness or economic development?

Focusing on the Worlds' three most populous countries and largest economies, this book provides a forum for international experts to address a range of critically important issues related to higher education and its role in creating innovative societies. A wide diversity of educators, policymakers and corporate representatives who are dependent on innovation as the well-spring of their success will benefit from the perspectives provided by this volume. The contributors' critical analyses will be of value to higher education faculty and administrators; government officials interested in innovation, education policy, and national economic and workforce development; CEOs and other officials from the online education community and high tech corporate industries. Recent focus in all three countries on higher education as a resource for national economic advancement makes the book especially timely.

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India, China are not immune to crisis: IMF (MSN News, Feb 14) 
The turmoil in the global financial system triggered by a housing loan crisis in the US is fast spilling over to the broader economy, and no country, including India, is immune to this crisis, the head of International Monetary Fund said. IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn also admitted that the Fund had previously underestimated the implications of the crisis in the US.

  India's covert role in Sri Lanka's ceasefire (Thaindian News, Feb 17)
Now that Sri Lanka has jettisoned the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with the Tamil Tigers, one of India's best kept secrets can be revealed: it was New Delhi that quietly authored the process that led to the Norway-brokered pact.

  China may keep tightening policy to fight inflation (China Daily, Feb 19)
Continued inflationary pressure will encourage China to maintain a program of policy tightening in spite of a likely US-led global economic slowdown this year, analysts said.

  Opinion
Ringing in the Asian century (LA Times, Feb 19)
We are entering a new era of world history: the end of Western domination and the arrival of the Asian century. The question is: Will Washington wake up to this reality? When the new president meets with schedulers in January, will he or she say, "Cut down on the visits to Europe. Send me across the Pacific, not the Atlantic. The G-8 represents a sunset process. Let us focus on the new sunrise organizations in Asia."

India plans sovereign wealth fund for energy assets abroad (The Economic Times, Feb 19)
India plans to set up a multi billion dollar sovereign wealth fund to invest in energy assets overseas. "The plans are at a very initial stage. A decision on this would be taken after the budget. The fund would invest in overseas energy assets like Temasek of Singapore does," Planning Commission Member Surya Sethi said.

Chinese oil sector of better credit quality than Indian counterparts - Fitch (Forbes, Feb 19)
Fitch Ratings said the relatively better quality of the Chinese oil sector compared to India reflects China's larger economy, coupled with its more industrialised economic structure, relatively well-developed infrastructure, and more integrated business portfolio.

India's silence on Iran gas pipeline may benefit China (CNN-IBN, Feb 17)
Iran appears to be stepping up the pressure on India over the India-Pakistan-Iran (IPI) gas pipeline project, and has asked India to decide on its participation in the project on priority. It has asked India to decide on its participation in the project quickly.

Indian Energy Exchange starts mock trading - official (Reuters, Feb 15)
The country's first power bourse, Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), started mock trading for its members from Friday, days before its official launch, a senior IEX official told Reuters. "IEX has started mock trading for its members from today," said Joseph Massey, director of IEX. The exchange plans to start power trading by the third week of February, an official of the IEX had said on Jan 9.

Opinion
5 Must Read Articles in Oil and Alternative Energy (Seeking Alpha, Feb 18) A selection of stories by David Jackson.

Asian Software piracy reduction worth US$40 billion: study (iTWire, Feb 18)
A new study by anti-piracy group, the BSA (Business Software Alliance) suggests over US$40 billion in economic growth could be achieved over the next four years with a 10% reduction in piracy, generating 435,000 new and jobs over US$5 billion in new tax revenues. Will the buccaneering, bootlegging bandits of Asian software piracy ever stop selling to local businesses, and will those local businesses ever comply with anti-piracy legislation?

China close to telecom sector revamp, analysts say (Reuters, Feb 18)
Speculation increased on Monday Beijing is close to approving a long-waited telecoms sector overhaul that benefits fixed-line operators such as China Telecom propelling their shares higher.

The call of competition (The Hindu Business Line, Feb 18)
New entrants in the telecom sector have sounded the bugle even before rolling out services. A look at what they seek to offer, and what the incumbents say about turf sharing.

Indian Company to Sell $20 Cell Phone (Fox News, Feb 15)
India has already built the world's cheapest car - the $2,500 Tata Nano - and now the country has unveiled the telecommunications equivalent: the $20 "people's phone." The mobile handset, developed by Spice, the Indian telecoms group that is listed in Bombay and worth $2 billion, is angled at the very lowest end of the market.

Infrastructure's The Latest Offshore Outsourcing Prime Target (Information Week, Feb 18)
The offshore outsourcing industry's looking at running data centers remotely as one of its hottest growth segments. One reason, a recent report concludes, is that as hardware prices fall, labor takes an ever-larger share of the costs. So to cut costs, CIOs will cut staff, the consulting firm McKinsey predicts. "Moore's Law's latest victim has become labor," Vivek Pandit, a McKinsey consultant, told attendees at the recent Nasscom conference here in India. 

Opinion
China's High Tech Industry and the World Economy: Zhongguancun Park (Japan Focus)
Can Chinese companies innovate in cutting-edge technology? It is a question many have been asking in the last few years as the size and dynamism of China's economy become apparent. This article focuses on the development of Chinese companies in the information and telecommunication sectors of industry, conventionally known as "Information Communication Technology" (ICT) [2], among the most dynamic, profitable and globalized industries.

India & China among main adopters of biotech crops (The Economic Times, Feb 17)
India and China, along with US, Argentina, Brazil and Canada, continue to be principal adopters of biotech crops in calendar 2007, according to a report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

Brazil, India Call for Farm Subsidy Cuts (Forbes, Feb 18)
The foreign ministers of India and Brazil renewed calls Monday for the U.S. and the European Union to slash farm subsidies and open agricultural markets to competition, in a bid to revive the stalled Doha round of trade talks.

Public schools to extend reach (Xinhua, Feb 13)
About 70 percent of the children of migrant workers in this city will receive free primary and middle-school education at public schools by 2010, the Shanghai municipal education commission said. There are about 140 million migrant workers nationwide, and their choices for how they look after their children are reduced to either leaving them behind or bringing them to live in their rented homes in the cities.

Tale of two universities (Times Reporter, Feb 19) Rob Chilensky of New Philadelphia is taking advantage of a rare opportunity to teach, as well as learn, at one of the most prestigious universities in China. A 2007 summa cum laude graduate of the Tuscarawas Campus of Kent State University at New Philadelphia, Chilensky left last week for Beijing's Renmin University, where he will resume graduate studies and teach English as a second language.

Public-private model can give required fillip (Financial Express, Feb 18)
With allocation for education getting a quantum jump during the 11th Plan period, all eyes are now on the finance minister as to what he does for the sector in the forthcoming Budget. The National Development Council (NDC) has already approved Rs 2,77,837 crore for the sector in the 11th Plan - a huge increase compared to the Tenth Plan allocation of a meagre Rs 54,238 crore. Moreover, National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has pointed out that any further delay in education sector reforms would be too late.

Higher education could use corporate touch (Live Mint, Feb 18)
Many prospective MBA students may not be aware of one aspect of the Indian School of Business (ISB): after completing the school's flagship one-year programme, which would cost them more than Rs16 lakh, they will not get an MBA degree or its equivalent postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM, which is now synonymous with MBA).

China tightens rules on industrial land use (Reuters, February 15)
China has tightened rules on industrial land use, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday, as part of a broader effort to control the rampant development of farmland for non-agricultural purposes. The new rules issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources are effective immediately and limit administrative and living areas of industrial land to a maximum 7 percent of the total area in any given development project, Xinhua said.

Thousands of Hong Kong factories in China may close (The Economic Times, February 18)
Up to 14,000 Hong Kong-owned factories in southern China may close in the next few months, in part due to the crippling winter weather that hit the nation earlier in February, a report said on Monday.

Robust manufacturing spurs machine tool industry growth (The Economic Times, February 17)
Burgeoning growth in the manufacturing sector over the last four years has pitchforked the Indian machine tool industry into the global market. According to a study by Feedback Ventures for the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA), the boom in automobile and auto ancillary sectors has resulted in huge consumption of die-moulds and cutting tools, accounting for 50% of the total production last year.

Indian manufacturing sector is optimistic about '08: KPMG (The Economic Times, February 13)
The manufacturing sector across BRIC region (Brazil, Russia, India, China) is showing signs of 'buoyant levels of confidence' regarding the prospects of business activities during 2008, according to a survey conducted by global consultancy firm KPMG.

Painting a rosy picture of manufacturing (The Economic Times, February 18)
The latest quick estimates suggest considerable slowdown in the index of industrial production, but it seems sooner rather than later that proactive fiscal policy — read lower excise duty — and supportive monetary policy — lower policy interest rates—would boost demand for manufactures right across the board.

China ushers in "green insurance system" to curb pollution (China View, February 18)
China is to introduce a "green insurance system" to better monitor polluting industries and help victims get immediate compensation, said Pan Yue, vice director of the country's top environmental watchdog, here on Monday. The system, which aimed to have all industries with pollution risks insured, will be implemented nationwide by 2015 after a trial period, according to a road map jointly set by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC).

Beijing to apply new emission standards for car sales from March 1 (Forbes, February 17)
Beijing will ban the sale of new cars failing to meet new emission standards equivalent to Euro IV from March 1, as part of efforts to cut air pollution ahead of Olympic games, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

New environment protection facilities planned at Three Gorges dam (China View, February 18)
Environment protection measures are high on the agenda as China's gigantic Three Gorges dam project heads toward completion this year, said dam builders. According to the ongoing work conference at the year beginning of the China Three Gorges Project Corporation, more environmental facilities will be built this year to deal with and guard against environmental problems in the dam area.

China: Rich `culprits' on Climate Change (The Associated Press, February 16)
Negotiations on a new treaty to fight global warming will fail if rich nations are not treated as "culprits" and developing countries as "victims," China's top climate envoy said. The whole world must take action to confront climate change, but developed countries have a "historical responsibility" to do much more because their unrestrained emissions in the past century are responsible for global warming, said Ambassador Yu Qingtai.

Water supply resumes in south China city after oil pollution scare (China View, February 18)
Environment officials in a south China city have assured residents that their water is again safe to drink after supplies to about 100,000 people were cut during an oil pollution scare on Saturday. Domestic water supplies to about half the population in the urban area of Foshan city in west Guangdong Province were cut for more than six hours from 8:45 a.m. on Saturday after a two-kilometer long ivory-white slick was spotted in the Xijiang River, forcing restaurants and businesses to close and sparking a surge in bottled water sales.

Coca-Cola India wins The Golden Peacock Global Award (MoneyControl, February 18)
Coca-Cola India has been awarded the coveted ‘Golden Peacock Global Award for Corporate Social Responsibility - 2008. This award recognizes the Company’s efforts in water conservation and management and its community development initiatives. Dr. Ola Ullsten, former Prime Minister of Sweden and Chairman of the Awards jury presented the award to the Company at the 3rd Global Conference on Social Responsibility in Vilamoura, Portugal. Mr. Deepak Jolly, Vice-President, Public Affairs & Communication received the award on behalf of the Company in the presence of many distinguished business and public leaders and CSR experts.

Chinese President Hu urges reform, innovation in Party building (China View, February 19)
Chinese President Hu Jintao, also the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee general secretary, has urged to uphold the spirit of reform and innovation in building the Party in the new era. Addressing a workshop attended by delegates from the Party's Organization Department in Beijing on Monday, Hu urged all members to stick to the direction of reform and establish a system helpful to innovation.

India shows how ICT can help economy (Australian IT, February 19)
If Australia is serious about taking advantage of technology to drive economic growth, we need to take a serious look at India, which offers a great model of how the ICT sector can be an economic powerhouse. India currently boasts the fastest growing technology market in the world, according to a recent study by Gartner. The research firm predicts that India's ICT industry will swell by 25-30 per cent during 2008, thanks to "unabated growth in the IT services market in the export sector coupled with significant IT services growth in the domestic market".

Computer usage taking a toll on young India's health (Tamil Star, February 18)
Nitin and Gitika are victims of Computer Related Injury (CRI) that’s wreaking havoc on young India’s health. It’s caused when muscles, tendons or nerves are compressed for a long period, resulting in severe pain, numbness and a tingling sensation. Generally, neck, back, shoulders, elbows, arms or wrists are affected.

China to work with BioMerieux in upgrading anti-infection network (China View, February 18)
China is to work with French diagnostic reagent giant BioMerieux in upgrading the country's hospital infection prevention system, according to a project plan signed here on Monday. China's Ministry of Health (MOH) and BioMerieux will improve virus infection prevention network in hospital through training, formulating joint standards, providing anti-virus tests and constructing information networks, according to the project plan.

China confirms new human death from bird flu (Reuters, February 18)
A 22-year-old Chinese man from the central province of Hunan has died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the second death from the disease since late last year, the Health Ministry said on Monday. The man, surnamed Li, first noticed symptoms of fever and headache on January 16. He went to hospital several days later and died on January 24, the ministry said on its Web site.

Medicines need to be affordable (The Economic Times, February 18)
The pharmaceutical sector is growing at about 12% in the past couple of years, faster than the overall economy and the manufacturing sector. The turnover of Indian pharmaceutical industry is estimated at $17.5 billion; comprising a domestic market of $11.5 billion and exports worth $6 billion.

Ministry: Over 40% drinking water in rural areas unhealthy (China View, February 18)
Drinking water in many of China's rural areas is unhealthy, with 44.36 percent failing to meet government standards, a Ministry of Health spokesman said here on Monday. "The condition of drinking water in rural areas still has a long way to go to improve health conditions and living quality for rural people," Mao Qunan told a regular press conference. "The health conditions of the drinking water and sanitary conditions for rural people still need improvement."

IFC plans $1.1bn investment in India infrastructure (Financial News Online, February 18)
The International Finance Corporation is planning to double its investment in Indian infrastructure to about $1.1bn by the middle of this year as part of efforts to help sustain the country’s rapid economic growth. The move comes as the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank, boosts its advisory services to governments to help create investment frameworks in areas such as infrastructure that will spur more private participation.

Chinese firm wins big Libyan railway contract (Africasia, February 18)
A Chinese contractor has won bids to build two railways in Libya worth a combined 2.6 billion dollars as China enhances its economic presence in energy-rich African nations, state media said Monday. Under one contract, China Railway Construction Corp., the firm that built part of the controversial rail to Tibet, would construct a 352-kilometre (220-mile) west-to-east coastal railway, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Publisher: L. Roxanne Russell
Editor of Academic Resources: Dr. S.V. Char
Co-Editor: Abhijit Agrawal
Co-Editor: RJ Paulsick