Join us for a Webinar on Tu, April 8 at 11am EDT.

As American businesses continue to expand their engagement with China and India, many companies encounter hiccups and roadblocks. Here is a chance to listen to a seasoned management consultant and author who specializes in globalization on the Top Mistakes in Doing Business with India and China. Learn how American executives can avoid these mistakes or at least mitigate the risks.

Gunjan Bagla teaches an executive seminar at Caltech's International Business program and is the author of Doing Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit Today from Tomorrow's Most Exciting Market to be released by Warner/Business Plus on July 31 this year. (The book follows Ted Plafker's "Doing Business In China"). Bagla lives in California and travels to India and China on business frequently on behalf of his clients.

Title: Top Mistakes in Doing Business with India & China
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

The only cost is your long distance phone call to dial-in.

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/326421242

Recordings from the Tap into Chindia Global Virtual Seminar Series are now available at the ICA Institute Store.

A great set of resources for you, your colleagues and students- recordings from this series offer important insight on business topics in India and China from top thought leaders and practitioners. These CDs will automatically play the audio and screen presentations from the original webinars on your computer.

Available now:

Dr. Jagdish Sheth's
Rise of Chindia: The Next Largest Consumer Markets
Rise of Chindia: Q&A Session

Dr. Camille Schuster's
Adapting Business Practices for India & China

Suresh Sharma's
Strategic Sourcing in India, China & America

Each webinar recording is only $20 toward our ongoing non-profit efforts.

More recordings from the series will be available soon!

India, Russia, China form regional cooperation forum (The Financial Express, Apr 1)
Move over BRIC. RIC or the troika of Russia, India and China are taking over. A regional formation will take up international issues like the reform of the UN and the Security Council, according to Konstantin V Vnukov, director, first Asia department, Russian foreign ministry, and head of delegation for trilateral cooperation between India, Russia and China, on a visit to the capital for the seventh ministerial of the troika.

India and China: ties bloom despite border differences (Thaindian News, Apr 1)
Economic, social and cultural ties between the two Asian giants are blooming again, quietly overriding the contentious political and border issues as India and China seek out their rightful roles in a changing global order. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent official visit to Beijing - his first - turned the spotlight away from differences to areas of cooperation as the two nations that are home to one in three people in the world agreed to ink 11 agreements. The economic pacts would boost trade to $60 billion by 2008 from the current level of almost $40 billion.

Summit to boost Indo-African ties (The Statesman, Mar 31)
March 31: In a move seen as India's bid to counter China's diplomatic and economic inroads into Africa, the first ever five-day India-Africa Summit begins here from 4 April with leaders from 14 African nations attending the meeting. The summit is expected to adopt the Delhi Declaration and chalk out an Action Plan.

Opinion
The Baton Passes to Asia (The New York Times, Mar 31)
It's the end of the era of the white man. I know your head is spinning. The world can feel like one of those split-screen TVs with images of a suicide bombing in Baghdad flashing, and the latest awful market news coursing along the bottom, and an ad for some stool-loosening wonder drug squeezed into a corner.

China and Core Inflation (The Wall Street Journal, Apr 1)
China has a serious inflation problem. In February, consumer prices were up 8.7% from year-earlier levels -- the sharpest increase in 12 years. China's policy makers are rightfully concerned about this outbreak of price pressures. Unfortunately, they are getting bad advice from so-called experts who have been asked to weigh in on this key issue.

India unveils more incentives for solar power (EE Times, Mar 31)
India's renewable energy ministry has announced a new program designed to expand solar power generating projects up to a maximum capacity of 50 megawatts.Solar developers who build, own and operate projects will be supported with financial incentives of about 30 cents for each kilowatt of solar power generated per hour. Incentives for thermal power fed to power grids would be slightly less, according to a government statement.

Germany to help train hundreds of China energy management experts (Xinhua, Mar 31)
China on Monday signed an agreement with Germany's "European Energy Manager" project, under which Germany will help train Chinese energy management and conservation experts. According to the agreement signed between the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) and the German Energy Bureau, a program of joint training will be offered to 200 energy managers in China in 2008, 300 to 400 in 2009 and 500 more in 2010.

US, China wind markets lead the way (New Europe, Mar 31)
Global wind market will grow by over 155 percent to reach 240 GW of total installed capacity by 2012, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said. In its annual "Global Wind Energy Report 2007" expected to be presented at the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Brussels on April 1, 2008, GWEC has adjusted its previous forecast to take into account the unexpectedly strong increase in wind energy deployment around the world.

India Turns to Angola After Losing in Energy Auctions (Bloomberg, Mar 31)
India, Asia's third-largest consumer of oil, will focus on obtaining energy assets in Angola after failing to secure supplies closer to home. "Angola is the next country where we are going to concentrate,'' Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora said in an interview in New Delhi. "We lost because our bid wasn't good enough'' in previous auctions, he said. "We have learned from this,'' the minister said.

India to join Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline (Independent Bangladesh, Mar 31)
Ahead of the visit of US President George Bush, India has decided to join the US-backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline to import natural gas to meet the fuel needs of its growing economy, reports PTI.

India to set up National Biofuel Development Board (Reuters, Apr 1)
The union government is planning to set up a National Biofuel Development Board, it said on Tuesday. The new & renewable energy ministry has been given the responsibility of setting up the board, a government statement said.

India's IT success can be 'replicated' in other countries (Mar 27)
India's "amazing" use of information technology outsourcing to jump-start its entire economy is a model that can also work elsewhere in the world, according to technologists from India, who spoke this week at a conference at the UN.

China Faces a Major Wireless Test (The Motely Fool, Mar 31)
The Olympics have always provided a vehicle for the host countries to captivate the world with their unique architecture, culture, and capabilities. With the Beijing Olympics quickly approaching, the Chinese government is hoping that everyone will see and hear what China can do in mobile communications by promoting the launch of its homegrown third-generation (3G) wireless technology.

Opinion
The next Indo-China war (Sify, Apr 1)
The first Indochina war was fought in 1962 over border disputes in the Eastern Himalayan region. The next Indochina war, it seems, will be fought over a dramatically different turf: information technology (IT) outsourcing.

China VoIP & Digital Telecom Director Provides Opinions Regarding China Telecom Industry Restructuring (CNN Money, Mar 18)
Mr. Kan, a professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, is also a director of China's Information Industry Policy and Development Institute and Commissioner of the Advisory Commission for China's Telecommunications Act. He formerly served as a strategy consultant on telecommunications policies and development at the World Bank. Professor Kan earned a doctorate degree from Stanford University.

The magic of technology (Live Mint, Apr 1)
The late visionary and sci-fi author, Arthur C. Clarke, once observed that a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Technology appears to have those characteristics of magic: to transform and to defy easy comprehension. One can plausibly argue that part of the solution to the problem of underdevelopment involves the use of technology in general - and specifically the rapidly advancing information and communications technologies (ICT).


Information technology firms losing plot: Prahalad (Sify, Mar 25)
hat Indian information technology (IT) companies are losing steam is well chronicled by now. But they are not realigning there current business model to get around the problem of slower growth, says management guru C K Prahalad in his new book, "The New Age of Innovation", which he has co-authored with M S Krishnan.

With runaway rice prices, India prohibits exports (Asia News, Apr 1)
The price has doubled in three months. Similar measures have already been taken by Vietnam, Egypt, and Cambodia, while Thailand is considering them. Now soaring price increases are feared. China "forced" to suspend its price fixing, and pay farmers more.

Chinese Agricultural Boost to Beat Inflation (The Pig Site, Mar 31)
China is to increase financial support for agricultural production in a bid to cool inflation, which has been blamed on food shortages. "Reinforcing agriculture has a pivotal role in maintaining sound and fast economic development, curbing inflation and safeguarding stability," the State Council said in a statement.

Opinion
Emerging Market Food Crisis (The Daily Reckoning, Mar 31)
In the financial sector, banks don't want to lend to each other. Now in the commodities sector, increasingly, countries don't want to sell food to one another. If countries adopt a "starve your neighbour policy" warns Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, less food will be traded internationally and prices are going to be volatile reports Reuters. For volatile we would read higher, thereby pumping up inflation in the process.

Global food prices on a boil: What can Indian policy-makers do? (The Hindu Business Line, Apr 1)
Agri commodity prices are pretty high, even in real terms, but they are not unprecedented. There is certainly need for caution, but no need to panic, argue ASHOK GULATI and KANUPRIYA GUPTA, suggesting that the right policy choices could cushion the poor against price hikes while greater investment in agriculture could ensure food security at affordable prices.

In India, make farming worth it (DNA, Mar 30)
Today, four decades after the jump in food grain production following the Green Revolution, India is facing an agrarian crisis of scary proportions. Our self reliance on food is under threat once more as production is declining. This cannot be corrected unless we make the farmer viable again and make agriculture a profitable enterprise. There is still a lot of potential in India to increase food production, but we need policies that focus on raising agriculture productivity, not diverting prime crop land for airports and townships.

India´s plastics industry grows beyond borders (Plastics and Rubber Weekly, March 31)
Economic prosperity is boosting the consumption of plastics in India, according to Sunil Jain, president of plastics machinery maker Rajoo Engineers - and he does not expect demand to slow down in the coming years. The country's per-capita plastics consumption is moving up as well, from a base of about 4.8 kg, or 10.6 pounds, compared with the world average of 15 kg, or 33 pounds, he said in a recent interview in New Delhi.

Survey says China is losing its manufacturing edge (America Machinist, March 28)
A recent survey by the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce indicates that China is losing its manufacturing competitiveness in some industries and that companies need to upgrade their operations to stay profitable.

Nokia India production reaches 125mn handsets (Business Standard, March 30)
Nokia India has reached production volume of 125 million handsets in just two years of operations at its manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu. The company has now decided to ramp up capacity, and increase headcount to over 13,000 people at its manufacturing facility from the current level of 8,000 employees.

India's Tata Motors to invest 60 billion rupees over 5 years in Pune (CNN Money, March 31)
India's Tata Motors Ltd. said it plans to invest 60 billion rupees over the next four to five years to expand its manufacturing plants and set up vehicle testing facilities in the Pune district of western India.

'India assisting EU to combat climate change' (Thaindian News, March 31)
India is assisting European Union countries to meet their targets in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the Energy Trading System (ETS), says India's former environment secretary. "India has the world's largest portfolio of CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) projects. Major amount of the carbon credit that are coming to the EU market are from India," Prodipto Ghosh, former environment secretary, told EuAsiaNews in an interview here.

An hour of solidarity (The Economic Times, March 31)
It was literally lights out in cities across the world as Earth Hour was observed by millions hoping to spark a campaign for awareness about global climate change. Individuals and businesses came together to "turn off their lights" between 8 pm and 9 pm on March 29, 2008. The purpose of the initiative was to show that people around the world can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

U.S. Rejects China's Call for Funding to Fight Climate Change (Bloomberg News, March 31)
The U.S. rejected a Chinese proposal that developed countries should contribute a percentage of their gross domestic product to mitigate the effects of climate change. China, the world's second-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, called for developed nations to provide financial support of 0.5 percent of their GDP a year to help it and other developing nations fight global warming.

China National Petroleum Corporation releases social responsibility report (The People's Daily, March 31)
The China National Petroleum Corporation recently released its 2007 annual report of corporate social responsibility - the second time the company has issued a corporate social responsibility report. According to the information provided, in 2007, despite China's loss of 36.2 billion yuan in the oil refining business, the domestic market had allocated more than 82.8 million tons in resources that guarantee a stable supply for the market.

India Inc goes for extra events to boost employees (The Economic Times, March 24)
An annual picnic, regular parties, sports day, internal competitions, movies, fun workshops, team-building exercises, cultural programmes, etc have eventually become an integral part of the corporate world. Corporate India is now accepting the fact that there is immense stress and competition in almost all fields, making it absolutely necessary to arrange fun activities to break the monotony and provide the staff with a welcome relief from their mundane tasks.

Innovation holds the key for brands (The Economic Times, March 30)
Summers may not be all that hot for luxury brands, many of whom describe it as a lean phase. While many feel that the fall-winter generates more business, they do agree that special add-ons can make summers more attractive. Niche product lines are specially designed for clients. Tag Heuer's Aquaracer watch series, for instance, has been designed for sailing races and diving. Manishi Sanwal, GM (watches and jewellery) at LVMH India, feels seasonality does play a role, though not a big one, in their marketing strategy. "It makes a difference from the commercial sense. For example, the number of walk-ins go down in Delhi during summer. We treat summer as a holiday or a lean period. We keep this in mind while deciding our marketing plans."

Gujarat should triple the industrial production in next 5 yrs: Kalam (Sify, March 31)
Addressing the gathering at the 'FGI Award for Excellence - 2007', former president of India, APJ Abdul Kalam said, "Gujarat should triple the industrial production in next five year. And being one of the business pioneers, the state has the capabilities to achieve it." Gujarat is managing a growth rate of around 14% in 11th Five Year Plan, which itself is an achievement and with state's initiative in the areas of business, employment, education and infrastructure, it can achieve the target, he said.

China's Capitalism Not So Foreign (The Korea Times, March 30)
Western powers today fear that China's stunning rise signals a real challenge to the notion that economic growth triggers democracy. While I understand such fears, let me tell you why they're unfounded: China's economy increasingly mirrors our own. As business academics William Baumol, Robert Litan and Carl Schramm argue in their 2007 book, ``Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism," there are basically four types of capitalism operating today.

DigiBee's new software could cut mobile phone costs (The Economic Times, March 31)
Designing the platform and software for mobile phones is a feat a few global giants like Nokia, Motorola or Sony Ericsson have managed to achieve. But now DigiBee Microsystems, an emerging Indian company has done that, and at a fraction of the cost.

China closes almost 5,000 illegal blood banks (China Daily, March 28)
China's health authorities reported 280 illegal blood deals and closed 4,915 blood banks for violating collection regulations last year, a senior health official said on Thursday. Health authorities also disqualified 25 blood collection personnel and closed two blood plasma collection stations last year, said Vice Health Minister Ma Xiaowei during a meeting on health supervision.

Growing confidence in evidence-based medicine (The Hindu, March 31)
If you are a doctor, does it sometimes bother you that you have to recommend a particular drug or procedure without being entirely convinced of its effects and/or side effects? If you are a patient, are you constantly asking questions about the treatment you have been advised? If you belong to either category, it might interest you to know that there is a growing confidence in evidence-based medicine. The Cochrane Collaboration's reviews might ease the decision-making process. An international, not-for-profit organisation, the Cochrane Collaboration aims at improving healthcare decision-making through systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions.

Drugs in India expensive, relative to earning capacity (The Economic Times, March 28)
Drug prices are the lowest in India, right? Wrong, if you go by how many hours of work you have to put in to buy the selfsame drug. The Monthly Index of Medical Specialities (MIMS) has done a study which estimates that, on this basis, even a common drug like paracetamol is six times more expensive in India than in the US.

Multi-modal logistics players in India (The Economic Times, March 31)
Sical logistics is one of the largest multi-modal logistics players in India. The company has been divesting its non-core, low-margin businesses to focus more on high-margin core logistics business. It has huge expansion plans, which will transform it into a major integrated multi-modal logistics player in central and south India. Investors may consider exposure in the stock at current levels with a minimum investment horizon of two years, as most projects in the pipeline will be completed by then.

Logistics: The next big growth driver (The Hindu Business Line, March 29)
Creating an effective logistics environment requires continuous improvements and regular participation of all stakeholders who can contribute to and benefit from concrete improvements in terms of performance. Particularly is this so for farmers, whose incomes can be raised by creating good warehouse infrastructure.

China's logistics industry posts more than 20% growth in added value (Xinhua, March 30)
China's logistics sector realized 1.7 trillion yuan (241.2 billion U.S. dollars) in added value last year, a growth of 20.3 percent on the previous year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC). The growth rate was 5.2 percentage points higher than the year-earlier level.

Shifting freight from road to rail - Shippers seek lower haulage charges (The Hindu Business Line, March 31)
For moving ready-made garments in forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU) containers from factories in the northern hinterland of Delhi/Gurgaon/Panipat to ports in Mumbai, exporters prefer road transporters as the corresponding rail transportation cost is about 14 per cent higher. The door-to-door road transport cost is about Rs 42,000, while for the rail route, it is in Rs 49,000 range. Each FEU is twice the size of the standard container size of twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU).

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