A weekly sampling of news, analysis and
opinion on economic issues of
India, China and the U.S.
Articles and
opinion pieces are from a variety of sources and
viewpoints and do not necessarily reflect
those of
ICA Institute. Access to some articles may
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cited to the
original
source.
TAG's Global Sourcing Society Project Management Course |
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ICA Institute Board of Directors member,
Suresh Sharma, recommends:
The Technology Association of Georgia,
TAG's, Global Sourcing Society will be
offering its Global Sourcing Project
Management Certification program beginning
10-07-08. This program was launched in 2006
and has received rave reviews from former
participants.
The course contents cover various factors
relating to understanding of global people,
infrastructure, and environment - as they
apply to Global Sourcing Projects -
discussing them in an easy-to-practice style.
We call it PIE: the global business
eco-system of People, Infrastructure, and
Environment. Our curriculum captures a broad
range of "PIE" by discussing the top 20
differentiators between project management
and Global project management.
� We identify the challenges that a Global
Project Manager has to face. This course
builds on the traditional PMI knowledge base.
However, having a PMI certification is not a
pre-requisite for this course.
� The course is taught through a series of 4
modules - 3 hours each thus delivering a
total of 12 class room lectures. It
recommends an additional 3 hours of self and
reference studies, thus making it the
equivalent of 3-credit professional course.
� Further, the candidates will do their own
case study as applied to their business
interest making it personal and relevant to
them. Each participant is expected to make a
presentation on his or her Case Study at the
end of the course as a requirement to be
awarded the Certificate.
Our faculty of experts, who have extensive
hands-on experience, taught management
courses and have faced these challenges
across the world, will share their
experiences and discuss the critical topics
of this discipline. You will obtain
strategies and insights that you and your
company can implement right away - and
understand how to train, certify and prepare
your workforce for a "flat" world. Remember -
even in a flat world - one who runs faster
will always win. This course is one small
step to help make you more competitive in
tomorrow's world.
Space for this program is limited, so please
register early to guarantee your space!
Complete details are available at https://www.123signup.com/servlet/SignUpMember?PG=1521974182300&P=1521974191156919600&Info
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Expert Shares Secrets for Business Success in India |
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Gunjan Bagla, a presenter in the ICA
Institute's Tap into Chindia Global Virtual
Seminar Series, offers expert advice in his
new book.
Tata Sons, Ltd. Executive Director, R.
Gopalakrishnan calls Doing Business in
21st Century India "A refreshingly
simple book on a very complex subject."
Doing Business in 21st Century
India
is packed with everything business leaders
need to know in order to understand and
succeed in this emerging market, including:
� An overview of the most promising sectors
which every investor will want to read
� Guidance on navigating the often
complicated laws, rules and regulations
� The keys to understanding important
cultural differences
� Essential advice on sales and marketing
in
the region
� Relevant background and history
� Numerous supporting examples and
interviews
with top professionals in India
Doing Business in 21st Century India
is available at fine booksellers everywhere
and online at Amazon.com,
www.HachetteBookGroupUSA.com
or at www.amritt.com
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Headlines |
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Olympics disappoint China business owners
(Los Angeles Times, Aug 22) He had
expected his Sichuan restaurant, a couple of
miles from the Olympic village, to be packed
with tourists during the Games. But it's been
unusually quiet. One day this week, business
was so slow that Li let two of his seven
staff members go home in the middle of the
lunch hour. Three others sat in the corner
watching television.
"Everybody thought the Olympics would be
great for business," he said. "It turned out
differently."
Many owners of small restaurants, hotels and
shops in Beijing are wearing long faces this
summer, especially those who poured their
life savings into buying businesses or
sprucing up their shops ahead of the Games.
WTO important for growing India, says Kamal
Nath (The Times of India, Aug 14)
Expressing hope that the Doha talks which
failed in Geneva last month will start soon,
Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on
Thursday said WTO is important for India,
engaging more in the global trade.
"Ruled-based multilateral system is very
important for everybody, including India...
more so important for India because we are
engaging more (with the world)," Nath said in
an interview with.
India's external trade in merchandise goods
alone is expected to be over $500 billion in
2008-09.
The China Connection (Atlanta Magazine,
August 2008) Whether you love it for its
food or loathe it for its human rights
record, China is the hot new player in
Atlanta foreign commerce, from Delta flights
to chicken feet.
In the last two years, Chinese companies have
announced $75 million in new investments in
the Atlanta area: Kingwasong, with a soy
sauce plant near Newnan; Sany, producer of
construction equipment, with a factory in
Peachtree City; and General Protecht, which
makes electric plugs in Barnesville. With
Georgia's new trade office in Beijing, opened
this year by Perdue himself, economic
development officials hope to lay the
groundwork for local companies craving a
closer relationship. "You have to invest in
the people and guanxi, and from that the
business will follow," says Ken Stewart,
commissioner of the Georgia Department of
Economic Development.
China faces Olympics ambush marketing
challenge (Managing Intellectual
Property, August 8, 2008) While China is
set to impress an audience of 4 billion today
with its opening ceremony for the Beijing
Olympic Games, the work needed to protect the
sponsors from ambush marketing is only just
beginning. The term ambush marketing was
coined in the early 1990s by Jerry Walsh, a
marketing executive at American Express.
Originally intended as a positive concept, it
now has negative connotations and is defined
as an attempt by a brand to associate itself
with an event despite not having been paid to
be a sponsor.
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Energy |
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Imperial Energy close to takeover by India's
ONGC (AFP, Aug 22)
Oil and gas explorer Imperial Energy is close
to a takeover from Indian energy giant ONGC
worth 1.5 billion pounds, the Financial Times
reported Friday.
The business newspaper, which cited sources
with knowledge of the negotiations, said
talks had been progressing well and that a
takeover from India's Oil and Natural Gas
Corp (ONGC) could be unveiled next week.
Nuclear exporting nations voice concerns over
India-US pact (The Economic Times, Aug
14)
Diplomats from several nuclear-exporting
countries were critical on Wednesday of the
US move to seek no additional conditions in
international export guidelines for India to
receive foreign nuclear supplies.
Under its 2005 nuclear deal with India, the
US pledged to seek changes in international
export norms that currently forbid exports of
nuclear technology or materials to countries
like India, which has not signed the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In return, India agreed to separate its
nuclear weapons programme from its civilian
energy sector, allowing inspections by the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy
Agency, limiting the global spread of
sensitive technology, implementing its own
export controls and keeping a moratorium on
nuclear bomb tests.
China revamps passenger car tax rates to
conserve energy (China View, Aug 13)
China will adjust its vehicle tax rates from
Sept. 1 to favor smaller-capacity, more
fuel-efficient engines that will cut energy
use and reduce emissions, according to a
joint online announcement by the Ministry of
Finance (MOF) and State Administration of
Taxation on Wednesday.
The tax on cars with engine capacities of
3 to 4 liters will rise to 25 percent from 15
percent, with the rate for engines of more
than 4 liters doubling to 40 percent.
The rate on cars with engines that are 1
liter or less will fall from 3 percent to 1
percent.
"We hope the new policy will help
restrain the production and sales of
high-emission vehicles while promoting the
development of low-emission cars," said MOF.
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ICT |
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iPhone
faces unique challenges in India (The
Economic Times, Aug 22)
While India may be amongst the hottest
markets for Apple's iPhone 3G, the country
presents several unique challenges which the
US-based multinational will have to address
before it can succeed here. Not just Apple,
but its partners in India-Bharti Airtel and
Vodafone-will have to play their roles to
perfection for their customers to enjoy the
iPhone.
China
Blocks Access to iTunes Store (Wired, Aug
22)
China's authorities have blocked access to
all eight million or so songs in the iTunes
music store, apparently because one album --
Songs for Tibet -- doesn't sit well with them.
Songs on the album include criticism of the
same so-called "great firewall of China" that
now prevents it from being purchased from
iTunes in China.
"We issued a release saying that over 40
(Olympic) athletes downloaded the album in an
act of solidarity, and that's what triggered
it," Michael Wohl, executive director of the
Art of Peace Foundation, which released the
compilation, told the Associated Press. "Then
everything got blocked."
CMAI
arranges $100 mn fund for ecofriendly ICT R&D
(The Economic Times, Aug 13)
Communications and Manufacturing Association
of India (CMAI), an industry body of ICT
manufacturers, said on Wednesday that it has
arranged a venture fund of $100 million for
the promotion of eco-friendly research and
manufacturing projects in the country.
This fund has been arranged with the help of
the association members and will be provided
to the companies who are into research and
manufacturing of telecom and ICT products in
an environment-friendly manner, CMAI
President N K Goyal said. "We will be
channelising this fund for companies in ICT
research and manufacturing and who are
environment conscious," he said.
Cracking
China's Social Network Market (Forbes,
Aug 22)
With the biggest and fastest-growing online
population on the planet, China is the holy
grail for social networking sites. No
surprise, then, that U.S.giants such as
MySpace and Facebook are eager to reel in
some of China's 250 million Netizens.
But so far, American companies haven't quite
figured out how to navigate China's perilous
regulatory environment, in which any piece of
content on social networks can be scrutinized
by the Chinese government.
China
H1 Telecoms Application Market Grew to
CNY9.92bn (Trading Markets, Aug 13)
The size of China's telecommunications
application market grew to CNY 9.92 billion
in the first half of 2008, up 8.3% year on
year, CCID Consulting Co., Ltd. (SEHK: 8235),
a Hong Kong-listed consulting firm, said on
August 11.
It is estimated to exceed CNY 20 billion, up
7.1% year on year, for the full year,
according to CCID Consulting. The industry's
main products were call centers and video
conferences. Over the six months, the
nation's government agencies and financial
industry respectively took 19.6% and 18.3% of
the market.
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Agriculture |
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Chinese Farm Minister Stresses
Self-Sufficiency, Stable Grain Production
(red Orbit, Aug 14)
Text of article by Sun Zhengcai, minister of
agriculture, entitled: "Pay close attention
to grain production; always have 'grain on
hand'", published by Chinese magazine Qiushi
website on 1 August
Currently, the large magnitude price
increases in the international grain market
and the grim challenges world food safety is
facing are hot topics that have caught the
attention of the international community.
China has had four consecutive years of
increased grain production and is having
another bumper summer grain harvest this
year. China has ample grain market supply and
prices are relatively stable, and that is
making a major contribution to world food
security and providing important support for
the country's comprehensive economic and
social development. But looking at the big
picture and in the long run, China's grain
production is still facing many constraints
and challenges. To make sure the country can
permanently plant a foothold in domestic
production to ensure grain security and make
sure the country always has ample "grain on
hand," China must relentlessly increase grain
production and agricultural productivity and
build a sound and permanent and effective
mechanism to support and protect grain and
agricultural production.
India oilseeds futures rises as spot demand
picks up
(Reuters India, Aug 13) Indian
soybean and rapeseed futures ended up on
Wednesday after the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA) forecast for oilseed
production was less than expected, pushing up
spot demand, analysts said.
Demand for the oilseeds rose to cater to the
domestic edible oils requirement, which has
risen ahead of festivals later this month, a
trader in Indore said.
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Industrial Resources | Manufacturing |
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Asia:
Indian tiger changes stripes to chase the
Dragon (Guardian, Aug
22)
The Indian economy will expand at 8% a year
- shrugging off the credit crunch and high
oil prices - as it is transformed into an
industrial powerhouse to rival China, the
government's top policy tsar said yesterday.
He predicted that Chinese-style 10% annual
growth was "achievable".
Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chief of
India's planning commission, said the
government would be "targeting 9% growth,
getting up to 10%. It may look ambitious with
the global economic slowdown. But in the
medium term, it is achievable."
China
Points the Way to Profits as the New Global
Manufacturing Leader (Money Morning, Aug
14)
There's more bad news for those of you who
are worrying about the United States' global
geo-strategic position. According to a recent
report, starting next year, Chinese
manufacturing output will exceed that of the
United States.
In concrete figures, of the world's $11.8
trillion of manufacturing value added output
expected to be produced in 2009, China will
account for 17%, while the United States will
account for 16%.
For investors, even those based in the United
States, the implication is clear: a
substantial part of any investor's portfolio
should be in China and any other countries
where manufacturing is growing as a
percentage of the world total.
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Environment | Climate Change |
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Portal
on Indian environment launched (Merinews,
Aug 22)
INDIAN ENVIRONMENT PORTAL is an online
website launched recently. This has been
initiated by efforts of the Centre for
Science and Environment (CSE) in partnership
with the National Knowledge Commission (NKC),
Government of India.
Presently, the portal is in English, but a
media statement on its launch said portal
managers plan to offer it in other languages
too.
Is
Red China Ever Green? (Slate, Aug
19)
A factory in China is likely to have a
larger carbon footprint and release more
pollution than a plant making the same
product in the United States. On average,
Chinese factories tend to be less
energy-efficient, and they rely heavily on
energy sources like coal that produce more
CO2 and have a greater impact on air quality.
Some estimates (PDF) have placed the annual
carbon burden of shifting production from the
United States to China as high as 500 million
metric tons of CO2-an amount equivalent to
the total emissions of Italy. The fact that
these Chinese products must be shipped
overseas to consumers might add another 10
percent or so to the total.
Corruption
'threatens China rainforest' (BBC, Aug
22)
Farmers in the tropical region of
Xishuangbanna in China's south-west Yunnan
province recently staged a protest, accusing
local officials of colluding with the rubber
industry to destroy the local rainforest.
Exports Account for One-Third of China's
Emissions (Worldwatch Institute, Aug
11) As Chinese manufacturers feed a
growing global appetite for cheap goods,
these exports account for a rising share of
the country's greenhouse gas emissions, a new
study reveals.
Exports are now responsible for one-third of
China's emissions, according to a study that
will appear in the journal Energy Policy. The
researchers describe their analysis as the
most systematic study of the subject to
date.
Carbon Emissions on the Rise But Policies
Growing Too (Worldwatch Institute, Aug
6) In 2007, carbon emissions from fossil
fuel combustion worldwide reached an
estimated 8.2 billion tons, which was 2.8
percent more than in 2006-and 22 percent
above the total in 2000.1 The United States
and Europe accounted for roughly 4 and 3
percent, respectively, of the growth during
this decade.2 India contributed 8 percent,
and China, a staggering 57 percent.3 Despite
the rapid increase, China's 18.3 share of
global fossil fuel emissions remained
slightly behind the U.S. share (19.5
percent).
China's New
Environmental Advocates (Yale Environment
360)
Until recently, the idea of environmental
advocacy was largely unheard of in China. But
that's changing rapidly. At a legal aid
center based in Beijing, Xu Kezhu and her
colleagues are helping pollution victims
stand up for their rights.
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Corporate Social Responsibility |
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Caring
and giving: Redirecting CSR (The Economic
Times, Aug 18)
A fair amount of the funding for
independent NGOs comes from foreign
organisations, and the few that choose to not
receive funds from abroad are inevitably in
financial difficulties. Raising money from
individual donors is extremely difficult, and
there are but a few Indian fund-granting
foundations (like Ford or Rockefeller in the
US). Two Tata trusts are the only serious
Indian equivalents, and even their scale is
rather limited.
In this, most Indian corporates have done
little beyond paying lip service. Many have
set up foundations, but rather then making
grants to others, they tend to themselves be
implementers.
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Innovation |
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Finalists
in 2008 EDN China Innovation and EEPW Top 10
Award Competitions (Market Watch, Aug 20)
Xilinx, Inc., the world's leading supplier
of programmable solutions, today announced
that its Virtex(R)-5 FXT platform is among
several Xilinx solutions honored as finalists
in both the 2008 EDN China Innovation and
2008 Electronic Engineering & Product World
(EEPW) Top 10 China Influential Embedded
System Editor Recommended award competitions.
In addition to its industry-leading Virtex-5
FXT platform, Xilinx ISE(R) 10.1 design
suite, MicroBlaze(TM) embedded processor, and
AccelDSP(TM) synthesis tool are among the
finalists. Finalists for the EDN China
Innovation Award were chosen by committee
while readers determined the EEPW Top 10
finalists via online voting.
Indian
banking System: Epitome of continuous
innovation (The Economic
Times, Aug 21)
The future of Indian banking lies in
increased investment in technology platforms
and a greater focus on end-to-end solutions
provided by IT majors like core banking
products, vertical specific CRM and risk
management software.
Finland's
Tekes to set up innovation centre in
India (Sify, Aug 19)
Finland's state-run technology research and
innovation funding agency Tekes is planning
to open an innovation centre in India to tap
the vast human resource pool here. It will
link up with other organisations involved in
similar activities.
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Health | Medicine |
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Drug-makers
cashing in on health supplement segment
(Business Standard, Aug 22)
Drug-makers cashing in on health supplement
segment
P B Jayakumar / Mumbai August 22, 2008, 0:19 IST
While majority of India's drug companies are
concentrating on generic or copycat drug
exports or contract manufacturing and
research services (Crams) as their business
model for growth, a new breed of companies
run by established pharmaceutical players
such as Alkem Laboratories, Divi's Labs,
Plethico and Mission Vivacare are emerging in
the field eyeing potential opportunities in
the nutraceutical segment.
Nutraceuticals, consisting of dietary
supplements and functional foods with
curative or nutritional benefits, are
estimated to have a sales of $190 billion
globally by 2010. India's food supplement and
health food market is estimated currently at
about $400 million. The country already has a
clutch of established players focussing in
this segment such as Avesthagen, Himalaya and
Sami Labs - all Bangalore based companies,
besides numerous established players in the
Ayurvedic segment such as Dabur and Charak.
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Logistics | Transportation |
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We
will not stay if we are unwanted: Ratan
Tata (IBN Live, Aug 22)
With growing worries over the continuing
agitation in Singur, Ratan Tata on Friday
talked about a possible pull out from West
Bengal.
"If we are unwanted here, then we dont to
stay on further," he said.
It was a Tata way of saying they are
preparing to bid goodbye. Two months before
the scheduled roll-out of Nano from the
Singur plant, the father of the Rs 1 lakh car
was saying he's had enough. And the signals
this would send out for the Buddhadeb
government desperately seeking investment are
very damaging, he said.
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Newsletter staff |
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Publisher: L. Roxanne Russell
Primary Contributing Editor: RJ
Paulsick
Editor of Academic Resources: Dr. S.V.
Char
International Contributors Editorial
Board:
To be Announced in September 2008
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ICA
Institute, founded by Dr. Jagdish Sheth,
is a non-profit research institute working to
foster research and dissemination of
knowledge on the rise of China and India and
their impact on global markets, global
resources and geopolitics of the world. The
ICA Institute's mission is to generate new
perspectives on the role of market and
resource driven economic development. ICA
Institute fosters interaction and dialogue
between academic scholars, industry leaders
and policy makers on the impact of emerging
economies in general and China and India in
particular. Specifically, ICA Institute is
positioned to be a catalyst between faculty
and students in International Business and
industry leaders and managers.
Learn more about the ICA institute
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