Targetting Africa: The case for investment
Africa is so diverse, with its variety of countries and resources, that almost any type of business in the world could take advantage of the continents economic growth. That was the view of panellists at the INSEAD Leadership Summit 2008.
Simon Harford, West Africa head for private equity group Actis and INSEAD alumnus (94D) says virtually any business that can talk to the consumer base of Africa is already growing at remarkable rates, 30 to 60 per cent year on year.
Europe as a power: Financial and economic challenges ahead
There has been so much 'hype' about the rise of the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - that one begins to wonder about Europe's relevance as an economic power. 'Is the European economy as relevant as it once was?' asks Alice Rivlin of The Brookings Institution.
Is it over yet? Businessmen offer recession insight
These are indeed times that try men’s (and women’s) souls. But the way forward is not to cut back or sit on the sidelines. According to several businessmen attending INSEAD’s Leadership Summit Europe, you’ve got to keep one eye on the balance sheet, another on the horizon and be mindful of constant change as new circumstances will often hide opportunities in what appears to be trouble.
Cathay Pacific takes off cautiously to brighter skies
At its Annual General Meeting recently, IATA (International Air Transport Association) predicted that the industry will recover faster than expected, with Asia-Pacific carriers powering the upturn. INSEAD Knowledge takes a closer look at the performance of one of these airlines: the flag carrier of Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific.
The emerging markets: exploring the consequences
The rapid development of countries like China and India is a remarkable phenomenon, says Vince Cable, the UK’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. “In a matter of one generation, China has broken through to a degree that took over a century in Britain. Solidly established precedents like South Korea show that this breakthrough can be sustained. It is clear that major so-called emerging markets have already emerged.”
Coping with Copenhagen: the business implications
The Copenhagen Climate Summit (COP 15) began on December 7, 2009, on the heels of the pirating of the East Anglia University Climatic Research Unit's email exchanges, and calls of climate sceptics to re-examine the scientific basis for undertaking actions to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originating from human activity.
Shining a light on China
With an economy that’s set to grow at around 10 per cent despite the financial crisis, labour costs among the lowest in the world and a huge untapped domestic market with pent-up consumer demand to match, China beckons every businessman with an eye on containing costs and expanding his reach. But, business person beware, cautions INSEAD Emeritus Professor of International Political Economy Jonathan Story, who has just written a new book, 'China Uncovered - What You Need to Know to Do Business
A ‘naive response’ to economic growth?
With many economies expected to begin posting growth again this year, the group executive director and CEO of wholesale banking at Standard Chartered Bank has some words of caution: accepting GDP figures at face value “would be a naïve response”.
China faces an economic crossroads
With the collapse of external demand in the wake of the global financial crisis, China needs to reduce its dependence on exports and investments, and shift towards internal private consumption, says Stephen Roach, a leading economist and Hong Kong-based chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia.
‘Incredible consensus’ for regulatory reforms among G20, but political will weakening
In the face of the impending global financial meltdown a year ago, world leaders found clarity: financial regulatory frameworks needed to be overhauled.
Book review: The Indian Renaissance
Economics examiners must love China and India. What a perfect pair of rising economic Asian giants to use for a compare-and-contrast question for their students. A thousand years ago, both countries were civilised and technologically advanced while Europeans huddled in draughty castles and a gnawed meat off bones. Both countries missed out on the Industrial Revolution, and seemed bewildered by the rise of the barbarian West. But they succumbed to its domination, shook it off in the 1940s, then e
Personal view: some advice to climate scientists on ethics from a finance professor
Climate scientists from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia have come under fire for alleged data manipulation following the release of thousands of emails and documents. As a result of ‘ClimateGate,’ some of the climatologists involved have stepped aside or are under investigation by their university.
Planning for the unthinkable
We’ve been so focused on the financial crisis that we’ve neglected to pay attention to other issues, which, if left on the backburner, could upset the status quo. That’s the view of futurist and business strategist Peter Schwartz.
Upstart: China’s emergence in technology and innovation
It can easily appear as if China can make anything. Yet it makes goods not only at low cost, but now also of high quality, and this constitutes a particularly Chinese brand of innovation that enables China increasingly to shake up global markets. After coming of age in China’s domestic markets, Chinese firms are now replicating their domestic success in global markets by competing on price and quality. The success of the likes of Huawei and Lenovo are indicative of an emerging trend of Chinese
Political Science 61A: Minority Politics
Political Science 61A, Minority Politics, also cross listed as Chicano/Latino Studies 64, Minority Politics.
The course’s focus is the politics and experiences of specific groups: African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. This examination and analysis will not only enhance our understanding of these groups’ political roles, but will demonstrate that the U.S. political system cannot be adequately understood without understanding the political dynamics of ethnicity a
A passion for education
If you build it, they will come -- so the mantra goes -- and that’s exactly what Ng Gim Choo did with the EtonHouse group of schools. And serendipity, as it turned out, would play a key role.
Gold lures small-scale miners into global market
Victoria Paxi used to live in Lima, the capital of Peru, working in a restaurant or washing clothes to earn about 60 dollars a month, while her husband worked hours away in a mine.
Arcelor Mittal: Lightening up heavy industry
Steel is one of the industrial sectors under intense pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions. By its very nature, producing steel consumes a lot of energy, which in turn produces a lot of carbon dioxide. But its not as bleak as all that: the steel industry has been trying for decades to find ways to cut CO2 emissions, says Michel Wurth, a member of the management board of ArcelorMittal, the worlds largest steel maker.
"The Persistence of the 'Mythological' in Popular Hindi Cinema"
A talk by Philip Lutgendorf, Professor of Hindi and Modern Indian Studies, University of Iowa. From the South Asia Seminar.
Further consolidation seen in private banking sector
Even as the global economic downturn continues to ease, there will be further consolidation in the private banking industry amid cost-cutting efforts and falling revenues, says Pierre-Francois Baer, SG Private Banking’s CEO for Singapore & South Asia.
