Trading places
Numbers may not lie, but often their true significance lies in closer scrutiny. And a good example of this statement lies in the numbers used to tout the world’s great trade imbalance with China - a deficit that shows the EU trade deficit growing from 50 billion euros in 2000 to 297 billion in 2008. “But,” says Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the 153-member Geneva-based World Trade Organisation,
Green Technology: China Means Business
A substantial portion of the Chinese government’s stimulus package, more than a third in fact, has been earmarked for projects that would either, directly or indirectly, have a positive environmental impact. Are these green initiatives indicative of a broader strategic stance on the part of the Chinese government on environmental issues, or just a temporary boost to China’s economy and the country’s image?
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”.
Gaining a competitive advantage with knowledge-based skills
The financial crisis has highlighted deficiencies in knowledge-based skills in Europe and unless they’re tackled now, the region could get left behind. That was one of the key messages from an event held recently at INSEAD’s Europe campus in France.
What’s next after Copenhagen?
Was there too much riding on the United Nations Climate Change Conference which concluded in Copenhagen at the weekend?
A tale of two banks: hallmarks of the changing financial landscape
It would be difficult to find two financial institutions more indicative of the plus and minus sides of the financial tsunami that hit the world of banking this year: on the one hand, ING, the venerable international Dutch bank, forced to go to the government for a 10 billion euro bailout and now facing public evisceration at the hands of EU regulators. On the other hand, Standard Chartered Bank, a bastion of banking in Asia since the era of British imperial rule.
Personal view: Welcome, ‘Stateholder’
The amount of government capital injected into the so-called “private economy” since mid-2008 is unprecedented. The United States and United Kingdom led the way, but many other countries drifted into the same uncharted waters. So now what?
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.
Powering the economic growth engine
It has been a key driving force, powering economies since the Industrial Revolution, yet it continues to take a backseat to other heavily-touted engines of growth, most recently consumer spending.
SMEs in times of crisis: the need for speed
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) matter; and without a healthy SME sector, economic recovery is unthinkable and Europe’s future prosperity and competitiveness are at stake. That’s the view of Arndt G. Kirchhoff, CEO of Kirchhoff Automotive and chairman of the SME Committee of business lobby group BusinessEurope.
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
Braving the economic crisis through family values
When the economic crisis hit, the family owned and operated shipping-real estate Romav Group suffered a double-whammy. Practically overnight.
Extending a steady hand to businesses wanting to make a difference
Ever played Mikado or ‘pick-up-sticks’? It’s a game that requires skill, strategic planning
and a steady hand. Serra Titiz decided to call her company 'Mikado' because it's an unusual name name in Turkey, but mostly because that's what her company is there for: to provide skills and strategy and go give a steady hand to businesses which want to make an impact in society.
Social entrepreneurship emerging in India but needs are massive
Social entrepreneurship in India has progressed significantly over the last decade. More and more people are using entrepreneurial skills in building sustainable enterprises for profit and non-profit to effect change in India, says Deval Sanghavi, a former investment banker and now president of Dasra. Based in Mumbai, Dasra is a non-profit organisation which bridges the gap between those investing in social change and those spearheading the changes.
Where Grameen Bank meets e-Bay in an African marketplace (and everyone wins)
While share prices have been falling and banks have been offering measly interest rates, MYC4 investors have been earning an average gross interest rate of 12.9 per cent a year from investments made from the comfort of their home. Too good to be true? According to Mads Kjaer, CEO of the online marketplace MYC4, “investors set the interest rate themselves and bid for it, and many hard-core investors realise even much higher yields.”
Creative entrepreneurs can survive the crisis
Creative entrepreneurs can weather the current global economic crisis better than traditional businesses, says Jean-Claude Larréché, INSEAD professor of marketing. Virgin Atlantic, which was founded by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, survived and came out stronger after the airline crisis of the early 1990s when many established airlines went bankrupt, notes Larréché. Speaking via satellite, Branson said a lot of opportunities will emerge as a result of the current global e
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.
