India and China, the largest developing economies of the world have decided to reduce their investments in the US government securities. The increasing level of fiscal deficit and unaccepted policies implemented in US have been some of the few reasons for its declining popularity. Once upon a time China was the single largest investor in US government securities.
‘Change is the only thing constant’ and is it beginning of the shift from Westernization to Easternization?
Rogues
Global automobile giants like Toyota and Honda created a furor among their customers by announcing massive car recalls. Toyota plans to recall more than eight million vehicles while Honda has to recall more than one million. Toyota says that the drivers of these vehicles have reported unintended acceleration of their vehicles which is caused by the improper design of the pedal and the floor mat. Honda vehicles are facing problems with airbags and a switch which could cause fire. To rectify these defects a massive reverse logistic exercise will cost them millions of Dollars.
» Read more: Toyota’s calls and recalls
In an answer to US imposing restrictions to import of Chinese tires, China has imposed anti-dumping duties of around 100% on imports of broiler chicken from US. China is the biggest importer of chicken products from US and with this move the American companies would be hit hard. In 2008 China imported more than 500 thousand tonnes of chicken products from US alone.
This may be an indication of a trade war between the two superpowers of the world. Earlier China also questioned US on its support to Taiwan by supplying arms. US has also levied anti-dumping duties on drilling pipes, wire decking and electric blankets imported from China. China being the manufacturing hub of the world seems to be facing the toughest times of the recent financial crisis.
Rogues
Apple's Strategy
Steve Jobs is known for creating revolutionary products and launching them like a box office thriller. The movie producers should learn a few tips from him! The launch of IPhone marked a new milestone in the history of tech products. Now, it is the time for IPad. What is IPad? In the last few years, the world has seen that the technological gap between a phone and a computer is reducing. Earlier people were satisfied with a basic phone which can be used to communicate only. Gradually the products’ expected features like internet, WAP and data processing abilities crept into the basic features. However, mobile manufacturers could not break the ice to think further, which Apple has done. Apple is trying to create a new segment where people want a multipurpose mobile device through which all basic needs of a mobile and a computer can be experienced with ease. IPhone implemented this unique ‘Filling the Gap’ strategy successfully. It seems that Apple has made this ‘Filling the Gap’ strategy it’s unique selling proposition. Is it sustainable? The sustainability of a strategy depends on the entry barrier for competitors. If the entry barrier is low then apart from the first mover advantage, Apple will have nothing. It will not be able to milk this newly created segment for a long time. One feature which is valuable about this product is that more than one lakh applets can be accessed through this device. These features are currently used in Iphones and IPad is compatible with it. So, the product is different but the features are developed on a common platform which can be used only on Apple products. It reminds me of the era when Apple tried to rule the market with Macs which could use only Apple’s applications and software. This strategy of Apple decades ago, did not last much because the competitors could sniff it and Microsoft and IBM reaped the benefits. Is it that this time the competitors are not aware or Apple has done its homework well enough. Apple has penetrated deep enough in most of the developed markets with its platform featured products IPhone, iTouch and IPod. Gradually they are moving back towards the PC in terms of features. WOW! Steve Jobs seems to implement his old strategy well enough to reach the levels of Microsoft with huge strategic advantages. Analysts say that IPad will not be able to replace the PC/Laptop market but you do not know what Apple is all for. It will not be surprising if Steve introduces an iPC which will run on the same platform used for iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Rogues
Best gadgets of the decade – best of last 10 years
At 0237 GMT a Boeing 737-800 took off from Beirut International Airport hoping to reach Addis Ababa in the midst of heavy rain and thunderstorm. Alas! It went off the radar just five minutes after take off. Eighty three passengers were on board along with seven crew members. The reason for the crash is not yet certain but the residents in the coast say a “ball of fire” crashing in the sea. Ethiopian airlines is a state owned company is well positioned in the African market. The matter of concern is what is what made it happen, whether it happened due to negligence of the company or technical fault. Who is to blame? It is said the the airlines industry is one of the few industry where the margin of error has to be kept lowest and still mishaps are happening. How low should be the margin?
Rogues
Finally, after years of construction, Dubai is set to open doors for the world to see the tallest building made ever on 4th Jan 2009. This mammoth 160th plus story structure could pave the way for the revival of Dubai’s economy which has been in trouble since December in 2009. With many creditors abandoning Dubai and looking for other sources of investment, this could be one of the critical phases of Dubai.
Burj Dubai has many jewels to display, with the world’s first Armani Hotel, 3000 residential houses, 9 hotels, » Read more: World’s tallest building, Burj Dubai, opens on 4th Jan
China, a communist country, started its economic turnaround with the concept of small organizations like Town and Village enterprises in the 70s. Many reports say that their infrastructure was the key to their miraculous growth. However, if we compare the infrastructure levels of India with that of China in early 80s, we find that the length of roads, expressways and railway tracks were all higher in India than China. During this period, China had only one resource called human resource or HR.
In the business cycle, all developed economies of the world have started with small innovations, developments and small organizations. Which grew by leaps and bounds with continuous improvement in process and technology. In the 90s, a general perception creeped in to the minds of people that Big is better and thus every country and » Read more: Small is Big!
The most talked about country took the most unexpected turn against its best brand called Shanghai. Why?
Mega plans fueled with high growth and investments gave birth to high levels of kickbacks, commissions and arbitrage in the 90s. The average per capita income in China increased more than 11 times in a period of 30 years.
Every small rule by the party was followed by a plethora of unrest among the peasants, thanks to the Kleptocracy of the party members at all levels. In the late 90s the Chinese » Read more: Dreams of “The Shanghai Gang”
How many of you want to live in the country of your choice? Which country is the best to live in?
A survey from 2007 to 2009 in 135 countries by Gallups revealed that 16% of the worlds adult population would like to leave their home country for a country of their choice. This 16% converts to 700 million people and that is more than adult population of entire North & South America!
The most desired country was found to be US, Canada, UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Out of these 700 million majority would like to migrate to North america. Among the countries from where people would like to » Read more: This is the country for you!
Nivio, a Swiss company, promoted by two Indians provide storage and rent a software service to over 2.5 million customers around the world. Cloud computing eliminates the requirement of huge storage space for storing software and data at the user level. This technology works on a central server where all the major softwares are stored. Individual users can log on to there system and use the facility online for a monthly rent. Now a user need not update a computer every now and then to keep up with the software updates.
Interestingly, Microsoft office is available at around $2 a month to users all over the world. This $300 software which requires loads of memory is now available at fraction of its cost. The day is not far when you would not require an operating system in your computer. Just logon and explore the world at the fastest speed ever, and all that is » Read more: Cloud Computing is here
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