GE Remodels Businesses in India

Like many multinational companies, GE has struggled with India.  High levels of bureaucracy, corruption, and differing consumer needs and tastes made commercial success difficult in the wide array of industries GE competes in, from locomotives to jet engines to medical equipment.  Now, the company is starting to see results from a turnaround that started with a realignment of the business.  The company started by creating a separate P&L for all of India, something the company rarely does at the country level.  Then, it focused not just on marketing and sales, but also on research and development for low-cost products for India as well as other developing countries.  The company sells a baby warmer, for example, for $3000 to hospitals throughout India and other parts of the world, while incubators in the U.S. sell for four times that price.

GE Remodels Businesses in India - WSJ.com

Internet Start-Ups Cater to India's Affluent

Although India is home to many internet-based or IT companies, there's surprisingly little e-commerce happening within the country.  That's beginning to change, as more companies try to become India's next Amazon or Groupon, as this WSJ article explains.

Internet Start-Ups Cater to India's Affluent - WSJ.com

Finding Top Talent in China, India, Brazil

In rapidly growing countries such as Brazil, China and India, tapping expatriates is becoming obsolete. Instead, global businesses are looking for leaders who have the ability to move easily between different cultures and have deep local roots as well as international operational experience. This talent pool is very small, and they command salary premiums as a result.

Finding Top Talent in China, India, Brazil - WSJ.com

China's Crackdown Signals Shift

The artist who designed the Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Olympics (and then boycotted the opening ceremony), and more recently installed an incredible piece of art at the Tate Modern in London involving hundreds of thousands of hand-painted porcelain seeds, has been arrested by Chinese authorities and is missing.  The crackdown on dissidents signals a shift towards more repression as the government tries to maintain social stability in China.


China's Crackdown Signals Shift - WSJ.com

How to Get a Real Education at College

Here's a wonderful essay from Scott Adams, Dilbert's creator, on why entrepreneurship education is so important, and why business school generally is more valuable than say... art history.  If the link takes you to a firewalled site, type in the article title into news.google.com and follow the link from there.


How to Get a Real Education at College - WSJ.com

Yep, it's Spring in Dayton

Taken at 7 AM this morning, University of Dayton RecPlex.

Disney to Open Park in Shanghai

It will be "authentically Disney but uniquely Chinese." That is how company officials are describing Shanghai Disneyland, which broke ground today and is expected to open in 2015.  The $4.4 billion theme park is a huge gamble for Disney into the huge Chinese market.  With 330 million people within a 3 hour drive of the site, Disney hopes it can capture hearts and pocketbooks of generations of Chinese consumers.  Disney only owns 43% of the company owning Shanghai Disneyland, with the balance owned by a consortium of state-owned companies, but will own 70% of the company that manages the park.  After a bad start in Hong Kong (Chinese consumers take 40 minutes to eat meals, as opposed to 20 minutes for Americans, leading to crowded restaurants), the company hopes to apply its lessons in cultural sensitivity into building a brand and business in China.

Disney to Open Park in Shanghai - NYTimes.com

CHART OF THE DAY: Reminder, The Deficit You're Freaking Out About Is Bush's Fault

As we head for a possible government shutdown, I wondered why the budget deficit was so high and why the government is in so much debt. Then I found this explanation. Just saying.

CHART OF THE DAY: Reminder, The Deficit You're Freaking Out About Is Bush's Fault

Auto Industry's Castoffs Benefit From New Owners

Just as Ford is finishing up its sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to the Indian firm Tata, the brands are experiencing a renaissance in sales. JLR posted profit of $443 million in the most recent quarter, something it rarely achieved while under Ford ownership.  It is now exploring building cars in China, something Volvo, another former Ford brand, is also exploring.

Auto Industry's Castoffs Benefit From New Owners - WSJ.com

India Graduates Millions, but Too Few Are Fit to Hire

In spite of the fact that there are thousands of new college graduates in India, very few of them are landing employment. The reason is that they lack the skills companies are looking for. Many cannot communicate effectively in English, and and many lack basics such as reading comprehension. A lack of investment in educational systems, pervasive passing grades, corrupt teachers open to bribes, and a focus on rote memorization are taking their toll on the quality of India's college graduates.

India Graduates Millions, but Too Few Are Fit to Hire - WSJ.com