Business & Entrepreneurship
Business & Entrepreneurship
Fair Observer's analysis of innovation, entrepreneurial energy, venture capital, new businesses and job creation.
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Android / Blackberry / Egypt / iPhone / News / Saudi Arabia / Smartphone Usage / Smartphones / Social Media / United Arab Emirates / Wamda / Focus Article / Business / Middle East & North AfricaBy Wamda OnlineAn average adult in the Middle East spends nearly an hour a day on their mobile device. By Stephanie d'Arc Taylor Two phones out of five in the Middle East are smartphones, according to new data from the International Data Corporation. But how smartphone owners in the region are using their phones might surprise you. According to this new infographic by Froot, an astonishing 40 percent of smartphone users in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) check their phones less than twice per day. Egyptian smartphone users check their devices the least, with 47 percent of users pulling out their phones just once a day or not at all. This data might help put to rest the...
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banking crisis / China / Chinese / chinese banking / chinese goverment / FDI / Foreign Direct Investment / global trade / investment corporation / Economics / Focus Article / Business / Asia PacificIn times of uncertainty, financial prudence is the best route. By Chris Devonshire-Ellis There has been much talk recently of a potential crisis in China’s banking system, and several financial ratings agencies and analysts have suggested all is not well. However, the Chinese system is so opaque, it remains difficult to get a clear picture. Much of the talk and debate remains theoretical and hard to prove. Even the slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and inbound FDI has largely been passed off as a result of the lingering effects of the global economic situation. Yet Shenzhen, a benchmark city in China and the central hub for much IT and hi-tech manufacturing, is experiencing...
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360° Analysis / Automobile Industry / Beijing / Car Industry / China / entrepreneurship / India / Jaguar / Land Rover / New Delhi / Tata / Business / Central & South Asia / Asia PacificIndian entrepreneurs are selling more cars in China than the Chinese. By Chris Devonshire-Ellis As China and India continue to show some of the world’s fastest GDP growth rates, both are also undergoing huge demographic changes. In some ways, there are similarities between the two, yet in others, completely opposite positions exist. Understanding these subtleties is key to working out where future innovation, talent and growth will come from. In terms of similarities, it is interesting to note that 20 years ago, the average age of a worker in China was 23. That is now the age of the average worker in India today, while the average age of a worker in China has risen to 37. So India...
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Apple / cash taxes / Corporate income / google / Microsoft / North America / Offshore Accounts / Tax / Tax Avoidance / Tax Fraud / Tax payer / US Tax Laws / Economics / Focus Article / BusinessGiven its clear deficiencies, many agree the current US tax system is broken. In a confrontation that made headlines in May, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report claiming that Cupertino, California-based tech giant Apple has been using a "complex web of offshore entities" to avoid paying US taxes on $44 billion in "otherwise taxable offshore income over the past four years." According to the report, Apple set up at least three foreign subsidiaries that are "not tax resident in any nation" in order to avoid paying the taxes. Among numerous statements in its own defense, Apple said that it was likely the largest corporate income...
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Amazon / Facebook / Flickr / google / Marrissa Mayer / North America / Photo-Sharing / Search engine / SEO / social networking / Tumblr / Wall Street / yahoo / Focus Article / BusinessYahoo is aiming to establish an identity that fits the digital revolution. When Yahoo announced a year ago that Google Vice President Marissa Mayer would become the company's next CEO, Wall Street pundits had divergent reactions. Some lauded the choice as inspired, while others, like CNBC's Herb Greenberg, were openly skeptical. "I don't know what the Yahoo board was thinking," he said on the show in July 2012. Running Yahoo is a "remarkable challenge for someone [who] has no real leadership experience." Fast-forward a year later: Yahoo's stock is up more than 70%, although it is partly due to an earnings lift from the company's...
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Atul Singh / Democracy / Media / New York Times / News Corporation / News of the World / Newspaper / North America / Rupert Murdoch / The Economist / The Times / Times of India / Europe / Focus Article / Business / Middle East & North Africa / Latin America / Africa / Culture / Central & South AsiaBy Atul Singh“The sole aim of journalism should be service” (Mahatma Gandhi). Media is in crisis globally, and democracy as we have known it is under threat. Democracy works when voters make informed choices. The American colonies fought for independence because Tom Paine wrote “Common Sense,” which was published widely. India’s independence struggle was boosted by Gandhi’s decision to publish newspapers such as “Young India” and “Harijan.” Over time, most societies have come to accept that media has a public duty. At the very least, media is expected to inform citizens, and at best, it is supposed to keep the mighty in check by questioning...
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Copy / Copy-Paste / India / Intellectual Property / Kathan Shukla / Knowledge Economy / Knowledge-Production / Plagiarism / Focus Article / Business / Culture / Central & South AsiaThere is a culture of not recognizing intellectual property as someone’s property, in India. The big fish with power and money may influence the people at large, and the real creative intellectual may never receive due credit. In recent times, there has been a lot of empty rhetoric of “moving towards [a] knowledge economy” in policy circles. The bureaucrats, top-ranking politicians, businessmen and elite-intellectuals often present the knowledge economy as a way forward for India. Many intellectuals and organizations all over the world have provided various definitions of knowledge-based economy (KE). The overarching idea is that in KE, the economic activity primarily...
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Arab Spring / Business / Cross-Cultural Communication / Employment / FDI / Global Dexterity / Impact Investing / Jean AbiNader / Social Contract / Workforce Development / Economics / Focus Article / Business / Middle East & North Africa / AfricaThe role of workforce development in crafting solutions should not be overlooked or minimized as simply giving people jobs. Jean AbiNader analyzes the importance of job skills training in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), global dexterity, the renegotiation of the social contract, and impact investing in a post-Arab Uprisings environment. At a recent corporate presentation in the Maghreb on the potential transformational effect of foreign direct investment (FDI), I focused on two points: the notion of impact investing and the corollary dynamic of how FDI impacts human development beyond the benefits of economic growth. The participants were company leaders and employees discussing...
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Asia-Pacific / Cyber-Espionage / Fraud / Identity Theft / RSIS / S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies / Senol Yilmaz / Singapore / Focus Article / Business / Central & South AsiaCyber-espionage is a real and growing threat to businesses and economies in Singapore. Some counter-measures can be taken by the private sector. But the government plays an important role in protecting its businesses from cyber-exploitation. By Senol Yilmaz Over the few decades, Singapore’s economy has moved up from a mere producer of material goods to a creative inventor of ideas. This success stands on two main pillars: Firstly, heavy investment has been made in education as well as research and development. Secondly, the rigorous protection of intellectual property rights has reassured investors that their patents, trademarks, and trade secrets are safe, and that their investments...