Friday, December 01, 2006
What's next for Watching India?
Our dedicated research centre on international business in/with India generates and disseminates knowledge on issues of interest to firms and governments in the area of Indian and South Asian business. Many academic research centres, and most academics themselves tend to fail to engage with their user base, be it made of firms, governments, NGOs, and what we often call the "wider community" - a very convenient way to describe what we can't even identify..!
India is a fast changing country characterised by progressive liberalisation - this in turns creates huge opportunities for both Indian and Western firms.
However, this is easier said than done: earlier this year, the UK House of Commons Trade & Industry Committee was so concerned that UK firms were falling behind their competitors in seizing these opportunities that it took the (unusual) decision to conduct an "Inquiry on Trade & Investment Opportunities with India". The final report -published in 3 volumes- was made available some time before the Summer.
Our India Centre contributed to the inquiry and submitted written evidence of the lack of knbowledge about india.
The Committee wrote in its final report that "during our inquiry we were struck by the lack of importance too many UK companies afforded to India as a prospective trade and investment opportunity. While we were in India, we were told by many of the people we met that India was changing so fast that things companies had looked at and realised they were not able to do two years ago were possible now. Whereas some UK companies had simply given up on India, many of the UK’s competitors had leapt on new opportunities which had arisen since. Many UK companies also saw India only as a low cost, low quality place which manufactured products. Up-to-date knowledge of the Indian market was lacking amongst some UK companies".
The Committee concludes that "there is a worrying lack of familiarity with the Indian market amongst some parts of the UK business community. The UK Government needs to address this by making more information available on the Indian market to UK companies, even those which are not currently seeking to enter the market there".
As part of our commitment to serve our user base, and in particular UK and European firms wishing to do business in/with India, our staff at the James E Lynch India & South Asia Business Centre will produce Watching India, our very own series of market research briefings on the Indian economy and key sectors - such as manufacturing, pharma, IT, BPO/KPO, retail, entertainment among others.
Published ten times a year and made available to firms on a subscription basis, Watching India will make use of the best and most reliable sources to keep you fully up-to-date with key developments in India.
The official launch of Watching India will take place on January 24th when Dr Paul Davies, former MD Unisys India, will address our corporate guests at the next Financial Times Speaker series, due to take place at our parent institution, Leeds University Business School.
For more info on Watching India, our market research briefings please email Watching India. For more info on the forthcoming FT Speaker event on India, please email use this link.
So that's the next step for Watching India - the blog. It will go from strength to strength and nicely complement Watching India - the briefings. Make sure you do join us in celebrating our achievements and be among the first to subscribe to Watching India..!
India is a fast changing country characterised by progressive liberalisation - this in turns creates huge opportunities for both Indian and Western firms.
However, this is easier said than done: earlier this year, the UK House of Commons Trade & Industry Committee was so concerned that UK firms were falling behind their competitors in seizing these opportunities that it took the (unusual) decision to conduct an "Inquiry on Trade & Investment Opportunities with India". The final report -published in 3 volumes- was made available some time before the Summer.Our India Centre contributed to the inquiry and submitted written evidence of the lack of knbowledge about india.
The Committee wrote in its final report that "during our inquiry we were struck by the lack of importance too many UK companies afforded to India as a prospective trade and investment opportunity. While we were in India, we were told by many of the people we met that India was changing so fast that things companies had looked at and realised they were not able to do two years ago were possible now. Whereas some UK companies had simply given up on India, many of the UK’s competitors had leapt on new opportunities which had arisen since. Many UK companies also saw India only as a low cost, low quality place which manufactured products. Up-to-date knowledge of the Indian market was lacking amongst some UK companies".
The Committee concludes that "there is a worrying lack of familiarity with the Indian market amongst some parts of the UK business community. The UK Government needs to address this by making more information available on the Indian market to UK companies, even those which are not currently seeking to enter the market there".
As part of our commitment to serve our user base, and in particular UK and European firms wishing to do business in/with India, our staff at the James E Lynch India & South Asia Business Centre will produce Watching India, our very own series of market research briefings on the Indian economy and key sectors - such as manufacturing, pharma, IT, BPO/KPO, retail, entertainment among others.
Published ten times a year and made available to firms on a subscription basis, Watching India will make use of the best and most reliable sources to keep you fully up-to-date with key developments in India.
The official launch of Watching India will take place on January 24th when Dr Paul Davies, former MD Unisys India, will address our corporate guests at the next Financial Times Speaker series, due to take place at our parent institution, Leeds University Business School.
For more info on Watching India, our market research briefings please email Watching India. For more info on the forthcoming FT Speaker event on India, please email use this link.
So that's the next step for Watching India - the blog. It will go from strength to strength and nicely complement Watching India - the briefings. Make sure you do join us in celebrating our achievements and be among the first to subscribe to Watching India..!
Seizing India's Opportunities
Leeds University Business School, in partnership with the Financial Times organises the FT Speaker Series, a series of lectures presented by distinguished experts from the business community. The series, which this year focuses on international business, aims to inform and educate anyone with an interest in international affairs, with a key emphasis on the challenges brought about by globalization.
Dr Paul Davies, former Managing Director Unisys in India and Managing Director Onshore offshore Ltd – and a University of Leeds alumnus - is the speaker at our next event on January 24th at 6pm. Having been Managing Director of Unisys India, where he was responsible for developing the domestic market and for planning both BPO and IT offshoring, Paul wrote What’s this India business? published in Europe, the UK, the US and India.
Prior to the role in India, he was the strategic marketing director looking after the business development of India, southern Africa, and the Middle East, and was responsible for a number of key developments. He took on this role having been the European sales director for financial services for Unisys, after a period as the Account Director for a major UK bank. Paul Davies has a PhD in English, focused on the novels of George Eliot, and is a University of Leeds alumnus.
His talk will focus on the opportunities brought about by the rise of India in the world economy. This India lecture will be of interest to those wishing to understand and seize opportunities created by the emergence of India in the world economy. The lecture will be followed by a networking reception.
Previous topics covered in the series have included the threat of “new protectionism” and business success in a globalised world.
This FT lecture is organized by our research centre on Indian business, the James E Lynch India & South Asia Business Centre. On this occasion, the India Centre will launch Watching India, its series of market research briefings on the Indian economy and key sectors of the economy. The event will be attended by companies and organisations wishing to benefit from India’s locational advantages, and those who support the India Centre.
This event is strictly by invitation only. For more information, please do feel free to email our Knowledge Transfer officer, Ms Helen Ashworth.
Copyright Nicolas Forsans - James E. Lynch India & South Asia Business Centre (ISABC), Centre for International Business, Unlversity of Leeds (CIBUL), Maurice Keyworth Building, Leeds LS2 9JT, England
