Euromoney (February Issue)
Asia “is seen as the growth engine for private banks, but it is not without its trials.” As regulation increases, costs rise and competition heats up, industry “consolidation among private banks in the region is inevitable.”
Tags: Asia, Banks, Competition, Consolidation, Costs, Growth engine, Industry, Private banks, Regulation
Euromoney (February Issue)
“London and Luxembourg are at loggerheads to become Europe’s leading offshore renminbi hub—although they wouldn’t let you know it.” Right now the competition looks evenly matched. “Competition, not cooperation, between the financial centres is spurring on the internationalization of the renminbi. The competition continues. And this is a good thing.”
Tags: Competition, Cooperation, Europe, Hub, Internationalization, London, Luxembourg, Offshore, Renminbi
The Economist (January 25, 2014)
“In some ways, China’s market is still the world’s most enticing. Although it accounts for only around 8% of private consumption in the world, it contributed more than any other country to the growth of consumption in 2011-13.” But China is proving vexing to foreign firms as they find themselves subject to government whims, strong local competition, a tighter labor market and slowing growth. Some are scaling down. Others stumbling or even pulling out. “China is still a rich prize. Firms that can boost productivity, improve governance and respond to local tastes can still prosper. But the golden years are over.”
Tags: China, Competition, Consumption, Enticing, Foreign firms, Golden years, Governance, Government, Growth, Labor market, Productivity, Slowing
New York Times (November 7)
“The competition to get into higher-ranked universities is destroying the lives of young people and their families in countries like South Korea and Japan…. The paradox is these ridiculous tests don’t necessarily lead to demanding college classes.”
Tags: Classes, College, Competition, Demanding, Families, Japan, Paradox, Ridiculous, South Korea, Tests, Universities, Young people
The Economist (October 5)
“The prime minister is right to raise the consumption tax, but must do more to boost Japan’s growth.” It is time for the third arrow. These major reforms should “include radical proposals to consolidate farmland, increase competition in the provision of health care and ease the rules on hiring and firing.”
Tags: Competition, Consumption tax, Farmland, Firing, Health care, Hiring, Japan, Prime minister, Reforms, Rules, Third arrow
Institutional Investor (October)
“Lenovo’s rise is more than a corporate success story. It demonstrates the powerful potential of China Inc. to expand beyond low-end manufacturing and develop global brands. The company also reflects the uniquely hybrid nature of most of corporate China: It is a product of a Communist Party-ruled state—the government still owns 36 percent of its parent, Legend—but it competes vigorously in the global market.”
Tags: China Inc., Communist party, Competition, Global brand, Legend, Lenovo
Forbes (July 16)
Free markets and technology promote competition, revolutionizing one industry after another. “The legal profession is also starting to get hit by the whirlwinds of what Joseph Schumpeter called creative destruction. There’s a proliferation of legal apps that show you how to write wills and take care of other such tasks without the bother and expense of an attorney. There will soon be numerous businesses with low-paid lawyers manning call centers to answer any questions. Entrepreneurs in India will also train individuals to handle routine legal matters in the U.S., via the Web and phone. State bar associations will howl, but strictures preventing individuals from taking bar exams without first completing law school will be undermined by the Web.”
Free markets and technology promote competition, revolutionizing one industry after another. “The legal profession is also starting to get hit by the whirlwinds of what Joseph Schumpeter called creative destruction. There’s a proliferation of legal apps that show you how to write wills and take care of other such tasks without the bother and expense of an attorney. There will soon be numerous businesses with low-paid lawyers manning call centers to answer any questions. Entrepreneurs in India will also train individuals to handle routine legal matters in the U.S., via the Web and phone. State bar associations will howl, but strictures preventing individuals from taking bar exams without first completing law school will be undermined by the Web.”
Bloomberg (June 1)
India loses more power than any other nation to electricity theft, almost a third of its annual 174GW supply. “The pilfering of almost enough power to charge California for a year lowers the annual income of Indian distribution companies by $16 billion and cuts output by 1.2 percent in the $1.3 trillion economy.” India hopes to reduce electricity theft with competition and privatization. Compared to state-owned firms, private companies are less tolerant of electricity theft. Their inspectors are less susceptible to bribes to look the other way.
India loses more power than any other nation to electricity theft, almost a third of its annual 174GW supply. “The pilfering of almost enough power to charge California for a year lowers the annual income of Indian distribution companies by $16 billion and cuts output by 1.2 percent in the $1.3 trillion economy.” India hopes to reduce electricity theft with competition and privatization. Compared to state-owned firms, private companies are less tolerant of electricity theft. Their inspectors are less susceptible to bribes to look the other way.
Tags: Competition, Electricity, India, Privatization, Theft
Wall Street Journal (December 22)
Two partners in Bain & Company’s Tokyo office write “Japan’s marketplace isn’t a monolith.” They believe the cosmetics business provides “glimpses of what a better Japanese economy would look like.” During the past decade, cosmetics have benefited from deregulation such as the elimination of manufacturer’s recommended prices and relaxed procedures with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. “These reforms have had dramatic implications. By spurring new and dynamic competition, deregulation unleashed a refreshing spirit of innovation in an industry that had grown stagnant.” The authors believe companies, consumers and Japan’s economy have benefited because the “more competitive market forces companies to think more creatively about consumers’ needs.”
Tags: Competition, Costmetics, Deregulation, Tokyo
