IIFT’s annual symposium ‘Tradewinds’ reflects the glorious heritage of this esteemed institution. Tradewinds provides the ideal platform for sharing of thoughts and ideas of industry leaders and academicians on the current issues facing businesses worldwide.
Held in the month of November every year, Tradewinds attracts the crème de la crème of the corporate world and academia alike. Some of the prominent speakers at Tradewinds have been Dr. Manmohan Singh, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India; Mr. B V R Subbu, President, Hyundai Motors India Ltd.; Mr. J.J.Irani, Director, Tata Sons; Mr. N.Rangachary, Chairman, IRDA; Mr. Ravinder Zutshi, Director, Samsung India Electronics Limited; Mr. Russi Modi, Ex-CEO, Tata Steel; Mr. S. Sivakumar, CEO, ITC-International Business Division and Mr. T. K. Arun, Senior Editor Economic Times
Tradewinds 2005Tradewinds 2005 shall consist of seven sessions dealing with specific issues related to the theme of the symposium ‘The Rising East: Growth and Emergence of Asian Developing Economies’. The topics of each session will deal with a functional area/ Industrial sector perspective of the theme. The schedule would be as follows:
10 November 200510 a.m. – 12:45 p.m - Keynote
The Rising East: Growth and Emergence of the Asian Developing Economies1:30p.m. – 3:30 p.m - Marketing
Marketing in Asia: Imperatives for MNC’s
3:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. - Information Technology
Low-Cost IT Solutions in Developing Countries: current Opportunities & emerging Possibilities11 November 20059:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. - Trading
Agriculture Matters from Hardoi to Hong Kong11:15a.m. – 1:15 p.m. - Finance
Asian Financial Companies: Gaining Terminal Velocity, Breaking the Asian Barrier2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. - Pharma
Asia, the next R&D Destination4:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. - Operations
Sourcing Challenges & Opportunities in AsiaConcept Note - Marketing Session The Asian Developing countries, comprising some of the most dynamic economies in the world, have experienced unprecedented growth in the last two decades. In 2004, the region’s aggregate real GDP expanded by a strong 7.3% against 3.5% for the developed world. With the global economy tilting towards Asia, the rest of the world is struggling to cope.
Asia, due to its rich history and huge size, comprises a great variety of business environments, scales and cultures. Bristling with self confidence, India and China are seen as leaders of the developing world, driving new global growth dynamics. In spite of the fact that a lot is being written and said about the rapid growth of India and China, it is important to realize that Asia is much more than just these two countries. Japan is growing again. After the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 90’s, Korea is returning to its strong and robust economic growth. Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore & Thailand have undergone political transitions, restored confidence and resumed growth, thereby adding to the vibrancy of the whole region.
East Asia’s development is not about independent processes taking place in individual countries, but about national development processes and transformations taking place in a regional context. It is these regional dynamics due to which the Asian region may be on the verge of becoming a serious challenge to the economic global dominance of U.S. and Europe.
Although U.S. and Europe are still huge markets for Asian exports, Asian countries have increasingly started trading among themselves. China’s seemingly insatiable appetite for primary commodities and other imports are not only influencing world trade and world prices, but also diverting production, markets and jobs away from neighboring countries. Cheap Chinese exports have changed the global competitive landscape; as of today, China has replaced U.S. as the most important trading partner for several Asian nations.
In this era of globalization, boundaries between organizations are more porous and relations between them more diversified. Although they may be competitors in specific areas, their drive for asset exploitation and search for profits forces them to be alliance partners in other areas, thus resulting in a complex mosaic of organizational forms.
The East Asian market is generating tremendous interest in Multinational and Transnational Companies the world over. For local companies in Asia, entry of the MNC has changed the business landscape by offering them opportunities to partner and grow. On the other hand, these MNCs have also changed the traditional marketplace by forcing local businesses to modify their modes of business to quickly adapt to changed markets and fierce competition.
Companies from around the world are recognising the importance of East Asia. This Session will provide a marketers perspective on the challenges and opportunities provided by these East Asian markets and the underlying imperatives for success.
Nitin Kochhar
Coordinator, Brandwagon
Marketing Club at IIFT
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