The German economy: be careful what you ask for vox - Research-based policy analysis and commentary from Europe's leading economists
An interesting view on the german economy. The author is suggesting that the Germans move away from pure manufacturing and fabrication and into higher value added services such as product design and service oriented industries which are difficult to outsource.
I am afraid people are still stuck in the past, they are still operating on the premise that where a piece of work is done is limited by geography. Not at all. The assumption that product design will stay onshore while manufacturing will move off is old style thinking. Let me out this in another way, we already have remote surgery where doctors from a remote location can operate on a patient. Now there is no reason why this remote surgery cant be done out of India, can it? How about teaching? Something that was intensely personal is now being carried out from India. I had a discussion with an american colleague on a mailing list and topping and tailing the email chain, this is what i wrote to him.
Dear....
Your name and study came up yesterday in a small off the record workshop on international labour arbitrage held here in London. We had senior people from various European and American international banks, large telecommunications firms and large manufacturing firms.
Seems like besides the BRIC countries, now you have the CHIPS, Czech,Hungary, India, Poland and Slovakia. (excluding the spanish and japanesespeaking spheres of influence). These countries are now providing highquality work at low cost, which is completely negating the advantages that the USA and UK have. Also mentioned and analysed in gruesome detail was howthe median wages have basically not moved for the past 15-20 odd years.
The feeling across the table was that India is plateauing out and that's agood thing, which will allow the infrastructure to settle down/catch up, butmore importantly it would force Indian firms to move up the value chain evenmore. We are seeing large evidence of that ranging from BPO, to MC to Design to AD work, etc.
The number of electronic and electrical engineering students in Europe hasdropped by an average of 19% over the past 4 years and the engineeringdepartments are thinking about the same way as they have done with thegeography departments, and that to merge or close down departments.
The government chappie and the EC woman got very excited about the medianincome information and they have arranged for further meetings. Interestingstuff ahead but you might seriously want to delve into that aspect of median income of workers.
Cheers
bd
So all in all, people have to get out of this thinking mode that supply of services is geographically tied, firms are moving on ahead and are producing a whole service delivery middleware structure (if I may use a software term) which is focussed on the delivery to customer aspect rather than where the production happens. People who are smart will pick this up (think of the IBM, Accenture and the Indian vendors who are getting this!!!)
Update: See this story in the LA Times about Hilary Clinton getting raked over the coals about TCS and Buffalo NY jobs. One cant win now, can they?
Monday, July 30
Egypt Telecom, a rat's nest? cats cradle? crossed wires?
Mobile phones and mobile communication technology is leapfrogging landline and old telecom technology (see the above photo of an Egyptian Telecom Land Line junction box being fixed in Egypt, no attribution unfortunately so if it is copywrited, please write to me and i will take it down). there are very good reasons for it, specially in emerging countries and lesser developed countries. Here is a good report which lays out the situation. Some additional sources are here and here .
Bribeline and Corruption
Supply and Demand- Hindustan Times
One of my pet hates is corruption and I have written about this frequently. Referenced above is one article which I wrote before and here is another one. But what I wanted to draw your attention to was this site. Its called as BribeLine and allows people to submit incidents of corruption to an NGO. I strongly recommend people to use it and report their incidents to this body. This canker of corruption has to be erradicated. The Financial Times today has a big article here. Bribery hotline receives hundreds of hits By Michael Peel in London Published: July 30 2007 04:25 Last updated: July 30 2007 04:25 International companies and private individuals are making hundreds of reports a week to a pioneering internet hotline launched this month to map bribery worldwide and help businesses plan how to deal with it. Trace, a non-profit group set up to help companies tackle corruption, says its Bribeline has already received more than 1,000 reports from 89 countries, from people claiming officials have asked them for pay-offs ranging from less than $20 to more than $500,000 (€366,000, £246,000).....
One of my pet hates is corruption and I have written about this frequently. Referenced above is one article which I wrote before and here is another one. But what I wanted to draw your attention to was this site. Its called as BribeLine and allows people to submit incidents of corruption to an NGO. I strongly recommend people to use it and report their incidents to this body. This canker of corruption has to be erradicated. The Financial Times today has a big article here. Bribery hotline receives hundreds of hits By Michael Peel in London Published: July 30 2007 04:25 Last updated: July 30 2007 04:25 International companies and private individuals are making hundreds of reports a week to a pioneering internet hotline launched this month to map bribery worldwide and help businesses plan how to deal with it. Trace, a non-profit group set up to help companies tackle corruption, says its Bribeline has already received more than 1,000 reports from 89 countries, from people claiming officials have asked them for pay-offs ranging from less than $20 to more than $500,000 (€366,000, £246,000).....
The first Saudi Girls' Band - Mecca Stars
My friend just gave birth to an adorable baby, Carolin. Her pictures are absolutely adorable and I am planning to kidnap the baby (others also have had that idea, but so what? :P). She and Tarek can make a new one!, but guess this? she comes home after the CS and sends this email to me. She is a nutter!,
anyway, have fun looking at the first Saudi Girls' Band!
anyway, have fun looking at the first Saudi Girls' Band!
Suicide in Bahrain in the Last Decade
ScienceDirect - Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention : Suicide in Bahrain in the Last Decade
Now here is an interesting study of suicide patterns in Bahrain by very senior doctors in Bahrain, one of the Gulf Arab countries. See the abstract below:
"A combination of social, legal, and religious factors make reporting of suicide difficult in Bahrain, an Islamic country. Limited available data indicates a very low incidence rate of 3 per 100,000. The objective of the present study was to describe the pattern of suicide in Bahrain during a 10-year period. The registered suicide cases (N = 304) at the Ministry of Interior for the 10-year period from 1995 to 2004 were reviewed and analyzed. The mean suicide rate was 0.6 per 100,000 for the Bahraini nationals and 12.6 per 100,000 for the non-Bahrainis with and 17.7 per 100,000 for the Indian migrants. Men were six times more likely than women to commit suicide. The majority of the subjects were under 35 years of age with financial domestic problems being the most common reason reported in the record and hanging the mostly commonly used mode of suicide (92.8%). The suicide rate for the Bahraini population remains low compared to other countries. The higher rate of suicide among Indians merits further investigation. Moreover, more research is needed on the epidemiology of suicide risk factors in ethnic groups for further prevention and intervention. "
The differences in the suicide rates between Bahraini's and non Bahrainis/Indians is startling, extremely startling. And definitely, I fully agree on further research being required. The expatriates in the gulf are there to make money, they earn far higher than back home (whether it be India, Pakistan, Philippines, etc. etc.), so having domestic financial problems in Bahrain does not sit very well. And these are young people! Perhaps the Bahraini Human Rights people (who I referenced earlier here could take this up!). As Alice said, "curioser and curioser".
This is the full reference.
Ahmed Al Ansari, Randah R. Hamadeh, Mazin K. Ali and Adel El Offi, Suicide in Bahrain in the Last Decade, Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 11-15.
Now here is an interesting study of suicide patterns in Bahrain by very senior doctors in Bahrain, one of the Gulf Arab countries. See the abstract below:
"A combination of social, legal, and religious factors make reporting of suicide difficult in Bahrain, an Islamic country. Limited available data indicates a very low incidence rate of 3 per 100,000. The objective of the present study was to describe the pattern of suicide in Bahrain during a 10-year period. The registered suicide cases (N = 304) at the Ministry of Interior for the 10-year period from 1995 to 2004 were reviewed and analyzed. The mean suicide rate was 0.6 per 100,000 for the Bahraini nationals and 12.6 per 100,000 for the non-Bahrainis with and 17.7 per 100,000 for the Indian migrants. Men were six times more likely than women to commit suicide. The majority of the subjects were under 35 years of age with financial domestic problems being the most common reason reported in the record and hanging the mostly commonly used mode of suicide (92.8%). The suicide rate for the Bahraini population remains low compared to other countries. The higher rate of suicide among Indians merits further investigation. Moreover, more research is needed on the epidemiology of suicide risk factors in ethnic groups for further prevention and intervention. "
The differences in the suicide rates between Bahraini's and non Bahrainis/Indians is startling, extremely startling. And definitely, I fully agree on further research being required. The expatriates in the gulf are there to make money, they earn far higher than back home (whether it be India, Pakistan, Philippines, etc. etc.), so having domestic financial problems in Bahrain does not sit very well. And these are young people! Perhaps the Bahraini Human Rights people (who I referenced earlier here could take this up!). As Alice said, "curioser and curioser".
This is the full reference.
Ahmed Al Ansari, Randah R. Hamadeh, Mazin K. Ali and Adel El Offi, Suicide in Bahrain in the Last Decade, Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 11-15.
Many Asians 'do not feel British'
BBC NEWS UK Many Asians 'do not feel British'
This is such a big pile of poo that this makes me sick. I shot off an email to the BBC but not sure whether they will publish this.
"This is so absolute rot.
1. Who are South Asians? I dont believe I know that country or nationality. Anybody who says I am a South Asian is a geographically challenged and illiterate person who needs to go back to school. There are nations in South Asia and countries.
2. We are all british now. Ask the number of white british people who are emigrating, that % is much higher. So this question is again extremely silly. Who is actually deciding these questions? and why is my licence fees being used for this intellectually incoherent and illogical exercise?
3. I have been a citizen of this country for years and years, and have lived in this country for about 20 years. My children are British, my pension is british, i am a highest rate taxpayer. I speak English fluently, vote regularly and complain about the NHS and the weather. I have never faced racism in this country and in fact, I think the majority of the UK are far too sensitive to colour. Stop this nonsense. "
These people are purposefully creating problems where none exist. And where there IS a problem, they hide it. I am NOT SOUTH ASIAN. I am BRITISH. I owe loyalty to this country, queen and political system. If I am going to be typified, then call me a BRITISHER of INDIAN extraction. I do NOT want to be associated with Pakistan, Afganistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or what have you. This makes me absolutely violently sick and upset.
This is such a big pile of poo that this makes me sick. I shot off an email to the BBC but not sure whether they will publish this.
"This is so absolute rot.
1. Who are South Asians? I dont believe I know that country or nationality. Anybody who says I am a South Asian is a geographically challenged and illiterate person who needs to go back to school. There are nations in South Asia and countries.
2. We are all british now. Ask the number of white british people who are emigrating, that % is much higher. So this question is again extremely silly. Who is actually deciding these questions? and why is my licence fees being used for this intellectually incoherent and illogical exercise?
3. I have been a citizen of this country for years and years, and have lived in this country for about 20 years. My children are British, my pension is british, i am a highest rate taxpayer. I speak English fluently, vote regularly and complain about the NHS and the weather. I have never faced racism in this country and in fact, I think the majority of the UK are far too sensitive to colour. Stop this nonsense. "
These people are purposefully creating problems where none exist. And where there IS a problem, they hide it. I am NOT SOUTH ASIAN. I am BRITISH. I owe loyalty to this country, queen and political system. If I am going to be typified, then call me a BRITISHER of INDIAN extraction. I do NOT want to be associated with Pakistan, Afganistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or what have you. This makes me absolutely violently sick and upset.
Sunday, July 29
If Muslims revered cattle, Shambo would still be mooing
If Muslims revered cattle, Shambo would still be mooing -Times Online
what a load of bull! its pretty self explanatory!
what a load of bull! its pretty self explanatory!
Sufism or sectarianism?
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan - OP-ED: Sufism or sectarianism? —Ayeda Naqvi
Thanks to my friend Ali Abbas Inayatullah, i got some absolutely gobsmacking information. Apparently this Sufi teacher appeared in a lecture in Pakistan and said the most amazing stuff. This was reported by Ayeda Naqvi. I would have left it there but Ali did a great job in collating all the debates and discussions around it. A response to her article was written by a gentleman called as Atif Khan. Mr. Khan is a lecturer, has studied in Harvard and has worked as an investment banker in London and NY. Pretty impressive cv, no? unfortunately, Mr. Khan should have stuck to economics rather religion. But it was quite interesting, Mr. Khan did a brilliant job in talking about everything except for the issues that Ms. Naqvi raised. Others have noticed this and have expressed similar opinions here and here and here , ending with Ali's very pointed letter here. All in all, the speaker seems to have some very dubious origins, and the support of Mr. Khan was also surprising and very disappointing.
I belong to a mailing list where you can join in and have wonderful discussions about this lovely, mystical world of sufism. I have personal reasons to be very grateful to a sufi saint, Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty of Ajmer, India (but the details are for a later post). In all my debates and discussions, I have yet to hear such bigoted thoughts attributed to sufism and while i am shocked and think this is condemnable, what makes me happy is to see the global range of offended opinions
who have equally told this bigoted chap to take off. May his followers understand get rid of him. What was more sad was that an institution such as LUMS hosted the event in the first place. This is not good at all for the image of LUMS (personal disclosure, one of my friends works there).
Thanks to my friend Ali Abbas Inayatullah, i got some absolutely gobsmacking information. Apparently this Sufi teacher appeared in a lecture in Pakistan and said the most amazing stuff. This was reported by Ayeda Naqvi. I would have left it there but Ali did a great job in collating all the debates and discussions around it. A response to her article was written by a gentleman called as Atif Khan. Mr. Khan is a lecturer, has studied in Harvard and has worked as an investment banker in London and NY. Pretty impressive cv, no? unfortunately, Mr. Khan should have stuck to economics rather religion. But it was quite interesting, Mr. Khan did a brilliant job in talking about everything except for the issues that Ms. Naqvi raised. Others have noticed this and have expressed similar opinions here and here and here , ending with Ali's very pointed letter here. All in all, the speaker seems to have some very dubious origins, and the support of Mr. Khan was also surprising and very disappointing.
I belong to a mailing list where you can join in and have wonderful discussions about this lovely, mystical world of sufism. I have personal reasons to be very grateful to a sufi saint, Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty of Ajmer, India (but the details are for a later post). In all my debates and discussions, I have yet to hear such bigoted thoughts attributed to sufism and while i am shocked and think this is condemnable, what makes me happy is to see the global range of offended opinions
who have equally told this bigoted chap to take off. May his followers understand get rid of him. What was more sad was that an institution such as LUMS hosted the event in the first place. This is not good at all for the image of LUMS (personal disclosure, one of my friends works there).
Iraq crowned Asian Cup champions
Iraq crowned Asian Cup champions - Times Online
Scanning the reaction across Iraq, it leads me to think that there is a hope of the country holding together if the entire country can celebrate this sporting victory. But to hang a full national ethos on a football team is weak, it would be like USA relying on the Harlem Globetrotters or the Bulls to create a country ethos. Still, it is good to read about the victory despite some of the monstrous terrorists who went after the Iraqi's who were celebrating the semi final win and killed about 50 of them.
Scanning the reaction across Iraq, it leads me to think that there is a hope of the country holding together if the entire country can celebrate this sporting victory. But to hang a full national ethos on a football team is weak, it would be like USA relying on the Harlem Globetrotters or the Bulls to create a country ethos. Still, it is good to read about the victory despite some of the monstrous terrorists who went after the Iraqi's who were celebrating the semi final win and killed about 50 of them.
Facebook and the enterprise: Part 1 | confused of calcutta
Facebook and the enterprise: Part 1 | confused of calcutta
and Part 2, are some very well argued arguments about how facebook is evolving so fast and quickly. It also addresses several (in my opinion, slightly Luddite) views on how the broader enterprise reacts to personal productivity tools. JP Rangaswami is an iconic figure in the city of London and has long experience of financial markets. I interviewed him 4 years ago and now he has moved on to be one of the main strategos at BT. Very impressive chap. Anyway, happy reading, its quite interesting indeed. Guess what? at one time, the firms banned direct dial on their phones because of worries that they will get distracted from work! (familiar or what?)
If nothing else, I strongly suggest adding his blog to your RSS reader. I use this
and Part 2, are some very well argued arguments about how facebook is evolving so fast and quickly. It also addresses several (in my opinion, slightly Luddite) views on how the broader enterprise reacts to personal productivity tools. JP Rangaswami is an iconic figure in the city of London and has long experience of financial markets. I interviewed him 4 years ago and now he has moved on to be one of the main strategos at BT. Very impressive chap. Anyway, happy reading, its quite interesting indeed. Guess what? at one time, the firms banned direct dial on their phones because of worries that they will get distracted from work! (familiar or what?)
If nothing else, I strongly suggest adding his blog to your RSS reader. I use this
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