Nickname: Elu

Review: You can't neglect the small scale industries in India, entrapped in noway to go situation, if one fully supports 25% of small scale industries. India can match shoulders with US within 15 years.

Date reviewed: Nov 24, 2006 11:50 AM

Nickname: alfred_in_Hyderabad

Review: Those who Mr. Martin met and saw are among one millionth of the population in India, even if they are really what they look like. As a foreigner who's been working in India for over a year, I can see the other side of the coin, that lackluster rusty culture and tradition. Those cherishable innovative talents are working only for those big firms, which in turn are serving the First World. Without a robust domestic demand and warmroom for innovation and aggression, India will continue to lag behind China in terms of 10 years, not to mention the US.

Date reviewed: Nov 15, 2006 7:23 AM

Nickname: itconsultant

Review: In the long term, it is the power of innovation. The country which can create wants among people and satisfy those wants will lead the league. Till today, the US is the definite leader in the game. Mainly because it is able to export its culture to other countries. (That's the reason a mask of a Star Wars film is sold at $25 or equivalent across the world and people buy it). Countries like India and China will take some time to reach this stage. They will have to conceive new ideas and sell it to the world. For this, they need totally different education system, risk tolerance levels, appreciation of talent, socio-political situations and it will take atleast 1-2 generations before they can even come closer to the US.

Date reviewed: Feb 3, 2006 4:57 PM

Nickname: partholemew

Review: What's so interesting is that India and China are where the U.S. was in the '50's, but with incredible technological advantages as well as the ability to envision future trends and tread successfully. However, I feel it's prudent to look at these global networks not just from an economic standpoint, but also a socio-economic one. Will this business process outsourcing create more cultures of over-consumption and false security veering away more and more from organic ways of life to urban sprawls?

Date reviewed: Jan 20, 2006 7:29 PM

Nickname: csrollyson

Review: Thanks for bringing this story out with its feet-on-the-street flavor. The fact that "western" countries harbor this misconception reflects economic assumptions made during the agricultural and manufacturing economies. As the world shifts to a knowledge economy, we abstract away from traditional resource advantages. Knowledge can be developed almost anywhere -- and applied everywhere.

Date reviewed: Jan 4, 2006 1:55 PM

Nickname: Linus

Review: Years back, when IT offshoring was in its infancy, I participated in a discussion on slave labor vs. high-end work. At that time, I remember a curmudgeon manager wryly commented, "I think a good programmer is worth more than 10 ordinary managers." I think CEOs, largely villified for their greed, have realized the direction of winds of change. And have begun moving their ship consistent with these directions. Intel, Microsoft, GE, and Cisco are investing billions of dollars in other geographies and are doing it right. I dare say that is the Capitalist credo.

Date reviewed: Dec 23, 2005 3:17 PM

Nickname: VikasM

Review: Education and services can and will in the forseeable future provide the U.S. an edge over India and China. I also see potential for other service areas like tourism and entertainment to remain firmly entrenched on U.S. soil. The bottom line is: only competence will prevail, regardless of what soil it is found on.

Date reviewed: Dec 21, 2005 8:08 PM

Nickname: Prad

Review: India and China are not far behind. China's negative point is that it doesn't have a free society, which is a major impediment. But that's not true with India. And in R&D, design, and innovation, Microsoft's India Development Centre in Hyderabad, is operating at a step just behind the company's Washington R&D center. Research in RFID, product and application development is on and more of this work is expected to be done here. Microsoft currently hires 800 and is going to increase its strength to 1,200 by next year. Gates just announced a major investement in Indian operations and about $200 milion is expected to be invested at their Hyderabad R&D Centre in the next 5 to 7 years. GE has an R&D Centre in Bangalore. Indian pharma companies are no longer just involved in generics. Many of them are working on novel drugs. This is all a proof of how these countries are going forward.

Date reviewed: Dec 19, 2005 3:03 AM

Nickname: MT

Review: What I find interesting is that there are numerous examples of large established industries (steel, automotive and electronics spring to mind) that have ignored small players at the bottom end of the industry (mini mills, Japanese automotive and electonic contract manufacturers, respectively), only to see these players move up the product and eventually take over the entire industry--acknowledging that this is still in process for the automotive industry. Given that true competitive advantage seems to derive from natural and systemic resources, I'd ask the question of what generates the U.S. comparative advantage. Top of mind again: superior educational system, stable socio-political environment, business friendly legal structure, and natural resources, and I would argue that it's only a matter of time before the first ones are replicated in China and India. The U.S as country of wheat farmers, anyone?

Date reviewed: Dec 18, 2005 3:52 PM

Nickname: sulphurisyellow

Review: Well! I already see people arguing with Ricardian philosophy. There is not only competition between but at every level. Even in India there's competition between regions and states. At the global scale, there's competition between stalwart players of Asia. Then there's the whole world. We can't discount any hard-working nation, innovation, design or passion and perseverance and hard logic even more. Taiwan is Taiwan, China is China, India is India, and America is America. So is competition, the more so globally.

Date reviewed: Dec 17, 2005 11:23 AM