Business
What kind of patent protection does India want?
The rejection of Bayer’s patent case in India is a landmark in defining the process by which patents are enforcable. It settles important questions on the limits of automatic patent protection provided by the system, providing a balance between private profit and public good.
Making Pay Work: Matching Bonuses and Penalties
Investors in the stock market know they can both loose and gain money. Entrepreneurs accept the same principle when setting up companies. Why should executives be different? To make compensation work and be fair, bonuses for good performance should be matched by actual penalties for poor performance.
Selling the Wrong CSR the Wrong Way
AccountAbility’s Responsibility Competitiveness Index is rife with statistical confusion. But it also focuses on the wrong idea. True “responsibility” is not in western standards of regulations, but in demonstrating a commitment to embracing local needs and consumers.
Why Walmart is Welcome: The Agro-Retail Revolution in India
The WSJ Asia is carrying an article (Metro’s new system produces India growth, subscribers only) that outlines how Metro, amongst others, is (re)inventing the agricultural supply chain in India:
Metro is the first Western retailer to tackle a fundamental problem facing Wal-mart and other retailers trying to enter India today: how to stock their huge supercenter [...]
Venture Capital and Cleantech Innovation
Cleantech venture capital may have to accommodate longer innovation cycles if it is to reduce its dependence on subsidies and become financially sustainable.
The Economist on Private Sector Quotas
For over a year controversy has raged in India over government plans to extend quotas – India’s version of affirmative action for the lower castes – to the private sector. The plans raised the hackles of many, and for the first time led to questioning the real effectiveness of quotas. Now, the Economist has weighed [...]
Continuing Troubles with the Indian Patent Act: Is Novartis On Drugs?
The Hindu has an exceptional article on the recent Novartis case in India, titled “Do Indian Patent Laws Stifle Research?” that reveals the true story behind Novartis’ failure to secure a patent for its cancer drug, Gleevec. As it turns out, Novartis took a gamble by applying for the patent not in 1993 – when [...]
India Spending Big Time on Wheat and War Planes: Role of Govt
India has floated two major tenders that have everybody drooling.
The first, is for 530,000 tons of wheat, announced a week ago. Imports by India, along with Japan and Taiwan have pushed wheat prices to record highs on the Chicago Board of Trade (see chart). This import of wheat is ironic, for just a year ago [...]
