ASIA: MIRACLE MAKER OR HEART BREAKER? 14TH Annual Asian Business Conference at the University of Michigan Business School - February 6 & 7, 2004 Page 1 of 73 ASIA: MIRACLE MAKER OR HEART BREAKER? Contents MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRS...................................................................................................................................... 3 MESSAGE FROM THE FACULTY.................................................................................................................................. 4 2004 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE................................................................................................................................ 5 CONFERENCE KEYNOTES............................................................................................................................................... 7 LOGISTICS REPORT ............................................................................................................................................................. 9 ATTENDANCE DEMOGRAPHICS ...............................................................................................................11 DIRECTOR OF MARKETING REPORT ....................................................................................................................12 DIRECTOR OF PANELS REPORT ...............................................................................................................................13 ASEAN PANEL REPORT ...................................................................................................................................14 CHINA PANEL REPORT....................................................................................................................................16 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PANEL REPORT .......................................................19 FINANCE PANEL REPORT..............................................................................................................................22 HEALTHCARE PANEL REPORT..................................................................................................................25 INDIAN SUBCONTINENT PANEL REPORT .........................................................................................27 JAPAN PANEL REPORT....................................................................................................................................31 KOREAN PANEL REPORT...............................................................................................................................34 TECHNOLOGY PANEL REPORT .................................................................................................................36 CONTACT SINGAPORE SPECIAL EVENT..............................................................................................................38 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES................................................................................................................................................39 CAREER FAIR AND CORPORATE SPONSORS...................................................................................................62 PREMIER PLATINUM SPONSORS ............................................................................................................63 PLATINUM SPONSORS.....................................................................................................................................65 GOLD SPONSORS .................................................................................................................................................66 SILVER SPONSORS .............................................................................................................................................68 BRONZE SPONSORS ...........................................................................................................................................69 MEDIA SPONSORS ..............................................................................................................................................71 14TH Annual Asian Business Conference at the University of Michigan Business School - February 6 & 7, 2004 Page 2 of 73 ASIA: MIRACLE MAKER OR HEART BREAKER? Message from the Chairs orporations and business leaders worldwide cannot afford to ignore the far reaching impact of economic developments in Asia. A strong economic comeback in many parts of Asia, combined with rapid growth in C China and India, presents exciting opportunities and formidable challenges for global business, causing multinational and Asian firms to reassess and reposition themselves for continued growth. Amidst this backdrop, the 14th Annual Asian Business Conference was held on February 6 and 7, 2004 at the University of Michigan Business School. This year’s conference theme – Asia: Miracle Maker or Heartbreaker? – sought to explore the paradox of seemingly miraculous macroeconomic performance coupled with a challenging environment for business. The conference featured highly distinguished speakers including senior policy makers and business leaders from a wide range of countries and backgrounds, who shared significant insights on the dynamic business environment in Asia. We are thrilled to report that the conference had a record number of attendees and received very positive reviews from attendees and panelists. We had two distinguished keynote speakers – Mr. Ong Keng Yong, Secretary-General, ASEAN and Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations - kicking off Day 1 of the Conference on Friday, Feb 6. On Saturday, Feb 7, Mr. B. Ramalinga Raju, CEO, Satyam Computer Services delivered a thought provoking opening keynote address. During nine panel sessions on Saturday, attendees from across the University of Michigan and the surrounding region learned from experts about issues affecting business in Japan, India, China, Korea and the ASEAN region. There were also panels focused on Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare, Finance and Technology. Thirty -five speakers from companies that have extensive business interests in Asia and from several University academic and administrative departments discussed these topics through the day on Saturday. The Conference would not have been possible without the dedication and resourcefulness of the 80-strong Team ABC. This diverse and talented group included MBAs, BBAs and students in the School of Public Policy. Also, special thanks to our faculty advisor, Professor Linda Lim, whose advice and assistance have been invaluable. Finally, the Organizing Committee thanks our corporate and university sponsors whose generous support made this year’s event possible. We hope you enjoyed this year’s event and would love to see all of you at next year’s 15th Anniversary conference. Choon-Peng Ng Sridhar Varadarajan Co-Chair Co-Chair 14TH Annual Asian Business Conference at the University of Michigan Business School - February 6 & 7, 2004 Page 3 of 73 ASIA: MIRACLE MAKER OR HEART BREAKER? Message from the Faculty The 14th Asia Business Conference: A Behind-the-Scenes View he Asia Business Conference at the Michigan Business School is the oldest of the Asian business conferences to be established and run by students at a top U.S. business school, pre-dating by many years similar (and mostly much T smaller) conferences at peer institutions like Harvard, Wharton, Chicago and Berkeley. The ABC is also the second oldest, and in most years one of the biggest, completely student-run conference at MBS, and probably at the University of Michigan as a whole. The 14th annual conferenc e, in February 2004, involved 28 invited government and executive speakers who traveled from Asia and within the U.S. to participate, 9 Michigan faculty moderators with expertise on Asian business, 81 student organizers and helpers, and an audience of close to 7 00, making it the largest and most ambitious ABC to date. Students were responsible for planning and executing all aspects of the conference, from raising funds from internal University and external sponsors, to organizing panels and conference and panel themes, selecting and inviting speakers, and handling all marketing, publicity, finances and logistics, including providing free lunch for 600 people. Team ABC is a truly diverse collective enterprise, involving MBA and BBA students, students from other units of the University, and both American and international students from many different countries who share a common interest in business in Asia. With such a large and diverse group, and such a large and complex conference entirely reliant on the voluntary efforts of already over-committed individuals, occasional conflicts, mishaps and lapses of communication are inevitable. From my perspective as the conference’s longtime faculty advisor, the 14th ABC was truly remarkable in that everything went smoothly throughout the long gestation period of the conference. Everyone pulled their weight, no panel had to be cancelled (as sometimes happens), and the conference continued its tradition of operating well within budget. It was extremely well-managed with an efficient division of labor and excellent leadership at all levels of the organizing committee, from the conference co-chairs and functional leads to panel heads. The final result reflected the quality of Team ABC’s organization and efforts. The conference ran smoothly and efficiently, and the quality of the panel presentations and discussions was also more uniformly high