Who Wants a MLB Franchise?

The following cities or regions have shown considerable interest in acquiring a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. The Montreal Expos are the present candidate for relocation.

A number of cities or regions are interested in acquiring and moving the Expos, while others are working toward future relocation or expansion efforts. MLB has not disclosed an official ranking of the cities or regions proposing to acquire the Expos.

Chances are a list will never be disclosed by MLB. Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia are the main candidates for relocation of the Expos. The ranking of further cities or regions is in no particular order.

Washington, DC Dulles, VA Norfolk, VA Portland, OR Las Vegas, NV Monterrey, MX

More here on the "business of baseball."

South Korea to Move Its Capital City

Here is one of the more interesting development projects of this new century. Just think about the implications of this type of move.

South Korea is the latest country to decide that it needs to build a new capital city. It has some good reasons for doing so, but history suggests it may not be such a great idea. Read on.

Though he is a much more modest fellow than the pharaohs, South Korea’s President Roh Moo-hyun made the relocation of the country’s capital from Seoul a key pledge in his 2002 election campaign. The idea has been talked about since the 1970s and seems, in many ways, sensible. The greater Seoul metropolis is cramped—almost half of the country’s 48m people are squeezed in there—and its dominant size is widely seen as hindering the development of the rest of the country. Besides, it is worryingly close to the border with hostile North Korea. If the North ever invaded, its large army might soon overrun the South’s seat of government.

Nothing came of earlier debates on shifting the government out of Seoul, which has been the capital since the 14th century, and thus little attention was paid to Mr Roh’s election pledge at the time. However, a blueprint for the move was approved by parliament last year. And on Wednesday August 11th the government said it was going ahead with the plan, which involves building the new capital from scratch on a 7,100-hectare greenfield site in the middle of the country.

More here.

Rouse Company Acquired

The Rouse Company, the mall developer and manager that has helped reshape the nation's landscape, agreed yesterday to be acquired by General Growth Properties, the big owner of shopping centers, for $7.2 billion in cash.

Rouse turned historic buildings like Faneuil Hall in Boston into so-called festival marketplaces and created pioneering planned communities like Columbia, Md. General Growth, which is based in Chicago, owns 178 regional shopping malls in 41 states and is second to the Simon Property Group in number of malls.

The merger, the latest in a series of consolidations in the retail real estate industry, will strengthen General Growth's position in markets like Las Vegas, Denver and Salt Lake City while giving it a foothold in states like New York and New Jersey.

Question: Will a selling off of properties occur as a result of this deal, and could your community be impacted?

More here.

Really Good Idea From Cleveland

Here is a really good idea that the college or university in your community may want to consider.

Case Western Reserve University is bankrolling a program that will encourage its employees to purchase homes in the city of Cleveland.

Case will provide full-time, regular university employees up to $15,000 toward the purchase of a home near its University Circle campus and up to $10,000 toward the purchase of a home anywhere in the city.

In addition, full-time, regular Case employees who already own houses in Cleveland may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 toward renovations.

The new Employer Assisted Housing Program is an outgrowth of Case's "Great Universities and Their Cities" colloquium held last year. The colloquium focused on "town-gown" partnerships, with the discussion centering on how universities can contribute to the revitalization of their cities.

More here.

Targeting Environmentally Conscious Business

Let's say you wanted to learn more about the environmental track record of companies, where would you look?

Here is one good starting point: CorporateRegister.com. You can access online environmental reports of major companies here.

Green Buildings in Vancouver

This summer the City of Vancouver adopted green building standards ­-- LEED for British Columbia (LEED-BC) -- for all new civic buildings greater than 500 square meters. New public buildings must achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

The City also mandated specific energy points in the LEED Rating System to ensure a 30% energy reduction in all new civic buildings. LEED-BC, licensed to Canada by the U.S. by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is a performance based tool that rates different elements of building design and construction to ensure better environmental performance. LEED-BC has been tailored to meet the needs of the British Columbia market and will be administered by the Canada Green Building Council (CGBC).

More here.

Green Business Newsletter

The Green Business Letter, founded in 1991, is a very good information source for companies, associations, universities, economic developers. and others striving to integrate environmental thinking throughout their organizations in profitable ways. Check it out here.

Biotech Company Information

Looking for information on biotech companies?

Here is a website that can help: http://www.biotechfind.com/

Biotech at a Glance

Here is biotech in a nutshell:

- There are more than 370 biotech drug products and vaccines currently in clinical trials targeting more than 200 diseases, including various cancers, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and arthritis.

- Biotechnology is responsible for hundreds of medical diagnostic tests that keep the blood supply safe from the AIDS virus and detect other conditions early enough to be successfully treated. Home pregnancy tests are also biotechnology diagnostic products.
- Consumers already are enjoying biotechnology foods such as papaya, soybeans and corn.
Hundreds of biopesticides and other agricultural products also are being used to improve our food supply and to reduce our dependence on conventional chemical pesticides.

- Environmental biotechnology products make it possible to clean up hazardous waste more efficiently by harnessing pollution-eating microbes without the use of caustic chemicals.

- Industrial biotechnology applications have led to cleaner processes that produce less waste and use less energy and water in such industrial sectors as chemicals, pulp and paper, textiles, food, energy, and metals and minerals. For example, most laundry detergents produced in the United
States contain biotechnology-based enzymes.

- DNA fingerprinting, a biotech process, has dramatically improved criminal investigation and forensic medicine, as well as afforded significant advances in anthropology and wildlife management.

- There are 1,473 biotechnology companies in the United States, of which 314 are publicly held.

- Market capitalization, the total value of publicly traded biotech companies (U.S.) at market prices, was $311 billion as of mid-March 2004.

- The biotechnology industry has mushroomed since 1992, with U.S. revenues increasing from $8 billion in 1992 to $39.2 billion in 2003.

- The U.S. biotechnology industry employed 198,300 people as of Dec. 31, 2003.

- Biotechnology is one of the most research-intensive industries in the world. The U.S. biotech industry spent $17.9 billion on research and development in 2003.

- The top eight biotech companies spent an average of $104,000 per employee on R&D in 2003.

- The biotech industry is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

More here: http://www.bio.org/

Hot Biotech Information Sources

Here are some news sources you should check out to keep up on biotech developments:

Bio NC
BioCapital
BioCorridor
BioGarden(NJ)
BioPenn
Biotech Bay
Biotech Beach
Genetown
Pharm Country
BioAus
BioCanada Homepage
BioForest Homepage
BioTechxus Homepage
Israel Homepage

New Indiana ED Planning Website Opened

The Indiana Economic Development Council, Inc. (IEDC), has announced the launch of a Web site to assist the public and Indiana’s business and economic development community in participating in the regional and statewide economic development planning process currently underway.

The new site, www.indianaplans.org, will keep the public and stakeholders informed of opportunities to provide input to the planning process, which will conclude in December 2004, with the release of 12 regional plans and one comprehensive statewide economic development strategic plan. Those opportunities will include public input gathering meetings across the state, an online survey and submitting written comments by mail.

More here.

China Targets R&D Expansion

Here is just another reminder that China aims to be a leader in the global technology and knowledge economy.

China is expected to become a very important centre of research and development for multinational companies, thanks to its robust economic growth and a rich pool of talented people, according to a senior Japanese company executive.

Already an economic powerhouse in the world economy, "China is going to be very important for R&D (research and development)," Teruaki Aoki, senior executive vice-president of Sony Corp, told China Daily in an interview.

More here.

How Can Higher Education Help Economic Development?

One Indiana ED consultant says higher education will be more important to economic development in the future. I agree.

Here is what the article concludes. There are several ways in which a college or university can make significant contributions to regional, state and national economic development initiatives. A higher educational entity has to first have a desire to do so.

Secondly, a college or university must know their strengths and assets that can be leveraged to benefit their organization and geographic area in which they can have an impact.

Third, the higher educational entity must have a vision of what they would like to achieve.

Finally, the college or university must have an implementable strategic plan. To maximize results for a region, state and country, the higher educational entity must be engaged with government, the private sector, other academic institutions and the not-for-profit community. If everyone is working together to support economic development initiatives, everyone will benefit.

More here.

Tribe and County Sign Working Agreement

Here is one from Idaho. A memorandum of agreement between Bannock County and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes will help both parties work together on economic development issues.

Per the agreement, the county and Tribes will work together to promote local partnerships and to consider revenue-sharing legislation. They also agreed they will explore different avenues of economic development together, and they will work to recruit new businesses.

I am seeing more of these agreements between local governments and tribes. They make sense.

More here.

Austin Institutes Business Assistance Fee

Businesses looking to get economic development assistance from the city of Austin will have to start paying a new fee.

The Austin city council approved a resolution requiring folks seeking economic development aid to pay one thousand dollars to the city when they submit their full application. City officials say the fee will cover the cost of processing those applications.

The resolution also requires businesses to pay any additional costs incurred by the city, such as attorney or consultant fees, before any approved subsidies take effect.

Some other cities have adopted this practice, especially for incentive requests. The question is how will Austin businesses react to the new feee.

Michigan Deals Announced

Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm this week announced six major economic development projects that are expected to create 1,413 Michigan jobs as a result of assistance offered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).A total of $11.8 million in state economic development incentives will facilitate two major company expansions and four brownfield redevelopment projects.

Here to read more.

Greener Buildings, 'Greener' Bottom Line

Toyota, the National Geographic Society, and many other organizations are discovering that environmentally responsible facilities can also deliver financial benefits.

More here at CFO.com.

Blog Tracks Offshore Outsourcing

If offshore otsourcing is an important issue for you, you should know about the ThinkTank Blog, which tracks the subject on a regular basis.

Take a look and see.

Offshoring Backlash

A CIO at a famous Fortune 100 manufacturer has a recurring nightmare: As he continues to lay off American IT workers and move their jobs offshore to places such as India, never to return, American public opinion suddenly swings violently against globalization. He and his company are demonized, and Americans boycott his company's products. "Public perception isn't always accurate, but it counts for a lot of things," he says, after insisting on anonymity. "We don't want a situation where the public sees us as a malevolent force and takes it out on our products."

More here.

Top 10 Reasons Companies Outsource

In case you were wondering why companies outsource business:

1. Reduce and control operating costs
2. Improve company focus
3. Gain access to world-class capabilities
4. Free internal resources for other purposes
5. Resources are not available internally
6. Accelerate reengineering benefits
7. Function difficult to manage/out of control
8. Make capital funds available
9. Share risks
10. Cash infusion

Source: Outsourcing Institute

Economic Development = Crony Capitalism?

I ran across the term "crony capitalism" in some research on the Philippines the other day. The article was talking about the influence of the Marcos family on economic development in the country.

"Crony capitalism" is a pejorative expression, denoting a type of capitalism in which business success is heavily dependent upon one's connections. In such a system, business decisions are significantly influenced by friendships and family ties, rather than by market forces and open competition.

I have to ask the question. Is economic development another form of crony capitalism?

Now that is one to think about.

Go here to provoke some thought.

Performance of India's Major Industries

Click here to download a short report by the Indian Government about the performance of its major industries.

This is quite insightful. Read the sections on autos and electronics/computer equipment in particular.

Japanese FDI in the U.S.

Japan's Ministry of Finance tracks in and out-bound foreign investment related to Japan.

Click here to download the data for Japanese company investment by industry and country. This could help sharpen your Japanese business recruitment effort.

Great data source!

World's Largest Transnational Corporations (TNCs)

As you take aim at the foreign direct investment market, you may want to review this list of the 100 largest TNCs. It is a good starting point. Be aware that these companies are among the most highly 'chased' by ED groups worldwide.

Download the list here.

China Will Be Investing in a Town Near You

China is not just a magnet for foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows but is increasingly a source of such flows, says UNCTAD. The country´s outward investment flows exceeded $35 billion in 2002, reaching more than 160 countries.

The driving forces behind this investment are access to natural resources, markets and the acquisition of strategic assets, including technology and brand names. The government´s encouragement of its enterprises to go abroad has also played a role.

Bolstered by their strong financial reserves, Chinese enterprises are acquiring assets abroad to improve their competitiveness. They also rely on strategic alliances and joint ventures with established multinationals in their efforts to go international.

Joint ventures with Chinese companies make some sense.

For more details, go heret:CHINA: AN EMERGING FDI OUTWARD INVESTOR [PDF, 10 pages, 191KB]