INSEAD TALK

Date: Tuesday, 19th of January 2010 Time:9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Venue: Prince Salman Hall – Prince Sultan University Is the Middle East Innovation Ready? Speaker Dr. Soumitra Dutta Professor of Information Systems The Roland Berger Chaired Professor in Business and Technology Director, Abstract Over the last twenty years, an increasing number of countries (large and small) have focused their ambitions on becoming 'knowledge-based economies'. Helped by rapid progress in information technologies, and the emergence of networked-based organizational and managerial tools, such countries have proved more resilient to the economic crisis, faster at adapting their productive structures to new challenges (e.g. climate change), and better able to diversify their activities in the face of rapidly changing international markets. Tomorrow's economic leaders will be those who constantly stay ahead of the competition. They will also be those who understand faster how innovation is changing in nature, and how new tools and structures can help them meet the requirements and expectations of their customers and stay ahead of their competitors. Professor Soumitra Dutta presents his most recent research including findings from the book "Innovating at the Top" which garners insights from the CEOs of the ten most innovative corporations around the world. The New Emerging Multinationals Speaker Dr. Lourdes Casanova Lecturer in Comparative Management INSEAD, Abstract According to the World Investment Report, (2008), outward foreign direct investment from emerging economies reached US$ 253 billion in 2007. The highest level ever recorded, representing 14% of world outward flows. Meanwhile, the number of multinationals from emerging economies in the Global Fortune 500 has increased from 19 in 1990 to 76 in 2008. Professor Casanova explores the reasons for the dramatic appearance of these multinationals and the major potential that they represent. Taking Latin America as an example, her research focuses on "natural markets" and their responses to global competition and deregulated economies. Central in the above research is the broader question of the future role of emerging markets such as Latin America in the global economy. Will these emerging economies become a key player in the global economy? Or will emerging markets remain a peripheral player, always with potential, but never a player in its own right? What should governments do to "bridge the gap" with developed nations?

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