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WCBF 2008 Panel Topics
Home : Business Forum 2008 : Panel Topics
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| Wharton China Business Forum 2008: Panel Topics |
| Tourism and Leisure Panel |
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With an expanding economy and a government that has become more internationally conscientious, China holds tremendous potential within its tourism and leisure industries. Today, China’s tourism sector continues to grow as China, a country with five thousand years of ancient history, begins to exhibit its new-age metropolises. Foreign tourists and Chinese citizens alike have noticed the advancing and accommodating tourist sites within China, from the Imperial City to the Great Wall. Recently, attention has turned to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and other large developmental projects, instruments with which China will truly be able to showcase its tourism and leisure industries. This panel calls attention to the struggles and successes in China’s evolving tourism and leisure industries while highlighting the numerous cultural, social, and political factors that affect them. |
| Energy and Infrastructure Panel |
| China is one of fastest growing economies in the world and has emerged as the world's second largest energy consumer—behind only the U.S.—to fuel that growth. The continued restructuring of the energy industry has led to various opportunities for private investment to modernize China's energy infrastructure. Due to the unabated growth in China’s energy market, substantial opportunities and obstacles have surfaced for the domestic and international economies. This panel will focus on the current trends and predicted futures of four key areas: the shift in nationwide demand for traditional fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas; recent concerns over energy-related environmental problems and initiatives to integrate alternative energies into China’s infrastructure; the expansion and innovation of China’s energy delivery system; and the legal aspects concerning the recent trends of privatization, foreign investment, and centralization. |
| Chinese Consumerism Panel |
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The Chinese consumer market is one of the fastest growing in the world, and multinational corporations faced with demands from shareholders for high growth have entered China in an attempt to capitalize on this boom. Armed with their traditional Western strategies, multinational corporations have begun to truly realize the tremendous growth potential. They have, however, also come face to face with another reality, their lack of market know-how and intelligence. This panel will discuss the different Chinese consumer segments, the strategies and tactics for marketing to these different segments, the marketing challenges (including intellectual property challenges), and what the future holds for this market. |
| Capital Markets Panel |
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As China’s economy continues its process of globalization, its financial markets are becoming ever more developed. The market capitalization of the Shanghai Stock Exchange has increased by nearly 400% in the last five years. China’s budding commodity futures markets are also growing at a healthy pace, with the three exchanges achieving record high turnover. In addition, with the recent establishment of the country’s first financial derivatives exchange, China is advancing toward more robust capital markets. However, the investment ecosystem in China is still far from mature, as the market awaits financial innovations from banks and other financial institutions. This panel will discuss the opportunities that China’s changing debt, equity, and futures markets present to domestic and foreign investors alike, along with the financial innovations that will help overcome current challenges in China’s capital markets.
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