Source: dl.gov.cn

09-05-2007 18:37

09:00 - 09:45

World Expo Center - Plenary Hall

Powering the New Champions: How Green Can US$ 20 Trillion Be?

The IEA forecasts that US$ 20 trillion in new investment is required to meet world energy needs by 2030. Much of this investment is required in the world's fastest-growing economies and expectations for China alone amount to 18% of the total. Innovative policies and technologies present significant opportunities to ensure economic growth and social development while minimizing the unintended costs of the investments such as urban air pollution, resource depletion, health damage, water stress and climate change.

1) How can fast-growing economies realize and deploy domestic innovation and clean technology breakthroughs?

2) How can a focus on enhanced energy efficiency and demand-side management enable sustainable growth in these countries?

3) What are the practical, most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon emissions across various sectors, and how can these be scaled up in the context of a carbon constrained world?

10:15 - 11:15

World Expo Center - Room Bern

Growth Hotspots - Focus on Europe

Europe is perceived by many global business leaders as too rigid and inflexible to foster fast economic growth. However, the continent offers one of the richest markets in the world and still leads in many business areas.

1) Which regions in Europe - including both new and old EU members - offer businesses the best opportunities for growth?

2) What are the key success factors for companies in these regions?

3) What are the main sectors driving growth?

10:15 - 11:15

World Expo Center - Room Zurich

Healthy Markets for Innovation

Innovation will dramatically influence the evolution of healthcare in the next decade and beyond. Significant advances in pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices, diagnostics and healthcare services are foreseen, although often with heavy costs. Maximizing the potential of innovation requires appropriate market conditions and policy frameworks.

1) What can be done to ensure that innovation in healthcare is encouraged and recognized?

2) How can governments shape policies to support innovation in the health sector?

3) What role will Global Growth Companies play in fostering and delivering innovation?

10:15 - 12:30

World Expo Center - Room Montreux

Avoiding Cultural Collisions

Cultural misunderstandings are at the basis of many failed business deals. As globalization expands, cultural awareness and sensitivity are becoming increasingly important. This workshop will outline why this is happening, and how to address these misunderstandings.

1) How are cultural collisions most easily avoided?

2) What are the most common mistakes people make when they engage in cross-cultural communication?

3) What does it take to develop an effective international management team?

10:15 - 12:30

World Expo Center - Room Zermatt

Dialogue in the Dark

If visual communication is suppressed, people react and behave, and in particular communicate, differently. This session places participants in a darkened environment to explore how people deal with the sudden withdrawal of a key sense and how other senses compensate. Participants will explore:

1) The ability to adapt, interpret and communicate

2) How leaders can develop better communication awareness and skills

3) How senses are used to foster understanding and connection

10:15 - 12:30

World Expo Center - Room Lugano

Addressing the Entry-level Skills Gap

The availability of suitable new graduates or, rather, the lack of them has consistently ranked among the top concerns facing CEOs. Recent reports suggest that less than 10% of newly qualified engineers in China and India are suitable for global jobs. Certain models, such as company-owned campuses, have proven to be somewhat successful; however, the challenge of effectively integrating entry-level talent still remains.

1) How do successful companies hire and train new graduates? How can the new champions apply these approaches?

2) How do growth companies integrate their entry-level talent? What has worked, what has not?

3) What problems do growth companies face compared to established multinationals in recruiting and retaining the best people?

10:15 - 12:30

World Expo Center - WorkSpace 1

Building a Strong Brand (Mandarin)

Expanding sales beyond China's borders demands a branding strategy that can compete with the best. However, many companies do not make a concerted effort in developing their brands and thus face a great challenge in taking their products to new markets.

1) What branding strategies have proved most successful in reaching new, international target markets?

2) What innovative practices differentiate the leading global brands from the rest?

3) How can companies leverage the experience of the world's best brands to build their own?

Join this interactive workshop to gain insights on building stronger brands.

10:15 - 12:30

World Expo Center - WorkSpace 2

Visible Creation - Building a Design-oriented Company

Great design propels seemingly ordinary products and services to iconic status. As a result, many companies are now adopting design-based approaches to drive innovation.

1) What are the elements of great design?

2) Does the concept of great design differ across cultures?

3) How can global growth companies harness a design-based approach?

Join this interactive workshop to better understand the power of design thinking and to foster of a culture of innovation in your business.

11:30 - 12:30

World Expo Center - Room Bern

Growth Hotspots - Focus on India

With strong growth and a buoyant business climate, interest in India has moved beyond outsourcing offerings and basic IT services.

1) Which regions and cities are doing best in India and why? Which are likely to come up the fastest?

2) Which key industry sectors are likely to be future growth hotspots?

3) How will India Inc. strategize its international acquisition moves over the coming years?

11:30 - 12:30

World Expo Center - Room Geneva

New Frontiers in Nanotechnology

Join this roundtable discussion to explore new trends in nanotechnology with the new champions and experts who are doing the most to innovate in this area.

11:30 - 12:30

World Expo Center - Room Zurich

The Best Place for Your Company to IPO

With increased competition among stock exchanges and an array of factors from regulation to public perception to consider, choosing when and where to launch an IPO is one of the most crucial strategic choices a fast-growing company faces.

1) Has greater competition among exchanges created better opportunities for companies wishing to list?

2) How should factors such as regulation, market size and talent be considered when choosing a location?

3) What can be learned from companies that have recently sought IPOs?

12:30 - 14:00

World Expo Center

Buffet Lunch

Participants are cordially invited to a buffet lunch in "The Village" within the World Expo Center.

12:30 - 14:00

World Expo Center - Plenary Hall

BBC World Debate

In partnership with BBC World, which broadcasts globally to an audience of 270 million, the World Economic Forum will host its first televised World Debate from China.

14:00 - 15:00

World Expo Center - Room Bern

Growth Hotspots - Focus on Africa

Economic growth of 5% across sub-Saharan Africa coupled with the global success of leading African companies demonstrate the continent's potential and a different side of its complex reality. Chinese and Indian investors are pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure and manufacturing in several countries, challenging western dominance and extending African resources. Many countries have undertaken critical steps to enhance governance, liberalize economies, and improve business and investment climates.

1) What is driving growth in Africa's different economies? Who are the African champions and what can we learn from their successes?

2) Into which sectors is investment flowing and from where will new growth come?

3) What will sustain the growth and trigger new breakthroughs?

14:00 - 15:00

World Expo Center - Room Geneva

New Frontiers in Biotechnology

Join this roundtable discussion to explore new trends in biotechnology with the new champions and experts who are doing the most to innovate in this area.

14:00 - 15:00

World Expo Center - Room Zurich

Art Rising

In 2006, Christie's and Sotheby's contemporary Asian art sales -- mostly Chinese -- reached US$ 190 million, more than eight times as much as in 2004.

1) Who and what is driving this boom?

2) What role does art play in modern Asian (especially Chinese) society? How has it changed in the past 5 to 10 years?

3) Who is buying this art, and why?

14:00 - 16:30

World Expo Center - Room Zermatt

Dialogue in the Dark

If visual communication is suppressed, people react and behave, and in particular communicate, differently. This session places participants in a darkened environment to explore how people deal with the sudden withdrawal of a key sense and how other senses compensate. Participants will explore:

1) The ability to adapt, interpret and communicate

2) How leaders can develop better communication awareness and skills

3) How senses are used to foster understanding and connection

14:00 - 16:30

World Expo Center - Room Montreux

Sustainable Biofuels: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

The biofuels market is one of the fastest growing in the world. However, large-scale production will likely exacerbate growing water stress, as well as have knock-on effects on global food prices, among others. To account for effects internationally, a multistakeholder global approach is needed. Identifying principles to ensure the sustainability of biofuels is necessary as the industry cannot risk a public backlash due to unintended side effects or a poor communications strategy.

1) Is it possible to develop, across industries, a common framework of understanding of the issues, potential limitations and possible consequences of biofuels?

2) Which issues most require cross-industry dialogue to achieve a common understanding?

3) Can issues discussed be used to produce a set of recommendations or principles for achieving sustainable "good" biofuels?

14:00 - 16:30

World Expo Center - Room Lugano

Strategy: Translating the Plans into Action

Join leading strategists and executives to explore how organizations can successfully develop and execute global strategy.

1) What is a global strategy? How do you transform a vision into a strategic plan?

2) What are the most important steps in building a successful global strategy?

3) What are the common execution pitfalls and how can you avoid them?

14:00 - 16:30

World Expo Center - WorkSpace 2

Managing Reputational Risks

Information about risks, or simple rumours of wrongdoing or pending crises, travels ever faster, spreading fear in ways that can greatly amplify the consequences of the putative risk event itself. In times of "infodemics", managing reputational risk becomes increasingly difficult.

1) What key risks are most susceptible to infodemics?

2) How have companies successfully prepared for and managed crises that threatened their survival?

3) Is reputation management enough? Given the evolution of technologies, what new "rules of the game" are taking shape?

Join this interactive simulation to explore new ways to prepare and run your business successfully through crises that threaten your company's reputation and value.

14:00 - 16:30

World Expo Center - WorkSpace 1

Building a Sustainable Company

Leading a rapidly growing company is a significant management challenge. However, the real challenge is ensuring the company makes it beyond the exhilarating rise and achieves success over the long run.

1) Which traits of companies last for 100 years and longer?

2) How can companies ensure that they avoid the pitfalls of hyper-growth and overextension?

3) How can companies mitigate the major risks that threaten the longevity of a company?

Join this interactive workshop to explore strategies for leading your company through the next stage of growth to long-term success.

15:30 - 16:30

World Expo Center - Room Bern

Growth Hotspots - Focus on the Middle East

Buoyed by high oil prices and intensifying global trade linkages, the Middle East is enjoying spectacular growth for the fourth year in a row. Initial reform efforts over the past few decades have contributed to this success, but the potential for growth is far from realized.

1) Which demographic and economic trends are shaping business in the Middle East?

2) What economics and business models have proven to be the most successful and can be transferred to other countries in the region?

3) How do local and international companies operating in the region manage in periods of heightened geopolitical uncertainty?

15:30 - 16:30

World Expo Center - Room Geneva

When Private Equity Comes Knocking at Your Door

The infusion of growth capital by private equity firms is booming. 2006 saw 385 private equity deals valued at under US$ 1 billion, with an average size of US$ 200 million being completed worldwide. Join this discussion to explore the implications of private equity for a global growth company.

1) How can global growth companies effectively engage private equity firms? What opportunities and risks does private equity represent?

2) What do private equity firms look for when investing in companies valued at under US$1 billion?

3) When are the alternatives preferable to private equity?

15:30 - 16:30

World Expo Center - Room Zurich

The Virtual World - A New Business Reality?

Millions of people are working, consuming and interacting virtually. From virtual marketing to real estate development, the possibilities appear endless; but the real extent of this phenomenon is not yet clear.

1) Beyond the hype, what elements of this phenomenon could translate into new business opportunities or new models? Who has been successful so far, and why?

2) What are the risks of doing business in the virtual world and how can they be mitigated?

3) What are the broader social implications for how individuals interact, consume and organize?

15:30 - 16:30

World Expo Center - Room Davos

The Outlook for China's Policy Environment

Inclusiveness, transparency and fact-based analysis are becoming increasingly integral in the policy-making process as a result of new perspectives brought forward by the country's leadership. The 11th Five-Year Plan, the Property Law and the Corporate Income Tax Law have been cited as examples of how policy-making in China has been constantly evolving to accommodate changing realities both at home and abroad.

1) How have China's entry into the WTO and the Olympics impacted the country's policy-making processes?

2) What role can business play in improving China's future policy environment?

3) How will the emergence of a new generation of leaders at China's upcoming 17th Party Congress shape the future policy environment?

4) What are the implications for international companies doing business in China?

17:00 - 18:00

World Expo Center - Plenary Hall

Global Risks to Global Growth

Non-business risks that shape the business environment have become a chief concern for CEOs. The shift of power to fast-growing countries and economies means that younger, high-growth businesses need to understand how global risks (environmental, geopolitical, economic and societal) affect business.

1) What risks are most likely to shape the trajectory of global growth companies?

2) How can CEOs of these companies pick up on the ?weak signals? that may change the business landscape of the future?

18:30 - 19:30

World Expo Center

Technology Pioneers Cocktail

The World Economic Forum and the partners of the Technology Pioneers Programme invite you to meet the companies at the cutting-edge of technological progress in an informal setting.

19:30 - 21:30

country dinner/dubai

Dubai

19:30 - 21:30

country dinner/houston

Texas: Wide Open for Business

Enjoy a down home meal with representatives from the State of Texas, the City of Houston and top CEOs from the Texas business community

19:30 - 22:00

country dinner/ile de france

Shangri-La Hotel

Advantage Greater Paris: New Investment and Partnership Opportunities

Join top French executives in an exclusive gala dinner to establish new contacts, exchange information and develop mutually beneficial relationships.

Hosted by the Greater Paris Investment Agency

Shangri-La Hotel, Function Room 16

19:30 - 21:30

country dinner/montreal

Montreal

19:30 - 21:30

country dinner/russia

Russia

19:30 - 21:30

country dinner/xian

Xian Government

 

Editor:Du Xiaodan