Sprawl as a Development Strategy in India

Relocation of major industries from urban areas to industrially backward districts is likely to get fresh incentives since the Government is preparing for relocation in order to free urban space.

As a prelude to working out the incentive package, the Minister of State for Industries, Mr Ashwani Kumar, has directed the Planning Commission to evolve a comprehensive definition of industrially backward districts.

"At present there is no clear comprehensive, scientifically verifiable definition of industrially backward districts. The job will have to be done by the Planning Commission since they have all the NSSO data," Mr Kumar told Business Line. Read more.

Angelou Survey Reveals Top ED Marketing Strategies

Most experts anticipated that the Internet would become the #1 marketing strategy for economic developers by 2006 and according to a survey by Angelou Economics, 2006 was the year that websites vaulted to the top marketing position. Here are the top 4 most effective marketing strategies according to Angelou's survey:

#1 - Website 62%
#2 - Marketing with a regional/state organization 30%
#3 - Familiarization Tours 24%
#4 - Public Relations - 19%

Responding to its effectiveness, in 2007 there will be a strong trend toward economic developers reallocating resources and investing heavily in improving their websites with dynamic website services that provide the information businesses need.

An Agurban Scores Success

WOOSTER -- The typical job created with the help of the Wayne Economic Development Council over the past two years paid $12.97 an hour -- 28 percent more than the county's median wage, according to a recent return on investment report.

The report also revealed every dollar WEDC spent on marketing the county generated another $51 in economic impact.

WEDC President Rod Crider enlisted the help of FirstEnergy to help prepare the report, which used the IMPLAN model to calculate the economic impact assessment. The modeling system is the same one used by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau.
"We hadn't looked at wages to see how we were performing, and to see that our jobs are above the averages of Wayne County, Ohio and the United States was nice," Crider said. Read more.

A Target Industry Strategy Misses Mark in TN

JOHNSON CITY - Johnson City's highly touted Med Tech Corridor concept has failed, and if a new direction isn't pursued soon the area is likely to miss out on making the most of its economic potential.

That is the conclusion of a study commissioned by the city, East Tennessee State University and Mountain States Health Alliance. The final report from Market Street Services Inc., an Atlanta-based agency, is due next week, but the Johnson City Press has obtained a draft copy of the study, which makes no bones about the need for local leaders to act quickly in key areas if they wish to avoid seeing the corridor's fate repeated for the entire area. Read more.

London 2012: An Olympian branding feat

The announcement that London had been chosen over runner-up Paris to host the Olympics was supposed to be the start of something special: an opportunity for a major publicity campaign; a platform to present London to the world, draw in tourists, attract investment, and boost the UK's competitive edge. But after the terrorist bombings, the city's marketers had a completely new project on their hands: rebuilding London's reputation. Read more.