CHAMBER’S ACTIVITIES repealed and the Competition Act was enforced in 2009. The Compe on Act is based on ”effects” doctrine. He described the three pillars on which Compe on Act rests namely First pillar looks at agreements; what is the effect of these agreements in the market. The second pillar relates to abuse of dominance – in the Compe on Act what is important is that whether you are the only player and whether you are the dominant player. If you are dominant, are you abusing the dominance? The third pillar – why CCI should look at M&As? CCI will not look at every Mergers and Acquisitions. It looks at only a certain percentage and whether there is any distor on in the market. He said the biggest area of exposure what CCI has done as far as cartel is concerned is about Industry Associa ons. He advised to see that there is no room for cartelisa on. A great degree of cau on has to be exercised as to what is discussed at the mee ngs of the Industry Associa ons; what kind of informa on can be exchanged; whether you are doing legi mate ac vity or not. Speaking next, Mr A V Ganesan said while the CCI deals with domes c jurisdic on, there is an interna onal dimension to compe on. He said GATT was formed on 1st January 1948. The world trade has grown since then 30 mes. Just because mul lateral system was introduced, GATT was introduced. WTO law is completely under pinned by compe on. He said first you treat the na ons equally – do not discriminate. Second, equality between imported goods and manufactured goods. India is suffering from cartellisa on in cement. If you import, this can be broken up. He said do not dis nguish between foreign investment and domes c investment. WTO aims at bringing compe on in interna onal trade. It aims at equal treatment for goods, services etc. He felt that numerous agreements with various countries will not promote trade. Whatever you do, look at both the dimensions he advised. International dimension is as important as domes c dimension. There was a vibrant Q&A session. The programme was attended by about 70 persons.
26th December 2012
30th January 2013
Video Discussion on “Office Safety: It’s a Jungle in There”
Workshop on Doing Business in the US
Every year, about 6 million people get hurt at work and more than 4,00,000 are fraught with hidden and tricky dangers in their offices. The video discussion was therefore to see how to cope with the risks so that the workers can be prepared for emergencies. The key points were :Preven ng injuries at work sta ons; controlling dangers of fire, electricity and hazardous material; and formula ng emergency plans. Ms Janani, Corporate Trainer and Consultant, was the facilitator. The discussion revealed that there is not sufficient awareness in our country about the risks involved at the work place. Take a quick break and do a few simple exercises she said. Keep the workplace around you clean; work in well lit areas –see that the cables, rugs are in their place and are not an hindrance to you; do not use boxes or chairs to reach up; make your work sta ons as comfortable as possible; always make a “to-do” list; take breaks; change your posi on; this will increase blood circula on. She also advised to leave work worries at work. Precau ons to be taken Do not put cigare e buds in office trash; exit points to be clean; train the staff to use the fire ex nguishers; do not use faulty electrical equipment and see that your hands are not wet. Emergency ac on plan It is important for the employers to realize the hazards the employees face. Training should be given on first aid; Emergency telephone numbers should be prominently displayed. The takeaways were:- Organize regular trainings to your employees - from top to bo om - Put your systems in place - Training should be mandatory; - Do not act but react to the situa on - Positive thinking does not guarantee success but negative thinking guarantees failure - Change your workstations for your comfort - When you have support systems, rely on them. Take the help of others. She concluded saying that we need to bring in change in our thinking pa ern.
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MCCI, jointly with Business in America Conferences (BIA Conferences), is organising a one day workshop on “Doing Business in the US” on 30th January at Hotel Le Royal Meridian commencing at 9.30 am. For doing business in the US, Indian en es and investors must have a complete understanding of the current business and investment opportunities, US policies, procedures and legal requirements. The conference aims to throw light on these aspects in greater detail and will be of interest to any new or exis ng company that wants to do or expand their businesses in US. The Key topics to be covered will be: • Incorporation, Banking and Sales Strategies •
Global Mobility and Staffing Challenges
• Successfully preparing & Filing B-1,H-1B,L-1 and Green Cards • How to avoid mistakes and receive more immigra on approvals • Employment and immigration compliance • Tax planning, IP, Import Controls and Trade Regula on • H ow to a nswe r quest i ons at the Consulate • Dealing with Employees: Overview of US Laws and Prac ces • Q&A, Mock Session and Hands on Prac cal training from the Experts Experts who bring with them years of experience, will provide an overview of the legal and regulatory environment related to doing business in the US and explain how to formulate effec ve business, immigra on and tax strategies .US immigra on a orneys will also highlight the procedures for successful B-1, H-1B, L-1 and Green Card applica ons. More details of the workshop are available on: www.biaconferences.com. MCCI can also be contacted @ 24349871/24349720 email: madraschamber@madraschamber.in The Directory of Members 2011 is also available for sale. Rs 500/- per copy plus courier charges. Contact MCCI for a copy.