Nanjing China! Exciting Opportunity

Hi Everyone.   Bruce is going to China for 3 weeks with the IBM Executive Service Corps!  I leave on August 28th and return on September 22.    Not having gone anywhere in Asia, this will be a very new experience.  IBM, a great company, is looking for ways to help the developing nations tackle some very global issues but at the local level in the emerging markets.  IBM has sent over 2100 people to a large number of emerging nations since 2008.  Have you heard of the Smarter Planet Initiative?  Here is an article from Businessweek about it:  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-15/ibm-on-a-mission-to-save-the-planet and of course the official IBM Smarter Planet site. We will be focused on the Smarter Cities initiave which is a sub category of Smarter Planet.


IBM is using our Research and technology to solve some of the toughest world's problems.  Improving access to clean water, energy conservation, and transportation are just a few of the areas where IBM has already made a difference.  While we have some ideas about our mission in Nanjing, we don't know exactly what we will be working on just yet.  It depends on what the city of Nanjing wants us to focus upon.  We do know that they are hosting the Youth Olympic Games in 2014.  That could be a place of interest for the city. Their interests seem wide so we will have some honing to do with the city leaders.

Why China?

With more than a billion people, China is the world's most populous country and a land of ancient cultures and modernizing forces. IBM's business in China dates back to 1934. After a 30-year absence, IBM resumed business in China in 1979. CSC activity in China started in 2009. Locations have included Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Shen Yang, Xi’an, Mianyang, Jinan, Tianjan, and Shijiazhuang . CSC IBMers have worked with different nongovernmental organizations, governmental agencies, chambers of commerce and small business owners on topics ranging from logistics infrastructure to workforce development.  (republished from the IBM CSC site)

You can follow my travels here as I will be attempting to blog each day about my experience.  Wish me luck and travel prayers! #IBMCSC China 3