Bloomberg BusinessWeek, July 21, 2014

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In China, Joining the Army Will Cost You. www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... o-get-limited-slots

Quote:

"To enlist in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), potential recruits have to take tests. * * * At one recruitment office in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangxi, this year’s going rate, depending on your guanxi, or connections [price varies], is as much as 99,000 yuan ($16,000))

“Under the Military Service Law, men and women can enlist at age 18. Applicants must pass academic and physical tests and an assessment of their commitment to the party.

“Around 60 percent of college students who want to enlist fail the fitness exam, the China Daily reported last August. The army has relaxed physical standards to attract better-educated recruits, the newspaper said on June 17[, this year].

“The People’s Daily reported in early 2013 that Wang Qian, a high school graduate in Shangqiu in the central province of Henan who passed the tests, was told by recruiters to pay 100,000 yuan. Wang said her admission was revoked when she said she didn’t have the money.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: Candidates often pay military recruiters for coveted spots
(b)
(i) WANG Qian  王倩
(ii) Shangqiu  河南省商丘市

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Brian Bremner, As China Stalks Satellites, US and Japan Prepare to Defend Them.
www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... from-chinese-attack
(“In June the US Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin (LMT) a $914 million contract to build a ground-based radar system that will track objects as small as a baseball, which could help identify a satellite attack as it’s happening”)

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: The US and Japan coordinate defense systems to thwart a possible Chinese satellite attack
(b) The quotation is the only new in this report.

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Ian King, Chip Giants Struggle to Break Into Cars.
www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... reak-into-car-chips

Quote:

“The business of supplying chips to automakers is dominated by a small group of manufacturers whose relationships with their customers go back years: The top five—Renesas Electronics, Infineon Technologies, STMicroelectronics, Denso (6902:JP), and Freescale Semiconductor—have almost 43 percent of the market, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Industries. Intel, Qualcomm, and Nvidia don’t even figure in the top 10.

“In-vehicle technology is the top selling point for 39 percent of car buyers today, vs. the 14 percent who say their first consideration is traditional performance measures, such as power and speed, according to a study released by consulting firm Accenture in December.

Note: summary underneath the title in print: Niche suppliers have an edge over household names such as Intel, Qualcomm, and Nvidia