Super Bowl searches, recycling at work, China and India

SEARCH ENGINE SUPERBOWL: With the nation stocking up on snacks and putting together gambling pools in preparation for Sunday's game, the New England Patriots - about 31⁄2 to 1 favorites to beat the New York Giants on Sunday - have already won it online.

For the two weeks ended on Jan. 24, the search engine Ask.com has been tracking the most-searched football-related terms. Site users have searched for the Patriots 1.5 times as often as they have searched for the Giants.

The Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, was the subject in twice as many searches as the Giants QB, Eli Manning.

And site users searched for the coach of New England, Bill Belichick - the second to coach a team to an undefeated regular season in NFL history - three times as often as they searched for Giants coach Tom Coughlin.

"There's a Belichick buzz factor," said Nicholas Graham, Ask.com spokesman. "They're undefeated Coughlin hasn't had the same kind of record as a coach that Belichick has had."

The "Spygate" scandal in September, when Belichick and the Patriots were fined for illegally taping New York Jets coaches' defensive signals, also contributed to Belichick's name buzz, Graham said.

RECYCLE, REDUCE, REUSE: Many of us recycle at home, and proclaim ourselves "green." But the workplace waste keeps piling up.

Out of those who said they recycled in a recent survey, 62 percent recycled at home, but only 49 percent recycled at work. While 87 percent of workers said it was at least somewhat important that their workplace be environmentally-friendly, almost a third of those surveyed said they did not recycle at all.

"I'm not sure it's a difference in the individual employees, but rather in the priorities that the enterprise places on recycling," said Mark Murray, executive director of advocacy group Californians Against Waste. "(Companies) where recycling is the complicated bin that you have to find somewhere on your floor - those are the places that recycling doesn't do as well."

To encourage employees to reduce waste, companies should upend the usual bin standards: Place a recycling container next to every desk, and make the regular garbage can a communal receptacle, he said. Printers can also be set so that double-sided copies are the default option to cut down on waste.

And before things get thrown away - in the proper container - reuse them. In the survey, 37 percent of employees said they refilled one plastic water bottle throughout the week.

Harris Interactive Inc. conducted the online study for staffing company Randstad USA throughout Jan. 17-21. The survey polled 2,079 employed U.S. adults.

YIN AND YANG: The economies of India and China, rising powerhouses both, have opposite but complementary strategies, says Tarun Khanna, author of "Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours."

"China and India are flavors of the month," Khanna said. But multinational corporations that want to invest in the region must understand that China relies on economic directives from the top, while India's open media and stronger financial system boost individual entrepreneurship.

In India, the homegrown Tata Motors Ltd., now a global brand, became the first major automaker to mass-produce a car with a bargain-basement $2,500 price - in accord with the country's socialist origins. The company is now looking to acquire premium brands from Ford Motor Co., and is preparing an entry for the U.S. market.

While the Tata Group conglomerate has been connected with the Tata family since the 19th century, corporate life in China is mainly government-backed and supported, says Khanna, even as many Chinese companies lack strong international brand-name recognition.

"In China, the government gets involved much more," Khanna said. "The government itself is a very good entrepreneur."