Clear The Waterways first, Can You?

A number of Industries are Blamed for their Contribution to Global Warming, but as Statistics Reveal, The Shipping Industry beats The Rest, and Requires Special Regulations

Unfortunately, ‘long term’ is a set of words that people use in a lot of instances, but rarely do they understand their relevance or importance. Unfortunately, as far as caring for environment is concerned, a lot has to do with ‘long term’ impact, which does explain why it remains relatively low on priority for global businesses, governments & people alike. Innumerable measures have been taken; but risks remain alarmingly high. A major factor that people are ignoring is shipping, the greatest source of environmental pollution. And the dangers are visible here and now.

Shipping is responsible for 3-5% of climate change emissions worldwide and contributes around 900 million tonnes of carbon annually. Total emissions are comparable to some major national economies. One big container ship can emit almost the same amount of cancer and asthma-causing chemicals as 50 million cars. The total emissions of 15 large cargo ships are equivalent to the emissions of all cars together in the world! International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that if things go as they are, shipping’s contribution to greenhouse emissions could reach 18% by 2050. From 1990 to 2007, emissions of basic pollutants (NOx, SO2,  PM &CO2) from shipping have nearly doubled to 1096 million tons.

About 60,000 humans die by particulate matter (PM) emissions from shipping; this costs over $330 billion annually to the world economy. In one example, it was estimated that shipping emissions cost the Danish government some £5 billion annually. Around 33% of total deaths are occurring in Europe and around 25% in each of East Asia and South Asia. For example, over 700 premature deaths take place in the Los Angeles port area annually. Low-grade ship bunker fuel has 2,000 times more sulphur content than diesel fuel used in US and European automobiles. There are over 90,000 cargo ships worldwide and they burn over 300 million tonnes of bunker fuel every year. Researches show that a passenger cruise can generate about 210,000 gallons of black water, 1,000,000 gallons of gray water, 37,000 gallons of oily bilge water and more than eight tonnes of solid waste in a week. As a consequence, over one in ten children suffer from asthma in major port cities. Unfortunately, the recent meeting of the IMO, where plans for implementing measures such as emissions trading schemes, remained deadlocked due to the very familiar debate between developed and developing countries, wherein the latter are reluctant to compromise on their growth.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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Current Surge in Global crude Oil Prices

 The Current Surge in Global crude Oil Prices puts forth two basic Questions – what are The Underlying causes and what’s The Worst we can expect. While The Most Pessimistic Projections may prove untrue, The World is Indeed staring in The Face of another crude shock that could derail Global Recovery 

In a communiqué to B&E, credit rating firm Crisil states, “In a year when the world expects its dependence on OPEC oil supply to increase, concerns over a wider disruption of supplies from OPEC countries will fuel further oil price increase.” The dependence on OPEC stems from the fact that global oil consumption will grow by an annual average of 1.5 million barrels per day through 2012, while the growth in supply from non-OPEC countries averages less than 0.1 million barrels per day each year. At this juncture, it is important to understand the fact that in the present scenario, OPEC does have substantial spare productive capacity (approximately 5.2 million barrels per day – Saudi Arabia’s contribution being pegged at 3.2 million barrels per day), which can be used to replace reduced output in Libya or any other country in the midst of the uprising. The only viable reason for the surge in crude oil price is purely based on perception that the political upheaval could eventually spread to major oil producing countries including Saudi Arabia (in fact, a Wiki Leaks covered in The Guardian recently claimed that even Saudi reserves are overestimated). Indeed, that is not entirely a remote possibility, considering that there is a simmering discontent with the monarchy there as well.

Rachel Ziemba, an analyst with Roubini Global Economics, gives another reason why the risks to price seem to be tilted to the upside in the near term. Rachel put the onus on the fact that oil companies are putting on hold their current operations and explorations in Libya, “fearing political risks, and sabotage of energy infrastructure.” Further escalation would probably lead to decades of underinvestment, which eventually will increase future supply risks. It is worth pondering over the fact that unlike in 2008, when the spike in oil prices was primarily because of booming demand and speculative frenzy, the $150+ oil price today stems from a potentially major supply shock. Analysts like Kent Moors of Money Morning feel that the Middle East crisis represents an unsettling reality and the recent oil price march is just the beginning.

But is the new magic figure going to be $220 per barrel? Although it is not clear as to how long the impasse will continue, global oil reserves and actions taken up by OPEC members have ensured that prices come down. The estimates of prices reaching $220 a barrel or more are purely based on a simplistic assumption that both Libya and Algeria would halt their production – which is an unlikely scenario so far. Yet, even this dose of optimism doesn’t discount the importance of bringing stability to the MENA region. Thanks to its underground resources, the region is just too critical to be left to fend for itself.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri 
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles. 

IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting

Businesses too small to let fail

Why do small businesses have such a high rate of failure? What can be done to lower it?

4Ps Business & Marketing, in a strategic alliance with the new york times service, presents a column by howard Schultz, Chairman, President and CEO of Starbucks corporation

This is such an important question right now because so many struggling economies around the world desperately need their countries’ entrepreneurs and small businesses to succeed. The jobs that small companies provide and the high-quality goods and services their employees produce can give powerful boosts to a faltering economy.

Unfortunately, studies show that about half of small businesses fail in their first five years – for a variety of reasons. Insufficient capital. Inexperienced management. Lack of – or incorrect – focus. An irrelevant product or service that does not meet or inspire market needs.

But let’s assume a company gets all of the above right – even though capital is hard to come by these days. The company can still sink if it does not attract and engage the right people.

Let me take a step back to make my meaning more clear. The hardest part of building a company at the outset is recognising the need to invest ahead of the growth curve, and then having enough capital to do so. The kinds of investments I’m referring to are ones you’d expect: materials, inventory, technical infrastructure, marketing, real estate.

Generally, the largest investments are in pay and benefits. This is where many small businesses get into trouble: By trying to minimise “people”-related costs, a small-business owner can inadvertently stunt the company’s growth. That said, investing in people is not just about spending money. It’s also important to expend intellectual energy on ways to inspire great work.

So, to answer this question more directly, small businesses have such a high rate of failure because their leaders do not put enough money or time toward employing, retaining and maximising top talent.

When I speak to small-business owners, I encourage them to follow a few guideposts:

LOOK FOR CHARACTER AS WELL AS SKILLS WHEN HIRING

Even in a down economy with high unemployment, the pool of the most talented people in any given area is shallow. That pool gets even shallower when the bar for hiring is skills PLUS strong character. This is the pool you want to hire from, even if it takes a little longer to fill a role.

Interview people through the lens of building a culture of trust. Ask yourself: How will they lead – by instilling fear or by encouraging greatness? How will they treat their direct reports, suppliers or customers – with respect or with condescension? Over the years, I have seen that character is more important than experience. People can learn the nuances of a job, but passion for doing the right thing cannot be taught.

Remember, the first people in the door will hire the next generation as you grow, so layer the organisation with teams that are smart, respectful, collaborative and just plain nice.

TREAT COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION AS A STRATEGY, NOT AN EXPENSE

Back in the late 1980s, at the beginning of my management of Starbucks, I wanted to be the retail employer of choice. I felt that I could achieve this only if, after hiring bright, friendly people to work in our shops (and our offices), I paid them more than the going wage in other restaurants and stores. I also had to offer benefits that were not available elsewhere.

Doing so came with a price. Back then, health-care costs were soaring and most companies were cutting benefits – much like today. Some of my investors accused me of irresponsibly raising expenses when the company had yet to turn a profit. I explained my position with data, showing that competitive pay and benefits would increase retention for existing employees and thus cut recruiting and training costs. Ultimately, my argument to investors proved true.

That was a long time ago, but treating overall compensation as a strategy for success, and not just an expense, remains critical. Today’s pay and benefits mix should be a sustainable blend of things beyond merit pay – stock options, retirement-account-contribution matches, tuition reimbursement, health-care coverage – that each hold value and add up to a total package that addresses people’s well-being on several levels.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
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IS TODAY’S FILM CRITIC MORE MARKETER THAN INTERPRETER?

In an age of crass consumerism, has the Film Critic sold off his soul to market forces or does he still bring a special, enriching perspective to the table? 4Ps B&M’s Consulting Editor Monojit Lahiri probes this delicate terrain with some articulate individuals

It started with a casual conversation regarding the forthcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa, on the 23rd (November 2011). Created to showcase the best of engaging & interesting Indian – and global – cinema, film festivals have always attracted the true-blue cognoscenti and cinema buff of the discerning kind, desperate to sample a life beyond Bollywood! Where there are film fests, can film critics be far behind? In today’s world – especially with Bollywood booming and blitzing all over the place in all-consuming fashion – can a real committed, dedicated film critic ever hope to survive? Should he, under the circumstances, review and re-invent his role to be part-marketer, part-interpreter?

Respected, veteran Film Critic Saibal Chatterjee is first off the block with a zinger. “I don’t think it’s a question anymore, but a solid factual statement!” he says. In fact, he is of the firm belief that this breed – film critics – is slowly getting marginalised and residing mostly in the world of blogs or little magazines. “What you got today are mostly reviewers who dole out opinions that are reader-friendly, touching the surface areas of the film in a glamorous way. It is completely in keeping with the mood of the times where cinema is perceived as a product to be consumed by the largest volume of consumers, possible. So, marketing, branding, advertising and promotion skills take precedence over knowledge, scholarship or insight. Pitching it right to a dumbed-down readership is the name of the game. In this scheme of things, where does the poor film critic feature?!” Chatterjee tells 4Ps B&M.

Communication specialist Bikram Ohri begs to differ. He believes that we live in nano-second times where reverence and sanctity to anything out in the public domain needs to be reviewed. “Boss, movies in India are entertainment products. Can we please stop worshipping them, wait breathlessly for that magical ‘Eureka moment’ and cut to the chase?! The critics mandate today is clear: Blend commentary in a cutting-edge way that entertains as it enlightens. Also, please go easy on the heavies! As the great Hollywood Director Billy Wilder once said If you are lookin’ for art, hell, go buy a Picasso. If you’re lookin’ to have fun and be entertained, hey, welcome aboard!” says Ohri. Joining the party is a noted film critic who refuses to formally participate or divulge her name for professional reasons. “It’s all very well to talk about art, sensibilities and values but with the corporates entering the scene with their deep pockets, the equation within the system and industry has dramatically changed. Film criticism, an intrinsic part of this universe, has been impacted as well. There are no two ways about it,” she tells 4Ps B&M.

Film Critic Mayank Shekhar brings his own spin to the table. “Some very novel things have happened in the last few years in the industry that has certainly impacted the role of the film critic. For one, there is this new entity called Trade Analyst. It is a vague term but this person seems to grab a lot of space in the electronic and mass media. It presupposes some kind of academic/scholastic background but it really is about ringing up distributors from all centers to get box office collections! Does that answer the definition of a film critic? Then there is the smart, sharp and subtle co-opting of some members of the fourth estate by Bollywood to ensure popular reviews and feel-good notices in the media,” says Shekhar. He explains that all this is a byproduct of the huge budgets powering big-ticket Bollywood projects. Therefore the marketing machinery has to go full steam to reach, persuade and seduce the audience into seeing the film. “However all is not lost, but yes, it is a tricky and challenging calling!” he adds.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again.....
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
Planman Technologies