Energy efficiency boom anticipated for India

Citation

(2011), "Energy efficiency boom anticipated for India", Strategic Direction, Vol. 27 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2011.05627haa.001

Energy efficiency boom anticipated for India

Article Type: Competitive horizon From: Strategic Direction, Volume 27, Issue 8

A recent report by the Climate Group suggests that India is well positioned to exploit the vast opportunities offered by the development of clean technologies and renewable energy resources. Published by www.thehindubusiness.com, the report forecasts that rising demand for low carbon goods and services could create around 10.5 million jobs by 2020 and be worth $135bn. This assumes a compounded yearly growth rate of 17 percent, a figure set to be the highest anywhere in the world. Globally, the market is expected to have a value of $2.2 trillion by the end of the current decade. India is already showing its energy efficiency credentials and is now the world’s fifth largest producer of wind energy. With its low cost labor and competent manufacturing base, the country is set to become an important hub for clean technologies. The government has charged a special committee with devising appropriate strategies for a low-carbon economy. A key aim is to transform the efficiency of sectors that include among others transport, building and infrastructure.

Electronic components shortage expected in wake of Japan’s natural disaster

Isuppli has warned that the combined devastation caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan could have significant effects for the electronics industry in the short term. The market analyst organization believes that the aftermath of the disaster will severely disrupt supply and that prices will increase substantially as a result of the shortages. A report published by The Engineer (www.theengineer.co.uk) points out that electronic production facilities largely escaped the devastation but remain affected because of the damage caused to the power infrastructure and transportation. Consequently, firms are experiencing a scarcity of materials and difficulty in shipping parts out to customers. The impact is expected to last until late in the year and affect components such as NAND flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), microcontrollers and liquid crystal display (LCD) parts, panels and materials.

Export rise predicted for Australian commodities

According to the annual assessment of the mining and farm sectors by the Australia Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Sciences (ABARES), the country’s iron ore exports are set to increase by 12 percent during the next financial year. This will bring in record $63.1 revenues. The organization is equally upbeat about metallurgical coal. Exports of the product used in steel production are tipped to amass $41.9 billion, a rise of 22 percent. For thermal coal and gold exports, the increases are respectively forecast to be 28 percent and 12 percent. During the period 2011-12, ABARES expects total commodity exports to reach $251.3 billion, a figure over $30 billion higher than the amount anticipated for fiscal year 2010-11. As reported in The West Australian (www.thewest.com.au), exports of beef, veal and wool are all set to climb by 4 percent if ABARES predictions prove accurate.

Listen and learn

Providing excellent customer service is seen as vital in today’s highly competitive business environment. Organizations that manage to do this might secure a priceless advantage over their rivals. According to a report published by The Examiner (www.examiner.com), firms must listen properly to their customers in order to serve them more efficiently. However, most people’s listening skills are average at best and can only be improved through training and practice. This can equip employees with the general and more specialized abilities to listen to people in different contexts including face-to-face and over the phone. Companies can devise their own training methods, although certain universities and websites do offer advice about various techniques to help people listen better and improve their subsequent understanding and assessment of information. Listening is highly important within any workplace and can help enhance overall communication, accelerate decision-making and resolve problems more easily to save both time and money.