Global Warming

Sadly, over the past few years, this debate on global warming, instead of becoming a straightforward search for solutions (and working out of differences between individual countries over how to control emissions), became an intense propaganda war with two extreme sides – one predicting doomsday, and the other rejecting even the existence of the phenomenon. But of course, there also came to be those intellectual pockets between the two extremes that talked with moderation, yet with almost undeniable statistical support, either for or against the impact of global warming. And inadvertently so, perhaps because of his non-extremist and most logical slotting of climate issues at par with health and social problems, the leading face of the ‘for’ pack of environmentalists became a person named Al Gore, former Vice President of United States of America, the country with the biggest contribution to global warming!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

India's tertiary sector

India’s tertiary sector is overwhelmingly dependent on high polluting diesel fuel and a myopic alternative looks far fetched at present. As per a national consensus a naturally occurring resource has been identified in the name of the Jatropha crop. The vast Jatropha plantations and enthusiasm over ‘ethanol’ do look positive. As a more liberal exercise to contain emissions and be economically viable, the government has also brought about measures to significantly curtail pollution levels, while not having to resort to drastic & economical non-viable steps through enforcement of Bharat stage norms. India also holds special advantages when it comes to large-scale production of bio-fuels for the simple reason that the country has a proven cheap manpower cost and an authentic agrarian sector.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Exxon Mobil

And the critics today are for sure cursing themselves hoarse for having jeered at all oil and auto majors who ever dared to imagine that alternative fuels must be sought after. Now here we are – neck to neck and running the race for survival against time... winning would mean victory and ‘life’, while losing out... extinction! So what are the various oil behemoths doing when it comes to discovering alternatives? Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, with previous imbroglios weighing on his mind, doesn’t like to ‘sound’ too green savvy anymore, “We’re only going to invest our shareholders’ money where we think they can get the kind of returns they expected when they invested their money with Exxon Mobil.” Nevertheless, the $475.5 billion Exxon Mobil (who critics call a ‘laggard’ in the whole revolution), which during 2006, amassed an imposing $39.5 billion in net profits from fossil fuels, is currently financing a $100 million decade- long Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy project, which is exploring avenues to generate alternative fuels including the muchdebated cellulosic ethanol. Exxon also has tied-up with various agencies and companies to work on green-fuel technology. For example, with the EU, it is working on a carboncapture project.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Municipal solid waste

This lack of holistic planning is much evident in the way we have encouraged consumerism without thinking about how we would dispose off the waste created by high consumption levels. Despite the Indian economic boom, India is far from being beautiful. The filth & squalor make it look as ugly as any third world nation. It is indeed a sad story that presently India produces a whopping 42 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually. And then we are hoping to be the next super power. With a burgeoning population (over 1,027 million), generation of waste has increased manifold. The urban population (285 million in mumber, spread across 5,161 cities) is increasing by around 4% annually (mainly due to migration), in the process increasing the waste generation by 5% annually.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Instances of companies

HCL Infosystems and Intel are instances of companies that have taken the issue seriously. Points Rahul Bedi, Director, Corporate Affairs, Intel South Asia, “We follow the strictest policies for eWaste management... we do what’s best for the Earth.” However, despite such efforts, the eWaste problem is a growing menace and needs to be handled in a more proactive manner. Right from ethical recycling policies to ensuring eWaste deployment, Indian IT giants need to take on this task as a responsibility and not a liability. We just hope more companies act beyond the pen and paper stage.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Apple's wondrous

Considering Apple’s wondrous ability to quickly disseminate information about its futuristic products and service (read Apple iPhone), this statement from Jobs holds no more significance than just being a fish story. However, after Realising the significance of the damage done by the Greenpeace rankings, Apple quickly responded with a comprehensive report on its initiatives to become an environment friendly company. As per Jobs’s report ‘A Greener Apple’, the company has strategically planned to phase out hazardous substances like lead (already eliminated in 2006 and Apple stopped manufacturing CRT displays), mercury, PVC and arsenic (to be eliminated by 2008). Apart from this, Apple has also initiated its re-cycling programme way back in 1994 and it promises to be a world leader in eliminating e-waste by 2012.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Announced annual results

The recently announced annual results evinced an exorbitant net turnover of Rs.123 billion, recording an incredible growth of 26% as compared to last fiscal and according to the company, majority of this growth was contributed by noncigarette FMCG businesses and agri-ventures. In ITC’s aggressive growth chart for both of these mascots, hinterland plays a crucial role and to mint more moolah from these cash cows, Deveshwar is pledging to protect the environment. Chris- tened as ‘Sunehra Kal’, it’s saving natural resources through projects like protecting farm forestry, integrated watershed developments, irrigation and preserving pastures. Affirms company spokesperson, “We want to check the exploitation of rural resources and involve local people in protecting environment like controlling fertile soil erosion. This would benefit the geography of that particular region and would also help our agri-businesses.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Giant leap ahead

For Lenovo, it was a giant leap ahead from nowhere. Its global revenues in 2006 leapfrogged an unfathomable 359.1% y-o-y to touch $13.2 billion! Approximately two years are going to pass, and Lenovo has left no stone unturned all this time in trying to prove that it retains the original IBM character. As Neeraj Sharma, Managing Director, Lenovo South Asia, states, “Innovation is at our very core, but simultaneously we are working extensively on our cost structures to ensure best possible prices.” He contends that for Lenovo, the key strategic objective is “to grow faster and more profitably than the industry.” And with its extraordinary Sino-American lineage, one would indeed expect that Lenovo would have unleashed mayhem in the Indian PC market by now.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Honda Civic

“It’s bad enough to give up control,” she complained, “But if I keep giving away stock, I’ll still be driving my 1994 Honda Civic to my son’s college graduation.” Given the fact that her son was an infant, she was joking, of course. But the fact is: Start-ups almost always make their founders poor before they make them rich. Finally, there is that popular notion you refer to: That companies can get born by just a bunch of bright people in the room bursting with energy to “make it happen.” We would call that partial information. Obviously, passionate, talented people are the key to getting a venture off the ground. And yes, there have been cases of friends banding together to build something amazing from scratch. But those friends usually had an idea to start with. The real engine of any start-up is a product or service that fills a market need, or better yet, creates one.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative