The recent announcement of Tesla’s new power storage systems got me thinking about the relationship between light, productivity, sustainability and the economy.The story of artificial light is a story of economic development. Before oil lamps and candles, people used to go to bed at sundown and slept in ‘two phases’ – first and second sleep. However, with the advent of artificial light, productivity patterns changed along with sleep patterns, as people’s activities became independent of the availability of natural light.
Alba
Patrick’s Monday Vista 11- Obstacle to Progress
I used to think that the main obstacles standing in the way of business advancement were the lack of capital, time and material resources. However over the last ten years working on a wide range of supply chain projects with client companies ranging from multinationals to state-owned enterprises and SMEs, I have come to the conclusion that the real obstacle to business advancement is a dearth of the right people with the right types of skills and experience.
China, Ireland and the Infant Formula Market
Milk production has been growing steadily in the developed world. In the developing world there has been some whooping increase both in the consumption and production of dairy products. Of particular interest is the infant formula, which has been a commonplace in the west, yet a prized possession in some parts of Asia : people actually lock up trusted foreign brands in safes. India alone has been the largest milk producer accounting for 16% of global production and China is the fourth largest consumer (5 billion Euros worth imported in 2013). Even though the South Asian Region is progressing in milk production, it appears to lag behind in processing, especially Infant Formula.
Patrick’s Monday Vista #10- The Most Precious Commodity in the World
What is the most valuable and precious commodity in the world? Oil? Gold? Saffron? Or perhaps some rare Earth metal? The correct answer is; none of the above. The most valuable and precious commodity in the world is trust. An abundance of trust lubricates and accelerates positive endeavour in business, politics and personal relationships. In extreme cases the absence of trust leads to war, pestilence and famine. Even in the best case the absence of trust acts as a brake imposing costs and delay on progress in any enterprise.
India- Investing in Intellectuals
India- the mystical East- happens to be the second largest source of skilled human resources for the knowledge based global economy. India makes up for more than 30% of skilled workers brought to the US under the US H1B visa. India is not only a supplier of skilled manpower, rather also a key player in knowledge creation. Many of highly skilled Indians are working in top knowledge centers across the globe- NASA, ESA, World Bank and so on.
Patrick’s Monday Vista #9- Kicking On
It is wonderful to be successful, to win the game, to land the contract, to get the promotion. It gives you a warm glow inside, a feeling of satisfaction to savour and enjoy and that is how it should be. If you are successful you are entitled to that feeing – it is healthy and it is important to celebrate success.Winning again and again can reinforce our belief that we have been doing the right things, making the right decisions and getting the just rewards for our efforts in return. Logically we look to repeat the magic formula that has been working for as long as we can. “Happy days! Long may it last!” we might say.
Mexico – Opportunities in many Sectors
It is common knowledge that Mexico’s manufacturing cost competitiveness (taking into account labour cost and productivity), together with its young workforce and work ethics, has sparked a steady growth in clusters in skilled and high-skilled industries such as automotive, aeronautics, and electronics. These clusters mainly occupy strategic locations in central states such as Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Puebla (automotive), Queretaro (aeronautics) and Guadalajara (electronics) with good transport links and access to a large pool of qualified workers.
Patrick’s Monday Vista #7- A Dynamic Latin AmericanBloc
Over the years Latin American has witnessed the launch of many regional organisations with mixed outcomes in terms of tangible benefits for the member countries. However, one of the newest international organisation in the region, The Pacific Alliance, has already made significant process towards achieving its stated goals of economic integration, free trade and free movement of people.
Patrick’s Monday Vista #6- The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index
The globalization of total production systems from extraction of raw materials though to the recycling of waste has been made possible in recent decades by innovations in three main areas – transportation technology, information and communications technology, and financial deregulation.It is now commonplace for international businesses to carry on R&D, manufacturing and distribution in many different geographical locations around the world depending on which locations are most advantageous from a competitive point of view.
Patrick’s Monday Vista #5- Our Greatest Invention
No doubt the greatest human invention of all time is human language itself. Spoken human language emerged somewhere between 150,000 and 80,000 years ago and was fundamental in enabling human beings to work together and coordinate their actions for mutual benefit.Initially this involved communication among individuals in small bands for hunting and gathering, then later on a much more sophisticated level insedentary agriculture and the building of the institutions that ultimately led to the birth of civilization itself. In effect, the ability to use language is the essence of being human.
