The TEAM Part - II Power, Politics and Conflict

A Management Approach to Addressing Power Sector Issues in India

A Management Approach to Addressing Power Sector Issues in India published in IUP Publication's Infrastructure Journal of March 2012.

Breathing LIFE into the Resolve for SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The World as we See it

Everyone today talks of growth and development of the nation, enterprises and the self. There is a constant eagerness to do better, grow bigger and being insatiable about wants. Fundamentally, these are desirable traits as it propels our efforts for more economic activity, commerce, movement of funds, material, labor and opportunity to use one's skills and make a living. The catch is growth and development at what cost? And whether astounding per capita income of a handful of the population means economic excellence? Is the government having a tunnel vision towards a certain segment of the community or the schemes, policies and laws take into account the bigger picture and the far reaching implication of developmental decisions?

SMEWORLD Seminary of Apr 2012  Click Here

Why IT Adoption is no longer a CHOICE but NECESSITY for MSMEs

Doing business in today's world requires well-set systems with various measures and counter measures. Everything needs to be process driven if one wishes to maintain control over the enterprise. The systems may be proper logical or scientific one or just a “system” but there has to be one because that is what tells everyone how to work and manage the functions. But today the business environment and the influence of other extraneous factors have become highly enmeshed and complex. This makes running an enterprise a greater challenge especially for smaller players with limited resources notwithstanding the fact that it is much more complex for the larger players. Thankfully we have several IT/ ICT solutions today to help us find our way through the forest.
But there are skeptics who think that need for IT in business is highly overrated and unnecessary. For those who still question productivity gain can diligently calculate and do accounting of time and money invested in physical management of data vis-à-vis electronic ones.
Published in April 2012 issue of SMEWORLD. Click Here

SIGNIFICANCE OF OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FUNCTION IN POWER PLANTS – A QUALITATIVE DISCOURSE - DR. IPSHITA BASU, DR. RENUKA GARG

The  development  of  India’s  power  sector  (specifically  power generation) is an important area of focus in the coming years. The objective of this is
paper  is  to  highlight  the  significance  of  Operations  and  Maintenance  (O&M) function  in  power  generation  plants  based  on  Ownership  types,  the  relative
competitive  advantage  of  each  of  these  ownership  pattern,  critical  success  factors, opportunities and challenges of O&M for various ownership types

Published in
ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
SSN:2229-4104 (APJRBM) Vol 3, Issue 3 (March, 2012)

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Entrepreneur's Budget 2012 - Wishlist - Published in TISA Mar 2012

Crafting a Sustainable Secure Future through Strengthening the Food Processing Sector

Importance of Agriculture in India's economy is evident since Independence. It is the source of livelihood and sustenance for more than half of India's population especially for people living in the rural areas. But unfortunately, the growth rate in this sector and the level of development is far from its true potential. The domestic food market in India is supposed to reach ~ USD 260 by the year 2015 based on the current trends according to various reports. During the period, the share of processed food in terms of value is expected to increase from ~ 40 per cent to 50 – 53 per cent.

Globalization has brought some distinct thrust for the food processing sector –

a)         Indians migrating abroad still look for Indian food products and especially spices apart from existence of exotic Indian restaurants have appealed to the foreigner's eating preferences

b)         Resident Indians are also seriously embracing foreign cuisine in their regular diet thus creating ample commercial opportunities for both domestic and foreign enterprises in the food processing segment. Foray of retail giants are further adding to the demand thrust.

c)         Outsourced businesses in India have changed the working hours of many people here. It is also forcing Indian companies to work longer hours. Women are also seriously pursuing their career options owing to greater opportunities with the opening of the economy. Family structure is also tending towards nuclear system. This is impacting our eating habits. People are steadily looking for simpler and off the shelf food solutions which are also nutritious.

Hence, there is a clear and strong demand for processed food of all kinds. But not just any processed food. People are slowly learning to become quality conscious and to read the labels and not just the price tag. This however is a serious matter especially in the developed countries where apart from pharmaceuticals processed food has to have a certain level of quality and pass certain mandatory tests to achieve consumer acceptance.

Owing to our tropical weather and vast geographic spread, India has huge potential and variety in the food processing segment and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth. The export potential for India especially is huge and varied thus beating any slowdown due to seasonality.

However, we are unable to attain our potential mainly due to disintegrated players, lack of technology and know-how, awareness of applicable laws and regulations to compete in the global market.

Published in SMEWORLD Mar 2012 Issue. Click here