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Academy to Industry – A Journey in Ushering a Safer Philippines

The Philippines, being an archipelago with over 7,600 islands, is very familiar with many natural disasters. Two of the most common are typhoons and earthquakes.

Driven by his passion to help his countrymen address the issue with structural health and how it can help building administrators prepare for strong earthquakes and save more lives, Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy, a Filipino engineer, academic, and technopreneur decided it’s time to take the first step to a more resilient Philippines.

With his knowledge and expertise in his specialized field of Civil Systems, Francis has dedicated his life to combining scientific innovations and creative solutions to address the demand for structural health monitoring systems. Leading a team of equally passionate, creative, and diverse individuals, he believes in the power of collaboration, team work, and nonstop research for continuous development and progress in engineering solutions.

Pushing against limits and boundaries

Early on when the project was still in its initial phases, there were few interests gathered from investors and venture capitalists. So much support for the ideas that lead to discussions of partnership and funding down the line.

Not everything goes according to plan, however, so for a time, the ideas remained just that. But Francis is not the type to give in to stress and pressure. Armed with proof of concepts and documentation, he turned to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its technology commercialization program with the help of his alma mater where he also serves as the Dean for the School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering (CEGE), the Mapua University. Mapua is a premier engineering and technological school in the Philippines. Acquiring funding support from the DOST with the help of the school, USHER (Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System) Technologies Inc. was born.

Becoming building “doctors”

A structural health monitoring device responds to dangerous structural changes. It also helps improve reliability of the structure and in managing its overall life cycle. Over time, it has added features, one of which is to gauge the effect of ground movement on the structure and predict the seismic performance of infrastructures. This way, the building can be evacuated and retrofitted before any untoward incident happens.

When vibrations and other factors affect a building because of changes in ground movement, the structural health monitoring system can detect them and provide analytics to structural engineers and other decision makers on building safety and management. These vibrations are coined with the term “heartbeats” and its engineers are called the structural health doctors. They will then decide whether to reinforce some parts of the structure or, in dire circumstances, evacuate the occupants.

Surprisingly, despite the fact that the country is along the Pacific Ring of Fire and that earthquakes are next to normal, there aren’t any local suppliers for structural health instruments. Even if the local government requires each building owner and developer to have the instrument in their properties before they can have permits, there is no local manufacturer but all foreign made with limited capability and features.

It’s time that someone manufactures a local instrument for structural health. After all, nobody knows Philippine buildings, conditions and laws well but a local.

Once funding was secured, it was a matter of taking the product to the market and encouraging developers and building owners to support local. It was very hard to compete with international, tried, and tested brands.

But Francis always loves challenges.

The journey towards sustainability amidst the pandemic

In recent years, more and more government agencies and departments offered support and have agreed on partnerships with USHER. In September of 2019, the brand finally had a grand launch in one of the country’s most prestigious venues, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.

The grand event was attended by business partners, investors, government agencies, and important decision makers in several industries and fields. Many project collaborations were planned, support that were pledged, and interested parties have set up meetings with the team. Indeed, it was a great way to cap the event.

A few months later, the world was put to a standstill because of a global pandemic. Covid19 spread like wildfire on a hot, dry, summer day in the desert at a very accelerated rate. Before we know it, all countries are on lockdown, all borders are closed, and lives are being taken by the millions.

Francis and the USHER team decided to help create solutions to rise up to the demands of the new normal.

The Go Clean Chamber was created. Since the Covid19 virus spreads through contact of individuals with contaminated surfaces like garments, footwear, and even human body parts, the Go Clean Chamber disinfects both in-bound and out-bound personnel trac in building structures. It is a low-cost mobile disinfection and anti-coronavirus chamber.

Another one on the pipeline is a UV ray scanner called Go Clean GIZMO for documents, money bills, and other paperworks. Working like an x-ray machine, the Go Clean GIZMO disinfects the documents by scanning them with UV rays, effectively killing any virus or bacteria that attach themselves in the papers.

There is also the HOCLOMAC system, a stand-alone, onsite generator of hypochlorous acid used for disinfecting. It can be integrated to any misting chambers and other misting systems in public and private spaces. It can produce 1.5 gallons of hydrochloric solution in less than 5 minutes.

Now, as the world slowly comes back from its forced hiatus in 2020 and people are adjusting to the new normal, with it comes new challenges to face and new goals to achieve.

Through his guidance and tutelage, the USHER team continuously researches on effective ways to provide technological solutions to the new situations we encounter everyday. Francis redefined progress and innovation and made it synonymous to helping people, brands, and the government adjust to the new normal.

From its humble beginnings as an academic project to its current position as one of the country’s leading brands, Francis and USHER has continued the journey to progress and conquering new heights in creative and innovative solutions.

“It’s always been about making it more convenient and easier for our people and professionals to work together and help the government create a more sustainable and a more resilient Philippines.”. Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy, CVO and Founder of USHER Technologies, Inc. 

Author

“Dr. Francis Uy is an engineer, academic, and creative civil systems solutions advocate from the Philippines who leads USHER Technologies Inc., an technology solutions company that brings focus to the importance of structural health monitoring and other DRRM techs as a means to save more lives in cases of unfortunate natural events.”

Nicholas McQuire: Shaping the Future of Cloud and Technology

Meet Nicholas McQuire, a globally recognized thought leader and a former 20+ year technology analyst with a knack for artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and enterprise innovation. Nick presently serves as a Director in Microsoft’s Strategic Missions and Technology Organization, a scale-up innovation hub for Microsoft.

“SMT is the nexus between Microsoft’s research organisation and our solution portfolio with the goal to imagine, develop and scale the next generation of transformative technologies that will fuel the advancement of Microsoft, the future cloud as well as industries, governments, and society.”– says Nick.

Nick is also a startup advisor and a board member with a demonstrated history of advising various C-level executives and enterprise IT professionals on technology innovation. Additionally, he is the judge of the CIO 100 and Next CIO of the year awards, which recognize the most transformational CIOs and the next generation of IT leaders in the U.K each year.

The Primary Motivation

Nick’s primary motivation was the opportunity to work with such a talented and diverse group of people and customers in advanced technology and innovation. Working within Microsoft’s SMT division has made Nick feel like a kid in a candy store, as there are many vital areas that are shaping the future of technology and the cloud, whether in areas like 5G and in empowering telecommunication providers; or in research into scalable and accessible quantum computing, or connecting cloud to the satellites in space.

Nick and his team at Microsoft are incubating businesses that will eventually determine the future of the industry and our beautiful planet.

He says, “I have always loved researching, learning, and advising companies about how businesses apply the technology shifts of the future to help them innovate, change how they work, and succeed in their respective markets, so joining Microsoft to continue this effort is really rewarding.”

Nick started his career as a Senior Analyst in Pyramid Research, Economist Group, then he joined Yankee Group in 2005 as a Program Manager. Later he joined BT Global Services as a Senior Marketing Manager, Insight, Strategy, and Planning. In 2010 Nick started working for IDC as a Vice President, leading the organization’s Enterprise Mobility Strategies and research practice.

In 2013, he joined Gema International AG as the CEO, where he managed the overall strategy and operations of the organization, including overseeing its financial performance, member and partner recruitment, product development, marketing, and geographic extension. In September 2014, Nick joined CCS Insight as a Senior Vice President and rose to the ranks of Chief of Research, Enterprise, where he led the firm’s Enterprise and Artificial intelligence research.

Mission and Vision

Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an edge. The organization’s mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. It believes that technology can and should be a force for good and meaningful innovation and will contribute to a brighter world differently. Microsoft thrives on diverse voices and engages its employees’ and customers’ experiences, strengths, and other points of view to inform, challenge, and stretch its thinking.

Nick says, “We feel that technology is a powerful force for good and are working to foster a sustainable future where everyone has access to the benefits and opportunities created by technology.”

He believes that just as every company today is a software company, every business will soon become an AI business. Microsoft aims to help organizations make this transition, foster innovation, and ultimately succeed in their future cloud technologies.

In addition to that, Microsoft is entirely focused on democratizing access to emerging technologies of the future, empowering developers to innovate, industries to transform, and helping every person in the society for the better.

Preparing for the Future

Nick says, “At Microsoft, we’re deeply invested in the future of the cloud and being at the forefront of the disruptive technologies of tomorrow that will enable broad economic growth with major business and societal advances that ultimately will help create a more prosperous and resilient world.”

The organization believes that innovation is the primary force of any enterprise, but innovation requires prioritization and investment, so it continually invests in helping businesses plan for what’s next. At the same time, the organization understands that gaining a foothold in emerging technologies is difficult for enterprises. So, the organization is entirely committed to bringing the latest technologies to a platform level, helping companies to spend less time worrying about the foundation and more time innovating. Microsoft is now seeking to create a culture of co-innovation which helps customers break through barriers in order to access the needed groundbreaking ideas.

Fai Chan: A Ground-breaking Leader stimulating growth in the Luxury Skincare Segment

A charismatic personality and resourceful leader, Fai Chan is the Founder of Deli Aroma. Founded in 2014, the company brings forth luxury skincare of the highest quality at the most competitive price. Presenting forth Fai’s professional and personal journey.

Early Days

After graduating with a Marketing Degree in Hong Kong, Fai’s career jumpstarted in the US with the American Dream for immigrants to pursue. She started as a homemaker but got involved in community charitable work.

At that time, she worked in a Chinese Christian Community Organization in Dallas as a cashier in the bookstore. She wrote articles for their monthly newspaper. After six months, her boss asked her if she wanted to get promoted to the Manager position.

She was also a member of the International Women’s Club of Dallas Chapter and they offered her a board position. If she took it, she would be the first Chinese to be on board.

Additionally, she was also the secretary of the Ikebana club in Dallas, the Japanese Floral Arrangement Club. Unlike other homemakers, she actively participated in promoting the art and cultural activities of Dallas when she was there.

Then she moved to Jackson MS with her husband’s job relocation. She stayed there for six years and then moved to Austin TX.

Fai successfully finished her aromatherapy or aroma medicine courses and has been actively helping people with aromatherapy. She had more than ten publications while she was a student.

She then went ahead to set up her clinic offering therapeutic work. Somehow, she got invited to speak at research conferences and wrote a few articles on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, and High blood pressure.

In terms of career, her medical research work gains popularity and got accepted by the mainstream. This motivated her to set up a laboratory for carrying out her original invention both in products and treatment protocols.

Instead of applying for research grants, she independently published her work through marketing and promoted the work that can be monetized through treatments, product innovations, and collaboration with other labs in promoting their innovative products.

In this way, she could do things her way and need not be twisted by her original purpose in satisfying the preconditions set by her sponsors.

About the Clinic – Deli Aroma

Fai has a clinic to provide treatment work through her award-winning treatment protocols through her peer-reviewed conference speech and publications.

She sells her innovative formulations but in safe and effective dosages and usages. To be specific, she chooses her subjects for treatment to participate in a small clinical trial with the hope to provide insights for more research to follow.

Her positioning is more ideas/insights related to other participating research to do the detailing.

Motivation: A Constant Drive

When Fai started her company, she did not aim for heights. In the beginning, she just wanted to make some extra money, however, with time, as she started successfully growing, her vision for the company got clearer.

She further decided to expand her horizons to boost women’s careers, especially those who strike between ends and means.

She also shifted to support Artists who need money to develop their careers. “As I like to say, the light of a match is dim, but a bunch of matches makes the light bright. Something a person starts small and trivial, but with more people joining, the results are different. Without governmental support, what we can do is very limited. I think our government should research more good causes that really can boost our economy in meaningful ways too”, adds Fai.

Thoughts about the Asian Business Environment

The Asian business environment is super promising. One can find 100 reasons why they should invest in a place or not or where to have their headquarters.

Fai measures this by recognizing how eager a place’s/country’s people are willing to spend money. The EU people are not too eager to purchase consumer goods, and that’s why their economic conditions are very stagnant. They talk about environmental friendly which is to minimize wastage. However, without wastage, can an economy grow?

However, in Asia, this is different. People in Asia are more willing to spend, upgrade, or seek pleasure through purchasing. As the economic conditions are improving, their behaviour is more hedonistic, which makes prediction simpler and easier.

A Take on Gender Pay Gap

Fai openly expresses her pragmatic opinion regarding the gender pay gap. People always complain about the gender pay gap but Fai doesn’t think it is created by employers.

She believes the interview performance determines the pay one will get. The interview and work performance determines how much the employers will reward, even with bonuses.

When Fai was working in Hong Kong, she didn’t experience a gender pay gap. While everyone likes to express how passionate he or she has about a job, she thinks showing thoughtfulness, skills, and EQ can give you a better edge in achieving what you want to achieve.

Fai suggests an excellent way of handling the gender pay gap, “There are cases that one asks for the reward system but only finds that he or she is underpaid after they take the job. I think people’s talents and abilities are different. It would be good if you have a middleman to bargain the package for you in a more satisfying way like through a recruitment agency or talent acquisition or headhunter. They have more market information accessible and know what the market wants and is willing to pay. With the middlemen, both sides may feel more accepting and have fewer complaints.”

The Vision

Fai and her company will focus on medical research advancement and bring advanced healing to the community. It includes self-care protocols to be inclusive, apart from treatment protocols done by professionals.

Accelerating an Innovative

Future Currently, Deli Aroma is operating based on the existing theoretical frameworks. The company will be bringing in more inventive frameworks which are more laser-focused to make the treatment prediction more precise.

Recently, it is also targeting more on genetic healing and brought in a new formula to rebuild on Einstein’s relativity formula that is widely used in functional medicine.

Fai thinks their invention is more accurate and can improve conventional medicine treatment results.

From 2023, Deli Aroma will have more to disclose on new treatment frameworks. As Fai envisions, what seems impossible today, technological advancements can bring miraculous treatment results tomorrow. “So, if you are not happy with what the present medical system can provide, a little patience and good communication can bring good results. We compete with time, and many researchers work hard and burn the midnight oil to make this happens”, concludes Fai.

Fai pens Words of Wisdom

Every person has a life value if turned to the monetary value which is the money that he or she can generate in one’s whole life. I like to capitalize on one’s lifelong value in formulating my strategy. That it is not the present value, but makes use of the past, present, and (discounted) future value.

Future-Proofing Your Mobile Content Strategy with Vertical Storytelling

Have you heard about the dangerous syndrome called VVS? Back in June of 2012, a funny PSA video went viral. Vertical Video Syndrome (VVS) was a fictitious disease that claimed that those afflicted could only shoot videos vertically, as opposed to the more “viewer-friendly” horizontal format.

Today, VVS has spread globally. While shooting Vertical Videos used to be frowned upon, it’s becoming the new normal. And for those brands out there still seemingly immune to the syndrome, the truth is that if you aren’t ready for this change, you will be left behind.

Video consumption through mobile devices has risen by 100% every year. You might still be hanging on to the belief that the classic 16:9 horizontal ratio works well, but statistics prove that vertical videos are a more effective way to engage with today’s audiences.

Since we hold our phones vertically 94% of the time, why would we even bother to flip it around to watch videos horizontally? Aren’t most of us lazy? So, doesn’t it make sense that we should make our content easier for customers to consume?

To engage your customers today, you’ve got to be creative in your approach. Try not to think outside the box – instead, start thinking within the 9:16 box. By utilizing the vertical format, you’ll soon realize how to create content which maximizes the full potential of the mobile screen and increases your brand’s online presence.

By 2022, 82% of internet traffic will be consumed by online video. If your mobile content is not presented in the right format, it will not effectively reach your target market.

Vertical vs Horizontal

  • Vertical has a 90% completion rate compared to horizontal.
  • Vertical is watched all the way through nine times more than horizontal
  • Vertical sees a 33% percent lift in brand awareness and a 12% lift in consideration over their horizontal counterparts.

Social Media channels are Vertical.

Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, support vertical videos. Even YouTube, which stuck to its horizontal format until recently, realized that more than half of its views come from mobile devices, so they quickly adapted their app too, as they put it: “Dynamically adapt to whatever size you choose to watch it.”

Tik Tok, which uses vertical exclusively, is fast becoming the home of this format. The use of Tik Tok shot up in 2018, and more advertisers are jumping on board looking to reach a younger audience. An independent test by Annenberg Media found that vertical video reached 25,000 more people on Facebook, beating both square and horizontal formats.

300 feet of content every day.

We scroll through 300 feet of content every single day. We live in an online world of massive information, and these days, we’re exposed to more information than ever. From social media posts to news and entertainment promotions, people are continuously fed attention-seeking content, and it has become easy to brush aside information deemed irrelevant.

So, how can brands effectively grab people’s attention with online content, be it our social circle, business network, or customers? Do you have what it takes to create “Thumb-Stopping Vertical Content?” If your content is terrible, the thumb will scroll, swipe or delete it immediately. If your content is good, the only action you want it to do is to give a thumbs up to get the “Likes.”

To help brands and agencies get their vertical storytelling right, I’ve put together some tips that will set you on your way to creating more thumb-stopping content.

Reveal your story

Linear horizontal stories tend to go from left to right. Using your fingers to scroll up and down is a natural way for vertical stories to do the same. Reveal your story piece by piece, either from the top or bottom, to create suspense or surprise. Ultize the full height of the vertical space.

Some recent work I did for CIMB Singapore shows a man holding a % sign jumping up from a trampoline to the top of the screen. He doesn’t come down as we reveal that he is hanging on to higher interest percentage charges.

Create multiple stories

Optimize your horizontal shoot by creating mobile-first vertical content. Design a second storyboard. Not from left to right but from top to bottom. Plan to shoot the subject at the centre. For Kit Kat, we adapted the same scene from the television commercial. During the “video conferencing segment,” we shot extra footage of the talents looking up and down. So when we finally created 8-second stories, we created new content for the talent looking down at the product shots. Clients were very impressed that we included 5-6 shots in each Vertical video. Something that would be impossible to do in a horizontal format.

Frame your story

Crop your content to maximize the full mobile 9:16 screen size for a more immersive experience. Landscape visuals work best on a big movie screen where you sit back and relax; however, on a vertical format is up close and personal; it’s essential to frame your shots that’ll hold your viewer’s attention and keep them engaged at arm’s length.

Try and tell stories from a different perspective.

This CIMB content used the red area to physically squeeze the long queue all the way to the left of the mobile’s screen frame, giving way to more personalized service from a dedicated relationship manager.

Visualize your story

We live in a visual world. Content with visuals gets 94% more total views. Visual content is now 40X more likely to be shared on social networks. Create stories without the benefit of sound. Your audience must listen to your story with their eyes. Don’t just add subtitles. Mix beautiful typography with impactful visuals.

For this Kit Kat example, we visualized a simple problem to tell a relevant story.Who doesn’t have buffering issues on their mobile? We see a typical loading icon consisting of bars forming a circle. After waiting a while, we revealed that it was made of Kit Kat bars instead. Have a Break. Have a Kit Kat.

Split-Screen your story

Experiment by dividing up the vertical screen to tell your story by splitting your screen into halves, thirds, or quarters. Hijack static formats, and templates give the illusion of objects flying off the screen, creating a 3D effect. You can even include multi-product shots at the same time.

Create a relationship between multiple different screens so characters can interact with each other seamlessly. For Kit Kat’s example, we created two separate scenarios at first, but the two worlds collided when the woman at the top stretched her arms to steal Kit Kat from a girl at the bottom screen.

To wrap up, I encourage you to look back at your existing content and repurpose it to suit the mobile behaviour of your customers using the five creative principles I have outlined. It’s the wave of the future, and that future is now.

If your brand adopts vertical stories, I’m confident it will increase visibility and future-proof your mobile content strategy.

Dong Jin Son: Helping Brands Grow, Innovate, and Transform

Based in Seoul, Korea, Krema Worldwide has created various award-winning ideas to help brands grow, innovate, and transform. With its wide range of strategic and creative talent, Krema derives optimal strategies and crafts globally competitive campaigns.

Having worked with global behemoths like LG Electronics, Samsung Mobiles, Lotte, and Disney Korea, the founder, and CEO, of Krema Worldwide, Son Dong Jin, brings more than two decades of experience with him. Majored in foreign literature, Son joined Korea’s number one advertising agency Cheil Worldwide, where he was assigned to the department of global marketing business. Soon, Son went on numerous business trips across the world and accumulated local marketing insights, and realized that advertising is not just a creative video that appears on the viewer’s screen but it is a solution that solves various concerns of the marketers. At this point of time, Son understood that his role was limited only to large organizations, so he voluntarily left Cheil Worldwide and moved to a three-person startup. Meanwhile, he completed his MBA from a University in Finland and received his doctorate in digital content, which helped him understand clients’ concerns in their broad business activities. Later in May 2009, he founded his own company Krema Worldwide, focusing on providing specialized services for overseas marketing and clients who can utilize the organization’s capabilities while conducting global marketing.

Path Breaking Services

Since its foundation, Krema Worldwide has successfully established itself and proliferated in sales and size in a yearly manner. As a result, Krema received 17 awards in the last five years in various leading international festivals like Cannes, New York, and One Show. The organization was also ranked among the top 10 across multiple ad journals, including Ad Age and Campaign. “This is proof that our company has been recognized worldwide for creativity, which is the core of advertising. Since January 2019, we have also expanded the area of ad agencies to an e-commerce business that encompasses all participants in the marketing ecosystem.”– says Son. He explains the primary goal of his business is to provide A to Z solutions starting from overseas marketing to sales agents for various small and medium-sized companies that have competitive products but lack an international presence. Krema also has a roadmap to build a very competitive e-commerce platform by connecting clients, individual sellers, digital media owners, and financial & trade businesses.

Working as the backbone of the company, Krema’s planning professionals make the most timely, trendy, and accurate marketing results by learning fast trends. They are the strategists, communicators, and do-it-all creatives who deliver flawless project execution from concept to creation. Additionally, the firm uses current technologies like AI, data, and metaverse to internalize all the internal and external resources in the shortest time possible; depending on that; immediate service can be operated. With its agility and mobility, Krema’s business model is much ahead of other professional agencies.

The Asian Business Environment

Son feels growth in Asia will be much more noticeable in the future, especially in Indonesia, which has witnessed a rapid recovery of the advertising market since late 2020. The proportion of digital advertising costs in countries like India and Indonesia stands around the 20% range. However, with the rapid growth rate of 10%, they will soon become the pillars of the global advertising market. As a result, the traditional North American and Western European markets will start decreasing in the future.

He explains that Asian consumers are highly interested in social networks. They know the process of learning information quickly and communicate actively, even in non-face-to-face situations. Additionally, their huge interest in the latest technologies meant they were the first to embrace Metaverse and NFT to grow their businesses. So, marketers need to study diligently and move quickly because of these unique characteristics of Asian consumers. Ad-agency’s flagship products have also changed along with those trends. Even a decade ago, an advertising agency’s primary job was to plan and produce commercial advertisements for a market mainly focused on TVC and print. Now cut to 2022, most of the organization’s products are YouTube-based video advertising or a website for consumer awareness of corporate brands and content to communicate with consumers over various communities. At present, organizations are paying much more attention to AI, metaverse, and OTT platforms.

Future Roadmap

As the founder of his company, Son’s short-term goal is to successfully pivot from the world of digital content to the new area of media. He says, “Global advertising trend is shifting to non-face-to-face, virtual reality after endemic, enabling agencies to propose the most practical and efficient ad packages the clients need. To this end, the company’s professional staff are working hard on R&D every day and night and, at the same time, continue to challenge through constant internal collaboration. In the mid-long term, it is to properly demonstrate the synergy caused by M&A. It is to successfully combine marketing assets based on IPs of ads, movies, and dramas to develop service products for clients that have never existed before.”

Led by Son, Krema recently ran M&A with Asia’s one of the best new media content production companies Dexter Studio. He feels the synergy of M&A is of utmost importance in realizing Krema’s dreams. It’s also much easier to raise investment funds than it used to be. “I strongly believe skilled tech resources combined with our planning resources would greatly increase the chances of achieving business objectives. We’re not going to stop here, but we’re going to expand our reach further as a group specializing in global digital media and content.”– he says.

Few Thoughts

As an industry, advertising is well known for its cutthroat competition. Recently multiple cases of business failure have emerged due to the pandemic. Son says, “But in the meantime, someone is making money out of this red ocean, leading the market, generating demand. I try to keep Dexter Krema (changed company name after M&A last year) listed in that mainstream. Only diligent research and development, maintaining a young and fast organization, and constantly finding newness and collaborating with outside powers make this possible.” This year, Dexter Krema plans to lead the industry by introducing the latest marketing by combining various partners and technologies related to the 4th industrial revolution. “In addition, we will share the fruits of the fast-growing company with all our stakeholders, helping to create a successful future for each employee, not the fundamental goal of sales as mentioned earlier.”– he added.

Top 7 Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is a clean, environment-friendly, and everlasting source of energy. It differs from conventional energy sources like fossil fuels, due to its ample existence, diversity, and availability worldwide. According to some environmental agencies and environmentalists, the demand for renewable energy will significantly rise by 2040. So, this increasing demand and use of renewable energy sources not only have an impact on nature but also on the economic growth of the world. 

Climate change is one of the issues related to our planet’s health. Renewable energy is tackling environmental problems like global warming and climate change. Thus, many business tycoons and leading entrepreneurs adopt to create and develop renewable energy-related businesses. Thus, positive growth in sustainable energies generates opportunities for economic development by creating green energy. 

In this article, we will discuss some economic benefits of renewable energy sources. 

  • Affordable installation and maintenance

Renewable energy, like solar energy, is affordable for most people because materials which are generally used for creating energy sources are less expensive. Thus, installing and adopting solar, wind, and other green energy sources for homes and businesses is easy, safe, and convenient to use. The most desirable feature of solar energy is it gives a huge amount of electric and heat energy with minimum maintenance issues later on. If there is any maintenance issue, workers can easily solve it with affordable charges. So, overall investment in clean and green energy rewards you with a supply of green energy as well as economic benefits. 

  • Lower down cost of electricity bills

The foremost and biggest economic benefit of renewable energy resources is in the cost of electricity that they create. Converting your electricity consumption from the local power grid to solar energy can help you to shorten the cost of your energy bills. Solar installations, wind turbines, and other types of conventional energy sources generate electricity at a lower cost. Instead of using coal power plants to create electricity, we can use solar energy, which reduces the number of pollutants and gas emissions released every day in the environment. These replenishable energies also take the edge off of carbon footprints by around 70-80% in a year. According to the IEA, the use of green energy sources increased in 2020 by 3%, and demand for other fuels get declined. So, besides environmental benefits, renewable energy resources can also gain economic benefits. 

  • Saves money

Renewable sources are affordable to adopt and also help to save money after use. Renewable energies most obviously save money by reducing many household and industrial electricity bills. Installation of solar energy and the building of wind turbines are long-term beneficial electricity sources that considerably reduce energy bills. Relying on a conventional local power grid means you pay more than the export of energy to that grid. But in terms of solar energy, you can back and sell the excess energy produced by your business to the power grid, which is best for your business from an economic perspective. Most of the research and studies show that the cost of installation of renewable energies will go down because many innovations in renewable technologies are done in the world. 

  • Create employment opportunities

Investment and creation of renewable energy power plants directly lead to employment opportunities worldwide. Installation of solar power plants and the building of wind turbines generate a large number of jobs and working chances for people. It is found in research that solar industries employ almost millions of workers around the world. Employment opportunities in clean energy reached about 12.7 million last year, and 700,00 new jobs were created in one year. This employment generation is undoubtedly long-lasting till there is the sun to shine and the wind to blow. 

  • Low fuel prices

Renewable natural resources offer clean and green energy as well as environment-friendly fuel. Renewable and green fuels like biogas, bioethanol, and biodiesel can be used to run vehicles without any harmful emissions of gasses or pollutants. These renewable fuels are made up of organic masses and vegetable oil, making them fully green and clean. The organic materials and applications required for extraction of these fuels are easily available at low cost; therefore, the fuel price for vehicles is low for fuel generated with renewable energy sources. 

  • Stable energy prices

The world normally experiences fluctuations in the prices of fossil fuel and energy which is generated by it. In the case of renewables prices and costs of energy and fuel are stable because there is a large amount of source available to regenerate that energy or fuel again. It is also assumed that energy prices of renewables lower in the future. So the stable prices of green and clean energy, make energy affordable and cheap for people. 

  • Increased investment opportunities

Outstanding growth and an increase in the use of renewable energy appliances and power plants might be profitable to investors who want to invest in clean energy. Studies have shown that investing in renewable energy can reduce volatility and increase returns in one’s portfolio. As increased demand and importance of green energy attract many leading investors to invest in it. However, solar industries are outreaching fossil fuels by creating abundant amounts of energy. This indicates that the future of energy and fuel is clean and renewable energy sources. 

Final Say

According to US research, by 2030, about 65% of total electric energy will be supplied by renewable energy sources. Therefore, switching to renewables ensures green energy and fuel supply to the world. So, these economic benefits stipulate that the future of renewable energy will be positive.

5 Reasons Why Hydrogen fuel Cars Failed

The world has recently been moving toward sustainable transportation and green energy use.  Vehicles backed by green energy contribute to sustainable transportation, minimization of greenhouse gas emissions, and give energy independence.  Thus, green energy transportation arises into two different paths in the form of EVs and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology. 

Electric vehicles run on lithium-ion batteries or fuel cell technology.  Fuel cell technology is considered the greenest technology used in producing electric or fuel engine-based vehicles.  Whereas Hydrogen cars use hydrogen fuel cell technology, an electrochemical process of hydrogen and oxygen to produce electric energy, and water as a by-product.  Fuel cell tech-based vehicles use hydrogen fuel to generate electricity which is utilized to run vehicles.  Though hydrogen is the most abundant element on the earth, it has to be extracted from other materials like water to use as a clean and green energy source.  Compared to other fuels Hydrogen fuel is much more expensive.  Hydrogen fuel technology requires more investment in time and money because precious and expensive metals like platinum, titanium, and iridium are required as a catalyst in the reaction.  So, the cost of raw materials used in this technology is not so affordable for companies to start a business and manufacture hydrogen cars.  Around 2010, hydrogen cars were introduced as an effective and efficient technology in the automobile industry, but the efficiency and energy conservation in hydrogen cars is low, which results in the decline of these vehicles from the sustainable transport market.  So, hydrogen cars were considered a revolutionary technology, but EV technology dominated them, which resulted in the failure of hydrogen cars.

Let’s check out some reasons behind the failure of hydrogen cars. 

  • Hydrogen cars are overly expensive

As any new technology comes up with high prices, hydrogen cars are also no exception to this.  Hydrogen-powered cars are expensive due to the use of precious metals like titanium and platinum, which increase their price compared to EV vehicles.  The storage, extraction, and transportation process required to make hydrogen fuel is more complex and costlier than fossil fuel.  In the USA, the starting price of a hydrogen car ranges between $49,000 to $56,000, which is far more expensive than the normal hybrid and EV vehicles.  Therefore, if we study economically, hydrogen car is not an investment option for many people yet. 

  • Low efficiency

The efficiency of any car can be determined by checking how much amount of energy is conserved during the process of hydrogen production.  EVs have nearly 85-90 % of efficiency, and hydrogen cars only have 25-30 % of efficiency.  Almost 45 percent of energy is lost to produce hydrogen during the electrolysis process in hydrogen cars which lowers their efficiency and energy conservation.  Electric vehicles require an optimum amount of energy to charge onboard batteries in them.  So, currently, electric cars are preferred over hydrogen cars all over the world.

  • Lack of proper infrastructure

Many countries have adopted a sustainable transportation system and EVs with charging grid infrastructure for EV owners.  But, there are no such infrastructural arrangements for hydrogen cars yet.  Aside from the lack of fuel stations, there is also the absence of good maintenance and repair because many mechanics are not yet amicable with hydrogen car repair.  Therefore, if anyone owns a hydrogen car and has a problem, then that person might not be able to fix it, easily! 

  • EV technology is improving

We have seen the increasing use of EVs by people in the last two years.  The global electronic and automobile market share has witnessed an enormous rise in the past few years, and the world expects that increasing use of EVs will bring a drastic change in the automobile industry.  As EVs are already reaching the peak in sustainable and green transportation, hydrogen cars are left behind in this advancement.  Affordable prices, available infrastructure, and improving technology convince people and consumers to buy EVs over hydrogen cars. 

  • Hydrogen cars are not eco-friendly

It is assumed that hydrogen cars and hydrogen fuel technology are green and efficient because the process of production of hydrogen fuel by electrolysis is completely environmentally friendly.  In the process of electrolysis, water and hydrogen are the by-products of this reaction which does not harm any natural factor.  For the production of cheap hydrogen fuel, fossil fuels like gasoline or diesel are used, which create emissions and combustion of harmful gasses.  So if hydrogen cars will be used in the future, due to advanced technology, then people will obviously use cheap hydrogen fuel over expensive ones.  So this is also one of the disadvantages of hydrogen cars and the reason behind their failure in the automobile market. 

The Bottom Line

These are some reasons behind the failure of hydrogen cars in the EV market.  Battery-based EVs are already capturing the worldwide market of the automobile industry, so there is limited scope for hydrogen cars in the present day.  Some researchers say that technology related to hydrogen cars is constantly improving, so there may be a chance to see hydrogen cars on the road if the technology and efficiency of these cars will improve in the future.

Why is Public Relations Important for Every Business?

Public Relations (PR) is one of the most essential marketing tools, if used wisely, it can defeat most challenges in the business. PR marketing assists businesses in enhancing their viability and future of business. Trustability and loyalty are the foundation stones of business. It only acquires when your business comes in contact with the public. The Trust of customers determines the success and achievements of a business, which Public Relations can earn. public relations importance business

According to research, most startups do not consider PR as an important marketing tool for business, & this is the main cause behind the failure of most startups. Effective relation with the community strengthens business and helps to become a leader in the industrial world. Every organization’s reputation completely depends upon its public image of it. Public relations continuously help you to strengthen your reputation and brand value in business. Relations with the media and advertisement industry reward you by generating magnificent opportunities. PR also gives you a chance to develop a long-lasting bond with your key audience, which takes your business to the next level. 

  • Help to maintain and manage reputation

Earning Trust and good reputation for a company is the important thing in building a business successfully. A trustworthy and good reputation is real recognition for any business. So, an effective Public Relation strategy helps businesses achieve targets and generate good business leads. Another important aspect of PR is crisis management in business.  If any abusive or false comment lower your product’s reputation and quality then relations with news media help you to regain trust and support of your customers, in this way PR help businesses in crisis management. 

  • PR promotes the brand value

Trust is the building block in growth of any business. Promotion of your brand through any reputed media can increase your company’s credibility. It communicates your message, product, and brand to the community in a strategic and direct way which helps your company to influence people and boost your business growth. Press releases, business stories on your website and social media platforms, or any other media help you to connect with your clients and customers often. Once your target audience starts hearing your product quality and success stories, many of them become your clients or customers. Thus, good public relations are the mirror of your business which reflects your continuous growth and success of your business. 

  • Help to amplify community relations

Public relations help to strengthen community relations. When you develop a good network in society, it will help you to join the local market and help you understand the demands of people and your target audience in the market. Being an active communicator and public member enhances the trustworthiness of your business. Good public relations means your attachments with important market leaders and leading influencers, which become outstanding ways to accumulate market specifications and actual need to connect new clients and customers for your business. 

  • PR improves SEO ranking and traffic

Marketing of business now entirely depends upon the online presence of your business. So, great public relations push people to visit your site and know your product or service, which ultimately helps you gain new customers. Effective public relations have another remarkable aspect called digital PR. Digital PR plays a significant role in constructing the online activity of any business. Digital public relation has another knock-on effect: it helps to amend SEO ranking and traffic, which increases your sales in the long run. This allows you to have global connections with people and expand your business. SEO performance relies on keywords and excellent content on a website that attracts users to your customer, but if PR and SEO go mutually, then it becomes the perfect way to level up your marketing strategies. 

  • PR help to increase sales and profits

Marketing and PR should always go hand in hand because, without PR, marketing is not possible. Efficient connections in the business & local community to catch potential customers to your business which naturally turned into lucrative sales & profits for your business. Bond with media and leading influencers to help you gain global reach, elevating your brand value and business credibility. Publishing press releases about your brand, service and business in the media can generate eminent opportunities to expose. PR helps business owners to augment a company’s authority and reputation by pulling the target audience to their services. 

PR Technologies that will help your business to bloom

  • News Media – If you are an entrepreneur or startup owner, publishing press releases or business stories with the help of News Media can give you bricks to support your business initially. Relations and associations with news media give long-term benefits and opportunities to your business. Press releases and magazine stories also assist your company and brand in reaching a local target audience. 


  • Broadcast – Broadcast PR is not different from any news media outreach. It is associated with video marketing with the support of advertising media. Television PR helps to visualize your product and service to your target audience and increase potential customers through it. Both radio and TV broadcasts enhance the stability of your business in the local community. 


  • Social Media and Podcasting – For the extensive promotion of your product or service, social media is the best platform for any business. All young and active audiences are on social platforms. If your content and PR are good, then you can experience outstanding exposure to opportunities. Close relations with journalists & influencers can help you to promote your interviews on podcasts which is one of the newly emerging marketing tools for many businesses in the world. public relations importance business

 

  • AI tools – Artificial intelligence captures each new field in the market. AI tools and technology assist PR marketing in the business significantly. AI tools in the form of software and apps help enterprises to correct online content and other things automatically. So, AI tools can impact corporate communications for companies, significantly transforming PR in the business.  public relations importance business

The Bottom Line

So, this is all about the relevance of public relations (PR) in business and its transformative impacts on business. A proper understanding of PR will make you distinctive from all your competitors & help you to bag your target audience. Community relations in the market & social media play an important role in PR. Public relations experts recommend that the effective use of technology in PR will raise your business to unrivaled heights.

Marc Starfield: Helping Global Organisations to Deliver Complex and Transformational Initiatives

Meet Marc Starfield, the Group Head of HR Systems and Programs, Vodafone Group, a multinational technology communications company responsible for digitally connecting over 34 million mobile, fixed line, TV customers and organizations of all shapes and sizes. Globally, Vodafone ranks among the top five internet providers. It is also one of the largest operators of submarine data cables.

Vodafone is the largest mobile and fixed network operator in Europe with the largest 5G network. The telecommunication company is also the world’s largest IoT connectivity provider, connecting over a hundred million devices annually.

Marc is an Information Technology, HR Transformation, and Global Program Leader, who has successfully led the strategy and transformation at several leading global organizations, including AstraZeneca, BP, and Barclays. Currently, as the Group Head of HR Systems and Programs of Vodafone, Marc has led the delivery of digital HR transformation for 100,000 employees in more than 26 markets.

The Steadfast Leader

An excellent opportunity to lead a multiyear digital HR transformation program, including innovative applications and a world-first solution to enable consumer-grade AI-powered cloud service for 100,000 employees in over 26 countries, led Marc to join Vodafone in 2018.

Armed with his objective of Employee Experience Excellence, Marc has the privilege of leading a global team implementing a new, simple, and integrated digital experience for the brand’s employees. This program covers the implementation of SuccessFactors functionality, process automation, AI capabilities, and introducing TOBi, Vodafone’s employee chatbot, also the single access point for all its employees to search, find, transact and resolve queries.

The Greatest Achievement

Marc feels his most significant professional achievement is implementing a future-proof, leading HR cloud architecture and technology stack, which is the foundation for a world first integrated AI solution for resourcing, skills, learning experience platform and a new HR organizational construct. However, he also realised that this was not about the technology’s sake; it was about supporting new ways of distributed working and enabling skills for the future, which directly contributes to Vodafone’s corporate vision to become a new generation connectivity digital service provider.

“Skills are the currency of the future, and AI in HR can enable unbiased and democratized opportunities for all, which will be the required response as individual values replace the collective’s for the future’s workforce.”

Marc deems his most significant personal achievement being accepted and completing an MSc at the University of Oxford, which foundations where built on three pillars; his Mom, who as a single parent to three children created the love and space for them to achieve their dreams, a munificent business man who provided a bursary for his first degree, as they could simply not afford or even get a loan to attend university and finally the unwavering faith and encouragement from his wife.

Presently Marc and his team are working to deliver an outstanding and engaging employee experience, which is based on the following foundational rudiments:

  • Standardise and Simplify: Entirely entrenched in a single, simplified global platform that fully integrates all HR functions, processes, and data, including API services.
  • Productivity Savings: Provided an engagement platform to drive large simplification and productivity savings via consumer-grade employee experiences.
  • Innovative Product Roadmap: Targeted innovation in critical areas of the HR processes, specifically Skills Mobility and Talent Marketplace.
  • AI for HR: Implemented and embedded AI for HR Automation, Digital Assistants, and Machine Learning.
  • Analytical Capabilities: To deliver multilateral insights and predictive analytics that syndicates multiple sources of data and ensure data driven decision making.
  • Agility: Establish an agile, demand, governance, and ethics model.

The tagline Marc uses for his team is “Align, Innovate and Value Create”, which is a simple summation of the digital strategy and approach employed by Marc.

Picture of the Future

Marc definitely connects with the Vodafone “Together we can” belief that is aptly summarized by this Vodafone quote, “At Vodafone, we are known for our technology, but the truth is, it is humanity that drives our business forward. With the global pandemic raising so many questions for tech brands, it has highlighted the leading role that we need to play.”

Marc personally connects too and is inspired to continue the transformation to build and implement the ‘Human Spirit of Technology, as an inclusive and growth environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.’

A central part of Vodafone’s strategy is to move from a Telco to Technology Communications Company. Along with technology, people and culture are key enablers in achieving this. Marc believes there are two decisive foundational elements to achieve this.

  • Attract and retain the best digital skills: Where the culture and HR journeys represent an environment where digital natives feel like they belong.
  • Grow Skills: The culture of continuous exponential learning and transparency with employees helps them feel empowered.
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