Germany Has Built Clean Energy Economy U.S. Rejected in 80s

The Fukushima nuclear disaster, following the earthquake and tsunami on March, 2011, in Japan warned the whole word the danger of nuclear energy. Many governments reacted by seeking for a cleaner and more sustained energy sources. German is one of the pioneers in the new trend by using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and tide, etc. and gradually stops ultilizing fossil fuels and nuclear power. They planed that renewable power will account for 80 percent of the amount of energy usage in German in 2050. This plan is fully supported by citizens because about 80 percent of Germans are now against nuclear power.

However, this shift in energy did not go smoothly in the U.S. since the economy has led by giant oil and coal multinational companies although the U.S. was the leader in research and production of renewable energy 30 years ago. One of the government's big achievements is substituting coal for natural gas, which leads to release less pollutants such as noxious smoke, fumes and fine particles into the atmosphere. Recently, there are some positive signals. For example, on May, 2012 President Obama went to Iowa to promote clean and renewable energy technologies and planned for a bigger tax credits to encourage investments from American companies. One month later, Former President Bill Clinton attended energy summit in Las Vegas to push clean energy legislation and jobs.

In Texas, Mayor Parker announced a project of development friendly and energy-efficient homes. These houses will be powered by 100 percent natural gas. She promised that home¬owners won’t pay utility bills for at least a decade and they even can sell excess electricity to other energy companies. Of course, the price of these special houses is not cheap, range from $200,000 to $225,000. This is a lot higher than the average home value in this area, usually only about $60,000. But the good news is that homeowners can enjoy discounts on property insurance and tax.

Since many national governments have reinforced regulations and laws to cut the pollution from manufacturing and daily activities. It is necessary and important for firms to change their energy utility system. It is not about saving and using energy economically but looks for a new and cleaner source to meet these requirements. The cost to upgrade the plants, and educate employees surely will be very expensive and can put many companies under financial pressure and difficulties. Firms need to plan, research and evaluate energy reform thoroughly to have a better chance of success. These changes are not only corporate social responsibility but also a potential opportunity to produce efficiently and effectively .

References

Davidson, Osha G. (2012). Germany Has Built Clean Energy Economy U.S. Rejected in 80s. Bloomberg. [Available at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-13/germany-has-built-clean-energy-economy-u-s-rejected-in-80s.html]

Kever, Jeannie. (2012). High-tech, energy-efficient homes will be in historic neighborhoods. Fuelfix. [Available at http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/11/30/high-tech-energy-efficient-homes-will-be-in-historic-neighborhoods/]

Obama to push clean energy technologies in Iowa. (2012). Businessweek. [Available at http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05-22/obama-to-push-clean-energy-technologies-in-iowa.] 

DIGITAL, especially ONLINE ADVERTISING's FUTURE

"Today's advertisers don't have to worry about campaigns running amok like this elephant in 1932 - but they do need to chase digital engagement" ("Going digital: the future of advertising" by Andy Hart, BBC News Business April 19th, 2012). Today, thanks to the technological development, digital users or customers can experience new products via many digital channels such as internet or other web-browsers on computer or smartphones. And, online advertising is one of trend for digital advertisers or planners. As in the article "'Like' it or not, online ads are getting personal" of Adam Ostrow on the CNN Tech site, "Is the future of online advertising one of incredibly targeted advertising based on your interests, online activities and Facebook "likes," or is it one dictated by robust privacy controls that keep those details out of the hands of marketers?" In this article, it mentions that marketing planners or advertisers can get perspective customers by collecting internet users through cookies or web-browsers history. For example, Facebook apps called Sponsored Stories this is one type of advertisement when a user interacts with a brand on Facebook, his friends can do the same thing. A reference from a global study "Context matters" (2010) is that the morning is the time for social network activities and the evening is the time for entertainments on the internet, and users tend to open ads when they are surfing or searching information on the internet. It opens the new idea about exploring advertising that can get the attention of brands from internet users, especially in the current situation of "Do not track" consideration. 

"One thing we know for sure is that offline principles still apply online: never lose sight of your audience, simplicity wins and creativity rules" and "Advertisers can't rely on users to just watch them anymore", it is about the creative idea being the star rather than the technology.  (Andy Hart, Microsoft). Continually this thought, "brands need to rethink their online advertising", why? As in an aforementioned survey, from the results of about 65% of the responders say that they are not very likely to view an online advertising. About the sex configuration, this number is about 70%. For the social network ads such as on Facebook, this woman responders number is about 60%. A comment from this article says that it is because of the irrelevant of the ads. 

There are some suggestions of the author that I also think that they probably useful for brand managers or brand marketers are as followed. First, testing online advertising. Then, customizing the ads to relevant customers. Online advertising will be more "personalised, contextual, relevant and useful".

 However, how to reach the right person and show him the right thing he wants to know is not an easy question to answer. 

References: 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/01/28/personal.advertising/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2012/09/25/why-brands-need-to-rethink-their-online-advertising-strategy/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17764117

LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS A SOURCE OF NORTH AMERICAN DOMINANCE FOR COMING YEARS

LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS A SOURCE OF NORTH AMERICAN DOMINANCE FOR COMING YEARS

Five years ago, the United States and Canada were not relevant powers in the world market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and exportation.  When advanced drilling technologies allowed to access to huge gas sources that had been previously unavailable because they were located in shale, the global power in liquefied natural gas production and export shifted radically.  Production facilities are now being planned throughout the United States and Canada to meet global demand for natural gas in the coming years.

Locally, Texas and Louisiana stand ready to capitalize on the recent glut of gas production.  Liquefaction plants along the Gulf Coast of these states already exist, and plants originally built to receive natural gas tanker shipments are being refitted to produce LNG.  Additionally, several LNG projects are planned along the Texas and Louisiana coasts and awaiting Department of Energy approval to begin construction.  One of the largest is the South Texas LNG Export Project.  Located in Ingleside near Corpus Christi, this facility hopes to by functional by 2018 and capable of exporting 8 million metric tons of LNG each year.

The development of LNG facilities is only a portion of the coming benefit of these recent discoveries in shale.  Over more than twenty years, a complex global transport network was built to reduce the cost of international oil transport.  That same level of infrastructure development will be needed to produce distribution economies for LNG.  The U.S. and Canada currently have facilities planned to produce and liquefy the largest amount of LNG in the world.

Countries like Japan, the largest importer of LNG, which gets its product from more than fifteen countries, and China, the fastest growing consumer of fossil fuels, are sure to provide immense demand on the global supply of LNG in the coming decades. 

For managers of gas drilling firms, LNG facilities, commercial construction companies, ship builders and shipping companies the opportunities in the coming years to prosper from exporting LNG are enormous.  Forward looking firms will need to prepare for increased governmental regulation with the current administration, but proper planning will ensure they are players in a lucrative LNG economy for many years.

Simpson, Scott. "Ramped-up Global LNG Market Confronts Possible Local Producers: Waning B.C. liquefied natural gas royalties would get boost from export boom." Vancouver Sun 01 Dec. 2012, weekend n. pag. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Ramped global market confronts possible local producers/7638824/story.html>.

Dlouhy, Jennifer. "LNG export plant sought in Corpus Christi area." Houston Chronicle 30 Nov. 2012, D3. Print.

"LNG: A Liquid Market." Economist. 14 2012: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.economist.com/node/21558456>.