The Knowledge to Decide

The FIFA World Cup 2018 is widely seen as one of the best World Cups in recent memory, with many surprises and goals aplenty. One talking point was the role of teamwork as opposed to just superstar talent. What lessons can businesses learn from the beautiful game? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 23 July 2018. As World Cup fever draws to an end, the game lived up to its hype with breath-taking goals and outstanding performances. Perera highlighted the role of 'team effort' over mere individual talent, which was evident in the early failure of teams with world-class superstars like Argentina and Portugal. Perera also pointed out the importance of investing in new talent pipeline development, which paid rich dividends for France, the winning team and also one of the youngest teams in the World Cup. The game also highlighted the role of risk-taking. A relentless approach t

Microsoft has signed its first solar power agreement with Atria Power in India to purchase 3 megawatts (MW) of solar-powered electricity at its new office in Bangalore, India. This ensures that 80% of the building’s projected electricity requirement is met by supporting the local clean energy industry. Encouraging initiatives like this will help India fulfil its Paris Agreement obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The deal comes a week after the announcement of another deal in Singapore for a 60 MW solar project. Has Asia’s renewable energy sector hit a tipping point? For further information, click here.

As Sri Lanka experiences demographic shifts – by 2021, 16.7% of the population could be aged 60 or above – the life insurance market is booming. The nation’s average economic growth stands at a brisk 6.2% since the end of the bitter civil war in 2009, with services and manufacturing leading the way. As Sri Lankans live longer, demand is surging for insurance products such as endowment and pension policies, with retirement planning taking a front seat. Will insurance continue to be one of Sri Lanka’s sunrise industries? For further information, click here.

The historical and unprecedented meeting between the two leaders of Korea is a monumental development. Can both leaders use this opportunity to enhance geopolitical stability and open up new economic development possibilities? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 7 May 2018. Marking a remarkable change, the unprecedented meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas underlines the possibility of a peace treaty and denuclearization agreement. However, Perera expressed scepticism about North Korea’s commitment to completely renounce nuclear strike capability against Japan and South Korea, since this is the only factor ensuring regime survival. World leaders need to take this chance to limit the North’s nuclear capability while accepting that it may never be completely voided, bring the North into the global framework and work towards economic development on the Korean peninsula. For furt

Spire Research and Consulting was invited to present DiverseCity KL International Arts Festival’s (KLIAF) 2017 impact report at the ‘Meet The Beneficiaries’ event organized by Yayasan myNADI with Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Abdul Razak as the guest of honour. Yap Far Loon, Business Development Director and lead consultant at Spire Research and Consulting, presented an impact report on KLIAF 2017. The report assessed the impact on audiences, including special needs children in Kuala Lumpur (KL). The Spire study provided independent validation of the economic and social impact generated by the KLIAF. The Spire report also outlined capacity-building recommendations for the development of the KLIAF ecosystem. Yap expressed his gratitude during the ‘Meet The Beneficiaries’ event to both Nottingham University and Datin Sunita Rajkumar, the festival director of KLIAF, who handed a copy of KLIAF’s Post Event report to the Malaysian Prime Minister. The K

The recent US trade tariff announcement will impact Chinese imports worth USD60 billion. Will China’s reaction and the prospect of continuing tit-for-tat tariff hikes cause more panic across global markets? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in China Daily – Asia Weekly. As the US Treasury explores restrictions on Chinese investment in the country, the value of stocks plunged across Asian markets. Industries that might come under more scrutiny for possible higher trade tariffs include maritime equipment, new materials, automated machine robotics and tools along with new advanced information technology and high-tech shipping to name a few. Voicing concern, Perera pointed out that China’s focus will still be on minimizing an escalation of mutual tariff hikes. China has hugely benefitted from global trade and FDI flows. However, China is clearly prepared to pursue retaliatory tariffs of its own for strategic reasons – it has announced tariff h

Spire discusses e-commerce strategies suited to the Indonesia market Spire was honoured to participate at the GATES Indonesia ICT Reseller Channel Summit 2018. The Summit was held on 1-3 May, 2018 in Bali. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group and Indah Muliana, Senior Manager, shared insights on the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry in Indonesia, focusing on market trends and challenges. Bahar and Muliana discussed the growth of the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) market, its rapid expansion and the challenges faced by e-commerce businesses in Indonesia. Due to the rise in internet penetration with more online transactions, Indonesia’s ICT spending is expected to reach USD28.4 billion by 2020 whereas end-user device spending is set to increase 18% by 2020. As Indonesia’s internet user population reaches 143.26 million in 2017, 90% are using smartphones and close to 65% peop

When the African Union (AU) launched the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) in January this year, it finally opened up Africa’s skies. 23 signatories on board, though another 32 AU members are yet to sign on. SAATM’s launch is a part of AU’s Africa 2063 project, which is a commitment to intra-continent development. If a common regulatory framework is put into place, this could benefit intra-continental travelers immensely, thus boosting commerce and tourism flows among African countries. Will Africa become the world’s next big aviation market? For more information, click here . 

Amazon is eyeing the healthcare sector. It has rolled out a line of private label, over-the-counter medicines along with medical supplies for hospitals, doctors and dentists. Whether it is selling prescription or generic drugs, Amazon seems poised to disrupt the healthcare industry. However, Amazon faces its own share of hurdles. It will need licenses from each state to be able to sell medical supplies.  Medical practitioners may prefer to stay loyal existing sales channels. Waiting 24 to 48 hours for a pain or cold medicine means that customers may still run to the nearest pharmacy. Will Amazon disrupt the healthcare industry? For more information, click here.

India overtook Japan in 2017 as the third largest manufacturer of compact SUVs. Big players such as Renault, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ford Motor, Hyundai Motor, Maruti Suzuki and other SUV manufacturers sold 457,698 compact SUVs in 2017 – over four times the unit sales in 2015, at 107,634. While 2016 saw shrinking sales for this vehicle category in China and the USA, sales in India grew nearly 50% from 307,365 units in 2016. Will India overtake China as the world’s largest compact SUV market? For more information, click here.

A USD15 billion deal has been announced between Israel and Egypt to export natural gas. Israel’s Delek Group has signed an agreement to supply 64 billion cubic meters of gas in a span of ten years to Egypt’s Dolphinus Holdings. The deal is considered a milestone ever since the 1979 peace accord, bringing Egypt a step closer to becoming a regional energy hub. However, the transportation of natural gas from Israel to Egypt is a challenge given the security risks. Will the Egypt-Israel gas export deal usher in a relationship of bonhomie and economic co-operation? For more information, click here .