• GIVEN BELOW ARE THE CASESCHOTU KOOL AND THESOLAR KIOSK FROM INDIA AND ETHIOPIA WHICH EXPLAIN HOW INNOVATIONS DEVELOP PRODUCTS WHICH ARE SIMPLE BUT WITHIN THE RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS FOR WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN INNOVATED THEY ARE UNIQUE AND CAPABLE OF MAKING PEOPLE'S LIFE BETTER. THIS DOES NOT IMPLY THAT ALL INNOVATION IN THE ASIAN OR THE EMERGING ECONOMIES HAS TO BE BASIC AND ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF FUNCTIONALITY WITHIN RESOURCE CONSTRAINT. IT IMPLIES THAT THERE ARE MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO BE INNOVATIVE IN THESE TWO TYPES OF ECONOMIES. SUCH INNOVATIONS CAN PROVE TO BE BREAKTHROUGH WHEN THEIR USE TRANSCENDS THE ASSIGNED BOUNDARY AND IS MORE WIDELY ACCEPTED. IN THAT A SITUATION THEY POSE A CHALLENGE TO ESTABLISHED PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES.
• THE CHOTU KOOL REFRIGERATOR LAUNCHED BY GODREJ AND BOYCE(AN ORGANIZATION WHICH IS IN THE BUSINESS REAL ESTATE, FMCG, INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, APPLIANCES, FURNITURE, SECURITY AND AGRI -CARE) WEIGHS ABOUT 8 KILOGRAMS, IS PORTABLE AND IS PRICED AT 70$. THE CHALLENGE WAS TO DEVELOP A FRIDGE THAT DIDN'T USE THE ELECTRICITY, WAS PORTABLE AND AFFORDABLE FOR THE 71 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS WHO EARN 5 $ A DAY. THE FRIDGE WOULD BE USED TO COOL 5 TO 6 BOTTLES OF WATER AND STOCK 3 TO 4 KILOGRAMS (6 TO 8 POUNDS) OF VEGETABLES. AVAILABILITY OF COOLING DEVICE WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO KEEP MEDICINES ALSO UNDER AMBIENT CONDITIONS.
• THE FRIDGE USES THE SAME PRINCIPLE FOR POWER AS DO THE LAPTOPS. THE POWER SOURCE IS A SMALL FAN AND A CHIP. ITS ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION IS HALF THAT OF AN ORDINARY FRIDGE. IT STAYS COOL USING HIGH END INSULATION. THE POWER SOURCE COULDN'T BE ELECTRICITY AS POWER SUPPLY IS ERRATIC AND OF POOR QUALITY, CONSEQUENTLY EVEN IN THE HIGHER INCOME VILLAGE HOUSEHOLDS' FRIDGE ISN'T A DEVICE WHICH IS COMMON. IN THE ABSENCE OF POWER THE RECOURSE IS THE DIESEL GENERATOR WHICH IS AN EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION TO BUY AND MAINTAIN. THE FRIDGE WAS DEVELOPED IN CONSULTATION WITH THE VILLAGE WOMEN SO AS TO ACCOMMODATE THEIR REQUIREMENTS AND ALSO BUILD FAMILIARITY AND ACCEPTANCE.
• FRIDGE SIMILAR TO CHOTU KOOL IS USED BY THE AFFLUENT SEGMENTS IN THE WEST FOR WEEKEND BARBEQUE TO KEEP BEER CHILLED. THIS INNOVATION IS NOT A STRIPPED DOWN VERSION OF A SUPERIOR PRODUCT BUT DEVELOPED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A POPULATION THAT IS SOCIALLY CULTURALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DIFFERENT. IF CHOTU KOOL IS SUCCESSFUL IN THE RURAL MARKET IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SAME FINDS A PLACE IN THE URBAN HOUSEHOLDS FOR ITS COMPACT SIZE AFFORDABILITY AND EASE OF USE?
• INNOVATION IS THE EMERGING ECONOMIES HAVE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF NON AVAILABILITY OF BASIC RESOURCES THAT ARE TAKEN FOR GRANTED IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD ONE SUCH INNOVATION IS THE SOLAR KIOSK LAUNCHED IN THE AFRICAN NATION OF ETHIOPIA ON 15^TH JULY 2012. THE SOLAR KIOSK OFFERS CLEAN NON POLLUTING POWER TO THOSE PEOPLE WHOSE ONLY OTHER SOURCE OF POWER IS THE KEROSENE OR THE DIESEL FUEL WHICH IS UNHEALTHY AND HEAVILY POLLUTING. THE POWER AVAILABILITY IS POOR ERRATIC, DEPRIVES PEOPLE OF ILLUMINATION AND EVEN A SAFE WAY TO STORE EMERGENCY MEDICINES. EQUIPPED WITH ROOFTOP PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS, THE ENERGY HUB WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH POWER FOR SOLAR LIGHTING, MOBILE PHONES, CAR BATTERIES, A COMPUTER AND EVEN A SOLAR FRIDGE.
• FURTHERMORE, LOCAL RESIDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO PURCHASE SOLAR LANTERNS, MOBILE PHONES, RE-CHARGE CARDS AND REFRESHMENTS THAT ONE TYPICALLY FINDS IN A KIOSK. SINCE THE KIOSK IS MOST LIKELY TO HOUSE THE ONLY REFRIGERATOR IN THE COMMUNITY, IT CAN ALSO BE USED TO STORE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY SUPPLIES AND MEDICINES. THE SOLAR KIOSK IS THE INNOVATION OF THE GERMAN FIRM GRAFT ARCHITECTS. ITS IDEA IS TO PROVIDE AN AUTONOMOUS UNIT THAT SELLS ENERGY TOOLS AND PRODUCTS. WITH APPROXIMATELY 1.5 BILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE WHO REMAIN WITHOUT ACCESS TO A STABLE SOURCE OF LIGHT, THE SOLAR KIOSK IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE A SAFE AND AFFORDABLE SOLUTION FOR INHABITANTS IN OFF-THE-GRID AREAS.
• AS A LOCAL BUSINESS, THE SOLAR KIOSK WILL PROVIDE TRAINING AND SECURE JOBS TO SEVERAL PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY. THIS WILL INCLUDE TRAINING THAT WILL EDUCATE KIOSK OPERATORS ON HOW SOLAR PRODUCTS WORK, HOW TO MAINTAIN THEM, AND THE EVERYDAY WORKINGS OF A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS.
• THE SOLAR KIOSK CONCEPT IS DESIGNED AS A LIGHT-WEIGHT STRUCTURE THAT IS DELIVERED IN A KIT OF PARTS. THE KIOSK CAN BE ASSEMBLED ON SITE USING LOCAL MATERIALS AND IN EXTREME CASES CAN EVEN BE TRANSPORTED ON THE BACK OF A DONKEY.
• THE BASIC MODEL CAN BE MODIFIED TO CREATE A LARGER STRUCTURE OR A SERIES OF SMALL KIOSKS, WHILE THE LARGEST SOLAR KIOSK PROTOTYPE CAN GENERATE ENOUGH POWER TO RUN A TELECOM TOWER.
• FROM THESE EXAMPLES IT IS CLEAR THAT INNOVATION IS NOT ALWAYS HI TECH AND THAT INNOVATION CAN HAPPEN ON ITS OWN INITIATIVE AS IT DID IN THE CASE OF CHOTU KOOL OR WITH ASSISTANCE, THE MAIN IDEA IS THE BENEFITS OF THE INNOVATIONS SHOULD BE CLEARLY SPELLED OUT AND THE COMMERCIAL VIABILITY MUST BE BUILT IN.
• IN THE ASIAN REGION THE INNOVATION ARE BEING DRIVEN BY MULTINATIONALS AS WELL AS LARGE ASIAN CONGLOMERATES SUCH AS SAMSUNG AND SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS. MULTINATIONALS IN ASIA REALISE THAT THE ASIAN MARKET NEEDS PRODUCT AND PROCESS INNOVATIONS SUITED TO THE NEEDS AND PECULIARITIES OF THE REGION. GE HAS STEP UP ITS RESEARCH FACILITY IN BANGALORE, INDIA. INNOVATIONS ARE NOT CONFINED TO LOW TECHNOLOGY AREAS BUT ARE TAKING PLACE ACROSS INDUSTRIES RANGING FROM GREEN AUTOMOBILES (NISSAN'S LEAF CAR) TO SOLAR PANELS AND ELECTRICITY.

IN ASIA INNOVATIONS IN SERVICE DELIVERY ARE ALSO TAKING PLACE IN HEALTH CARE EDUCATION, USE OF E PLATFORMS. PERHAPS THE LARGE POPULATION, HETEROGENOUS GEOGRAPHY MULTIPLE POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES ALL CREATE CAULDRON OF INTERESTING FLAVOURS IN WHICH INNOVATION IS ONLY LIMITED BY IMAGINATION.

Question

• IN YOUR COUNTRY TOO THERE WOULD BE INNOVATION SIMILAR TO CHOTU KOOL DEVELOP A CASE ON ONE SIMILAR INNOVATION INDICATING THE NEED THE INNOVATIVE FEATURES AND POSSIBILITY OF ITS LARGE SCALE ACCEPTANCE