Jul/Sept 2018 Articles


 Exploring the use of humanoid robots in financial services and the retail sectors in the Caribbean workplace. 


The automation of primary industries, such as agriculture, happened over many generations; the automation of secondary industry happened within one or two generations, and neither process is yet complete. However, the next wave of automation could replace most existing jobs within just one or two decades. 


Underpinning any discussion on digital technology and transformation is the focus that must be given to digital literacy especially for leaders of organisations, some of whom are not millennials and hence may not easily relate to digital technology.


Public sector workers are likely to face "further postponement of their living standard dividends" while they are expected to show enthusiasm for overall fiscal reforms.


 Automation, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, generally can bring a lot of productivity growth and performance gains to Jamaica's economy. In the global context, when you look at the advantages to the first movers - the Apples , the Googles, the Amazons, the Facebooks etc. - you see that the Jamaican companies that are the leaders in our space, get tremendous advantages competitively if they become first movers in the digital space. 


 Vision 2030 Jamaica can be achieved if both the private and public sectors embrace digital transformation in meaningful ways.


 So Jamaica has to figure out how it will deliver its services in a seamless way. And that's what business executives here will have to do, especially those of you who are in the service industries. 


 Joseph Schumpeter’s description of the capitalist process of innovation and renewal as “creative destruction” has become an interesting catchphrase for the incredible information and communications technologies innovations that have transformed and are revolutionizing organisations which have engaged digital technologies and talent across the business to drive new and value-engendering business models in order to renovate and invigorate their business processes


Executive Insights

October 9, 2018

Several conversations surrounding different aspects of climate change have been top of the news over the last week. These include: changing hurricane patterns; sea temperatures warming; overall global warming; earthquakes and powerful tsunamis; polar melts; coral reef destruction; dangers of extinction of certain species that are important to agriculture, among others.

June 12, 2018

In just one week and two airplane rides, the media, the speculators, the “expert” analysts, and the political spin doctors are up at full speed. Contradictions of opinions, historical precedencies, former diplomatic maneuvers, and fairly obscure academics are having their one minute soundbites that will give rise to yet another book.

June 8, 2018

Barbados has a historical reputation (similar to Jamaica) of punching above its fighting weight. Who can forget the famous telegram supporting Britain in the Second World War: “Go ahead, Barbados is behind you”, this as Britain declared war on Germany and Hitler’s 3rd Reich. It was more than a statement; it was an AUDACIOUS statement from “Bimshire”

Letters to the Editor

MSBM Review invites your views on any issue of interest to you. Submissions must include your name and email address and should be kept to 300 words or less. We may use letters in either the Print or Web edition of the Magazine.

Blogs

September 30, 2016

Of the five priority Action Areas emerging from the deliberations at the successful IODC 2015 in Ottawa, Canada (i.e., The Charter, Standards, Capacity Building, Measurement, Innovation), the latter—Innovation, otherwise described as the “Problem-Solving” Action Track — is perhaps, the most eclectic and least structured of the areas.

September 15, 2015

No matter what source you subscribe to, the numbers are staggering, when one considers the potential economic value of open data. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates approximately US$3 trillion value potential across 7 domains. The Warsar Institute for Economic Studies projects a contribution of €205 billion annually to the European Union. An Omidyar Network study suggests open data impact for the G20 countries could be US$2.6 trillion per annum or 1.1% of GDP. What does this mean for small developing countries like Jamaica?..

March 10, 2014

The expression "Innovation at the periphery", has become more popular in the last few years and perhaps even over-used in several contexts. It describes technological innovations in seemingly remote geographical regions. It promotes the "skunkworks" innovation that takes place within an enterprise, but outside of mainstream R&D centres. It highlights indigenous frugal innovations that emerge out of developing country contexts, whose global adoption reverse the accepted convention of North-South technology transfer.