Articles

March, 2011

 As is the case with other organisations in Jamaica, most if not all the earlier lighting, security, air conditioning, computer, and telecommunication facilities on the Mona Campus of the UWI were  not designed with energy efficiency as a major consideration. So the way forward in energy conservation and efficiency must include investment in energy efficient equipment and facilities.

March, 2011

Countries can affect their international performance based on the resources that are committed to elite sports along with specialization in the sports in which they are more competitive. But, how should resources be allocated between elite sports and sports at the national level? These decisions go beyond economics and competitiveness issues and involve broader national priorities.

 

March, 2011

 As the fiftieth anniversary of Jamaican independence approaches, it’s worth reflecting on how aspects of our cultural life, and their intense interaction with our politics, profoundly shaped our development and progress as a people.

March, 2011

 For Jamaica to achieve developed status by 2030 the country must embrace an ICTbased strategy for national development requiring the infusion of ICT in all sectors of the economy. Based on successful ICT application elsewhere this will involve converting ICT infrastructure into knowledge-based applications that enable national strategies and targets needed to accomplish development objectives.


March, 2011

 Jamaica’s highly competitive mobile phone industry plus steady growth in financial services and remittances in recent years set the stage for integration and widespread use of mobile financial services. Significant advantages include reduction in transaction costs, greater efficiency and reduced costs toconsumers. Stakeholders must address several important considerations such as regulatory regime, technical options and commercial arrangements.

March, 2011

Stephen Meghoo is a great believer in the idea that preparation is the master key to unlocking the door to success. “The more prepared you are, the luckier you get.” His life proves the point...

June, 2010

The Jamaican Economy in a dollarised situation, using the US Dollar as the anchor currency, would adopt conditions conducive to economic stability and growth. However, fundamental change in the current arrangement may be premature at this stage.

June, 2010

Any consideration of a return to a peg by Jamaica is not an exercise in textbook abstraction nor can it be the result of a simple comparison of Jamaica and Barbados in 2010. A fuller historical comparative analysis will conclude that stronger macroeconomic results in Barbados are due to greater sustained commitment to fiscal prudence that also guaranteed the preservation of peg and parity.

June, 2010

There is now worldwide recognition of the importance of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector as a principal contributor to the economic well-being of most nations. SMEs are often both the product and the producers of entrepreneurial creativity and, in most countries, have become progressively important pillars of economic stability. Their actual and potential contributions to innovation, economic growth, employment, and the diversification of productive endeavours are well documented. 

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June, 2010

What we are witnessing in Jamaica today is really a ‘recession within a recession.’ In the past decade Jamaica has only been able to muster a paltry 1.4 % average annual economic growth due largely to a weak macroeconomic multiplier and high levels of import in relation to GDP. Achieving higher growth rates with stability will require transforming the pool of unemployed into a productive force with an export focus; embracing innovation, quality and productivity; a renaissance of the ideas of Lewis and proponents of Plantation Economy theory; and the exploration of new ideas.

June, 2010

With the global tourist industry now emerging from one of its toughest periods in recent decades the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is forecasting a 3-4% increase in international arrivals in 2010 and a 2-4% rise in the Americas region. Assuming the forecast holds and the Jamaican industry maintains the resilience shown in the past two years the industry is likely to achieve stronger visitor arrivals this year, putting it in a position to stimulate economic activity locally

June, 2010

With the world economy showing signs of recovery in the first quarter of 2010 there are indications that the global aluminium industry is beginning to rebound. However, recovery of the Jamaican industry will lag behind world trends as the alumina plants are high-cost by global standards and so are not likely to come on stream until the global economic recovery strengthens. Hence,turnaround in the medium to long-term will depend substantially on the industry switching from oil to cheaper energy sources like coal or liquid natural gas (LNG) while achieving other operational efficiencies.

June, 2010

Perhaps the most critical change needed is the acceptance by tertiary education institutions of the necessity to achieve their goals of instruction, research and public service through mobilizing a larger proportion of their own resources and using the existing resources more efficiently.

June, 2010

The Jamaican economy remained in the grips of recession at the start of 2010 and, even with a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund the return to a growth path will be slow and uncertain. In this inaugural issue, MSB Business Review looks at some of the strategies and the economic sectors that are likely to lead the way.

June, 2010

Failed attempts at business turnaround have destroyed countless jobs and depleted substantial organizational resources in Jamaica.  Drawing from international experience and case studies of Courts Jamaica Limited and Desnoes & Geddes Limited we can identify strategies to rescue a business from losses and insolvency.