Category: Strategy

Lessons Learned from the American Airlines merger

Posted on May 7, 2014 in Industries, Strategy, Tactical

Go Lean Commentary – Lessons on Delivery Arts & Sciences

Lessons Learned 1Tourism is the number one economic driver in the Caribbean region. But the eco-system has cracks …

More and more tourists are travelling to the Caribbean…by cruise ships. Less and less are travelling to the region by airplane. Therefore no air-flights, no hotels, no restaurants, no taxi cabs, no job multipliers, and no full economic “chain-link”.

The 2008 financial crisis placed a heavy strain on the US’s largest carrier: American Airlines. On July 2, 2008, American announced furloughs of up to 950 flight attendants, in addition to the furlough of 20 MD-80 aircraft. American’s hub at Luiz Muñoz Marin Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico (PR) was truncated from 38 to 18 daily inbound flights. The holding company, AMR Corporation, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 29, 2011, and the airline made cuts in July 2012 due to the grounding of several aircraft associated with its bankruptcy and lack of pilots due to retirements. American Eagle, the regional carrier, (the Caribbean’s largest), was to retire 35 to 40 regional jets as well as its entire Saab turboprop fleet. [b] American Eagle PR ceased operation in March 2013. This status created dysfunction for the entire Eastern Caribbean region.

This dysfunction has created the urgency for permanent change. This is a prime directive of the book Go Lean … Caribbean, to optimize the region’s economic engines, including enhancements for Caribbean tourism, cruise and “long stay” visitors.

The delivery story continues…

By summer 2012, American Airlines considered merging with another airline as part of a restructuring plan.

On February 14, 2013, AMR Corporation and US Airways Group officially announced that the two companies would merge to form the largest airline (and airline holding company) in the world, with bondholders of American Airlines parent AMR owning 72% of the new company and US Airways shareholders owning the remaining 28%. The combined airline would carry the American Airlines name and branding, while US Airways’ management team, including CEO Doug Parker, would retain most operational management positions, and the headquarters would be consolidated at American’s current headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The merger would create the world’s largest airline, which, along with United and Delta Air Lines, would control three-quarters of the US market. US Federal Bankruptcy judge Sean Lane approved the merger in March 2013.

The United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in August 2013 seeking to block the merger, arguing that it would mean less competition and higher prices. On November 12, the airlines reached a settlement (eliminating certain routes and hubs) with the US Justice Department to settle the lawsuit and allow the merger to be finalized. Thus restoring the public “trusts”.

AMR and US Airways Group completed the merger on December 9, 2013, with the new holding company American Airlines Group, Inc. being listed on NASDAQ that day. [b]

In a January 2014 letter [a] to frequent flyers of both airlines, it was announced: “It’s an exciting time at American Airlines, and we’re kicking off the new year with you — our most loyal customers in mind. For now, we’ll continue to maintain our separate loyalty programs — Dividend Miles and AAdvantage® — with rules and benefits of each program still applying, but rest assured your mileage balance and elite status are safe, secure and will continue to be honored”.

There remains a lot of work to do as both airlines are combined, and since the close of the merger, the two airlines have been working to deliver the first phases of enhanced benefits to their customers … and communities. Here are some highlights:

1. Pick “low-hanging fruit”

Lessons Learned 2Earning and redeeming miles – Members can now earn and redeem Dividend Miles (US Airways) when flying on American or US Airways with their Dividend Miles number. All miles and segments earned when flying on either airline will count toward elite status qualification in the program of your choice.

Elite benefits – Elite members of each airline can now enjoy select reciprocal benefits when flying on either airline, including First and Business Class check-in, complimentary checked bags, priority security and boarding, and many more.

More lounge access – In addition to the US Airways Clubs, club members can now access 35 Admirals Club® locations in major airports worldwide.

2. Intermediate goals and plans

On March 30, US Airways exited the competing Star Alliance. The initiation with the oneworld® alliance started on March 31, giving customers opportunities to access the widest array of destinations around the globe. More and more benefits will emerge as the merger (and the oneworld alliance) consummates. Coming soon, customers will enjoy access to an enhanced network through the American/US Airways code-share, allowing for the seamlessly booking of travel on either airline.

3. Long-term objectives

The actual integration of the airlines under a single air operator’s certificate will not be completed until a much later date. The combined airline will carry the American Airlines name and branding, and will maintain the existing US Airways hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington DC for a period of at least five years under the terms of a settlement with the US Department of Justice.

4. End Game

The resultant single-branded airline will operate an extensive international and domestic network, with scheduled flights throughout North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Asia. Its route network will center around the five American “cornerstone” hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago; plus some US Airways hubs.

oneworld Alliance

What exactly is an airline alliance? It’s an agreement among multiple airlines to streamline, make customers travel experience more seamless. The oneworld alliance is particularly good at this. So much so that it’s been named the Best Airline Alliance by Global Traveler magazine’s 2013 Reader Survey for the fourth year in a row. A passenger can be checked (boarding passes and luggage) right through to the final destination when traveling on oneworld carriers. Other benefits include airport lounge access, priority check-in and priority boarding, and of course, a large number of destination choices.

The new alliance means more ways to get to top destinations. Here are the summary options…by the numbers:

981 destinations served
151 countries
14,244 daily departures
3,283 aircrafts in the fleet
474,825 million passengers flown annually

The oneworld Alliance Member Airlines:

Airline Base Country / Region
Airberlin Germany – Central Europe
American Airlines USA – North America
British Airways United Kingdom, Western Europe
Cathay Pacific Airways Hong Kong (China), Far East Asia
Finnair Finland – North Europe
Iberia Spain / Portugal – Southern Europe
Japan Airlines Japan – Far East Asia
LAN Airlines Chile/Peru – South America
Malaysia Airlines Malaysia – Southeast Asia
Qantas Australia – Austra-Asia
Qatar Airways Middle East
Royal Jordanian Middle East
S7 Airlines Russia – Siberia
TAM Airlines Brazil – South America
US Airways USA – North America

Go Lean Commentary … cont’d

Considering one specific country, there is now something wrong in Barbados. [d] In July 2013, Barbados recorded the lowest number of long stay visitors (47,953) during the same period for 13 consecutive years. This is thusly expected to affect the traffic for the annual festival of Crop Over (a traditional harvest celebration connected with Barbados sugar cane plantation culture) [e] for 2014. Long stay visitors usually travel by airplane. This is the issue; there is a supply problem with air travel in the Eastern Caribbean and there is a demand problem. The end result: airline dysfunction and higher prices.

The issue of declining tourism spending is tied to dysfunction in the airline industry. Has the Crop Over event become less attractive or is the blame on the higher airfares that has resulted due to the airline (American Airlines) dysfunction? The analytical conclusion is the problem is with the airline industry.

The 2008 Financial Crisis continues to wreak havoc on the economy of the Caribbean. This is a consistent theme in the book Go Lean … Caribbean; it serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), an alliance of 30 Caribbean member-states.

The Go Lean roadmap calls for regulating and promoting the Caribbean’s aviation industry. We need American Airline and US Airways to deliver on their merger, and then deliver on facilitating air passengers to the Caribbean region.

This is how the CU will optimize the region’s economic engines. This is change!

The Go Lean book presents a series of community ethos that must be adapted to forge this change. In addition, there are these specific strategies, tactics, implementation and advocacies to apply:

Community Ethos – Job Multiplier Page 22
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 25
Community Ethos – Ways to Help Entrepreneurship Page 28
Community Ethos – Impacting the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Customers – Visitors Page 47
Strategy – Competitive Analysis –  Event Patrons Page 55
Strategy – Core Competence – Tourism Page 58
Strategy – Anecdote – Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Assoc. Page 60
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Tactical – Commerce – Tourism Promotion Page 78
Tactical – Aviation Administration & Promotion Page 84
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Implementation – Trade Mission Objectives Page 116
Planning – Ways to Improve Trade Page 128
Planning – Lessons Learned from 2008 Page 136
Planning – Lessons from Egypt Page 143
Advocacy – Ways to Enhance Tourism Page 190
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Events Page 191
Advocacy – Ways to Market Southern California Page 194
Advocacy – Ways to Promote World-Heritage-Sites Page 248

There are lessons from the evolution and delivery of the American Airlines / US Airways merger in considering the quest for Caribbean optimization:

• When possible, Caribbean solutions should come from the Caribbean.

• When not possible, Caribbean solutions should be serviced by alternate sources, with no one player holding more than 50% of market share.

• Many Caribbean islands have close proximity, so there must always be alternative transportation modes, like ferry-boats.

• Do not “bite the hand that feeds you”; the Caribbean region must protect the engines that drive the economy.

Now is the time to lean-in to this roadmap for Caribbean change, as depicted in the book Go Lean…Caribbean. We cannot afford another American corporate giant, (i.e. Lehman Brothers) mishandling their public trusts. The Caribbean can – and must – be less elastic to American woes.

The Caribbean should be less of an American parasite and more of a protégé.

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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References:

a. Andrew Nocella, American Airlines Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. AAdvantage Frequent Flyer Status Email. Retrieved January 5, 2014.

b. Wikipedia treatment on American Airlines. Retrieved May 6, 2014 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines

c. Titcombe, Tara. “The World at your fingertips”. US Airways Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2014 from: http://tjt0325no2pencil.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/aprilfeature_oneworld_final.pdf

d. “Commentary: Tourism Matters: A better analysis is needed”. Caribbean News Now Online Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2014 from: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Commentary%3A-Tourism-Matters%3A-A-better-analysis-is-needed-20985.html

e. Wikipedia treatment on American Airlines. Retrieved May 6, 2014 from: https https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_Over

 

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A Lesson in History – America’s War on the Caribbean

Posted on May 6, 2014 in Ethos, Government, Implementation, Locations, Strategy, Tactical

Go Lean Commentary
War on Caribbean 1

“Never kill yourself for someone who is willing to watch you die” – Inspired Expression.

The United States of America fought an actual war, for 10 weeks, in the Caribbean theater in 1898. This was the war against the Spanish Empire, or more commonly known as the Spanish American War.

This is a lesson from an actual history:

These events transpired during the decline of the Spanish Empire. After centuries of vast colonial expansion, at this point, only a few of its vast territories remained. Revolts against Spanish rule had occurred for some years, in the Caribbean territories (Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico), especially in Cuba. There had been war scares before. But in the late 1890s, American public opinion became agitated by an anti-Spanish propaganda; led by influential journalists such as Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, who used yellow journalism to criticize Spanish administration of Cuba.

Then there was the mysterious sinking of the American battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, which was believed to be and reported as a sabotage attack by Spanish forces. This created political pressure, from Congress and certain industrialists, to push the administration of Republican President William McKinley into a war he had hoped to avoid.[a]

The US Constitution (Article 1 Section 8) forbids that the country can NOT go to war unless provoked. With the sinking of the USS Maine, the government had its constitutional provocation.

Compromise was sought by Spain, but rejected by the United States which sent an ultimatum to Spain demanding it surrender control of Cuba. Consequently war was formally declared, first by Madrid, then by Washington on April 25, 1898.[a]

The ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific, but the main issue that emerged was that of Cuban independence. American naval power proved decisive, allowing US expeditionary forces to disembark in Cuba against a Spanish garrison already brought to its knees by nationwide Cuban insurgent attacks and further wasted by yellow fever. With two obsolete Spanish squadrons sunk in Santiago de Cuba and Manila Bay and a third, more modern fleet recalled home to protect Spain’s coasts, Madrid sued for peace.[b] As a result, today, Cuba and the Dominican Republic enjoy independence, and Puerto Rico is an American territory, by choice – after many public referendums on the question of independence.

What was the motivation for this war?

Earlier, in 1823, US President James Monroe enunciated the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the United States would not tolerate further efforts by European governments to colonize land or interfere with states in the Americas; however, Spain’s colony in Cuba was exempted. Before the Civil War Southern interests attempted to have the US purchase Cuba and make it new slave territory. The proposal failed, and subsequently the national attention shifted to the build-up towards the Civil War.[c]

But the “dye had been cast”. Cuba attracted America’s attention; little note was made of the Philippines, Guam, or Puerto Rico. The Spanish Government regarded Cuba as a province of Spain rather than a colony, and depended on it for prestige and trade. It would only be extracted with a war.

In 1976, the US Navy’s own historian (Admiral Hyman G. Rickover’s published book How the Battleship Maine Was Destroyed) declared that the sinking of the USS Maine — the justification for America’s entry into the Spanish-American War — was probably caused by an internal explosion of coal, rather than an attack by Spanish forces.[d]
Sources: See Citations in the Appendix below.

What is the lesson here for the Caribbean and today’s effort to integrate and unify the Caribbean economy? First, there are these principles, that should not be ignored, if we truly want progress/success:

  • In 1918 US Senator Hiram Warren Johnson is purported to have said: “The first casualty when war comes is truth”.
  • “War is a racket” – Smedley Butler, one of the most highly-decorated military men of all time, and the man who prevented a coup against Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • The Bible declares that: “For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest” – Luke 8:17

War on Caribbean 2There will be no chance for success in the Caribbean region if this effort goes against American security/foreign policy interest. This is a consistent theme in the book Go Lean … Caribbean, it serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU); it asserts that the economy of the Caribbean is inextricably linked to the security of the Caribbean. The roadmap therefore proposes an accompanying Security Pact to accompany the CU treaty’s economic empowerment efforts. The plan is to cooperate, collaborate and confer with American counterparts, not oppose them. In fact, two American territories (Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) are included in this CU roadmap.

To establish a better American-Caribbean partnership, the Go Lean book presents a series of community ethos that must be adapted to forge this change. In addition, there are these specific strategies, tactics, implementation and advocacies to apply:

Community Ethos – new Economic Principles Page 21
Community Ethos – new Security Principles Page 22
Community Ethos – Minority Equalization Page 24
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 25
Community Ethos – Manage Reconciliations Page 25
Community Ethos – Impacting the Greater Good Page 34
Strategy – Customers – Public and Governments Page 47
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Tactical – Homeland Security – Naval Operations Page 75
Tactical – Homeland Security – Militias Page 75
Implementation – Assemble – US Overseas Territory Page 96
Implementation – Foreign Policy Initiatives at Start-up Page 102
Implementation – Security Initiatives at Start-up Page 103
Implementation – Ways to Improve Mail Service Page 108
Implementation – Trade Mission Objectives Page 116
Implementation – Ways to Promote Independence Page 120
Planning – Ways to Model the EU Page 130
Planning – Lessons Learned from the W.I. Federation Page 135
Planning – Lessons from the US Constitution Page 145
Advocacy – Ways to Better Manage the Social Contract Page 170
Advocacy – Ways to Foster Cooperatives Page 176
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Homeland Security Page 180
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Intelligence Gathering Page 182
Advocacy – Ways to Enhance Tourism Page 190
Advocacy – Ways to Market Southern California Page 194
Advocacy – Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage Page 218
Advocacy – Ways to Re-boot Cuba Page 236
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Dominican Republic Page 237
Advocacy – Ways to Impact US Territories Page 244

After this consideration, the conclusions are straight forward:

  • The Caribbean should take the lead for our best self-determination. We must do the heavy-lifting. We can always count on America to pursue what’s in America’s best interest, and this may not always align with Caribbean objectives. So we must take our own lead for our own self-interest.
  • American priorities change with presidential administrations.

Now is the time to lean-in to this roadmap for Caribbean change, as depicted in the book Go Lean…Caribbean. At this time, there is no American agenda or contrarian policy that may dissuade us – but that’s only today. We need to act fast before a new American crisis emerges, (or one is created artificially).

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

————-

Appendix References

a. Beede, Benjamin R., ed. (1994), The War of 1898 and U.S. Interventions, 1898–1934, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-0-8240-5624-7. An encyclopedia. Pages 120; 148.

b. Dyal, Donald H; Carpenter, Brian B.; Thomas, Mark A. (1996), Historical Dictionary of the Spanish American War, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-28852-6. Pages 108 – 109.

c. Wikipedia treatment on the Spanish American Way. Retrieved May 5, 2014 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_American_War

d. “The Destruction of USS Maine”. Department of the Navy — Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved May 5, 2014 from: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq71-1.htm

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Open the Time Capsule: The Great Recession of 2008

Posted on May 5, 2014 in Economics, Planning, Strategy, Tactical

Go Lean Commentary

Time Capsule Pic 1Picture this: one week after the greatest threats to the global financial system, since the Great Depression. You cut out and store – for safe keeping in a “virtual time capsule”, (see Appendix A) – a newspaper commentary and subsequent review/analysis of that crisis. It’s time now to open that capsule! Why so early? Why only after 6 years? So that this analysis would serve as a course correction. Those placing the time-capsule, hoped for a different result.

This is the scenario depicted in the foregoing news article. It was published on September 23 in 2008; 8 days after Lehman Brothers filed the largest Bankruptcy in world history – signaling the peak of the financial crisis, the precipice of a total system failure. The book Go Lean … Caribbean is based on that premise, declaring that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”, quoting noted Economist Paul Romer’s assessment that the Great Recession would be a crisis for the modern world. The book posits that the Caribbean, with its parasite economy, is still in that crisis – no noticeable recovery.

A joke lampooning economists declares “that an economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today”.CU Blog - Open the Time Capsule - The Great Recession of 2008 - Photo

So now, this review/analysis of a 6 year old newspaper editorial from a Guest Columnist, the focus of which was to an audience in the Bahamas; (but this is equally representative of the entire Caribbean):

It is the assessment by the publishers of Go Lean that the foregoing analysis was spot on!

It describes the new normal, a term cementing the truths that the economic realities that suddenly emerged in 2008 would thereafter remain as the norm. This has proven to be the case. The foregoing writer lamented that his government appeared to be using the same set of tools to fix a new vehicle with all different parts, and they pondered why the vehicle would not repair (recover) and get going. The writer concluded that the stewards of the economy needed to prepare a 20 year plan to navigate his country among the new realities facing the world. But he doubted that such a plan would emerge.

By: Craig Butler

I know what you must be thinking. ‘The new normal’, what in heaven’s name is he talking about? Well, the other day I was in Florida listening to talk radio.

There was a director from the International Monetary Fund, an economics professor, and a few others. They were talking about the global economy and what the future holds. The professor was the one who used the ‘new normal’ phrase and he did so in reference to the high prices that we are experiencing worldwide.

He said that, as he did not expect a significant strengthening of the dollar any time soon; coupled with the fact that the price of oil was likely to remain high and the war in Iraq was ongoing, he believed that the current high prices are going to be the norm.

Most of the panelists agreed that some experts have given folks a false sense of security by suggesting that prices will come back down once the price of oil drops. But all on the panel were of the view that the price of oil will never again be under $90 to $100 per barrel.

This was partly based on the weak dollar and partly on our dependency on fossil fuels and the lack of resolve shown by politicians to fully develop alternatives. They also noted that the oil lobby was one of the most powerful in Washington, which was a leading factor in the stalled development of renewable energy.

And the price of breadbasket items and other basics has not been helped by climatic change, which has led to falls in wheat and rice production over the last few years. Add to this the diversion of corn for use as a fuel (ethanol), and we have the new normal.

My views tend to be conservative so my first reaction was that these are some leftwing liberal nuts talking. However, on reflection much of what was said is correct.

Why should we expect to see a reduction in the price of oil? Producers are making so much money it’s not realistic to think they would relinquish that. And the high price affects so many other industries that have had to pass on these increases to the consumer. Just look at the airlines. And all the solutions being put forward to wean us off our dependency on oil will take at least five years to have any kind of impact.

The panel went on to say that there will be a widening of the income gap – something we are already seeing in the Bahamas. Many people who I know in the middle class are struggling so much that they can now be classified as the working poor.

I say that because they are now living from pay cheque to pay cheque. All their savings have been depleted; and things that they once could afford are out of the question now.

Think about it – how many of the people you know around you have their houses in foreclosure; have lost their car to the bank; have had to take their children out of private school; or have been unable to take a vacation this year?

Look in the newspaper this week and I’m sure one of the leading commercial banks will have a double page ad featuring distressed properties. The other week two banks had ads back to back.

I have written before about misguided priorities and how, despite all that is going on, we still prefer the materialistic rather than seek what is important.

I remember from my youth a song by Eddie Minnis called the ‘Finance Man’. I loved that song, and the words to one of the verses bears repeating: ‘See him there he poor as me and you but he driving round in Malibu. His car sleeps in the road at night, Lord you know that just ain’t right, He is living in the hands of the finance man…’

I apologize to brother Eddie if I did the lyrics an injustice. But it demonstrates how we have lived on credit for a long time. We have maintained a lifestyle well beyond our means without a thought as to what might happen in hard times.

As a lawyer I can see first hand what has happened to many in the middle class. You see, it was important for them to have the grand house with the two European cars parked in the garage, kids in the best schools and all the trappings that went along with it. And I will be the first to say that there is nothing wrong with wanting to attain your desires.

However, the bank loans were in many instances predicated on both the husband and wife maintaining $50,000 a year salaries, as well as some creative financing to help the couple get the loan.

Now that many offshore companies have closed or downsized, one of those pay cheques has disappeared and so has the dream, because the severance package is not going to last long and there is a distinct shortage of similar jobs available.

So what we are facing here is now being experienced all over the world. The radio panel noted that there will have to be a reclassification of the status of many people as the poor are going to be poorer, the middle class are going to be the new poor and only the very rich will be able to sustain themselves.

Dark days are ahead, and this means we need our politicians to get their collective heads out of their rear ends and devise a comprehensive plan for the next 25 years that takes all of the current factors into consideration and ensures our viability.

But there I go dreaming again – most of the time they can hardly get out of their own way let alone see past the next general election. So lets wait for the eventual anarchy that is to follow.

*****

Craig Butler studied law at the University of Wolverhampton, England, and at the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica. He also has a degree in economics from Rollins College in Florida. Mr Butler’s column runs in the Nassau Guardian, the Bahamas, on Mondays and he also hosts a weekly political talk show on Bahamas’ Island FM.

He is the grandson of Sir Milo Butler, the first governor-general of an independent Bahamas. He blogs at Bahamapundit and can be reached at cfmilobutler@hotmail.com.

The New Black Magazine – Online Source – Tuesday, September 23, 2008 –http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=1596 

Flash forward 6 years later; lo and behold, the book Go Lean … Caribbean is proffered as that plan, a roadmap to navigate today’s troubling economic waters and offer solutions. The book calls for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), a super-national administration, for the 30 member-states that constitute the Caribbean region. The book posits that the problems of the Caribbean are too big for any one member-state to tackle alone. That rather, there needs to be a methodical leveraging of the 42 million people that populate these island/coastal states. With such numbers come economies-of-scale, and the benefits of these 3 prime directives:

• Optimization of the economic engines so as to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion and create 2.2 million new jobs.

• Establishment of a security apparatus (with prosecutorial powers for economic crimes) so as to mitigate the eventual emergence of “bad actors”.

• Improve Caribbean governance.

These prime directives recognize that the change the region needs starts first with re-thinking community ethos and economic engines. Early in the book, an economic interdependence is pronounced, (Declaration of Interdependence – Page 13) with these statements:

xxiv. Whereas a free market economy can be induced and spurred for continuous progress, the Federation must install the controls to better manage aspects of the economy: jobs, inflation, savings rate, investments and other economic principles. Thereby attracting direct foreign investment because of the stability and vibrancy of our economy.

xxv. Whereas the legacy of international democracies had been imperiled due to a global financial crisis, the structure of the Federation must allow for financial stability and assurance of the Federation’s institutions. To mandate the economic vibrancy of the region, monetary and fiscal controls and policies must be incorporated as proactive and reactive measures. These measures must address threats against the financial integrity of the Federation and of the member-states.

The book identifies a number of new community ethos to forge change in the region and to harvest the benefits of the new global marketplace. From the ethos, comes the solutions – for example, sharing!

Six years ago, the columnist in the foregoing article could only envision his country, Bahamas, seeking solutions alone. This roadmap, on the other hand, seeks solutions as a confederated region, a group of partners. This will mean speaking with one voice, acting together as the CU; the 30 member-states will have far greater weight and influence than acting individually. Benefits will flow from this economies-of-scale, like a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) to negotiate value and savings.

The CU roadmap drives change among the economic, security and governing engines. These solutions are as new community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocates; as follows:

Community Ethos – Lean Operations – GPO’s Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Negotiations Page 32
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact Turn-arounds Page 33
Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Sharing Page 35
Strategy – Agents of Change – Globalization Page 57
Strategy – Agents of Change – Climate Change Page 57
Tactical – Confederating a permanent union Page 63
Implementation – Ways to Pay for Change – GPO’s Page 101
Implementation – Foreign Policy Start-up Initiatives Page 102
Implementation – Ways to Improve Energy Usage Page 113
Implementation – Ways to Better Manage Debt Page 114
Implementation – Ways to Benefit from Globalization Page 119
Planning – Ways to Improve Trade – GPO’s Page 128
Planning – Lessons Learned from 2008 Page 136
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Create Jobs Page 152
Advocacy – Ways to Control Inflation Page 153
Advocacy – Ways to Better Manage ForEx Page 154
Advocacy – Reforms for Banking Regulations Page 199
Advocacy – Battles in the War on Poverty Page 222
Advocacy – Ways to Help the Middle Class Page 223

Change has come to the Caribbean; the world is different. It’s not the world before 2008, but rather a new world shaped by 2008. This is illustrated as a moving freight train. It cannot – must not – be stopped. Everyone must get “on board”, or get “run over”.

Appendix A: How to Create a Time Capsule

A time capsule can be as simple as a shoe box full of items reserved (or even forgotten) somewhere. Other time capsules may need to last a very long time, in which case a strong stainless steel container is recommended, with a proper seal. Keep in mind that creating a capsule for unveiling at some future date is really a two sided adventure involving both you and those who will uncover it once again. Make sure that the items you select will add the element of surprise and discovery for those who open this curious treasure chest of history. Learn how to make a time capsule that will be sure to please and surprise whoever opens it. (http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Time-Capsule; retrieved May 5, 2014).

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!!!

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Why not … a profit center?

Posted on May 3, 2014 in Ethos, Government, Strategy, Tactical

Go Lean Commentary

Most Caribbean countries have embassies, consular offices and/or trade mission offices in world capitals. These are normally cost centers, where the governments have to maintain the cost burden for these facilities. But why do they have to be cost centers, why not profit centers?

Why not … a profit center? As in one integrated, consolidated center on behalf of all the Caribbean member-states – a classic “cooperative” model. This strategy meets a basic requirement of retail design: traffic. All the embassy, consular and trade mission activities would create impactful retail traffic demands.

This vision comes into focus as a result of the emergence of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), and the news article[c] below. The book Go Lean…Caribbean serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the CU. The roadmap fully anticipated integrating and consolidating Trade Mission Offices (Page 116) to advance the causes of the Caribbean people in foreign countries; eight (8) cities are specified in details.

The resultant facility, and accompanying eco-system, would fulfill a CU mandate, global outreach to expand Caribbean trade within the source country, city and regional area.

From the outset of the roadmap, the intent to leverage Trade Mission Offices was pronounced in the Declaration of Interdependence (Page 13), as follows:

xix. Whereas our legacy in recent times is one of societal abandonment, it is imperative that incentives and encouragement be put in place to first dissuade the human flight, and then entice and welcome the return of our Diaspora back to our shores. … The right of repatriation is to be extended to any natural born citizens despite any previous naturalization to foreign sovereignties.

xx. Whereas the results of our decades of migration created a vibrant Diaspora in foreign lands, the Federation must organize interactions with this population into structured markets. Thus allowing foreign consumption of domestic products, services and media, which is a positive trade impact. These economic activities must not be exploited by others’ profiteering but rather harnessed by Federation resources for efficient repatriations.

The roadmap also urges the urban design approach for mixed-use developments; (Page 234). This dictates a structure designed as retail (ground floor), mezzanine for offices, and higher levels/floors for residences (apartments, condominiums, and hotels). See a sample site in a US Midwestern city here – Photos & VIDEO:

Why Not ... a profit center - Photo 1 (2)

Why Not ... a profit center - Photo 2

Why Not ... a profit center - Photo SPECIAL

VIDEO Midtown Crossing Commercial – https://youtu.be/3Ua3FjWLfKk

A model of a successful mixed-use development is the Omaha-Nebraska Midtown Crossing[a].

Consider New York City; it is one of 8 mission cities envisioned. This  map below and the Appendix Table lists all the addresses of the Caribbean embassies, consulates, and outreach offices in New York City[b] – all within a 5 mile radius. Imagine if all those facilities were in one property – a mixed-use development.

Why Not ... a profit center - Photo 4 (3)

Imagine too, a climate-controlled atrium with Caribbean fauna & flora; a food court showcasing cuisines from all the participating Caribbean countries, (up to 30); art galleries, convention/banquet facilities, exhibit halls, night clubs, performing arts theaters and maybe even an indoor entertainment center (for instance, modeling the legacy of Caribbean Pirates). This vision would generate multiple streams of revenue – a profit center as opposed to 30 cost centers.

This vision would benefit a lot of Caribbean stakeholders with support and outreach services – those desiring to live, work, learn, heal and play in the Caribbean. These stakeholders include:

  • Visitors
  • Caribbean Citizens (travelling abroad)
  • Diaspora
  • Foreign Direct Investors
  • Students

There is the need for this manifestation right now in London, England (another designated Trade Mission Office – Page 116 ); as depicted in this referenced news story[c]:

LONDON, England (May 1, 2014) — Overseas Territory representatives from the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Montserrat, the Cayman Islands and Anguilla met with United Kingdom business networking specialists, CaribDirect International Business Network (CIBN) in London last week, as the first networking session focusing on trade and investment gathers momentum.

These discussions, held at the offices of the Bermuda representative, focused on introducing the CaribDirect International Business Network (CIBN) concept; outlining its broad scope; revealing the economic and political opportunities available for the Caribbean Overseas Territories (OTs); and examining practical ways to work together for the benefit of the dependent territories of the Caribbean.

CIBN is an agency designed to facilitate and connect entrepreneurs and business people in the UK with Caribbean government and business representatives for trade and investment.

Representatives attending the meeting were Cayman Islands’ deputy director Charles Parchment, Montserrat director Janice Panton, BVI London Office director Kedrick Malone, Bermuda director Kimberley Durrant, CaribDirect director of policy Ron Belgrave and CaribDirect multi-media CEO David Roberts.

If only this profit center concept existed now … in London … and in New York.

The CU roadmap is designed to bring change to the Caribbean region. This commentary demonstrates that a lean, nimble organization structure can also be “at the corner of preparation and opportunity” and that opportunity can be made in turning a cost center into a profit center. This structure can optimize the Caribbean’s economic, security and governing engines – no matter the location. If the Trade Mission Offices were constituted as profit centers, the following details from the book Go Lean…Caribbean would manifest, with impacted community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocates; listed as follows:

Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 25
Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Sharing Page 37
Strategy – Repatriating Caribbean Diaspora Page 47
Strategy – Inviting Foreign Direct Investments Page 48
Tactical – Separation of Powers – State Department Page 80
Tactical – Design Requirements for the Capital District Page 110
Implementation – Trade Mission Objectives Page 116
Implementation – Reasons to Repatriate Page 118
Implementation – Ways to Benefit from Globalization Page 119
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Trade Page 128
Advocacy – Lessons from New York City Page 137
Advocacy – Ways to Enhance Tourism Page 190
Advocacy – Impact the Diaspora Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Urban Living Page 234

The Go Lean roadmap will make the outreach, and foreign support, for Caribbean stakeholders more efficient and effective. This plan would impact and change the Caribbean and the foreign world we reach out to.

All Caribbean stakeholders – citizens, businesses and governments alike – are urged to lean-in to this Go Lean roadmap.

Download the free e-Book of Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

———————

Appendix – References

a. http://www.midtowncrossing.com/about/default.aspx
b. http://michaelbenjamin2012.com/2012/06/21/caribbean-region-consulates-in-nyc/
c. http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Caribbean-overseas-territories-meet-with-UK-networking-specialists-20934.html

———————

Appendix – TABLE – Caribbean States Mission Offices – New York City

Member-State

Address
Anguilla 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022  Phone: 212-745-0277
Antigua & Barbuda 610 Fifth Avenue, Ste 311, New York, NY 10020  Phone: 212-541-4117
Aruba 666 Third Avenue, 19th floor, New York, NY 10017 Phone 877-388-2443
Bahamas 231 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017  Phone: 212-421-6420
Barbados 820 Second Avenue, 5th Fl, New York, NY 10017  Phone: 212-551-4325
Belize 675 Third Avenue, Ste 1911, New York, NY 10017  Phone: 212-593-0999
Bermuda 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-745-8272
British Virgin Islands 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-745-8272
Cayman Islands 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-745-8272
Cuba 315 Lexington Ave 38th Street New York, NY 10016 Ph. 212-689-7215
Dominica 800 Second Ave, Ste 400H, New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-949-0853
Dominican Republic 1500 Broadway, Ste 410, New York, NY 10036  Phone: 212-768-2480
Grenada 800 Second Ave, Ste 400K, New York, NY 10017 Phone 212-599-0301
Guadeloupe 45 W 34th Street, Suite 703, New York, NY 10001 Phone  877-203-2551
Guyana 370 Seventh Avenue, 4th Fl, New York, NY 10001  Phone: 212-947-5110
Haiti 271 Madison Avenue, 17th Fl, New York, NY 10016 Phone: 212-967-9767
Jamaica 767 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017  Phone: 212-935-9000
Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th Fl, New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-838-6887
Monserrat 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022  Phone: 212-745-0200
Netherland Antilles:Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Eustatius, Saba 1 Rockefeller Plaza 11th Floor, New York, NY 10020 212-246-1429
Puerto Rico 666 5th Avenue # 15l, New York, NY, 10103-1599. Phone: 212-333-0300
St. Barthelemy 934 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10021 Phone: 212-606-3601
St. Kitts & Nevis 414 East 75th Street, New York, NY 10103 – 212-535-5521
St. Lucia 800 Second Avenue, 9th Fl, New York, NY 10017 – 212-697-9360
St. Maarten 675 Third Avenue, Ste 1807, New York, NY 10017 – 800-786-2278
St. Vincent & The Grenadines 801 Second Avenue, 21st Fl, New York, NY – 212-687-4490
Suriname 1 UN Plaza, 26th Fl, New York, NY 10017 – 212-826-0660
Trinidad & Tobago 125 Maiden Lane, Unit 4A, 4th Fl, New York, NY 10038 Ph. 212-682-7272
Turks & Caicos Island 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-745-8272
US Virgin Islands 45 W 34th Street, Suite 703, New York, NY 10001 Phone 877-203-2551
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Turks and Caicos Premier’s disclosures raises conflict questions

Posted on May 2, 2014 in Ethos, Government, Strategy, Tactical

Go Lean Commentary

Money IssuesThese are the lyrics of a previously popular Bahamian folk song:

Show & Tell what your family got
Show & Tell what your family got, from the top of your head to the tip of your toe.
Mr. MP, Mr. Senator…
Oh, Mr. MP, let me see your money. Show the world you ain’t no crook. Let me see your bank book.
My people, oh my people. You know I “is” your MP. But “yinna” does hardly see me, how you expect to see my money.
— Chorus –
Different strokes for different folks
Different egg got different yokes
Different man take different stand
Dog like road and cat like sand
Show & Tell – Eddie Minnis
(MP = Member of Parliament)

This above song tells the story of the introduction of a Financial Disclosure law in the Bahamas in the 1970’s. The concept of open financial disclosures, as is related in the song and below news article, encountered resistance and apprehension. The above song duly captured the public fears and scrutiny of the process.

The advantage of public disclosures is that it mitigates corruption and bribery temptation in the government contract bidding process. The disadvantage is that capable, competent technocrats may shy away from public service because their business – personal and family finances – is “put out there in the streets”.

Personal financial disclosure requirements are standard among the First World, but scorned in the Third World. It is what it is! See the story here:

By: Caribbean News Now contributor
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — The recent publication of an extract from Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Premier Rufus Ewing’s statement of registrable interests has raised conflict of interest questions regarding a controversial healthcare contract with Interhealth Canada.

Under the heading “Income Sources”, line item number two in Ewing’s statement lists “Salaries, benefits and allowances – Interhealth Canada TCI Ltd”.

Under section 25 of the Integrity Commission Ordinance 2008, all persons in public life (including members of the House of Assembly) are required to file with the Integrity Commission declarations of their incomes, assets and liabilities and those of their spouses and dependent children once every two years. This is otherwise referred to as “Section 25 Declaration”, and it is strictly confidential and may not be divulged to any person. Any breach of this confidentiality by any member of the commission or a third party and attracts stiff criminal sanctions under the ordinance.

However, the published excerpt of the Register has nothing to do with the section 25 Declaration of Financial Affairs but relates to an additional requirement under the constitution and the ordinance for members of the House of Assembly to file with the commission, once every year, statements of registrable interests of themselves and those of their spouses and dependent children.

According to Eugene Otuonye QC, director of the Integrity Commission, the published extract of Ewing’s statement of registrable interests appears genuine. He also pointed out that the register of such interests is available in the public domain and is not therefore confidential.

Otuonye went on to say that it is common and public knowledge that Dr. Dawn Perry, a gynecologist and the spouse of Premier Ewing, is legitimately employed in her own right at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre (Interhealth Canada). She receives salaries, allowances and benefits for being so employed and these are part of the interests that the Ewing has disclosed to the public as part of his registrable interests.

However, as one observer commented, the mere fact that Ewing’s household is receiving a financial benefit from Interhealth Canada is bound to raise presumptions of a conflict of interest and may therefore explain, amongst other things, an apparent ongoing reluctance on the part of Ewing and his government to conduct or release the findings of either a financial and/or clinical audit of the operations of Interhealth Canada.

In addressing this issue, Otuonye said that any conflict of interest (perceived or actual) this scenario may present is a matter for the premier to manage within and guided by the existing legal framework, including the standing orders of the House of the Assembly and the code of conduct for persons in public life.

“As guardian of the code of conduct, the commission is interested not only in how a conflict of interest is managed but in providing such assistance as would enable the relevant conflict of interest to be effectively managed. The commission is committed to this responsibility,” he said.

It is not clear at this time how Ewing is managing this conflict of interest, whether real or perceived, except to try to distance himself from the health portfolio, which may be ineffectual given that he is ultimately the head of the elected government.

The financial cost of the $120 million debt for building two small hospitals at a cost of $4 million dollars per bed and outsourcing secondary healthcare to Interhealth Canada that together will cost the TCI around $1 billion over the course of 20 years has been the subject of ongoing controversy and concern since the contract was signed in 2009.

In response to Ewing’s earlier attempts in 2012 to distance himself from what was described by former chief financial officer Hugh McGarel Groves as a “financial disaster”, former TCI government CEO Patrick Boyle pointed out that Ewing had a “central role in developing the policy that led to the creation of the NHIP [National Health Insurance Plan]”.

A sworn statement by former health minister Karen Delancy also confirmed that Ewing made relevant decisions without consulting her and agreed the hospital construction contract without the benefit of competitive bids.

According to earlier reports, a number of civil servants (believed to be five) received payments of as much as $20,000 each — described as an “honorarium” — for doing a “good job” in negotiating and concluding the health care contract with Interhealth Canada. As then director of medical services, Ewing was said to be one of the five civil servants that received such payments.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) has called for a review of the Interhealth Canada contract and the release of the relevant audits.

What has magnified the problem is that the Ewing-led government continues to raise taxes and fees while ignoring numerous calls for renegotiating the Interhealth Canada contract at a lower cost and refinancing the hospital mortgage, which is reported to have an exceptionally high rate of interest of 12%. The potential savings from such renegotiated healthcare costs could eliminate and/or reduce the need for the increase in taxation.
Source: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Turks-and-Caicos-premier%27s-statement-of-interests-raises-conflict-questions-20931.html

Turks and Caicos Premier'sThe book Go Lean … Caribbean focuses on economic issues, governance and optimizing the civil service administration for the Caribbean region and for the 30 member-states. This book is a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), proffered as a super-national administration, a federal government for these states. There are 3 prime directives of the CU:

  1. Optimize the economic engines so as to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion and create 2.2 million new jobs.
  2. Establish a security apparatus (including persecution of economic and public integrity crimes) so as to mitigate the eventual emergence of “bad actors”.
  3. Improve Caribbean governance.

The tactical plan for this roadmap is a separation-of-powers for this federal government versus the governmental administrations of the member-states. Based on issues and cases similar to the foregoing news story, there is the need for accountability of public integrity.

(We are not levelling any accusation of towards Mr. Rufus Ewing, the Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands. This commentary is simply in response, and as an analysis of the foregoing news article. There is due-process and an assumption of innocence).

There is also a CU mission to marshal against encroachments of Failed-State indicators. Any allegation of corruption or appearance of conflicts-of-interest by a Head of Government may undermine faith in that jurisdiction’s government. This might dissuade Foreign Direct Investors or efforts to repatriate the Diaspora or invite empowering immigrants. There must be a continuous sentinel; this role is assumed by applicable CU agencies.

This function is paramount in the vision of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation. The specific public integrity requirement is pronounced early in the Go Lean roadmap, in the opening Declaration of Interdependence (Page 12) with these statements:

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xii. Whereas the legacy in recent times in individual states may be that of ineffectual governance with no redress to higher authority, the accedence of this Federation will ensure accountability and escalation of the human and civil rights of the people for good governance, justice assurances, due process and the rule of law. As such, any threats of a “failed state” status for any member state must enact emergency measures on behalf of the Federation to protect the human, civil and property rights of the citizens, residents, allies, trading partners, and visitors of the affected member state and the Federation as a whole.

The people may cry: “How dare you, Caribbean Union, get into our business here in the TCI? This is not your concern”.

This argument is true, based on the status quo, but change has come to the Caribbean. The CU treaty compels a Security Pact for all the member-states, enacted even with the legacy sovereign countries of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of France – the CU serves as their proxy. But this CU administration is executed by the Caribbean, for the Caribbean. The pronouncement continues:

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

The goal of the CU is to elevate Caribbean life, culture, economy, security and governing engine. Federal authorities would therefore have jurisdiction under a Good Governance mandate to review this case in consideration of the allegations. This is new for the region.  This new community ethos in this case is lean government.

The CU roadmap affects economics, security and governance. Based on the blatant needs depicted in the forgoing news article, the CU solutions will impact change in the region. These solutions are detailed in this book Go Lean … Caribbean as new community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocates; as follows:

Community Ethos – Privacy versus Public Protection Page 23
Community Ethos – Whistleblower Protection Page 23
Community Ethos – Witness Security & Protection Page 23
Community Ethos – Light Up the Dark Places Page 23
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Negotiations Page 32
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Repatriating Caribbean Diaspora Page 47
Strategy – Inviting Foreign Direct Investments Page 48
Strategy – Promoting Good/Clean Government Image Page 48
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Justice / District Attorneys Page 90
Implementation – Assemble – UK Territories Oversight Page 96
Implementation – Security Initiatives at Start-up Page 103
Implementation – Reasons to Repatriate Page 118
Implementation – Ways to Promote Independence Page 120
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Healthcare Page 156
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Governance Page 168
Advocacy – Ways to Better Manage the Social Contract Page 170
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Leadership Page 171
Advocacy – 10 Ways to Impact Justice Page 177
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Communications Page 186
Advocacy – Ways to Impact British Territories Page 245

The Go Lean roadmap will make the Caribbean a better place to live work, and play. The role of government is not divorced from this process, rather the member-states governing administrations are primary stakeholders, customers of the CU.

Change has come to the Caribbean. This is illustrated as a moving freight train. It cannot – must not – be stopped. Everyone must be “on board”. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

 

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Grenada accountant defeats PM in BK court motion

Posted on May 1, 2014 in Economics, Ethos, Government, Strategy, Tactical

Go Lean Commentary

Grenada BK 2“He who does nothing makes no mistakes” – Old Adage.

The contrast of this “Old Adage” is also true: “No risk, no reward”. So “he who does a lot, risks a lot”. These truisms bear to ask the questions:

• When the risky endeavors fail, who is it that pays?

• Who should be held accountable?

The answers to these questions align with the foregoing news article; this is the subject matter of bankruptcy (BK).

The book Go Lean … Caribbean delves deep into the matter of bankruptcy processing for the Caribbean region. This book is a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), for the economic optimization of the 30 member-states constituting the Caribbean region. The CU is proffered as a super-national administration, a federal government for these states. Strategically there are 3 prime directives of the CU:

1. Optimize the economic engines so as to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion and create 2.2 million new jobs.

2. Establish a security apparatus (including emergency management) around the economic engines so as to mitigate the eventual emergence of “bad actors”.

3. Improve Caribbean governance.

The tactical plan for this roadmap is a separation-of-powers for this federal government versus the governmental administrations of the member-states. Based on anecdotes similar to the foregoing news story, there should be little objection to elevating bankruptcy processing away from local control. It is obvious that locally, there is too much temptation for favoritism, cronyism and corruption.

(We are not levelling any accusation of corruption towards Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell. This is just an acknowledgement that bankruptcy processing exposes different vantage points and priorities).

By: Caribbean News Now contributor

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada — Prime minister of Grenada Dr. Keith Mitchell has lost his bid before the High Court in Grenada to have local chartered certified accountant Garvey Louison removed as liquidator of the Grenada Today newspaper.

Mitchell had argued before that court that Louison had failed to comply with his duties, failed to indicate the location of assets, lost interest in the matter, and had caused undue delay in bringing the matter to a close.

In his defence, Louison argued that Mitchell had no evidence to support his claim, that Mitchell hid behind the frock of a legal secretary at a law firm to bring his allegations before the court, that the legal secretary had no standing before the court and that he had complied with the duties set out in the liquidation order and that of the Companies Act.

Justice Mohammed held that to remove the liquidator the applicant must have good standing, good grounds, and provide sufficient evidence to move to court.

The judge questioned the legal standing of the secretary, one Uthlyn George, to make the accusations that she filed by way of affidavit. The law is clear regarding the production of an affidavit. An affidavit is supposed to contain facts that are within the deponent’s own knowledge and belief and where it is not, it must set out the source of the information and belief or it would be hearsay.

The deponent failed to set out who informed her or what was the source of her information and belief in making allegations that were not in her direct knowledge. In particular regarding the allegations of delay, she failed to set out the details of such delay.

In addition, Mitchell did not provide a reason why he could not file the affidavit himself and had to use Uthlyn George.

It was held that, whereas the court can remove a liquidator in the circumstances where it was satisfied that the liquidator was inefficient, lacked vigour or was biased in the discharge of his duties, there was no evidence in this case to support the removal of the liquidator.

Local observers had claimed that, at some point, Mitchell was expected to move against Louison based on several articles the business consultant and former Auditor General, Accountant General and Permanent Secretary, Finance [Ministry] had been writing in the media.

Grenada Today was put into liquidation in 2009 as a result of two charges of criminal libel brought against the managing editor, George Worme, in connection with a letter published by the newspaper accusing Mitchell of bribing voters in the 1999 general election.

Caribbean News Now – Online News Source – April 19, 2014 –http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Grenada-accountant-defeats-prime-minister-in-court-20784.html

Grenada BK 1The foregoing news article relates that the issue of receivership of the insolvent Grenada Today Newspaper is a “touchy” subject, requiring checks-and-balances. In this case, the Grenada High Court became involved to adjudicate the matter.

While there is already a process for bankruptcy in all Caribbean member-states, the need to elevate this processing to a federal level is undeniable; to bring balance/fairness to creditors and avoid abuse by debtors. This is alluded to in the foregoing article.

The Go Lean roadmap envisions federal bankruptcy courts, with branches throughout the region, having exclusive jurisdiction.

These CU entities will manage bankruptcies for individuals, firms (for profit & not-for-profits), election campaigns and even governmental agencies (municipalities, public-private consortiums and central/national governments).

The CU will be the relief of last resort, the bail-out provider. Also, the first responder for encroachments of Failed-State indicators.

The CU mandate for bankruptcies is to lean towards reorganization, rather than outright dismissal of legitimate debt. Creditors may have to take a “hair-cut” (minor loss). The federal courts will then appoint direct receivership to Trustees (usually accountants and/or lawyers) to facilitate the processing of the bankruptcy obligations.

An efficient process for bankruptcy is vital to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) – these stakeholders require protection and accountability. The definition of FDI is risk. With risky efforts come success … and failure. This requirement is pronounced early in the book’s Declaration of Interdependence (Page 13) with these statements:

xxi. Whereas the legacy in recent times in individual states may be that of ineffectual governance with no redress to higher authority, the accedence of this Federation will ensure accountability and escalation … to protect the human, civil and property rights of the citizens, residents, allies, trading partners, and visitors of the affected member state and the Federation as a whole.

xxiii. Whereas many countries in our region are dependent Overseas Territory of imperial powers, the systems of governance can be instituted on a regional and local basis, rather than requiring oversight or accountability from distant masters far removed from their subjects of administration. The Federation must facilitate success in autonomous rule … within the geographical region.

The goal of the CU is to elevate Caribbean life, culture and economy. This requires a new community ethos: investment in our people, by our people. There will be hits-and-misses, successes and failures. The CU roadmap is to hope (and build) for the best, but also plan for the worst. We will provide support services (incubators, shared systems, “cooperatives”, angel investors) to aid the entrepreneurial hopes and dreams. But we must facilitate the failures as well. We must methodically “wine down” failed enterprises and failed endeavors, so as to dissuade any fear of failure, rather to promote the “audacity of hope”.

So the subject matter of bankruptcy affects economics, security and governance. The solutions to effect change in the region are detailed in this book Go Lean … Caribbean as community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocates; as follows:

Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Return on Investments Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Help Entrepreneurship Page 28
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact Turn-arounds Page 33
Strategy – Inviting Foreign Direct Investments Page 48
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Separation of Powers – Federal Bankruptcy Courts Page 90
Implementation – Ways to Better Manage Debt Page 114
Implementation – Ways to Impact Elections Page 117
Implementation – Ways to Promote Independence Page 120
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Planning – Lessons Learned from 2008 Page 136
Planning – Lessons from Detroit Page 140
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Credit Ratings Page 155
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Student Loans Page 160
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Governance Page 168
Advocacy – Reforms for Banking Regulations Page 199
Advocacy – Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage Page 218
Advocacy – Ways to ImpactBritishTerritories Page 245
Advocacy – Ways to ImpactDutchTerritories Page 246
Advocacy – Ways to ImpactFrenchTerritories Page 247

The Go Lean roadmap will make the Caribbean a better place to live work, and play. Caribbean stakeholders will make mistakes; but when we fall down, we will not stay down. We will get up, turn-around, reboot and recover. Our people deserve this continuous effort.

Download the Book- Go Lean…Caribbean Now!!!

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Abused wives find help by going to ‘Dona Carmen’

Posted on April 29, 2014 in Ethos, Government, Planning, Social, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

AbuseThe issue in the below news article is related more to human rights, than to feminism. This story is being brought into focus in a consideration of the book Go Lean … Caribbean. The book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), for the economic optimization in the region.

How does this story relate?

The roadmap posits that the economy of the Caribbean is inextricably linked to the security of the Caribbean. While the security scope of the CU is mostly focused on the “bad actors” that might emerge to exploit the new Caribbean economic engines and successes, the book is not quiet on what may be considered traditional crime-and-punishment issues. While the subject of domestic violence falls on the member-state side of the separation-of-powers divide, the CU will entail a jurisdiction of monitoring and metering (ratings, rankings, service levels, etc) local governments and their delivery of the Social Contract. For this reason, there is a 3rd focus of the CU prime directive, to optimize the region’s governing engines.

An underlying mission of the CU is to dissuade further human flight and incentivize repatriation of the far-flung Diaspora. Many who had fled previously obtained refugee status due to the abuse and persecution from domestic perpetrators. These issues must be addressed and targeted for solutions and reconciliations.

In fact, the foregoing article refers to the new enforcements introduced in Brazil in a 2006 law. That’s was just 8 years ago. (A similar Domestic Violence law was enacted in the Bahamas in 2008). A survey of other Latin American countries unveils even more new laws recently enacted in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Change has finally come.

Change has come to the Caribbean, but as the roadmap depicts, the problem of domestic violence (a human rights abuse) had persisted long before, and is thusly rooted in a community ethos. An ethos that must be uprooted and replaced with a new, progressive spirit, even within the public service entities, whose job it is to “serve & protect”. This is the new lean Caribbean!

This is reflected in the foregoing article with the principal character Dona Carmen, which is not even her real name, but more of an elevated title for her respected role in the community.

Title: Abused wives find help by going to ‘Dona Carmen’
By: Dom Phillips

CAMPINAS, Brazil — With her husband out of earshot, Queze Vicente told the story of the night he came at her with two knives in his hand.

“He was drinking,” she said outside their one-room shack in a roadside slum near an airport here. “We fought. And I had to go to Dona Carmen.”

Everyone in their community knows who Dona Carmen is and her method for getting abusive husbands in line. They call it “the discipline,” and it includes a sex strike.

For 15 days, husbands who hit their wives are also banned from drinking in the local bar and playing soccer on the local field. And any man who helps an offender violate the rules is also subject to the sex strike.

Abused by her husband and saddened by the abuse all around her, Dona Carmen talked 12 local women into adopting the punishment routine. Two years later, the women and most of the men say it works.

“Everyone thinks it is good,” said Vicente’s husband, Renato. “There are no more fights.”

The abuse in this community, a corner of the slum called Menino Chorão, or Crybaby Boy, was not unlike what many Brazilian women experience. In a survey conducted by the Patrícia Galvão Institute, which works on women’s rights and communication issues, 54 percent of Brazilians said they knew a woman who had been attacked by a partner and 70 percent said they believed Brazilian women suffered more violence at home than in public spaces.

But change is slowly coming to this most macho of societies as activists such as Dona Carmen try to help women find new ways to combat domestic abuse.

“This is a theme that permeates the whole of society,” said Julio Neto, a professor at Campinas State University whose department recently sponsored a forum at which Dona Carmen spoke. “Every Brazilian knows cases of violence against women.”

Neto said the women in the group were forced to act because the state was not protecting them. “If they call the police, the police don’t go.” He said he did not condone cases in which some women had beaten up male offenders but that he supported “the discipline.”

“It is very original. I think in this sense, it is marvelous,” he said.

Dona Carmen, whose real name is Maria de Sousa, commands respect within her group: the fact that she is addressed as “Dona” — roughly equivalent to “madame” — is evidence of that.

Like most of her neighbors, she is from Brazil’s poorer, more traditional northeast. For 13 years, she was married to a man who beat her persistently. One attack when she was five months pregnant caused her to miscarry twins. “My whole body had purple bruises from the beating he gave me,” she said.

She arrived in the southeastern city of Campinas from her native Fortaleza eight years ago when a woman she had met tricked her with a promise of work and a place to live. As a result, she said, she spent 40 days in a brothel but escaped and did not have to work as a prostitute.

“I was desperate to get a job,” said de Sousa, who has four children and now works in a kitchen at an advertising agency.

‘Still a lot to do’

Before Brazil introduced a domestic violence law in 2006, some offenders were able to get off with fines or even by donating food baskets.

The law is named for Maria da Penha, a biochemist whose husband shot her while she was asleep in 1983, leaving her paraplegic, and then tried to electrocute her. After almost two decades of legal maneuvering, he was finally jailed in 2002 and served 16 months in closed prison and three more years in semi-open prison.

Da Penha fought hard for his imprisonment and campaigned for the law. “I was revolted with the sexism of the Brazilian judiciary,” she said, talking by phone from Fortaleza, where she runs an educational institute.

The law set up special courts and police departments to deal with crimes against women, and stricter punishments. A special hotline was also set up to deal with cases of domestic abuse.

Da Penha, 67, said there has been major progress, but that these resources are still lacking in smaller towns and cities.

“Women who are victims of violence are slowly losing the shame they had to talk about this,” she said. “Sexual equality is being conquered little by little, but there is still a lot to do.”

Despite the tougher punishments for offenders, rates of violence against women remain high. In the first six months of 2013 alone, the hotline received 306,201 calls, of which 12.3 percent were reports of violence

Between 2009 and 2011, 16,900 women were murdered in Brazil because of “gender conflict” — a rate of 5.8 per 100,000 women, according to government statistics. In the United States in 2011, that rate was 1.17 per 100,000, according to the Violence Policy Center, based in Washington.

Brazilian women suffer inequality in other areas as well. In the World Economic Forum’s 2013 Global Gender Gap report, Brazil placed 62nd in a list of 136 countries. In terms of wage equality, it came in 117th.

Lieli Loures, 35, an activist in São Paulo, said the Maria da Penha law was a watershed moment for Brazil, and that a grass-roots feminist movement is growing. “I perceive a change,” she said. “Feminism is only beginning to be known.”

Ongoing debate
In Crybaby Boy, the debate continued in the front yard of the small brick house where Maria Santos, 34 — one of women in Dona Carmen’s group — lives with her husband, Adelmo, 31.

“We joke that the women are in charge here,” she said.

“We have to respect the rights of women,” he said. “But in the same way, we have to respect the rights of men.”

Then he lowered his voice to a whisper: “The women here want to be the man. They can’t.”

But Geraldo da Cruz, 62, said most men back the scheme. “Everything organized is better, right? Important.”

Source: Washington Post – Online News Source – April 25, 2014 –http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/in-the-corner-of-a-brazilian-slum-abused-wives-find-help-by-going-to-dona-carmen/2014/04/25/afbb7d1a-c68d-11e3-8b9a-8e0977a24aeb_story.html

The Go Lean roadmap posits that every woman has a right to a violence-free existence, in the family and in society; it is reprehensible that in so many Caribbean/Latin countries women are still viewed as lesser beings that can be abused at the whim of men, as was evident in the foregoing news article. This type of thinking is still prevalent; not just in Brazil; (notice this related Bahamas story)

What should be done to mitigate these bad practices? How does the Go Lean roadmap address this issue?

There are strategic, tactical and operational advocacies presented in the Go Lean roadmap so as to ensure victims are protected and perpetrators are held accountable for their actions:

• The CU will therefore work with governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to fulfill their charters to aid victims and legislate for changes.

• The CU will also fund the full vertical eco-system so that law enforcement (and/or social work) agencies can institute Special Victims Units and counseling services. The roadmap posits that even one person, an advocate, can make a difference (Page 122) in forging change in society.

• Facilitate community messaging to instill/persuade an enlightened value system for men and women; helping men curb aggressive behavior (like anger management training) and empowering women to live successful lives and seek recourse against abusers if needed.

• Oversee the internal affairs/military justice of security agencies to ensure the integrity of the justice institutions. (Deficiency in this area is a Failed–State Indicator).

While the CU does not have sovereignty (a deputized agency only), it can still provide support services to ensure compliance. In addition to monitoring and metering, the CU can also provide ratings, funding, training, intelligence gathering, and cross border (fugitive) law enforcement.

The solutions to effect change in the region are detailed in this book Go Lean … Caribbean as community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocates; as follows:

Community Ethos – Privacy –vs- Public Protection Page 23
Community Ethos – Whistleblower Protection Page 23
Community Ethos – Witness Security Page 23
Community Ethos – Anti Bullying & Mitigations Page 23
Community Ethos – Light Up the Dark Places Page 23
Community Ethos – Minority Equalizations Page 24
Community Ethos – Reconciliations Page 34
Strategy – Rule of Law –vs- Vigilantism Page 49
Separation of Powers – CariPol Page 77
Implementation – Reason to Repatriate Page 118
Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Ways to Better Manage the Social Contract Page 170
Ways to Impact Justice Page 177
Ways to Remediate and Mitigate Crime Page 178
Ways to Improve Gun Control Page 179
Ways to Improve Intelligence Gathering Page 182
Ways to Improve Communications Page 186
Ways to Impact the Prison Industrial Complex Page 211
Ways to Impact Foundations Page 219
Ways to Protect Human Rights Page 220
Ways to Empower Women Page 226
Ways to Impact Youth Page 227
Ways to Impact Persons with Disabilities Page 228

The goal is to make the Caribbean a better place to live work and play; with justice for all, regardless of gender. This is not politics; not feminism versus traditional family values. This is just right!

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eMerge conference aims to jump-start Miami tech hub

Posted on April 28, 2014 in Ethos, Industries, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

Master BrokersPositive Change!

It doesn’t just happen. It takes people forging it, guiding it and fostering it. The below news article speaks of the effort in South Florida (from Miami north to West Palm Beach) to establish an economic engine of a “tech hub”.

This is a noble, yet strategic undertaking. Success in this “industry space” would mean more jobs, investment capital, and more technology students remaining in South Florida after matriculating in the area’s colleges. These 3 objectives align this story with the advocacies of the book Go Lean … Caribbean.

The book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The prime directive of this organization is to optimize the economic engines of the Caribbean region. We also want to increase jobs and investment capital, plus retain more of our young people aspiring for careers in high technology fields. But the CU wants to harvest these activities in the Caribbean, for the Caribbean and by the people of the Caribbean.

South Florida is germane to the Caribbean conscience. It is the Number One destination for the Caribbean Diaspora, featuring large populations of Cubans, Jamaicans, Dominicans (DR), Puerto Ricans, Bahamians, and Haitians. The book relates this association by declaring the NBA basketball team, Miami Heat, as the “home team” of the Caribbean; (Page 42).

Right time, right place!

The eMerge Americas Techweek is this week. Also, the Miami Heat has just started the playoffs in defense of their consecutive World Championships.

By: Marcia Heroux Pounds and Doreen Hemlock

A movement to make South Florida a technology hub for the Americas kicks off its first conference this week, aiming to draw more than 3,000 people from entrepreneurs to investors to students — from Broward and Palm Beach counties and from around the world.

Organizers want to build on South Florida’s success as a gateway to Latin America for trade, banking and services, extending that prowess into technology, entrepreneurship and capital for startups. They hope the event — eMerge Americas Techweek — can do for tech what the annual Art Basel event in Miami Beach has done for art: put South Florida on the world map.

It’s an exciting chance for entrepreneurs like Boca Raton’s Dan Cane, chief executive of Boca Raton-based Modernizing Medicine, which developed an iPad application for specialty physicians. He’s among influencers named to the event’s “Techweek100” — South Florida leaders who have had a significant impact on business and technology. He will speak at the conference.

“We jumped at the opportunity,” said Cane, whose 3-year-old company had $17.5 million in sales last year. “We hope to find contacts and connections and begin to develop the right ecosystem in the Latin American market” to export south starting next year.

The eMerge push doesn’t strive to make South Florida into Silicon Valley. It aims instead for a tech center specialized in multinationals looking south, Latin American companies moving north, local startup companies, as well as universities and investors.

That’s why Citi Latin America, the regional headquarters for financial giant Citi, is taking part in what is planned as an annual event. The division employs about 750 people in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and is sponsoring the event, sending speakers and bringing clients, said Jorge Ruiz, who heads digital banking.

“This event is a great example of the things we should do more of,” Ruiz said. It showcases the importance of technology to a range of industries, promotes what South Florida already offers and highlights South Florida’s ability to unite from across the Americas for tech business, he said.

“As people come together, they’re going to realize this is the space to invest in,” Ruiz said.

Universities that train talent for tech jobs are eager to participate too.

“We’re going to bring as many students as possible,” said Eric Ackerman, dean and associate professor of the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences at Nova Southeastern University, who also is on the Techweek100 list. Nova has more than 500 students studying information technology.

Ackerman said tech graduates often leave South Florida, figuring they will have better job opportunities in larger hubs known for innovation.

“That’s one of the things we are trying to change — to become an innovation zone for new technology, new products and new services,” Ackerman said. “An event like this says, ‘Look what’s here in our own back yard. Why should I go somewhere else?’ ”

Kimberly Gramm, assistant dean and director of FAU’s Adams Center for Entrepreneurship, is taking winners of FAU’s recent business plan competition to eMerge’s Startup Village.

Some of South Florida’s largest tech companies also will exhibit at eMerge. Those include Citrix Systems of Fort Lauderdale, C3 Cloud Computing Concepts of Delray Beach and TriNet Group of Boca Raton, said Lonnie Maier, president of the South Florida Technology Alliance, a group that promotes local tech.

Investors and consultants to startups also are heading to eMerge to network and build business.

New World Angels, a Boca Raton-based group of investors, will share a booth with the Miami Innovation Fund to offer entrepreneurs advice on launching or growing their ventures, said Rhys Williams, executive director of New World Angels and a Techweek 100 leader.

“Technology investing is a contact sport. There are few textbooks or classes of relevance, so this conference is a timely way to keep current on your knowledge base and pick up new knowledge, skills and contacts,” said Williams, who also is a judge in the eMerge Launch competition where more than 200 companies will compete for $150,000 in prizes.

Of course, South Florida faces hurdles in its quest, tech leaders said.

The area needs to overcome a long-time image based on sun and fun. And it needs to show critical mass in tech, especially success stories of entrepreneurs that grew startups to global players — much as conference organizer Manny Medina did, starting Miami-based Terremark and selling it for more than $1.4 billion to Verizon.

Enterprise Development Corp. President Rob Strandberg, whose group works with startups from Boca Raton to Miami, will be busy making introductions between entrepreneurs and potential investors at the conference. He’s also a judge in the Launch competition.

EDC executive director Linda Gove will participate with the Boca Raton incubator’s startup companies.

“Investors are taking notice of South Florida companies to a far greater extent than they were,” Strandberg said.

Joe Levy, CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based startup ClearCi and also named to the Techweek 100, said the perception of the area as a tech hub is changing.

“Folks used to ask me, ‘Why aren’t you in Silicon Valley?’ ” Levy said. “We don’t get that anymore.”

South Florida’s Sun Sentinel Daily Newspaper – April 27, 2014 – http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/careers/fl-emerge-broward-palm-beach-20140427,0,1252077.story

The Go Lean roadmap calls for agencies within the CU to champion technological start-up endeavors, much like this week’s eMerge initiative.

There is much for the CU’s planners to glean by the observation of the planned events this week. The Go Lean/CU approach, in the absence of the actual establishment of the Trade Federation is simply to:

1. Look
2. Listen
3. Learn
4. Lend-a-hand
5. Lead

This approach is codified in the book, with details of community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocates; as follows:

Community Ethos – Impact the Future Page 26
Community Ethos – Foster Genius Page 27
Community Ethos – Help Entrepreneurship Page 28
Community Ethos – Promote Intellectual Property Page 29
Community Ethos – Impact R & D Page 30
Community Ethos – Bridge the Digital Divide Page 31
Strategy – Agents of Change: Technology Page 57
Separation of Powers – Patents & Copyrights Page 78
Implementation –  Self-Governing Entities Page 105
Implementation –  Impact Social Media Page 111
Ways to Better Manage Image Page 133
Industries – Ways to Foster Technology Page 197
Industries – Foster e-Commerce Page 198

We hope for success for eMerge Americas Techweek. We hope our Caribbean brothers living and working in South Florida participate, engage in and benefit from this initiative. Then we hope that they would repatriate some of this passion, knowledge, and experience back to their Caribbean homelands.

Lastly, we cheer for further basketball dominance. Go Heat!

Basketball shot

Download the book – Go Lean…Caribbean now!!!

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PM Christie responds to critics of Bahamian ‘Carnival’

Posted on April 25, 2014 in Government, Industries, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

Carnival 1Head –> Heart –> Hands.

This is the physiological process to forge change, described in the book Go Lean … Caribbean (Page 20). As experienced on a daily basis by people attempting to “quit smoking”, change is near impossible without engaging those three body parts. The book, serving as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) describes the linked application of those three symbolic body parts, as follows:

  • Head – Plans, Models and Strategies
  • Heart – Community Ethos
  • Hands – Actions, Implementations, Advocacies

According to the below news article, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas wants to forge change in his homeland. He wants to incorporate a new festival, based on the model of Carnival and Madri Gras, so as to glean some of the massive economic harvests around those events in the Caribbean and other Western Hemisphere destinations.

Since initiating this plan in Spring 2013, cyber-space and public commentary have been awash with feedback: some in favor; most opposed.

Albeit he is inspired by good motives, the publishers declare that something is missing in the Prime Minister’s plans: Best practices.

By: Erica Wells, Managing Editor
Prime Minister Perry Christie has assured critics of the Government’s plan to create a Bahamian Carnival or Mardi Gras that the festival will be “essentially” Bahamian and that a special committee will be appointed to prepare the country and the world for the initiative.

Addressing the MP’s in his 2013/2014 budget wrap up, Christie said many people rushed to judgement after he made the announcement last month. The week-long festival is slated for a 2015 start-up and the government will spend $1 million to help with its development, which may incorporate a cultural village, public processions and song and costume competition. The $1 million will be allocated to the festival next year and will be a joint effort between the public and private sector, he said.

The government, Christie says, sees the festival as both a major economic intervention and a cultural expansion.

“It will be essentially Bahamian but also include thousands of visitors who will be attracted by what will be an absolutely fabulous affair,” said Christie.

Anthropologist and author Dr. Nicolette Bethel, who is also a former director of culture, has been one of the biggest critics of the proposed festival.

Bethel told Guardian Arts&Culture before Christie’s communication earlier this week that she did not have a problem with the idea per se, and that it was long overdue, but the timing and title were both “awful”.

“As a result I don’t think it’s feasible,” she said. “I have no idea what consultation, if any, was done with the relevant community. It falls during the Junkanoo downtime and I do not think that the practitioners will seriously be able to prepare for it, and in fact many of the most serious (Junkanooers) are out of the country attending the real carnivals that take place all around our region at that time — New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and of course Port-of-Spain.”

Bethel said she did not see that it would have any real effect on the current Junkanoo parades.

She also criticized the government’s $1 million allocation to the festival.

“One million dollars according to our data is nowhere near enough money to fund something of this kind,” said Bethel. “Annual Junkanoo parades take up to $3 million of the government’s money — $2 million at least. If that money were invested in creating a Junkanoo festival at the normal Junkanoo time it would go far further, but I do not see any way that we can hope to compete with the real carnivals by introducing something fake like this. It’s a total waste of a good idea.”

Christie noted that many critics questioned why The Bahamas should copy Trinidad or Brazil, and why the country would move away from Junkanoo, which is “spectacularly Bahamian”.

“Let me say at the outset that prior to making my announcement, I consulted with several icons in the world of Junkanoo and without exception they were fully supportive of the idea and immediately confirmed their willingness to work with the committee, which will be appointed to prepare The Bahamas and the world for this new festival,” said the prime minister.

The government will shortly appoint the committee, said Christie.

Paul Major, a former banker and Junkanoo participant, has been invited to chair the committee. Robert Sands and Ed Fields, and other major figures in the cultural field — in painting, music, drama all of which are a part of this new enterprise — will also be invited to sit on the committee, he said.

“I expect the committee to hold full consultations with all of the major personalities of Junkanoo, and associates. “I will, for my part, advise the committee that I do not wish them to interfere with Junkanoo.

This is a separate and different activity,” Christie explained. He noted that the major Junkanoo groups and their leaders will be advised that the government does not propose to licence those groups, unless there is overwhelming evidence of general acceptance by the rank and file.

Prime Minister Christie said for the groups to be licensed, they would have to form themselves into a company and operate as a business.

“This is a massive undertaking which will receive very careful consideration of the government,” he said.

“This is very necessary as the corporate groups will be advertising abroad and inviting persons to purchase costumes online as well as from store fronts in a cultural village or elsewhere.”

The Prime Minister said the committee would ultimately move recommendations to the government for its consideration.

Christie also noted that he has met with Sarkis Izmirlian of Baha Mar and advised him that the festival was one of the major promotions the government was putting in place in view of his introducing 2,200 new hotel rooms in December 2014.

“He liked the idea. The committee will recommend whether there should be a preferred resort destination or leave it to the choice of visitors,” said Christie.

Carnival worldwide industry

The prime minister said carnival is part of a worldwide masquerade industry.

He said the industry has been successful in attracting costume makers, wire benders, painters, designers and performers at some of the largest festivals in the world.

“It has an export dimension. We know of major festivals in Trinidad, Brazil, Toronto, Barbados, New York, Miami and London. Carnival in the diaspora generates hundreds of millions of dollars and creates many jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

“It is big business and it requires business planning, management, marketing of products and organizational structure,” said Christie.

Prime Minister Christie said costumes from carnival inspired designers show up in New York, Toronto, Notting Hill, London, Miami and many other centers in the U.S.

“The committee will be briefed and have the opportunity to visit carnival enterprises in Brazil, Trinidad and even Toronto, where carnival has become arguably the largest festival in the world,” he said.
Source: The Nassau Guardian Online. Posted 06/22/2013. (Retrieved 04/24/2014) –http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.phpoption=com_content&view=article&id=40021&Itemid=59

The Go Lean roadmap is different! It employs best practices for assessing, strategizing and implementing change. The book commences with the practice to assess current landscapes; this is what strategists call “Understand the market / Plan the business”. Page 44 presents these questions:

• Who are our customers and what exactly do they want?

• Who are our competitors; how do we stack up against them?

The book then proceeds to answer these and other strategy queries, accordingly.

carnival 2Events/festivals are paramount in the Go Lean roadmap: the optimization of existing events and the introduction of new events. This advocacy is detailed on Page 191 as being supplemental to the goal of enhancing tourism (Page 190).

What are the prospects for this new Bahamas Carnival/Lenten festival?

On the surface, it seems far-fetched, as the Bahamas does not have a Lenten ethos. All the competitive destinations (Rio De Janeiro, New Orleans and Trinidad) have elevated lent habits (Ash Wednesday to Good Friday), so that Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday actually has significance in preparation of this hallowed Lenten season. Without this ethos, it is hard, though not impossible, to forge a new tradition, festival or business model. But the mediocre financial investment, announced in the foregoing article – $1 million as opposed to $3 million, makes the success of initiating and promoting a new event an insurmountable obstacle.

The publishers of the Go Lean roadmap wish the Prime Minister good fortune with his plans, but this execution does not appear to be lean, within “best practices”. More is needed; much more! There should be more focus on “Head, Heart & Hands” principles. As a contrast, notice the detailed strategies, tactics, actions and advocacies for new events in the Go Lean roadmap:

Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Return on Investments Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 25
Community Ethos – Non Government Org’s. Page 25
Impact the Future Page 26
Foster Genius – Performance Excellence Page 27
Ways to Improve Sharing Page 35
Ways to Promote Happiness Page 36
Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Customers – Business Community Page 47
Strategy – Customers – Visitors / Tourists Page 47
Strategy – Competitors – Event Patrons Page 55
Separation of Powers – Emergency Mgmt. Page 76
Separation of Powers – Tourism Promotion Page 78
Separation of Powers – Sports & Culture Page 81
Separation of Powers – Fairgrounds Admin. Page 83
Separation of Powers – Turnpike Operations Page 84
Steps to Implement Self-Governing Entities Page 105
Ways to Foster Cooperatives Page 176
Ways to Improve Intelligence Gathering Page 182
Ways to Improve [Service] Animal Husbandry Page 185
Ways to Enhance Tourism Page 190
Ways to Impact Events Page 191
Ways to Promote Fairgrounds Page 192
Ways to Improve Emergency Management Page 196
Ways to Impact Hollywood [& Media Industry] Page 203
Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage Page 218
Ways to Improve the Arts Page 230
Ways to Promote Music Page 231

In summary, festivals/events are important, so they require lean administration and executions. They empower economics and fortify cultural pride. In all, they make the Bahamas, by extension the entire Caribbean, a better place to live, work, and play.

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Ghost ships – Autonomous cargo vessels without a crew

Posted on April 24, 2014 in Ethos, Industries, Planning, Strategy, Tactical

Go Lean Commentary

Ghost ships - Autonomous cargo vessels without a crewLife imitates art! Art imitates life!

The forgoing article gives the impression of science fiction: The Matrix movie trilogy or The Terminator movie series. Imagine an industrial development with a heavy concentration of robotic installations. This is the future that is being planned, developed and tested now. The experience of the last 100 years is that those doing the planning, developing and testing for futuristic technologies are the ones that profit most from the economic gains. This has been true for both Japan and Silicon Valley.

The book, Go Lean … Caribbean, extolls this principle that R&D (research and development) activities are necessary to profit from advantages in technology. We want to do R&D here in the Caribbean. This is a mandate for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). This book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the CU. This technocracy will assume oversight to optimize the region in the areas of:

(1) economics

(2) security

(3) lean government

This vision of an autonomous maritime eco-system, as depicted in the foregoing article, cannot be considered without a super-national infrastructure for these above 3 areas. The Go Lean roadmap presents the CU’s prime directives, which in total will provide comprehensive solutions for economic incentives, a security apparatus (Naval Authority and Intelligence Gathering), and lean governmental coordination to launch these initiatives.

*** Autonomous cargo vessels could set sail without a crew under the watchful eye of captains in shore-based simulators ***

Military drones already fly frequent missions and civilian operations using unmanned aircraft are coming. Driverless cars are clocking up thousands of test miles. So why not let remote-controlled ships set sail without a crew? Indeed, the maritime industry has started to think about what would be required to launch a latter-day Marie Céleste.

Ships, like aircraft and cars, are increasingly controlled by electronic systems, which makes automation easier. The bridges of some modern vessels are now more likely to contain computer screens and joysticks than engine telegraphs and a giant ship’s wheel. The latest supply ships serving the offshore oil and gas industry in the North Sea, for instance, use dynamic positioning systems which collect data from satellites, gyrocompasses, and wind and motion sensors to automatically hold their position when transferring cargo (also done by remote control) to and from platforms, even in the heaviest of swells.

However, as is also the case with pilotless aircraft and driverless cars, it is not so much a technological challenge that has to be overcome before autonomous ships can set sail, but regulatory and safety concerns. As in the air and on the road, robust control systems will be needed to conform to existing regulations.

The maritime industry is interested in crewless ships for two reasons. The first is safety. Most accidents at sea are the result of human error, just as they are in cars and planes. So, if human operators are replaced by sophisticated sensors and computer systems, autonomous vessels should, in theory, make shipping safer.

The second reason is, of course, cost. It is becoming increasingly difficult to sign up competent crew prepared to spend months away at sea. Moreover, some voyages are likely to get even longer for ships carrying non-urgent cargo. By some accounts, a 30% reduction in speed by a bulk carrier can save around 50% in fuel. This means slower steaming could provide big savings in fuel costs, but it would be at the expense of increased expenditure on crew for these longer voyages, both in wages and for the “hotel” facilities required on board. Removing the crew, though, also removes the need for their accommodation and its associated equipment, like heating and plumbing. And that provides room to carry more cargo.

Ahoy there!

The transition to unmanned ships could take place in steps, says Oskar Levander, head of engineering and technology for the marine division of Rolls-Royce. Crews would be reduced as some functions are moved onshore, such as monitoring machinery. (The engines on jet aircraft are already overseen by ground stations.) This could be followed by some watch-keeping and navigation duties. Experienced crew might be put on board when ships leave or enter port, just as pilots are to navigate. And a small maintenance crew could be kept for the voyage until remote-control systems prove themselves. A fleet of autonomous ships could also sail in convoy with a manned vessel in the lead (as illustrated above).

The onshore control rooms would keep an eye on ships thanks to live data transmitted from vessels, including video and infra-red images. Object-recognition software, combined with radar, would further automate the process. If an alarm was raised the skeleton crew on board could be alerted or the control room take charge, probably from a bridge in a simulator. Rolls-Royce already operates virtual ships’ bridges, with 360º views, for the training of officers and crew. These are realistic enough to make landlubbers feel seasick.

Using onshore control rooms and simulators a team of ten land-based captains could operate 100 or so ships, reckons Mr. Levander. The captains could commute from home for their shifts just as the pilots who fly military drones do. Passenger ships are likely to remain crewed, however. Trained personnel are needed to manage evacuation procedures, and in any case passengers are unlikely to want robots and vending machines attending to their needs.

The slower-sailing bulk carriers could be the first ships to be automated, according to the Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks (MUNIN) project, a European Union initiative backed by a number of industrial organisations. Like others, it says the ability of drone ships to detect other vessels and take avoiding action will be crucial, but possible with advanced technology and improved backup systems.

Rules of the sea

With a captain technically in command—even though he is based in an onshore control room—MUNIN thinks the legal and practical challenges of meeting maritime rules could be met. Radio messages from other ships, along with those from coastguards and port authorities, could be automatically routed to the shore captain. Something similar is being proposed for autonomous civil drones, with ground-based pilots responding to communications and air-traffic control instructions as if they were in the cockpit.

In many ways automating a ship should be a lot easier than automating aircraft, Mr. Levander believes. For a start, if something did go wrong, instead of falling out of the sky a drone ship could be set by default to cut its engines and drop anchor without harming anyone. As for piracy, with no crew to be taken hostage it would be much easier for the armed forces to intervene. Of course, more modern pirates might try to hack their way into the controls of an autonomous ship to take command. Which is why encrypted data communication is high on the maritime industry’s list of things to do before ghostly vessels ply the trade routes.

Firstly, the Caribbean Sea is 1,063,000 square miles. This landscape, except for forecasted tropical storms, allows for the perfect testing grounds. The geography of the CU’s 30 member-states thereby includes thousands of islands, (the Bahamas alone advertises 700 islands in their archipelago). The Go Lean roadmap calls for establishing an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for these seas.

Secondly, the CU has the human capital to engage this type of endeavor. There are many well-trained professionals in the maritime arts and sciences. Plus, this endeavor transmits the “siren call” to youthful aspirants, empowering immigrants and, skilled repatriates. This will grow the labor pool for this industry.

Thirdly, the CU already envisions a massive deployment of ship-building prowess with its incubation of shipyards and related industries (Page 209). Plus, with federally regulated ferry boats, part of the Union Atlantic Turnpike system, the required model (funding/investments/capital) and eco-system will be in place.

Though not written with this particular initiative in mind, the Go Lean roadmap anticipates such opportunities, as pronounced in the Declaration of Interdependence, (Pages 12 & 14):

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes, including piracy and other forms of terrorism, can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

xxvii. Whereas the region has endured a spectator status during the Industrial Revolution, we cannot stand on the sidelines of this new economy, the Information Revolution. Rather, the Federation must embrace all the tenets of Internet Communications Technology (ICT) to serve as an equalizing element in competition with the rest of the world. The Federation must bridge the digital divide and promote the community ethos that research/development is valuable and must be promoted and incentivized for adoption.

xxx. Whereas the effects of globalization can be felt in every aspect of Caribbean life, from the acquisition of food and clothing, to the ubiquity of ICT, the region cannot only consume, it is imperative that our lands also produce and add to the international community, even if doing so requires some sacrifice and subsidy.

The CU mission is to implement the complete eco-system to deliver on market opportunities as sampled in the foregoing article. There are many strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies that will facilitate this readiness; detailed here:

Community Ethos – Money Multiplier Page 22
Community Ethos – Job Multiplier Page 22
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Return on Investments Page 24
Impact the Future Page 26
Help Entrepreneurship Page 28
Promote Intellectual Property Page 29
Impact Research and Development Page 30
Ways to Improve Negotiations Page 32
Separation of Powers – Naval Authority Page 75
Separation of Powers – Emergency Mgmt. Page 76
Security Initiatives at Start-up Page 103
Start-up Benefits from the EEZ Page 104
Steps to Implement Self-Governing Entities Page 105
Reasons to Repatriate to the Caribbean Page 118
Ways to Benefit from Globalization Page 119
Ways to Improve Trade Page 128
Ways to Create Jobs Page 152
Ways to Improve Governance Page 168
Foster Empowering Immigration Page 174
Foster Cooperatives Page 176
Improve Homeland Security Page 180
Ways to Mitigate Terrorism Page 181
Improve Intelligence Gathering & Analysis Page 182
Better Manage Natural Resources Page 183
Ways to Improve for Natural Disasters Page 184
Ways to Foster Technology Page 197
Ways to Improve Transportation Page 205
Ways to Develop Ship-Building Page 209

The world is preparing for the change of more autonomous systems to do the heavy-lifting of industrial engagements. A new ethos to prepare for change has now come to the Caribbean. The people of the region are urged to “lean-in” for this change. As described in the book Go Lean … Caribbean, the benefits of this roadmap are too alluring to miss out: emergence of an $800 Billion single market economy, 2.2 million new jobs and relevance on the world scene for R&D.

Download the Book- Go Lean…Caribbean Now!!!

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