Strategy – Page 40 – Go Lean…Caribbean

Category: Strategy

CARCIP Urges Greater Innovation

Posted on March 24, 2014 in Ethos, Government, Planning, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

The forgoing article touches on a critical mission and motivation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU): to forge change and avail the benefits of advanced technologies in the region. The book, Go Lean … Caribbean, which serves as a roadmap for implementing the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) commences with a Declaration of Interdependence. In Verse XXVII (Page 14) it pronounces:

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.

There is a business mantra that declares “build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door”. This is even more true in this internet age. Websites and internet applications can be hosted and serviced from anywhere on the planet. “Size does not matter” in this internet age; insight, intelligence, innovation and ingenuity matter more. See related story here:

By the Caribbean Journal Staff

Three Eastern Caribbean countries are benefiting from an infrastructure development thrust that could usher in a new era of technology-based innovation and entrepreneurship for the region.

The initiative is part of the World Bank-funded Caribbean Communications Infrastructure Program (CARCIP), coordinated by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU).

A series of workshops rolling out in St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada are intended to ensure that citizens can take full advantage of the telecommunications infrastructure upgrades.

The series aims to encourage greater innovation in the public and private sector across the Caribbean.

The inaugural workshop, which took place Feb. 10-11 at Gros Islet, St Lucia, brought together some of the region’s leading minds in the fields of entrepreneurship, information and communications technology, leadership development and innovation.

Hosted by the St Lucian Ministry of the Public Service, Information and Broadcasting, the workshop set out to stimulate new approaches to national [nation building] through the application of modern technology and new ways of thinking.

“In reality, the potential exists today to overcome the many challenges in the region,” said technology expert Bevil Wooding, the event’s keynote speaker. “What we face is more a challenge of leadership paradigm than of technical possibility.”

Wooding, who is an Internet strategist with US-based Packet Clearing House, said the challenge was “to define and articulate a clear set of actionable priorities. These must be based on our native strengths and shaped to match a properly resourced vision for development.”

The CARCIP Innovation series rolls into Saint Vincent on February 26th and 27th, with a third installment scheduled for Grenada at the end of March 2014.
Source: Caribbean Journal Online News Source (Retrieved 02/26/2014 from http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/02/26/caribbean-connectivity-carcip-urges-greater-regional-innovation/)

The Go Lean roadmap posits that we, in the Caribbean, must also contribute to the world-wide progress of the world-wide web. As such, there are direct advocacies in the book to foster technology (Page 197), bridge the digital divide (Page 31), promote intellectual property (Page 29), foster electronic commerce (Page 198), implement data centers (Page 106), impact social media (Page 111), and promote call centers (Page 212). (Notice the job creation leanings).

In Year 1 of the Five Year roadmap, the CU will “assemble” (consolidate) the organs and agencies of the CariCom, including the CTU (see Appendix), into the Trade Federation’s cabinet structure. Thus allowing the necessary funding and focus to fulfill this agency’s charter. Under the Go Lean roadmap, this charter is more than just a series of workshops, but also these deliverables:

The CU mission is to protect the prospects for our youth, assuage more brain drain & human flight, and promote opportunities here in the region. Education is a big part of this mission. A previous strategy of study-aboard has failed the region – students have not always returned – see Anecdote # 5 (Page 38). The CU must therefore expand educational opportunities locally at home, impact the secondary (charter) & tertiary institutions, and facilitate e-Learning modes & schemes. The telecommunication infra-structure upgrade, described in the foregoing article, allows the Go Lean roadmap to be fully implemented, thus impacting education and entrepreneurism. The CU will foster incubators and cooperatives to forge business opportunities from the elevation of society’s consumption of ICT.

The efforts depicted in the foregoing article regarding the CTU, and the manifesto proclaimed in the book, dovetails with the dreams of the youth of the Caribbean, to facilitate a climate for future possibilities. As a region, we have lost too many young people. What we need now is growth: growth in the economic engines, cultural institutions, security apparatuses and governing provisions. Without this growth, we lose the future contributions of these young people; we would only have developed them to make an impact to some foreign society – we would have “fattened frogs for snake”.

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

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Appendix – Caribbean Telecommunications Union

An intergovernmental organization dedicated to facilitating the development of the regional telecommunications sector. On 28 April 1989, the Governments of the member-states of the Caribbean Community (CariCom) established by Treaty of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) to rationalize the telecommunications policy framework for the region and to address the problems of regional spectrum frequency incompatibilities.

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CariCom, ICT

PR’s Comprehensive Cancer Center Project Breaks Ground

Posted on March 24, 2014 in Economics, Ethos, Industries, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

The forgoing article touches on a critical mission and motivation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU): to impact the battle against cancer. The roadmap for the implementation of the CU, Go Lean … Caribbean highlights that 1 in every 3 Americans are at risk of cancer, so surely the Caribbean rate of affliction cannot be far behind. Therefore the Caribbean region must prepare. Cancer treatments are expensive! Some treatments can cost $20,000 – $30,000 each month for 4 – 6 month stretches. Our population, like many other societies, continues to age, get sick and battle cancer, so we cannot be ill-prepared. Lives are at stake!

The CU mission is to prepare in advance for cancer: to install the mechanisms to garner as much cost-savings as possible while delivering the highest quality of care and health-related services for our people. And while we are making efforts to save lives of Caribbean citizens, Diaspora and visitors, we also want to exploit any economic opportunities.

By: The Caribbean Journal staff

A major new hospital project has broken ground in Puerto Rico, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla announced.

The new Comprehensive Cancer Center Hospital project is being built with an investment of $196 million. The 12-floor facility will include eight operating rooms and 72 beds.

Construction on the project, which is located in Rio Piedras, is projected to last around 30 months, with a completion date set for April 2016.

The government said the project could create more than 1,300 direct and indirect jobs during construction and 750 once the hospital is up and running.

“These types of centers are characterized by scientific excellence and the capacity to integrate a diversity of research approaches to investigating the problem,” Garcia Padilla said in a statement. “They have a key role in advancing the cause of reducing deaths from cancer.”

The Governor said the hospital is aiming to be a “primary source for discoveries about the nature of cancer and the development of new approaches to prevention, diagnosis and therapy.”

Construction of the hospital had initially been slated to begin in 2010.

“The ultimate recovery of Puerto Rico depends on economic development and the jobs we create,” the Governor said.

Source: http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/02/19/puerto-rico-comprehensive-cancer-center-project-breaks-ground/

The Go Lean roadmap takes a strategic approach. There is the need for cancer and medical research, so the CU promotes and invites the establishment of medical research parks, laboratories and campuses as Self-Governing Entities (SGE). These bordered facilitates, similar to the PR project depicted above in the artist rendition, would only submit to CU jurisdiction and authorities – no FDA regulations! This freedom allows for more latitude and creativity in the pursuit of cancer cures and treatments.

Without a doubt, this strategy of SGE’s fulfills many CU objectives. In addition to the life-saving potential of local cancer research, the CU seeks to improve the environment for academic and occupational endeavors for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Medical) professionals. The region would now offer an alternative to the debilitating brain drain. In fact, the opposite would occur: the region invites empowering immigrants to help facilitate this vision. The Go Lean … Caribbean roadmap describes that the Diaspora and their legacies (foreign-born children), would see a Welcome Mat to “come in from the cold” – welcome home – to a better place to live, work, learn, heal and play.

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Air Antilles Launches St. Maarten Service

Posted on March 21, 2014 in Industries, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

This below news article is good news for the Caribbean region. A new airline option has stepped in to fill the void.

See the news story here:

By the Caribbean Journal staff:

Air Antilles Express has launched its first-ever service between St. Maarten and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe.

The service could provide a boost for Guadeloupe’s bid to attract more tourists from the United States market, as St Maarten is a major hub for flights from the United States.

The thrice-weekly service is being operated on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Air Antilles Express made its first flight between the two Caribbean destinations last week. The St Maarten-Guadeloupe service is part of a wider expansion for the company across the region.

The regional carrier launched another new flight out of Guadeloupe at the end of last year, serving Antigua.
Source: Caribbean Journal Online News Source (Retrieved 02/11/2014) – http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/02/11/air-antilles-express-launches-guadeloupe-st-maarten-service/

This foregoing article is just the “tip of the iceberg”; this is the latest development in a long string of eruptions in the Caribbean Air Travel space. The first eruption was November 2011 when AMR Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. AMR Corporation, the Fort Worth, Texas based airline holding company was the parent company of American Airlines, American Eagle and Executive Airlines, the Puerto Rico based regional American Eagle carrier for the Caribbean. Executive/ American Eagle ceased operation on March 31 2013, leaving a gap of service for the Eastern Caribbean islands.

Change had come to the airline industry. American was the last of the remaining legacy airlines in the US to file for bankruptcy; the prior business model had become unsustainable for every American carrier. Along the way, AMR “spun off” all American Eagle regional carriers including Executive Airlines, shedding the debt and union contracts as a weight off its bottom-line. This step was too little, too late. Despite US$ 24.855 billion in revenues for 2012 and $4 billion in cash, the company still posted losses of $1.876 billion. The merger of AMR with US Airways Group on December 9, 2013 form the new entity, American Airlines Group, and a new lease on life. But still, there is no Eastern Caribbean resurrection!

The book Go Lean … Caribbean serves as a roadmap to navigate the changed landscape of the globalized air transport industry. It pronounces that change has come to the Caribbean and despite due warning the region is not prepared. The Go Lean roadmap portrays the need for regional integration, administration, and promotion for Caribbean air carriers. The book posits that transportation and logistics empowers the economic engines of a community. The above news article/Press-Release definitely asserts this premise. There must be air carrier solutions to service the transportation and tourism needs of the Caribbean islands. There is the expectation that air travel will continue to grow and impact Caribbean society – thus the need for more regional coordination. New models are detailed in the book in which tourism can be enhanced with “air lifts” to facilitate Caribbean events.

Now, for much of the Caribbean, air service is the only viable transportation option, but this Go Lean roadmap introduces the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) and its Union Atlantic Turnpike initiative (Page 205) to offer more transportation solutions (ferries, toll roads, railways, and pipelines) to better facilitate the efficient movement of people and cargo.

Air Antilles Express is based at Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe. It is a regional airline operating scheduled and seasonal services in the French Antilles (Caribbean). The airline began operations in December 2002 owned by the Dubreuil Group, the same as French Guiana based Air Guyane Express, using the same call signs, IATA (3S) and ICAO (GUY).

This carrier’s strategy, tactical and operational plan is to fill some of the gap left from the American Eagle absence, as follows:

Air Antilles Express –Destinations*	American Eagle – Puerto Rico Hub Destinations*
Antigua	Antigua
	British Virgin Islands – Tortola
Dominican Republic Punta Cana (July–August only) La Romana (July–August only) Santo Domingo	Dominican Republic Punta Cana Santiago Santo Domingo
French Guiana	Dominica
Guadeloupe	Guadeloupe
Martinique	Martinique
Saint Barthélemy St Maarten	Saint Kitts and Nevis St Maarten
Saint Lucia	U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Croix Saint Thomas

Information is retrieved from Wikipedia on February 11, 2014

Everyone is encouraged to lean-in to the best-practices and empowerments defined in the Go Lean book.
🙂

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2008, Aviation, Tourism

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Tourism’s changing profile

Posted on March 21, 2014 in Implementation, Industries, Locations, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

The experiences in the Caribbean correspond to the observations of this article. Change has come to the Caribbean. Tourism continues to be the primary economic driver in the region; this is a static fact for the last 50 years, even though the dynamics of this industry is in constant flux. The Go Lean … Caribbean roadmap depicts that 4 major change agents have impacted this industry: technology, demographics, globalization, and climate change. This article affirms these issues.

Unfortunately the Caribbean region has not always planned for changes or adapted to them. There is still the expectation that the tourists visiting the islands would be North American or Western European and that the standard languages of Dutch, English, French and Spanish would suffice. Alas, this article depicted that the profile of modern tourism reflect a more global reach. Therefore, Caribbean communities must prepare for this change. They must accomodate the need for language translations, community education and racial/ethnic tolerance.

By: Lyndon Thompson

Tourism has shown remarkable staying power in recent years. Despite political instability, wars, natural disasters and a global financial crisis, the industry keeps getting up for another round. Japan is good example. After the 2011 earthquake and Fukushima nuclear accident, the number of visitors to the country plunged. But in 2013 more than 9 million tourists visited the country, a record high.

International tourist arrivals generally surpassed 1 billion in 2012 and are forecast to reach 1.8 billion by 2030. OECD countries account for nearly 60% of international tourist arrivals, but a shift in the global economy promises to change this picture somewhat as people in emerging economies travel more than before. Today, China spends eight times more on tourism than it did 12 years ago. Chinese tourists spent US$102 billion in 2012, a 37% increase over the previous year and more than any other country.

Russians are also more footloose, and rank fifth in terms of spending on outbound tourism. The number of tourists from India has also doubled since 2006. The UN World Tourism Organization estimates that by 2030, overall annual growth in outbound tourism will amount to 17 million in the Asia-Pacific region, 16 million in Europe, 5 million in the Americas, and a combined 5 million in Africa and the Middle East.

Emerging economies are drawing in more tourists, too. Over the next 15 years, the share of arrivals in emerging economies will increase by 4.4% annually, double the rate of arrivals in advanced economies, with South Asia topping the list. North America, on the other hand, will slip to the bottom.

Tourism directly accounts for 4.2% of GDP, 5.9% of employment and 21% of exports of services in OECD countries, enough for governments bruised by the financial crisis to see the industry as a catalyst for growth. They are becoming more dynamic, bringing in new business models and cutting red tape. They are shortening waiting times by offering online visa applications and automatic border checks, too: Turkey, for instance, introduced e-visa applications in 2013, reducing the need for tourists to queue on arrival.

The profile of today’s travelers differs sharply from that of their predecessors. Demographically, tourists are older–23% aged 55 or above–and more frugal, preferring shorter trips closer to home. Geographically, they tend to live in emerging economies rather than in developed ones. Most holidays are now booked online instead of through travel agencies. The holidays sought are often far off the beaten track and focus on a theme: adventure, culture and heritage, or food and wine. New niche markets have arisen, such as “diaspora”, gay and lesbian holidays, humanitarian tourism to work for good causes, and tourism for medical treatments.

Two other trends in tourism are also worth noting. First there is risky “dark tourism”, from hiking in Afghanistan to hunting pirates off the Somali coast, or even photographing conflict zones in Syria. This fashion should not be confused with the rather more solemn “memorial tourism”, which promotes trips to the scenes of great tragedies and wars, such as Ground Zero in New York, Auschwitz in Poland and war cemeteries across Europe.

With 2014 marking the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, expect a rise in “memorial tourism” in the year ahead, particularly in Flanders in Belgium and the Somme region of France. In Japan there is a proposal to build a tourists’ village near the Fukushima nuclear plant, with fortified hotels to shield guests against any elevated radiation, the aim being to remind future generations of the 2011 tragedy there.

Such emotionally challenging trips allow travelers to reflect on the follies of humankind and the vulnerability of life. They can also serve to bond people together and build co-operation against future conflicts. Rather than an escape, they echo what the writer Samuel Johnson saw as the true reason for travelling: “to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

Source: www.oecd.org/cfe/tourism/

The book Go Lean … Caribbean purports that the Caribbean is the greatest address in the world. In order to appeal to the global market, the book, as a roadmap, posits that regional tourism stakeholders must engage these other ethnic populations. The roadmap advocates the use of Internet Communications Technologies and Social Media for bookings, and to sell the attractions of Caribbean culture and amenities. The plan also calls for establishing Trade Mission Offices in divergent cities like Spain and Tokyo for outreach to Mid & Far Eastern markets.

The Go Lean roadmap also advocates 10-Step approaches for elevating events and fairgrounds in the region. The tactical approach is for a technocratic Trade Federation that would finance and construct facilities and amenities as amusement parks, arenas, stadia & other venues structure as Self- Governing Entities. These bordered grounds would be independent of actual member-state governments.

This magazine article was published in the OECD Observer “e-Zine”. This online journal is the public relations arm of the OECD – Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development – an international economic organization of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. It is a forum of countries committed to democracy and the free-market economy, providing a platform to compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practices, and co-ordinate domestic and international policies of its members. The OECD promotes policies designed to …
1). Achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy;
2). Contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as nonmember countries in the process of economic development; and
3). Contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, nondiscriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations.
Source: www.oecd.org/about/ (Retrieved November 2013).

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2008, Tourism, Transform

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Egalitarianism versus Anarchism

Posted on March 21, 2014 in Economics, Ethos, Social, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

This book Go Lean … Caribbean presents the two sides of the debate on “egalitarianism”: catering to the Least Common Denominator (LCD) or elevating the achievers. Let’s expand that discussion here. For the first argument, an essay by Gary Hull (Ayn Rand Institute) in Capitalism magazine which stipulates:

Egalitarianism claims only to want an “equality” in end results, hates the exceptional man who, through his own mental effort, achieves that which others cannot… In an attempt to “dumb down” all students to the lowest common denominator, today’s educators no longer promote excellence and students of superior ability… Imagine the following Academy Award ceremony. There are no awards for best picture or best actor. Instead, every picture gets a certificate and every actor receives a prize. That is not an awards ceremony, you say? So it isn’t. But it is an egalitarian’s dream — and an achiever’s torment. Talent and ability create inequality… To rectify this supposed injustice, we are told to sacrifice the able to the unable. Egalitarianism demands the punishment and envy of anyone who is better than someone else at anything. We must tear down the competent and the strong – raze them to the level of the incompetent and the weak… What would happen to a Thomas Edison today? If he survived school with his mind intact, he would be shackled by government regulators. His wealth would be confiscated by the IRS. He would be accused of ‘unfair competition’ for inventing so many more products than his competitors.^[a]

On the other hand, Alexander Berkman argued the contrast:

…equality does not mean an equal amount but equal opportunity… Do not make the mistake of identifying equality in liberty with the forced equality of the convict camp. True anarchist equality implies freedom, not quantity. It does not mean that every one must eat, drink, or wear the same things, do the same work, or live in the same manner. Far from it: the very reverse in fact… Individual needs and tastes differ, as appetites differ. It is equal opportunity to satisfy them that constitutes true equality… Far from leveling, such equality opens the door for the greatest possible variety of activity and development. For human character is diverse.^[b]

The Go Lean book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The book embraces both sides of this debate; on the one hand, as a federal entity, the CU will ensure equal access to regional opportunities to any petitioner; this is Egalitarian in nature. On the other hand, this Go Lean/CU roadmap posits the community ethos that one person can make a difference, and can impact the region for the Greater Good. The CU will foster the unique contributions of the achiever. This meritocracy leaning comes down on the Anarchist side of the debate.

In this vein, the following missions, aligned by Anarchist and Egalitarian, are elaborated in the Go Lean book:

Anarchist – leaning advocacies	Egalitarian – leaning advocacies
Fostering Genius	Bridge the Digital Divide
Help Entrepreneurship	Manage Reconciliations
Promote Intellectual Property	Improve Sharing
Fostering a Technocracy	Impact the Greater Good
Delivering More with Less	Impact Social Media
– Lean Project Management methodologies	Impact Entitlements
Improve Leadership	Battles against Poverty
Impact Beauty Pageants	Protect Human Rights
Impact Lotteries	Help the Middle Class
Impact Retirement	Improve Elder-Care
Impact the One Percent	Promoting Independence
Improve Sports	Improve Education
Improve the Arts	Empower Women
Promote Music	Impact Youth
	Impact Persons with Disabilities

The Go Lean book is published by a movement seeking to make the Caribbean a better homeland to live, work and play. There can be no strict adherence to either egalitarianism or anarchism; the optimal society must reflect a perfect balance of both.

All in all, the Egalitarian versus Anarchist debate may now be considered anachronistic. This may have been a valid 1913 argument, but for 2013 (publication date of the Go Lean book) it is “null-and-void”, irrelevant even. After 100 years of bad history – 2 World Wars and a Capitalism-versus-Communism schism – we must simply apply the lessons learned. Today, we must consider all best practices, and embrace all tools, techniques and talents for success. The people of the Caribbean deserve the best of the best, despite whatever philosophical leanings.

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Appendix – Citations

a. Egalitarianism: The New Torture Rack, by Gary Hull, Ayn Rand Institute, January 11, 2004

b. Alexander Berkman- Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist. Mother Earth Publishing 1912 – What is Anarchism? pp. 164-5

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Gender, Model, Transform

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John McPhee – LCD versus an Entrepreneurial Ethos

Posted on March 21, 2014 in Government, Industries, Social, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

The book Go Lean … Caribbean is more than just a publication, it is a movement. This movement is designed to elevate the Caribbean’s economic, security and governing engines. The book serves as roadmap for the introduction and implementation for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). As such, we are proud to feature role models – institutions, companies and individuals – that extoll the values, community ethos, that we hold dear. This role model, John McPhee, is a prime example.

Among the many community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementation and advocacies in the book is the proposal for the consolidation and integration of the region’s Taxi & Limousine Regulatory Commissions. The book posits that many of the initiatives envisioned for the region are too big an undertaking for any one Caribbean member-state alone; therefore the roadmap call for this functionality to be consolidated and integrated into CU oversight.

John McPhee is on the frontline of Bahamian tourism – he is a taxi driver. But to call him just a taxi driver would be an insult; it would expose a blatant ignorance. John McPhee is the anti-taxi driver; he “zigs” while everyone else “zags”. The industry for taxi drivers is based on the Lowest Common Denominator (LCD); John, on the other hand, rises above the fray, he stands out like a stalk of wheat in a field of weeds. He drives a Chrysler Town & Country mini-van for its roominess, durability and fuel efficiency. (The is the same vehicle class as the Nissan NV200 depicted in Appendix-VIDEO below and on Page 328 of the Go Lean book).

Mr. McPhee also accepts credit cards. This is an anomaly among taxi drivers in the Bahamas.

Lastly, he arranges appointments and delivers on schedule. He is the walking embodiment of the vision for the Caribbean Union’s Taxi & Limousine Commission.

John McPhee delivers on a business model that can be profitable, efficient, and effective (as frontline ambassadors) for forging change in a region too accustomed to the status quo (failure); a region with governmental policies designed to benefit the LCD and thus they miss out on victories that one champion can achieve. This is the winning model of both the industrial and information revolutions, where individuals, entrepreneurs and industrialists transformed society with their innovations. John McPhee represents that new corps of Caribbean entrepreneurs.

In a person-to-person interview, recorded in the Go Lean book at Page 39, these were his responses:

What are the details of your project?

A Cashless Payment System for Taxi Cabs. This will allow for passengers to pay their fare by means of any major credit/debit cards. Considering the reality of The Bahamas where many citizens, even in the middle class, do not possess credit cards, the target market will be tourists, and the corporate sector. This service should empower taxi drivers to have a competitive advantage over their peers. This project’s goal is to have 50 cars within a fleet, and to provide all of their dispatch services.

Who are the competitors of this service?

There is the Bahamas Taxi Union, a cooperative among individual taxi drivers. Then there are other private entities like H. Forbes Charters and other similar companies.

Why did you not leave, like the many before you?

The Bahamas can still be a land of opportunity. This is what the people here deserve. This is a small country, I should be a big fish in this small pond, but I’m not. If I’m not the head-of-the class here, how can I expect to succeed as a small fish in a big pond somewhere else. So I do not intend to leave.

How do you feel about Bahamian/Caribbean Security?

A lot is lacking here. All citizens can easily be in danger of the pervasive crime and violence.

How do you feel about Bahamian/Caribbean Economy?

Even more is lacking. This country is not suited to encourage entrepreneurism. Economic growth is only going to come from the private sector, not the government. For the private sector to flourish there must be the appropriate structure, incentives and economic drivers. These ingredients are not here now. For my project, I had to sue the government agency (Taxi Commission) to force their hand in doing the right thing. The governing principle used here follows the policy of egalitarianism. This sounds good on paper, equal opportunity for all, but in practice, it’s a disservice for job creation. Catering to the LCD sets the bar low. Excellence does not emerge from that.

What areas are you most disappointed in when considering the last 20 years?

There is a trend towards social equality, which is good if the equal status is a high standard of living and high moral fortitude. But instead, there seems to be a steady decline in all aspects of Bahamian life in which we are all becoming equally mediocre, inadequate. This indicates a fault in leadership; there is a lack of vision and no plan to elevate, if not for all the people, then at least for an achiever class.

What do you want to see in The Bahamas in … 5 years?

Turn-around from the current path, otherwise there will be a collapse of the middle class.

What do you want to see in The Bahamas in … 10 years?

All societies must innovate, or be overrun with innovations from abroad. If the current trend continues, there will be a disenfranchisement of Bahamians in their own country.

What do you want to see in The Bahamas in … 20 years?

I want to see a social and political revolution; the status quo cannot continue. While a revolution denote a quick sudden change, perhaps an evolution (slow, steady and consistent) is better. But we must start now, by first abandoning these LCD policies and expectations.

What features of North American/Europe would you like to see here?

In addition to a NATO-like force, the Caribbean should be more connected/integrated; there should be a central trading/purchasing entity to represent the entire region.

Where do you consider to be the best place to live?

Canada. They seem open to growth, inviting foreign nationals. There is a common language – but respect for minorities – and plenty of opportunities in the areas that entrepreneurs seek.

How would you feel if your children emigrate?

Being a husband and father, I fear that my son will one day leave. He will need such a move to soar in his endeavors. If that happens, while we will miss him, we will simply accept and support him.

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Appendix – VIDEO: New York Proclaims “Hail Yes!” as First Nissan NV200 Taxicab Hits the Streets of Manhattan – https://youtu.be/za1xO3WcnQs

Published on Oct 29, 2013 – NEW YORK (October 29, 2013) — A new era in public transportation has begun with the Nissan NV200 taxi now in service on the streets of New York City. The meter on the first NV200 taxi fare officially kicked-off at JFK International Airport on October 23, dropping its inaugural passenger near 13th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. Mr. Ranjit Singh, an owner/operator of Medallion No. 7F20, took delivery of his NV200 taxi from Koeppel Nissan in Queens on October 18.
AMC131029102.

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Bahamas, Canada, Model, Poverty, Tourism

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6.5M Earthquake Shakes Eastern Caribbean

Posted on March 13, 2014 in Ethos, Government, Locations, Planning, Strategy

Go Lean Caribbean

The below news article highlights the regional threat of the active fault line (the Lesser Antilles subduction zone, also known for volcanoes) in the Eastern Caribbean basin. Notice that the countries affected are of American, Dutch, English and French legacies. In addition, there has been a number of small quakes in Puerto Rico in the last month.

Without a doubt, the Caribbean has to be on guard for danger from seismic activities. Plus, with constant threats during the annual hurricane season, there is a need for a full-time sentinel to monitor, mitigate and manage the risks of natural disasters in the region. This is the mandate for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The Go Lean … Caribbean roadmap describes the CU’s prime directives as empowering the region’s economic engines, providing security assurances and preparing/responding to natural disasters.

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake northeast of Barbados caused shaking across the Eastern Caribbean early Tuesday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake, which occurred 172 kilometres |northeast of Barbados, struck at around 5:27 AM local time.

The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre also recorded the quake as having a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale. The quake was felt across the region, with weak |shaking felt as far north as Philipsburg, St Maarten and light to moderate shaking from |Martinique all the way down to Grenada.

The most reports of shaking were felt in Martinique, which was about 128 kilometres directly west of the quake’s epicentre, along with Barbados. There were not any reports of damage or injuries, although authorities in Martinique were recommending “extreme caution” in coastal areas, according to reports. Other countries that felt shaking included St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and even Venezuela. It was the second 6.5-magnitude earthquake in the region in just over a month, following a similarly-sized quake in near Puerto Rico in January.

It was the strongest quake in that portion of the region since 2007, when a 7.3-magnitude quake struck near Martinique. As a point of reference, the earthquake in 2010 in Haiti was a |7.0-magnitude on the Richter scale. The 2007 Martinique quake had been the largest in the |region since a 6.9-Magnitude tremblor near Antigua in 1974.
Source: Caribbean Journal Online (Retrieved 02/18/2014) –
http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/02/18/6-5m-earthquake-shakes-eastern-caribbean-from-martinique-to-grenada/

The book details the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake as an indictment for the region’s lack of planning/response. What’s more the book, as a roadmap, posits that there is the threat of even more earthquakes along the Enriquillo fault line.

Earthquakes are Mother Nature’s fury 100%; there is no way to prevent them, only plan for their eventuality. Unfortunately the Caribbean region has not planned accordingly, despite due warning. Despite the constant threats for disasters, we have failed! There is no integrated agency to monitor and manage these threats. Yes, there is the US Geological Services, but this agency’s American priorities may not align with the priorities of the Caribbean people as a whole.

The roadmap does implement an integrated agency. Without this implementation, the region can only beg for help. Lastly, the Go Lean roadmap advocates a 10-Step approach to outgrow the statue of a perennial beggar for International Aid. The Caribbean, by the end of this roadmap, should at last be a better place to live, work and play.

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Could the Caribbean Host the Olympic Games?

Posted on March 12, 2014 in Ethos, Locations, Planning, Social, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

Freedom of speech is great for the flow of information in a democracy. But freedom of speech has its limits, notwithstanding libel, slander and defamation possibilities. If a person yells out “FIRE, FIRE” in a crowded theater, knowing that there is no fire, the resultant panic and crush of people fleeing for the exits is actually criminally liable. In some jurisdiction, if death results, the culprit can be charged with statues against “depraved indifference”. Wow, that could be serious!

On the other hand, there is the practice of dreaming and acting on dreams. Some of the biggest accomplishments in world history, started as someone’s dreams. Once actuated, one step after another led to the eventual fulfillment of the dream.

See this article here from Caribbean Journal Online News Site; retrieved 02/12/2014 from http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/02/13/caribbean-idea-could-the-caribbean-host-the-olympic-games/:

While the Caribbean has become relatively accustomed to dominating at the Summer Olympics, this year’s crop of Caribbean winter athletes has us thinking. With all of the Caribbean’s continued success in international athletics, why couldn’t the region (or one of the countries in the region host the Summer Olympics?

The Olympics has been held in the US, Asia, Australia, Europe and (soon) South America, but never in the Caribbean. So we looked around the region to think about which countries could, at least hypothetically host the Games. The Games must be based in a single city; given much of the region’s size, the Games would likely need to be held across an entire island, though perhaps nominally based in a city.

A potential Caribbean host country would also need several major qualities: a large enough territory to host the myriad events held in the Summer Games; a high enough level of infrastructural development; a big enough airport and a hotel stock large enough that it could expand without too much difficulty to meet the needs of the Games. We isolated several Caribbean islands: Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico.

Jamaica is large enough and its hotel stock is big enough, but its infrastructural development would need work; given Jamaica’s brand equity around the world (and its athletic dominance), this could be a natural choice, with Montego Bay being the best fit for a single city given its topography. Hispaniola would be the most provocative choice: could two neighbors that often have a stormy relationship bridge their divides and come together for international sport? Lack of infrastructure, particularly on the Haitian side, would be an issue, but adding that infrastructure would also enormously benefit the western half of the island.

Could the Games be held in Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo together? Trinidad and Tobago has the infrastructural development, the territorial size, and the airport, but a small hotel stock. Could Port of Spain host the Games with many events held in Tobago? A system of fast ferries and increased flights would make for an entertaining twin-island Olympics.

Guadeloupe would be a bit of a wild card; its roads and infrastructural development far outpace much of the region; it has enough undeveloped land and a relatively large size. Could the Games spread across each of the islands of the archipelago? Puerto Rico is large, with developed infrastructure, and it’s part of the United States, with a relatively robust hotel stock and strong existing sports infrastructure. Of course, its debt problems would pose a significant hindrance to hosting the Games in the next few decades.

Cuba is another option, although the continued embargo from the United States would likely be a significant stumbling block. Otherwise, the island has the size, infrastructure and level of development to be considered. There’s another option — what about a regionally-hosted Olympics? Would the IOC ever support something like that? Would the Caribbean grant temporary approval for foreign airlines to operate regional service? Would a fast-ferry company seize on the opportunity?

If the region could source the majority of the funding from sponsorship’s and other external sources, the benefits of new hotels, infrastructure, investment and prestige could be significant. But the Caribbean would need to ensure that the foreign money was enough that it didn’t put it any further into already-crippling debt. Ultimately, the question is this: instead of spending billions on developed countries hosting the Games, why not spend the same money for an Olympic Games that actually leads to development?

Imagine a Trinidad or a Jamaica or a Hispaniola with fresh, modern hotels, large stadia and, crucially, sparkling new roads (not to mention the vast tourism marketing potential of hosting the Games). Of course, there’s another major issue: the weather. Summer in the Caribbean means the risk of hurricanes. But with major storms popping up across the globe, is the Caribbean really alone in that risk anymore? And couldn’t Olympic development be done at a hurricane-proof standard?

What do you think? Could the Caribbean ever host an Olympic Games?

The Caribbean hosting the Olympics is just dreaming, not reporting. Most men and women standing on the podium receiving their winning medals can trace their origins back to some dream. A dream for the athlete, coach and/or parent. Sometimes, too the whole community is dreaming. Is the thought of the Caribbean hosting the Olympics some day just a dream now in 2014 or can the “dominoes” be put in place that once actuated can lead to an eventual successful bid to host some future Olympiad?

Tipping the “dominoes” to enable a better business environment is the mission of the Go Lean … Caribbean roadmap. This even applies to sports. The books purports that sports can be a great economic driver for the region, and that the business model of the Olympics can be forged in the region on a minor scale. In fact the book proposes the CU Games as a bi-annual event that encompasses many Olympic-style events, more than just Track & Field. This approach would bring the necessary regional integration necessary to develop any long time plans for a big dream of the Olympics. (But the recommendation here is to NEVER host one).

This commentary declares that the merits of the foregoing article is pure rubbish. No one Caribbean country possesses the population base and economic engine to make an Olympic bid viable. While comparisons can be made for Greece, the host country for the 2004 Summer Olympics, this example is a better argument for opposition of any Olympic hosting. Greece experienced much financial distress as a result of their Olympic hosting; the country was near insolvency during the European Sovereign Debt crisis of 2009 – 2012, if not for the bail-outs of the European Union.

To the contrary, the entire Caribbean region tallies 42 million people and the results of economic integration can yield a GDP of $800 Billion (2010). Greece on the other hand had a population count of 10.8 million and GDP of $250 for the same period.

Lastly, the Go Lean roadmap calls for the emergence of the Caribbean dollar unified currency. This structure would spur the elevation of the region’s capital markets (9) for stocks and bonds. This approach would satisfy the liquidity needs to finance the construction of any and all sporting facilities required for sporting events.

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