rapporteurs report strategies for enhancing...
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Rapporteurs’ Report
Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the
Global Knowledge Economy 2011
Friday April 15, 2011 and Saturday April 16, 2011
Mona Visitors Lodge and Conference Centre University of the West Indies, Mona
Kingston, Jamaica
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
PARTNERSHIPS, SPONSORSHIPS & ENDORSEMENTS ....................................................................................... 4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................................................................ 5
OPENING CEREMONY .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS ........................................................................................................................ 12
DAY ONE - AM SESSION ................................................................................................................................................ 12
DAY ONE – PM SESSION ............................................................................................................................................... 25
DAY TWO - AM SESSION .............................................................................................................................................. 45
DAY TWO - PM SESSION .............................................................................................................................................. 60
CLOSING CEREMONY ......................................................................................................................................................... 74
THE WAY FORWARD ......................................................................................................................................................... 76
FEEDBACK ............................................................................................................................................................................... 79
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................................................................... 82
PARTICIPATING STAKEHOLDERS ....................................................................................................................... 83
CONFERENCE LEADERS / PRESENTERS ............................................................................................................. 87
LEAD SPONSOR, CONFERENCE DIRECTOR & RAPPORTEURS ................................................................ 97
PICTORIALS .................................................................................................................................................................... 100
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 2
GLOSSARY
ADR Assessment of Development Results
BRIC Brazil, Russia, India and China BSJ Bureau of Standards Jamaica
CANTA Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies
CARICOM Caribbean Community
CDCC Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee
CITO Central Information Technology Office
CSME Caribbean Single Market and Economy
CVQ Caribbean Vocational Qualification
DFID Department for International Development
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
EU European Union
FDI Foreign Direct Investment
FY Financial Year
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GIS Geographic Information System
GOJ Government of Jamaica
ICT Information and Communication Technologies
IDB Inter-American Development Bank
IDRC International Development Research Centre
ILO International Labour Organization
INDECOM Independent Commission of Investigations
IS Information System
ISO International Standards Organisation
IT Information Technology
ITC International Trade Centre
JAAA Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association
JAMPRO Jamaica Promotions Corporation
JBDC Jamaica Business Development Corporation
JCF Jamaica Constabulary Force
JCS Jamaica Computer Society
JEF Jamaica Employers’ Federation
JHTA Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association
JOA Jamaica Olympics Association
JTI Jamaica Trade and Invest
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 3
KSF Knowledge Society Foundation
MDG Millennium Development Goal
MSB Mona School of Business
MSME Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
MSTQ Metrology, Standards, Testing and Quality
NCTVET National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training
NGO Non Government Organisation
NTA National Training Agency
NTO National Tourism Organisation
NVQJ National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica
OAS Organization of American States
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
PC Personal Computer
PIOJ Planning Institute of Jamaica
PISA Programme for International Student Assessment
PSOJ Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica
R&D Research and Development
SALISES Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies
SIDS Small Island Developing States
SME Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
STATIN Statistical Institute of Jamaica
TPDCO Tourism Product Development Company
TPM Telecommunications Policy Management Programme
UDC Urban Development Corporation
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UTech University of Technology
UWI University of the West Indies
WTO World Trade Organization
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 4
PARTNERSHIPS, SPONSORSHIPS & ENDORSEMENTS
The Knowledge Society Foundation expresses its gratitude to these kind partners and sponsors
without whom this Conference would not have been possible.
Title Sponsor:
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Knowledge Society Foundation, an independent affiliate of the Jamaica Computer Society,
planned, organised and delivered a historic and highly successful two-day conference on
"Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy" at the
Mona Visitor's Lodge and Conference Centre, University of the West Indies, Mona on April 15th
and 16th, 2011.
The conference was commissioned by Spatial Innovision Limited with financing from an
Award of the Caribbean Pioneers of Prosperity Programme and endorsed/co-sponsored by
Fujitsu Caribbean Limited, the Mona School of Business, the Information Division of the UWI
Mona Campus, JAMPRO, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Computer
Society.
Immense interest has been expressed in this very important and timely topic, by a variety of
persons, companies, trade unions and members of academia and the media, as the country
continues the debate on growth strategies, grounded in our yet untapped unique human
potential. The objective of the conference programme was to impart a deeper understanding of
applied strategies for enhancing the competitiveness of Jamaican firms, society and economy
for successful participation in the Global Knowledge Economy, in support of our national
development. It is intended that among the many deliverables, that this Conference will be the
start of a national, and hopefully through the University of the West Indies, a regional discourse
and debate, resulting in national and regional action plans on the necessary strategies to be
adopted for enabling our economies and societies to become more fully articulated into the
global knowledge economy.
Some 90 thought-leaders from the private sector, public sector, media, NGOs, education and
the political space, attended and enthusiastically participated in the conference. The event was
lead by a distinguished international group of experts in knowledge economy transformations
and global competitiveness including Principal Advisors, Dr. Jean-Eric Aubert and Prof. Carl
Dahlman (former Directors of the Knowledge Economy Division of the World Bank Institute),
Prof. Neville Duncan, Dr. Dawn Elliott, Mr. Kenneth Hynes, Dr. Densil Williams, Prof. Evan
Duggan, Prof. Hopeton Dunn, Dr. Carolyn Hayle, Dr. Andre Gordon, Mr. Robert Gregory, Dr.
Anne Crick, Dr. Gunjan Mansingh and Mr. Richard Lumsden.
The conference was opened by The Most Honourable Professor Sir Kenneth Octavius Hall, ON,
GCMG, OJ, who gave the keynote address. In his remarks he expressed the hope that the
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outcomes of the conference would influence the policy direction chosen by Government to
achieve the intended growth objectives for the country.
On conclusion of the opening ceremony, the Day One AM Session commenced, chaired by
Professor Neville Duncan. Five presentations were delivered, which were geared towards
establishing a shared understanding of key terms and concepts; knowledge society, knowledge
economy and competitiveness and proposing strategies for development at both the macro
and the micro levels. Questions, comments and responses of the session centred on the
interplay between macro and micro issues, the importance of collaboration in striving for
competitiveness and the behavioural and cultural issues that impede progress.
The Day One PM Session was chaired by Dr. Densil Williams and saw four presentations being
made on specific knowledge sectors in the Jamaican economy: ICT, telecommunications,
hospitality and tourism and agriculture. The feedback from participants and subsequent
discussions revolved around the evolution of the ICT sector globally and in Jamaica; the
recognition that the tourism sector is more than accommodation and that there are potential
for areas such as health and wellness tourism; the critical role of education in creating a
knowledge-based society and driving evidence based decision making; and identifying the
emerging areas in a dying agricultural sector and how to overcome the barriers.
In the morning of Day Two, the Session was chaired by Professor Evan Duggan. The two
presentations before the break were devoted to the examination of issues and policies related
to two critical knowledge economy pillars; education and innovation and the nexus between
both which provides the capability of powerful and important synergies. After the break, there
was a presentation on knowledge management and knowledge management systems and their
applicability to issues of crime, healthcare and agriculture. The morning session closed with an
examination of Vision 2030 and the facilitators and inhibitors of the operationalisation of Vision
2030. A lively discussion ensued with participants being concerned with issues such as: the
contradiction of supporting processes of innovation within an organizational framework; the
leadership deficit within the public and private sectors; the difference between creative and
cultural industries and the policy implications for both; and the level of budgetary allocation for
the Vision 2030 Plan.
Day Two PM Session sought to pull together the discussions of the previous day and a half and
focused the participants on strategizing for the implementation of practical knowledge
economy initiatives for Jamaica. The session was chaired by Prof. Winston Davidson. Dr. Jean-
Eric Aubert in his presentation provided some insight into innovation policy and suggested
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 7
some generic policy measures to support innovation, for Jamaica. Prof. Carl Dahlman reviewed
issues and policies of the Knowledge Economy related to education and training.
Action plans on the way forward for driving the transform of the Jamaican landscape to a
knowledge-based economy and society were crafted, during the hotly debated break-out
sessions which followed, including rich ideas on; How to engage public and private sector leaders in the drive for Knowledge Economy
and Knowledge Society transformation
How to exploit competitive niche projects as a source of jobs creation and wealth
increase
How to adjust the Education and Training System to Competitiveness and Knowledge
Economy Needs
All presentations are available for viewing on the Knowledge Society Foundation website at
www.knowledgesocietyfoundation.com
In summing up the recommendations Dr. Aubert and Prof. Dahlman made valuable suggestions
for strengthening the suggested actions for greater effectiveness and results. The overall action
plan, including these recommendations, is presented in the Section of the report entitled “The
Way Forward”.
This two day conference highlighted the benefits and challenges for Jamaica’s development in
this globally competitive knowledge economy. A recurring theme throughout the conference
was the need to ensure that the deliberations and recommendations are carried through to
affect national policies and programmes. The organizers were encouraged to identify a vehicle
through which this process of institutionalization would be driven and to move immediately
into dialogue with the relevant stakeholders who are critical to the success of this process.
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OPENING CEREMONY
Welcome and Opening Remarks. – Mrs. Jacqueline daCosta – Conference Chair
In her opening remarks Mrs. daCosta, situated the conference in the current economic and
social crisis facing Jamaica. She explained that Spatial Innovision, had recently won a prestigious
award, which should have been allocated train staff, in the areas of competitiveness and
knowledge, which are considered importance issues for doing business today. Instead, Spatial
decided to host the Conference and extend the invitation to several critical persons in the
society who have an interest in this area, to be a part of the training.
Mrs. daCosta advised the participants that the Knowledge Society Foundation (KSF), an affiliate
of the Jamaica Computer Society was hired to plan and organise the training
session/conference. KSF is dedicated to advocating on the knowledge society and the wide
scale adoption of ICT in the country.
In welcoming all to the Conference she expressed the hope for a successful event with positive
outcomes to the benefit of Jamaica.
Opening Prayer - Rev. Lennox Scarlette
In his opening prayer, Rev. Lennox Scarlette, called on God to lift up the industries of science,
engineering and technology and the persons working in these industries at all levels. He gave
thanks for the opportunity to meet, reflect and deliberate on the conference theme. It is God
who gave us the raw materials for discovery and gifted us with the skills to make scientific and
technological advances that contribute to the betterment of humanity. He prayed that
deliberations would result in a firm foundation to finding more and better ways to use science
and technology to connect, help and heal persons around the world. He prayed for
encouragement for those who continue to search for solutions to the problems that still face us
and the perseverance to endure, as we look with hope at the possibilities that await us.
Conference Design and Objectives - Dr. Jean-Eric Aubert and Prof. Carl Dahlman
Dr. Aubert in his remarks thanked the organisers for the opportunity to participate. He also
thanked JAMPRO for organising the brief tour which allowed them to meet with persons in
politics, business and academics, providing a good introduction and some insight into
understanding the country. He emphasized that the Conference sessions were not just about
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training, but that it was important to arrive of some concrete action plans for implementing the
Knowledge Economy in Jamaica, with a focus on competitiveness. The role of the facilitators
would be to focus the ideas of the participants. They would however provide ideas which they
think are relevant, but it is up to the participants to arrive at the conclusions. He reiterated the
importance of maintaining the momentum of the conference and to allow the
recommendations to be scaled up to the level of policy makers in order to have some national
impact.
Prof. Carl Dahlman indicated his pleasure at being invited to participate. He thanked especially,
Spatial Innovision, for sharing the prize money in this manner. He advised that the conference
programme was designed to highlight a number of perspectives, issues and approaches for
improving competitiveness in Jamaica. After the knowledge sharing however, there would be
need to focus on the critical issues and what could be done to make a difference. He
emphasised that several studies have been undertaken and reports produced. The real proof of
making a difference and getting the required returns, however, would be turning the ideas into
concrete action plans for implementation. He challenged persons to listen as the presentations
are made and to focus on the big challenges, to discuss them and to identify the key areas
which can be tackled and which can be tackled in a way that can lead to some concrete actions.
The participants were advised that at the end of the first day there would be a brainstorming
session to start the thinking about these big challenges in different sectors. Breakout groups in
the afternoon of second day would contribute ideas on what could be done. There would be
many topics presented, but three areas would be identified to focus on in the breakout groups.
Groups would be asked to focus on:
What are the issues?
What can be done about them?
What are the different entry points to be able to do something about it?
How do you mobilize stakeholder awareness of what has to be done?
How do you develop concrete objectives?
How do you mobilize actions towards reaching objectives?
How do you monitor and evaluate so that things can be adjusted?
Prof. Dahlman reiterated that their role was that of facilitators and that the real work is to be
done by the participants. He challenged persons to develop a process for continuity, as many
issues are large and would required focused action. He reminded that the participants are the
ones who knew the reality, problems and constraints in the country, but more importantly the
key entry points to exploit, in order to promote positive virtuous cycles that can make a
difference.
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Address and Official Opening of Conference - The Most Honourable Professor Sir
Kenneth Hall, ON, GCMG, OJ
The Most Honourable Professor Sir Kenneth Hall, ON, GCMG, OJ,
in his address, indicated that the Conference was taking place at a
strategic point in Jamaica’s efforts to stimulate growth and to
reposition itself within the global economy. The Conference was
also taking place at a time when other developments in the
country suggest that growth is now the expected policy outcome
of all these initiatives. He expressed the hope that the outcomes
of the conference would influence the policy direction that will be
chosen to achieve the intended growth objectives for the country.
The underlying assumption of the organisers of the conference,
however, was that by adopting an appropriate set of strategies,
the country would be able to overcome those deficiencies that
have combined to place Jamaica at 95 out of 139 countries according to the World Economic
Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2010/2011. He indicated that in fact all Caribbean
countries had declined in their rankings and that this presented a sobering reason for the
deliberations of the Conference. He expressed his hope that at the end of the Conference
there would be some element of the deliberations which could be implemented. In selecting
the Conference theme, he suggested, the organisers together with the supporters from the
international community, accepted that Jamaica’s future is intricately bound up with successful
participation in the global Knowledge Economy. Depending on how the global Knowledge
Economy was defined however, he opined, it is possible that Jamaica has always been involved.
Caribbean countries and Jamaica in particular, were created as a part of the global economy,
called then the colonial imperial economy, which had a centre and global positions all over the
world. Jamaica did not necessarily choose to be part of this economy but was part of it by
definition. He found the notion that that competitiveness is the preferred policy direction to
achieve participation in the global Knowledge Economy, intriguing, as if this were so, then one
would have to conclude that none of the assumptions for the Knowledge Economy or
competiveness have been adopted as the working model for Jamaica, judging by the last 35
years of anemic economic growth.
The timing of the Conference he suggested, also coincided with the recent announcement by
the Planning Institute of Jamaica that they had developed a growth strategy, accepted by
Government, for reversing Jamaica’s poor economic performance. In elaborating on the
strategy, he highlighted the emphasis placed on key areas such as: Crime reduction; Asset
mobilisation; Competitiveness; Public Sector Transformation; Business networks; Build and
The Most Hon. Prof. Sir Kenneth
Octavius Hall, ON, GCMG, OJ
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 11
natural environment and Urban-regional development. One central issue he emphasized is the
extent to which the strategies emerging from the Conference would be compatible with, in
conflict with, or at least complementary to, the new growth strategy. He also queried if the
Conference would be proposing that Jamaica becomes a Knowledge based economy, or was it
the assumption that it is so already and that Jamaica’s position would be enhanced by
competitiveness.
The assumption is that more and more countries have been embracing knowledge and
innovation as policies to improve growth and competitiveness. At the core of these strategies
are policies that identify, enhance, and exploit intangible assets in the areas of education,
innovation, information and communication technology and the prerequisites economic and
institutional regime. This new paradigm postulates that competiveness is directly connected to
an interrelated set of factors, including the strength of institutions and laws, political stability,
quality of infrastructure, public health, education and levels of technology and innovation. It
was clear, he suggested, that from reviewing these variables that Jamaica and Caribbean
countries, based on their current ranking on the competitiveness scale, will need to embark
upon on a comprehensive policy agenda of innovation and transformation if they are at least
hoping to reach acceptable levels of competitiveness that will assist them to participate
effectively in the global economy. By listing these intangibles, he indicated, there is little
connection to traditional specifications of economic growth. Competitiveness is not just about
how resources are positioned, it is also about how to transform the society. This transformation
takes on a new role, not just for quality of life, but also allows countries the option to be
successful participants in the global economy. In concluding, he urged participants to emerge
with a clear understanding of that it means to achieve success in this global knowledge
economy and the importance of policymakers adopting the recommendations.
In declaring the Conference open, he wished the organisers and participants well in their
deliberations and expressed the hope that the Conference would be a historic one, as Jamaica
emerges from its current state of uncompetitiveness.
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PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
DAY ONE - AM SESSION
Session Chair: Prof. Neville Duncan
Overview
The objective of the session was to establish a shared understanding of key terms and
concepts. The focus was on the importance of knowledge society, knowledge economy and
competitiveness and appropriate strategies for development at this point in the 21st Century.
MODULE 1.1: COMPETITIVENESS IN JAMAICA. THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE –
DR. DAWN ELLIOTT
Dr. Elliott looked at Jamaica’s performance over the past 200 years and framed some
benchmarks around the question: “How has Jamaica fared in her ability to gain access to
knowledge; to use knowledge in practical life; to contribute to new knowledge and with what
impact on her competitiveness”?
She defined competitiveness as a process that includes measuring, learning, communicating
and reasoning; and reminds us that knowledge is simply something that is known by somebody.
This means that ICT, the newest body of knowledge though important in its ability to lower the
costs of doing business and to level the playing field as a result, is no better than old stocks of
knowledge. All knowledge matters, and the ability of firms to be competitive in an ICT biased
world is no different in many ways than before; firms must be able to use this new knowledge
in ways that allow them to produce a good or service of superior quality and in some cases at
lower costs than others.
Producing knowledge is to discover, invent, design, implement and or to communicate. The
economic potential of knowledge lowers transaction costs; influences the type and volume of
economic activity and encourages competitive outcomes. Knowledge is ubiquitous and dynamic
and competitiveness, shaped by formal and informal norms, is about access to knowledge
stock; the uses of the knowledge and the creation of new knowledge.
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In looking at Jamaica over time Dr. Elliott stated that Jamaica was and remains uncompetitive at
all levels. The constraint is not seen as knowledge access but rather knowledge uses and
knowledge creation.
Knowledge Access: Country and Industry Level Indicators from the World Bank Report, showed
Jamaica in 2008 with mobile penetration of 120% and internet penetration at 55.5%. There is
evidence of strong knowledge access in Jamaica. The constraint however is how to encourage
entrepreneurial behaviors that recognize economic payoff from competitive processes and how
to pursue the changes needed to own the payoffs.
Between 1929 and the 1990s literacy rates moved from 67.9% (1929); 87.0% (1980s); 87.9%
(1990s). In the 1990s Secondary School enrollment reached 95% and Tertiary level was at 31%.
Poor knowledge use is evidenced by weak formal school attendance with poor science and
math enrollment; and low passing rates of these subjects as well as poor teacher quality. Many
within the labour force have no formal examination passes and receive no on the job training;
and many of the skilled and trained workers and tertiary trained are part of the outflow from
Jamaica.
Jamaica exhibits poor ability to use knowledge which is a critical driver of productivity and
competitiveness. As a consequence of the constraints of knowledge use and knowledge
creation Jamaica is faced at the industry and firm level with:
Uncompetitive national economy
Low and declining productivity ;even with growth in capital and access to skills and ICT
Low and declining growth rates and per capita incomes
Jamaican firms struggle to survive globally and have start up and survival difficulties locally and
regionally. As Jamaica seeks to create a platform for new knowledge there are certain non-
negotiable competitive behaviors that are required.
Understanding benchmarks;
o Who….is the competition,
o What ….is the basis of the advantage,
o Where….do you plan to go,
o When….over what time
Measurement, Assessment, Process Improvement
o Identify the competitive gap
o Measure to close the gap
o Measure the success
Devotion to be the best
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Conclusion
While ICT has joined the stock of knowledge to enter the international market there is still the
need to build on the full stock of knowledge to attain competitiveness. The Jamaican Music
Industry offers lessons of missed opportunities and Track and Field lessons of how to use our
talents in ways that make us competitive. The Music Industry is world renowned for
innovation, creativity, and one of the most productivity, in terms of music recordings per
person. Despite this it remains uncompetitive, with no control over production and distribution
globally and as a result modest returns have been realized. On the other hand is track and field;
it demonstrates how a commitment to be the best, to provide measurements of success, and to
use these measurements to drive improvements and ensure domestic, regional, and global
competitiveness.
MODULE 1.2: WHAT IS THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY AND HOW CAN IT HELP
JAMAICA? - PROFESSOR CARL DAHLMAN
Professor Dahlman commenced with definitions of Knowledge Economy and Knowledge
Society:
Knowledge Economy is one in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge play
the main role in growth and development
Knowledge society is a society which values the creation, dissemination and use of
knowledge and has the infrastructure, physical and social and cultural to support it.
In the knowledge based world the most effective use and exploitation of all types of knowledge
across all activities will be critical for competitiveness, growth and improvement in welfare.
Global Knowledge trends include acceleration in the creation and dissemination of knowledge;
increasing globalization; increasing importance of knowledge and competitiveness increasingly
based on innovation, education and skills.
As competitiveness is increasingly being based on the ability to make effective use of
information and technology, to reduce transaction costs and improve capacity to respond
quickly to opportunities and threats and having effective logistic infrastructure to reach market;
there is increased attention across countries to:
Improving overall business environment
Improving education system
Improving information infrastructure
Improving physical and logistical infrastructure
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The new global challenges that have emerged include:
Energy
Environment and climate change
Inflation and Food Security
The great contraction of 2008/2009
Increasing inequality
Global uncertainty and global restructuring
Employment
The implications for Knowledge Economy Strategies indicate that countries need to increase
their elasticity of response flexibility to react to rapidly changing internal and external
circumstances. The countries’ key areas would be improving economic and institutional
regimes, including governance, capital, social safety nets and investment climate; as well as
improving education and training through quality, relevance and lifelong learning.
Other implications for Knowledge Economy Strategies include the strategic use of ICT and
enhancing the innovation capability by tapping into the Global Knowledge and adapt to local
use to create new and relevant knowledge.
Knowledge Economy is equivalent to people with knowledge. Effective strategies make a
difference and include Analysis, vision, planning, implementation as well as monitoring
evaluation and adjustment.
The SWOT analysis for Jamaica indicates opportunities:
To use ICT to overcome constraints to size and distance
To invest in education and enhance human resource
To leverage knowledge to overcome physical constraints
To draw on the Diaspora
To develop service industries e.g. tourism and creative industries
In concluding his presentation Professor Dahlman indicated that the coordinated collaborative
role of the stakeholders; Government, Businesses, Academia and Civil Society would be the
catalyst to bring the opportunities to reality.
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MODULE 1.3: KNOWLEDGE – BASED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES. LESSONS FROM THE
GLOBAL EXPERIENCE- DR. JEAN-ERIC AUBERT
Dr. Aubert posited that Knowledge-based development strategies are built on four pillars:
Education
ICT
Innovation
High quality business environment
The knowledge economy based development countries, Finland, Singapore and South Korea
were mentioned as possessing the features of the four pillars. There are countries , on their
way to knowledge economy status that focus on only one or two of the pillars while neglecting
the others. Usually the focus is on ICT and the neglected pillar is education.
There are some critical attitudes shown by countries that are success stories in the knowledge
economy. These are a strong sense of identity and culture; ambition; mobilization and speed.
The two main strategic dimensions of successful knowledge economy based development are
the societal strategy and the industrial strategy.
Highlights of the societal strategy are the building on cultural specificities and creating a
climate of trust.
The industrial strategy builds on the natural resources and improving on the
sophistication of the industrial ladder.
The scaling up and time line for creating a virtuous cycle has an agenda which spans from an
immediate to medium term to long term. The pilot projects are on the immediate agenda
which then scale up to a critical mass of projects in the medium term. Initiatives from the top
down and from the bottom up will impact on the projects after the scaling up and during the
medium term agenda. While moving full force with the agenda will result over the long term
with the adoption of major reforms and institutional changes.
There are however some challenges and problematic evolutions to the Knowledge economy
based development strategies.
There is the risk of over confidence which leads to lack of control and or speculation.
There is tension within the society due to inequality; rich and poor; highly qualified and
poorly qualified
There are difficulties to overcome certain cultural features which were advantageous in
the past but burdensome in the new challenges.
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Jamaica is facing a knowledge based transformation opportunity and there are some key steps
to be taken to capitalize on the opportunity. Transformation opportunities are set in
understanding the issues; building a trust based society with strong and positive identity; as
well as possessing collective vision, leadership and exploitable resources.
For Jamaica to progress along the knowledge economy development path Jamaica will need to
address some key steps such as:
Overcoming individualism and silos at all levels and gathering leadership.
Promoting innovative programmes to create wealth, self confidence and jobs.
Programmes such as inner cities renewal, ICT, creative industries, clusters with linkages
e.g. tourism and agriculture, may be opportunities to reap some low hanging fruits.
Piloting socio-political initiatives to transform and build a trust based society through
education, social protection and fighting corruption and crime.
Materialising the vision through continuous measurement and evaluation and sharing
the outcomes by publicising through all media sources.
The government has a great role in knowledge economy based development. Dr. Aubert
provided a powerful analogy to that of gardening. Government’s role was presented as
“gardening” innovation which includes functions of watering, weeding and nurturing.
By watering, the Government will be providing support for the innovation
By weeding, the Government will be addressing deregulation as well as competition
By nurturing, the Government will be supporting research, education and information
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 18
MODULE 1.4: WHAT IS COMPETITIVENESS? - MR. KENNETH HYNES
Mr. Hynes commenced by stating that firms compete, not nations. Competitiveness he went on
to say includes innovation and an understanding of customer needs. Customer needs can be
identified through customer research.
Some observations of competitiveness reveal that the issue is a preeminent one in every nation
and to upgrade the export competitiveness of nations there is the need for shared
understanding of competitiveness within the nation.
Competitiveness is not simply about the exchange rate being favourable or having a positive
balance of trade, nor is it about the industrial subsidies or low inflation rate. The definition used
in this presentation was that competitiveness is the productivity with which resources are
deployed. The resources include human resources, capital and physical assets. As
competitiveness is hinged on the productive deployment of resources, it is the industry sector
and firms within the sector that compete, not nations.
Competitiveness was also stated as the ability to offer goods and services that meet quality
standards locally and internationally at competitive prices and provide adequate returns on the
resources that were employed or consumed in producing that goods or service.
Mr. Hynes then used the Porter Diamond to locate competitiveness within the interplay of
demand conditions, the behavior of the firm in investing in and supplying these demands, the
factor conditions and the related and supporting industries.
In the short term, productivity gains may be improved with improvement in government policy,
by upgrading the factor conditions and by better use of technology. In the long run it is
innovation which is the biggest determinant of competitiveness, with innovation being the
ability of firms to design and develop cutting edge products and processes. Innovative firms
have certain traits for which they are identified.
These firms have high research and development intensity, have high investment in human
capital and have their orientation towards export of their goods and services. These firms which
display competitiveness have an understanding of customer needs and are capable of having
answers to questions of what is being sold to whom; why do the customers buy from their firm
and not another competing firm; as well as what prevents the competitors from imitating the
goods and services of the firm and capturing the best customers away from the firm. From the
innovative capacity which has its beginnings in market research, firms can achieve
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 19
competitiveness improvement through productivity growth. The ultimate reality of this
competitiveness in firms is prosperity.
There are some seven forms of capital which combine and contribute to the stock of wealth of
firms and the wealth of nations and these forms of capital can be categorized a social capital
and physical capital.
Social capital includes cultural capital, human capital, knowledge capital and institutional
capital. Elements of cultural capital may be represented through mental mores, norms and
tangible articulation, with examples of attitude, acceptable behavior, language and music.
Human capital takes into consideration the whole human being, mental and physical, as well as
education and training. The elements of knowledge capital include data, concepts and
generation of insights. Institutional capital can be seen through good clean governance with
transparency and also having a justice system providing predictable regulations. The presence
of connective organizations such as chambers of commerce and unions is another element of
institutional capital.
Within the physical capital forms there are financial capital, man-made capital and national
endowments. Financial capital includes wealth in the private and public domain and is
embodied in the financial systems. Public wealth for example is the taxes and duties and
macroeconomic stability of a nation. Man-made capital of transportation through roads and
ports, of power through electric grids and generation capacity, of water distribution and
sewage disposal through pipelines and pumping stations form part of the physical capital. The
other physical capital is natural endowment. Raw material such as primary agriculture, mineral
or petroleum is an element of natural endowment. Environmental issues and climate and
location are some other representative elements of the physical capital of natural endowment.
All these forms of capital are utilized in the build out of competitiveness and for
competitiveness improvement. As competitiveness was defined as the productivity with which
resources are deployed, then improvement in competitiveness should reflect improvement in
productivity or productivity growth that should scale up to prosperity.
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MODULE 1.5: ENHANCING ENTERPRISE COMPETITIVENESS THROUGH STRATEGY AND
EFFICIENCY - DR. DENSIL WILLIAMS
Dr. Williams commenced his presentation by looking at competitiveness at the national level
and opined that if competitiveness is viewed through the lens of productivity improvement
instead of competition, then the nation status can achieve competitiveness and this could be
seen as a non zero-sum game.
He then posed the question, if the same could be said to be true at the firm level. Firm level
competitiveness was then reviewed and found to be multifaceted. Competitiveness at the firm
level is observed when the enterprise displays the ability to export without preferential
treatment and the ability, using local talents and skills, to engage foreign direct investment.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 21
Additionally, the ability to operate at international standards is a sign of competitiveness at the
firm level. Enterprises that have the ability to earn above average returns while competing with
indigenous enterprises in the free market and have the ability to get things right, are noted as
displaying competitiveness at the firm level.
There are some common competitive drivers for firms in the Caribbean and Dr. Williams used
examples of companies in Jamaica in his presentation for this segment. For the competitive
driver of Effective Risk Management, with highly focused activities and with diversification to
offset threats, references were made to BNS (Scotia Bank) and Grace respectively.
Another competitive driver is the workplace transformation and upgrade of Human Resources
and the example of Jamaica Broilers Group was given, with up skilling and appropriate regard to
its training as their focus. SuperPlus a local supermarket chain was able to garner good
knowledge of the industry and had a broader world view of the enterprise and was able to
benchmark against international competition.
Caribbean firms possessing competitive drivers focus on innovation, marketing, technology and
quality.
Sandals Hotels and Superclubs focus on quality to keep their service competitive.
The marketing thrust employed by Courts in its turnaround, is another competitive
driver.
Lasco is innovative in the positioning of its soy-based drink.
Wray & Nephew Ltd., makers of Jamaican rum, has earned the internationally accepted
mark of quality through its International Standard Organisation (ISO) certification.
At the company Grace Kennedy, corporate leadership is at the helm and is central to
leading change in the organisation
The five common competitiveness drivers in Caribbean firms are:
Attention to Risk Management
Workplace Transformation
Benchmark against international competition
Focus on Innovative Marketing Technology and quality
Corporate Leadership
With regard to some generic competitive strategies, Dr. Williams looked at where the
Caribbean firms should be located and used a 2 x 2 matrix to set out Strategic Advantages and
Strategic Target to illustrate the competitive strategies of Cost Leadership, Differentiation
(Uniqueness) with Cost Focus and Focused Differentiation.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 22
Strategic Advantage
LOW COST DIFFERENTIATION
(Uniqueness)
Strateg
ic Targ
et
Broad
(Industry Wide)
Cost Leadership Differentiation
Narrow
(Particular Segment)
Cost Focus Focused
Differentiation
Dr. Williams in his use of the 2 x 2 matrix, opined that the Caribbean enterprises should be
situated in the focused differentiation quadrant where the strategic advantage is high and the
strategic target is narrow and there is a particular segment to be targeted.
With each strategy there are risks. The risks that may occur from any of the strategic choices
identified and must be guarded against include:
How can the strategy be sustained when:
o Technological change is fast paced and can easily nullify investment and learning of
recent past
o Evolution of industry can erode right strategic value and can weaken the defences
against the competition.
The Value chain analysis was used by Dr. Williams to highlight the operational efficiency of
competitiveness of firms where the primary activities of the production of goods and services
aided with the support activities – human, financial sourcing and technology can lead to
competitive advantage and profit margin.
To maintain competitive advantage, efficiency and innovation, all areas of the value chain, must
be operated efficiently. Efficiency must be utilised to create greater value, to lower cost and to
generate quality output. Dr. Williams then offered some key points to attaining operational
efficiency:
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 23
Review the current situation against the industry standards
Optimise the business process. Reduce time to market – Business Process Re-
engineering (BPR) is a suggested process
Upgrade assets to current industry standards. This helps to lower operational cost
Modernise business thinking
o Create new opportunities for outsourcing
o share production capabilities
Enhance dynamic efficiency by having a rapid response to new development in the
industry while addressing the unique operational challenges.
In conclusion, Dr. Williams stated that enterprise competitiveness requires a combination of
efficiency and good strategy and an understanding of the industry structure in which the firm is
located. The Porter’s five (5) forces model of industry competitiveness was used as a
framework for which firms can better understand their industry.
DISCUSSIONS ON MODULES 1.1-1.5
The discussion centred around some key themes:
Collaboration vs. Competitiveness
There was consensus that a high degree of collaboration is a precondition for
competitiveness. One is not inconsistent with the other.
Collaboration internationally can lead to competitiveness. Collaboration can result in
lower costs, lower risks and allow access to expertise.
Collaboration is an issue in Jamaica, linked to the factor of trust.
People and culture
Jamaicans were characterised as transgressive people, unable to stick to rules and time.
There is a socio-historic factor which has not been studied but which needs to be. This
trait is impacting on getting business done, due to the negative approach to work at all
levels. The informal norms that have been practised from slavery until now are still in
play.
There is however no country in the world that has taken this type of look at itself and
Jamaica would be the first if this were to be achieved. This study can be done at the firm
level or the macro level.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 24
An opposing view expressed was that there was no special transgressive trait belonging
to Jamaicans, rather if the incentive structure allows persons to get away with breaking
the rules, then they will.
Studies have shown that those countries that adhere to the rule of law are more
competitive and do better economically.
The issue of gender emerged in terms of how women are treated and the resultant lack
of leadership. An alternative view was expressed in this regard, as Jamaica’s gender
issue may be in fact male marginalisation, which is different from many other countries.
Women are in fact far more skilled than the men.
The issue of trust is a major one in the society.
Attitude of workers is critical. If workers are not motivated and disciplined then the
desired output cannot be achieved.
Macro vs. Micro levels
Will companies succeed despite the macro economic issues
There is a strong interaction between the macro and micro, but the split between the
two is not an artificial one. They have to work in tandem.
There needs to be collaboration between government and the private sector
It is worthwhile to examine success stories with different models, as even in challenging
macro environments you have companies doing well.
Market capitalism vs. Protectionism
If we start viewing competitiveness as a zero sum game, then barriers will be erected.
This will distort trade, which results in inefficiency
What should be the role of government. Should government be the one who control the
commanding heights of the economy or should government set the framework in which
the owners of the commanding heights of the economy operate
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DAY ONE – PM SESSION
Session Chair: Dr. Densil Williams
Overview
This session reviewed specific Knowledge Industries and Sectors in the Jamaican economy.
MODULE 2.1: REVIEW OF THE ICT SECTOR IN JAMAICA – PROF. EVAN DUGGAN
Basing his introduction on a book called “Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the
World Economy” by Raghuram G. Rajan, Professor Duggan noted that Jamaica has a “network
of fault lines” of economic, social and environmental vulnerabilities. There is a paradox that
whereas there is growing optimism that ICTs can assist in building resilience to vulnerabilities in
Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the vulnerabilities themselves place burdens on the
capability of SIDS to employ ICTs effectively and make it sometimes impossible to find the
remedies we seek.
ICT in Jamaica must be located within the global context and the watershed events in the
history of ICT. Major highlights were: the introduction of the ABC computer in 1937; the
contribution of the computer architecture by John Von Neumann, which, to this day, is the
basis of computer design; the seminal paper by Grace Hopper that provided the impetus for
computer programming and information systems; the development of the microprocessor
(1968) and the production of the PC by IBM in 1981. These all prompted Time Magazine’s
choice of the electronic computer as machine of the year instead of “person of the year”, in
1982.
Further developments include (1) digitization which gave the impetus to the convergence of
computing and communications technologies and the formulation of standards and protocols
which allowed seamless communication between (even incompatible) computers (2)
miniaturization (3) the creation of the internet (started in 1969) and then the world-wide web.
The cascade of ICT enabled innovations, dramatic improvement in price performance ratios and
ubiquity of ICT then ushered in the digital economy and the knowledge society.
Implications of the digital economy
Markets have become more competitive,
Customers are more discriminating, more information and choice,
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New business models have evolved which facilitate global market and create
opportunities for market efficiencies, real time electronic relationships and shared
processes (mass customization, co-opetition (cooperative competition))
There have several paradigm shifts in ICTs.
In terms of organizational impact, there has been a move from an internal focus on cost
and efficiency, toward an external focus with new IT enabling business models.
In the past there have been distinct branches of computing studies (a) Computer
Engineering (b) Computer Science and (c) Information Systems (application of ICT to the
solution of business problems). For a long time we have focussed on computer science
and only in recent times have we had Information Systems in business schools. This has
impacted on our current situation and ability to satisfy our software needs and to
participate in software exporting economy.
Global ICT Performance Perspectives
Moore’s cost performance prediction accurately stated that, the power of integrated
circuits would double every year for the same cost.
Fred Brooks in “No Silver Bullets, The Accidents and Essence of Software Engineering”,
castigated the IS community for not taking advantage of the strides in computer science
and engineering to establish effective organizational systems. This notion, which existed
even before Brooks’ seminal work, had been dubbed the IS paradox and has persisted
for a long time.
The Productivity Paradox (first insinuated by Robert Solow) highlighted the apparent
disparity between the prevalence of information technology and the absence of its
effects in the macroeconomic statistics, but this may have to do with how we measure
benefits from the application of IT. The mere investment in ICT will not in and of itself
produce benefits; effective use is considered a first order benefit and other factors that
can mediate the realization of benefit include organizational capability, deployment
effectiveness and change management.
The Jamaican situation
Jamaica has had positive experiences in some regards. For example, the liberalization of the
telecommunications sector created competition and drove down prices and led to improved
services. Similarly, the auctioning of the radio frequency spectrum and legislation to facilitate
secure electronic transactions provided a useful climate for innovation. Over past years, much
use has been made of GIS systems to combine spatial and location data to help us to make
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 27
better decisions and there have also been some notable strides in the area of e-government.
However, developments such as the creation of the Central Information Technology Office
(CITO) and the development of the National ICT Strategy have not fulfilled their good
intentions. Some institution (like CITO) with the overarching responsibility for the ownership of
the provision and implementation of the national ICT strategy needs to be properly resourced
and given the requisite authority to pursue activities to provide the impetus to apply
technology; not merely to access and use acquired technology. Acquired innovations are useful
and necessary, but real transformational benefits will only come from indigenous innovation.
The ICT Strategic Plan (2006, Duggan, Dunn) has remained on the shelf.
Professor Duggan noted that Jamaica kept pace with the best in Information Technology up to
mid 1980s, after which many organizations dismantled their mainframe environments for a
network of, and in some cases a group of unconnected, personal computers. The country has
never recovered from the loss of human capital and familiarity with software production
methods. Given the flight of human and economic capital, coupled with inadequate tertiary
training in the area, Jamaica now relies on outsourcing and commercial off the shelf software.
The absence of indigenous software is notable and it is reported that the English speaking
Caribbean is the only regional block that does not have a significant presence in the software
export market.
Yet, like most developing countries, Jamaica staked a great deal of optimism on ICT as catalytic
in building resilience to well known vulnerabilities. The frustration of not realizing some of the
sought benefits has created a somewhat over focus on the digital divide and consequently on
improving our ranking on the Network Readiness Index.
Perceptions of ICT and Competitiveness in Jamaica
While the focus on the digital divide is fairly new, the phenomenon has been with us for some
time. For example, we make very little use of Business Intelligence (Data Warehousing, Data
Mining, and Business Analytics), Knowledge Management Systems, Customer Relationship
Management Systems, Intelligent Systems, and the concept of disintermediation (using ICT to
remove intermediaries in order to reduce bureaucracy and corruption and increase efficiency
and transparency). While these are not as consequential Internet-based innovations, they allow
global competitors to outperform us.
The digital divide has two elements - the external and the internal divide; both are problematic.
The external divide is problematic because it permits the progressive encroachment of “digitally
rich” nations whose competitive reach has now extended into commercial terrains that were
once our exclusive purview and we do not have the capacity to reciprocate effectively. The
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 28
internal divide permits entire sections of the society to be excluded from ICT-enabled
opportunities for education and social mobility. In response, Jamaica has been building up ICT
infrastructure of acquired innovations. However, the application of ICT to effect economic and
social transformation, demands indigenous innovations; that is, maximally employing our stock
of acquired innovations to generate solutions to our peculiar problems. In this regard, readiness
is not a surrogate for effectiveness.
Recommendations
In the short term:
Focus on MDGs and use the acquired stock of ICT to do this
The Strategic Roadmap developed in the Dunn & Duggan ICT Strategy 2006 is still useful
for implementing ICT in Jamaica.
Implement ICT governance – at the national level
Engage in ICT environmental scanning
In the Longer term:
Focus on digital maturity effectiveness instead of “readiness” that is maximally employ
the stock of acquired ICT to generate indigenous innovations to solve problems of
national importance, and then eventually to innovate and alter the ICT
producer/consumer ratio
Develop human capital to build the ICT industry, to pursue indigenous innovation
Assist SMEs to utilize ICTs effectively
Participate in the global software market
MODULE 2.2: ENABLING THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY IN JAMAICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: THE
ROLE OF CAPACITY-BUILDING IN DEVELOPMENT – PROF. HOPETON DUNN
Professor Dunn’s presentation consisted of two parts:
Part 1: Some thoughts on the knowledge society and the role of capacity building.
Part 2: Selected outcomes of Recent Caribbean ICT Indicators and Broadband survey.
Noting that knowledge is contextual, cultural, dynamic and evolving, Professor Dunn observed
that the Information society is not based simply on technology. Drivers of knowledge differ
from era to era and continue to vary through time. He noted that there needs to be a more
dynamic notion of knowledge. The concept of knowledge societies covers political, economic,
ideological and ethical aspects of society.
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Capacity building is crucial to the success of building the knowledge society. This knowledge
society should be inclusive and span a wide range of social and economic groupings. That leads
to a process of building a knowledge society based on a highly educated workforce, with a
capacity for applied knowledge from within and outside of formal schooling. Knowledge must
be accessible, in the context of geographic location, must be affordable and address varying
levels of abilities, skills and interest. The present educational system in Jamaica privileges
grammar schooling to a large extent, while the world is developing a broader approach, much
of which is based on technology.
Capacity building therefore has a multi dimensional nature including a geographic dimension
(not just urban centres), distributional equity dimension (share the network in inner city areas)
and the disability dimension (tapping the talent of the variably able).
Key Observations:
Education remains a foundation requirement for knowledge society.
Ensure availability of learning tools to stimulate empowerment of people.
Privilege the ideas of young people and capture the ideas of the digital 'natives' and not
just those of the so-called digital 'migrant'.
Seek to invest in innovation and disrupt old knowledge systems in order to build new
ones. For example, the notion of mobility and the mobile phone as a disruptive
technology transforms access to knowledge to a more dynamic resource available any
time and at any place. This has enabled a lot of leapfrogging across pre-existing systems
and social groups which can help to empower people.
Resourcing the knowledge society is an important challenge.
Public private partnerships are crucial but government must be leaders in use as well as
in the setting of the framework through public policies and strategy.
The Universal Access Fund in Jamaica has collected approximately J$7 billion over the
last five years. There is need for better deployment and more repurposing of these
resources to help to grow the knowledge society beyond the walls of the school system
and into the communities.
The LIME/FLOW partnership ($543M) is encouraging but also one to be examined in
terms of the feasibility in targeting just schools. We need to be going into the wider
community and seek to use the technology for development among the youth.
The role of research and greater international collaboration in this area is crucial. The
academy should be able to provide indigenous research, benchmarked against
international partners while placing an emphasis on promoting evidence based decision
making.
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Highlights of the Findings of the Caribbean ICT and Broadband Survey
The study conducted by the Telecommunications Policy and Management (TPM) Programme of
the Mona School of Business, UWI, on broadband usage and ICT Indicators in Jamaica was
recently completed. This was done under Prof. Dunn's leadership, in association with the
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada and the Statistical Institute of
Jamaica (STATIN), among other partners. The respondents represent an adequate and diverse
base for analysis. The dimensions of analysis include location (Kingston Metropolitan Area,
Other Urban Centres, Rural and National), age range (10 years and older), gender and diverse
occupational categories.
Some of the findings were as follows:
15.6% of households have internet access at home, meaning that 84% of homes are
without home-based internet access.
24% of households have computer access at home, indicating that 76% of homes do not
have dedicated computers.
Among internet non-users, 32.4% of respondents indicated the high cost of equipment
as the main inhibitor (access), 23.9% indicated no need or interest (pointing to the need
for public education). Other reasons include the high cost of internet service, the lack of
availability of the service in certain areas and a lack of skill in using the necessary
equipment, (an indicator of the need for more widespread training).
Urban centres (KMA and Other Urban Centres) saw the majority of internet usage (60%)
(continuing the rural/urban digital divide), while more females (53%) used the internet
when compared with males.
Among internet users, 43% used the internet at home, 36.6% at place of education,
28.4% at another person’s home, 22.5% at their workplace and 18% at a commercial
internet facility. These data indicate the need for a strategy to build capacity in the
home in addition to other spaces. Access via mobile devices can present limitations
because of the user interface issues such as the small size of the screen and keyboard.
In terms of internet activities, 76.9% of respondents used the internet to send/receive
emails, while 71.7% used it for social networking, formal education and learning.
52.6% of internet users had a fixed broadband connection, with 33.4% having access to
mobile broadband.
74.5% of respondents have heard of accessing the internet via the mobile telephone,
but have never used it. Although this is a growing trend, the survey showed that it was
still not in widespread use in Jamaica.
Household monthly expenditure for Internet service peaked between $2001 - $4200 per
month.
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As with internet usage, computer usage is higher among females (54.1%) and in urban
areas (58.9%), again reaffirming the divides in terms of location and gender.
Conclusions:
The data suggests lower than desirable levels of access and continuation of the digital divide in
Jamaica. These disappointing trends were consistent with the latest ICT Readiness Index
produced by the World Economic Forum and which saw Jamaica tumbling several places in
comparison to past performance and in relation to regional and global comparators. To ensure
regional and global competitiveness, Jamaica will need to employ better strategic ICT planning
and implementation in order to reap the potential benefits from the emerging new digital
economy whose 'sunrise' sectors can supplement or substitute for the older sunset industries in
the knowledge economy of the region.
MODULE 2.3: REVIEW OF THE HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM SECTOR IN JAMAICA –
DR. CAROLYN HAYLE
Dr. Hayle began by noting that tourism is big business and is more than accommodation. The
World Trade Organization estimated over 880 million international travellers in 2009 yielding
US$900 billion. The Caribbean Region gets a small percentage of the international travel, but
has been doing well. For Jamaica, data for 2010 shows arrivals of 2.8 million from the main
source markets of USA, UK, EU and Japan, with US$1.975 in earnings. The importance of the
source market is that tourism is usually based on foreign policy.
An examination of the history of Jamaican tourism industry shows that it began with the
London Trade Exhibition of 1851 and the consequent plans to host the 1891 Exhibition in
Kingston. The development of the hotel industry was encouraged which would support the
exhibition. Tourism is predicated on the nature of the accommodation sector. The first laws to
support Tourism were passed in 1890 also to facilitate the trade exhibition. Over the years,
Tourism continued to be driven by externalities, expanding into villa rentals and resort cottages
with the onset of World War 2. These events drove the development of Montego Bay and
Negril in the 1970s.
Against this background, there was the development of National Tourism Organizations (NTOs)
in Jamaica. The purpose of the Tourism organizations in Jamaica and the Caribbean is only now
being defined. This is in contrast to other countries such as France where the tourism was a
strategic choice and NTOs had a clearly defined purpose and structure. Dr. Hayle suggested
that the Caribbean “happened upon tourism” and its development closely patterns colonialism
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 32
and dependency. Research shows that this type of tourism was driven by trade which focussed
on the enrichment of the generating markets rather than the needs of the local market.
Gradually, Tourism moved from its focus as an outcome of trade to the actual industry. Starting
with the Tourist Trade Development Board in 1922, a number of organizations/agencies have
been created including the Ministry of Tourism in 1980 and the Tourism Product Development
Company in 1996. With these organizations and agencies came the development of the
legislative framework, including inter- alia, the Tourism Board Act, Hotel Incentive Act and Bath
and Spas Act, River Rafting Authority Act and regulations such as the Travel Agency and Law
Regulations and the Small Hotel Incentive Grant. In addition to the public sector structures,
there are private sector institutional structure such as the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist
Association.
Why Tourism?
Development is a western concept based on consumerism (Telfer and Sharpley 2002). Tourism
by itself does not contribute to economic development, but it is a fully developed supply chain
behind tourism that does. Consumerism is a driver for this development. Development is
based on strategic choices by the Government and is based on a focus on the unique
circumstances and vision of individual countries. It is achieved within the context of
International Trade and Regulations which is then broken down to the national Regulatory
Framework and driven through a National Planning Strategy.
Tourism in Jamaica is based on a strategic choice by the Government of Jamaica and it is one of
the choices of the Vision 2030 which seeks to “realize a vision of an inclusive, world class,
distinctly Jamaican industry that is a major contributor to socio-economic and cultural
development....” Linkage is critical. The challenge Dr. Hayle noted, is how to link this vision with
the rest of the economy. She also noted that the focus remains on the tourism industry and
not the tourism system, which consists of the generating market and the transit route which is
the global distribution systems including the ICT. We have failed in not using research to craft
our own destination and the industry.
The success of the strategic choice can be influenced by Doxey’s Irritation Index. When tourism
is introduced to a country for the first time, everyone is excited by the prospects which over
time transforms to other attitudes, apathy, annoyance and antagonism. At this last stage, the
strategic choice will fail. Within this context, possible roles for the NTOs include economic,
environmental and social. Jamaica is focussing on all the elements for sustainable results. How
do they interconnect?
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The tourism industry is composed of 8 sectors, Adventure, Travel Trade, Food and Beverage,
Accommodation, Attractions, Events and Conferences, Tourism Services and Transportation.
Most of focus is on the hospitality sector (food and beverage and accommodation), but some of
the others are more lucrative. An examination of the elements of the Global Competitiveness
Index for tourism shows that many of these are not driven by tourism. Therefore, there needs
to be a strong linkage with these areas since they are used to measure tourism performance
itself. This requires an integrated approach to infrastructure and management of all processes.
It was noted that, based on the Global Competitiveness Index, culture and natural resources do
not fall under the tourism strategy, but are integral to its performance. Management of Vision
2030 therefore needs to be cohesive and integrated.
Dr. Hayle discussed the issue of the Creative Industries which presents many important
opportunities as it encompasses a Caribbean lifestyle (music, fashion, visual and performing
arts, sports, food etc). The strategy is to create a lifestyle that can be used as a platform to
target other markets with similar lifestyles.
Selection of Choices
Strategic choices are influenced by underlying issues of ownership, equity, structures and
systems. In the 1980s, most of properties were Jamaican owned and the leakage was lower
than it is now. Foreign direct investment and globalization use a vertical growth strategy as
their business model, influenced by transnationals. In response, Jamaica has created the events
strategy which is a horizontal growth strategy. Events are the drivers of “heads to beds.” With
support from the Tourism Enhancement Fund, money ($1M) is used to drive events in sports,
music, heritage, literary arts etc. The supply chain behind these events is also supported
through this strategy. A similar strategy is needed for community tourism which is small
business management using the 8 sectors of tourism to capture the supply chain. Dr. Hayle
noted that Jamaica has failed in these areas because of the tendency to operate in silos and
general lack of accountability.
Core ministries which support Tourism are Education and Environment. Primary infrastructure
is critical and other ministries and agencies provide secondary support. The Caribbean has
unique products (people, food, heritage, culture and natural environment), all of which can be
used create lifestyle products to gain competitive advantage. Tourism is a critical tool for
national development, moving from the strategy to good quality service which will lead to
increased visitor expenditure, improved HDI, enhanced visitor experience and eventually to
repeat visitors. It was noted that Jamaica has a high rate of repeat business. This shows that
understanding the generating market is critical.
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Tourism hidden secrets
A need to focus on the tourism system instead of the industry.
Tourism is cyclical (6-7 years). There is the need therefore to build individual
business/sectors that are associated with tourism, so that they can be sustained when
the sector goes down.
Planning for sustainable tourism
Critical to this are the following:
Maximizing the multiplier effect and minimizing leakages.
Using the cluster approach (e.g. JAMPRO PSDP project).
Working on data to inform strategies – tourism satellite accounts.
Getting market intelligence.
Building trust (public/private partnership).
The external trade environment and the generating markets are not clearly understood.
Addressing this requires a managed process which will lead to sustainable tourism, “a
management process which seeks to design implement, monitor and evaluate all aspects of
tourism to ensure inter and intra-generational equity and repeated customer experiences that
are based on value propositions.”
MODULE 2.4: REVIEW OF THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN JAMAICA – DR. ANDRE GORDON
Most developed countries depend on domestic agriculture to meet a variety of needs including
food security, earning foreign exchange and preventing rural/urban drift. Dr. Gordon noted
that Jamaica is no different and is also faced with a constantly changing environment.
However, Jamaica has a relatively well developed and diverse agriculture and agribusiness
sector. In the context of the current economic environment and because of growing global
demand for food and fuel, a strong and competitive agricultural sector is now critical for
Jamaica’s development.
In the 1990s agricultural policies focused on retention of preferences for traditional crops and,
as agriculture was not seen as a major driver for economic growth, it was de-emphasised. In
the post 2004 period, new and more focused strategies were put in place, including specific
sector strategies focused mainly on traditional crops such as citrus, banana and coffee. An
assessment of Jamaica’s agricultural policies by CARICOM Regional Transformation Project
(2005) found that policy measures were non-specific, raised the possible danger of the policies
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 35
preventing commodities from achieving their potential and recommended the formulation of
more detailed strategies for some identified commodities.
Issues and challenges identified in current agricultural policy include declining competitiveness,
limited application of modern technology, limited resources, an aging workforce, gaps in key
infrastructure, loss of agricultural land to housing and environmental issues. The overall
strategy is to contribute to growth and development through inter alia, employment creation,
increased export earnings, stabilization, restoring lost productivity, development of agri-
industry, involving youth in agriculture and promoting integrated rural development.
Dr. Gordon presented data on performance trends in agriculture.
For traditional crops, there have been declines in bananas and coffee and increases in
citrus and cocoa (though not at previous levels).
Data (2008) shows no substantial change in land use patterns.
The Crop Production Index shows relatively low production between 1968-1992,
increasing in the 1990s, but now declining.
Domestic Food production increased in the 1990s but has been trending down, showing
some recovery over the last few years.
Economically active population in agriculture has been declining since 1980.
Value added per worker was highest in the period of greatest economic turmoil (1995-
1997, declining in 1998.
Livestock sector has grown.
Use of fertilizer/hectare of arable land is much lower than what it used to be,
representing a challenge and an opportunity.
Age distribution of Jamaican farmers (2002) shows more than 70% of farmers are below
the age of 50 with an increasing percentage below the age of 30. This shows that
younger people had started to go into agriculture.
In terms of export value of selected traditional products, despite increased production,
the value of exports are down, with the exception of rum.
Value of nontraditional exports – Yam exports have grown significantly, ackee, fish,
baked products, juice and sauces have been doing well and all are supported by
domestic agriculture production,
There are a few crops which have shown increases, but in general there has not been
significant growth.
Given the current status of the agricultural sector, there is the need to focus on building
sustainable global competitiveness by having the right information, understanding what is
happening and applying the available technology. Dr. Gordon defined competitiveness as
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“Developing the capacity and systems to deliver goods and services, as, when and where
needed, in the desired quantity and at the expected level of quality to discerning customers
willing to pay a price for them that is profitable to the business.” There is the need to develop
world class technology in a practical manner that is respectful of culture, people, organization
and countries involved, that is, the knowledge circle.
In focusing on information generation, access and use, it is noted that a key objective is to earn
foreign exchange. However, Dr. Gordon pointed out that in some instances Jamaica was not
exporting very smartly. For example, most exports go to New York which has the largest
population, but was in the middle in terms of the population of West Indians or persons pre-
disposed to buying our products. Jamaica continues to compete on price, rather than using
targeted marketing. There is information on the fastest growing sectors, including medicinal
and pharmaceutical products, the Jamaica EU profile shows growth and declining markets.
Why do the policies not utilize such information?
Key Global Trend
Food safety. Microorganisms are a reality which kills any brand. Bad press kills a brand.
We need to understand how integrated the knowledge economy is. In January 2011 The
Food Safety Modernization Act was passed in USA which gives the US government the
right to inspect everything exported to their markets, including factories in overseas
territories. This means that while domestic regulations are important, those of the
global markets are far more so. There is significant need to implement food safety
standards throughout the agricultural system in Jamaica.
Application of technology
The main requirements are knowledge-based soft technologies, a combination of systems
technologies, specifically tailored, requiring highly competent experienced practitioners,
incorporation of lessons learned and more people-oriented, less capital intensive approaches.
The focus is best applied in clusters or value chains and should be based on problem solving,
gaining and maintaining market access and systems implementation. These build competitive
advantage and create differentiation in the market.
Examples of Knowledge Application
The case for ackee exports required convincing persons that we understood the science
behind the fruit and could implement food safety systems. This was done sensitive to
cultural practices and this has led to a sustained transformation of the sector, allowing
access to a previously closed market. By applying knowledge technologies, required
changes are possible.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 37
The case of the Jamaica Business Recovery Programme. This required building the value
chain by understanding the buyer-producer relationship as an enterprise and using soft
technologies as a tool for achieving objectives. Highly knowledge intensive technologies
were required. The programme provided complete production details, leading to better
yields and quality and many young people saw agriculture as a business and a career.
This has formed the basis for technology led agriculture being practiced in Jamaica
today.
Ultimately Dr. Gordon noted that there is the need to change the nature of the game, starting
with the objective, planning without limitations and ignoring the rules of play. If agriculture is
to make a difference in Jamaica, there needs to be excellence, defined as “ the result of caring
more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than
others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible.”
DISCUSSIONS ON MODULES 2.1-2.4
The ICT Sector
On the issue of open clouds technology as a real replacement for mainframe
technology, Professor Duggan remarked that it was available and used by some, though
maybe not as well known. For example, the Centre of Excellence, MSB focuses on using
methods such as cloud computing to assist SMEs.
The issue of ICT governance was raised and it was opined that there is no standard and
leadership of how to employ ICT service management, that is, how to get service from
the technology. In response, Professor Duggan noted that IT governance is focussed on
enterprise governance at the corporate level. At the corporate level, governance is
required to get benefits from investments, minimize the risks while aligning corporate
strategies with IT strategies and measuring and managing performance. The same
strategy has to be applied at the national level. In Jamaica, given the vulnerabilities such
as, economic dependence on FDI and crime and corruption, we need to focus on
leveraging investments in ICTs for development. It was noted that the CITO was never
properly resourced and never had the status to provide the right governance structure
to ensure that technology is applied for the benefit of the country.
Professor Dunn agreed that Jamaica has an inconsistent, almost absent ICT governance,
however the problem and need is much wider. ICTs must be applied to a wide range of
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 38
sectors for knowledge–driven development and the hub must be in the Cabinet office
where it can pervade all Ministries. However, the expertise is not available at the
highest level and there is no feeling of ownership or involvement. On the other hand, it
was argued that each Minister ought to drive ICT through Cabinet, instead of out of the
Cabinet office. The Cabinet Office services the conjoint needs of the different Ministers
and ICTs should not be pigeonholed as the purview of a particular Minister. Another
point of view was that the regardless of the coordination mechanism, the important
thing was for the entity to be appropriately resourced and have the stature to
effectively implement the policy and that there are penalties for circumvention of
authority.
Given the demographics of Jamaica (70% are 40 years and under), it was observed that
young people were not invited to contribute to this and other similar dialogue. Where
are the digital natives? There is the need to give the young people a voice. This needs to
be taken actively on board. It was noted that we need to empower, engage and involve
a new kind of learner. Many leaders in global ICTs start sub-30 years.
The concern was raised with regard to computer access in community centres. How it is
distributed in terms of rural/urban areas. Is that a viable option for increasing access?
Additionally, the use of wireless vis-a-vis wired access. Access in community centres
ranked 5th in the order (based on the Telecommunications Survey), partly due to the
availability of such centres. More centres and education about the value, can lead to
increased usage. Wireless is the fastest growing form of access and so there is need for
public policy to expand access in line with previous recommendations.
Generally, we have failed to recognize the value of social media. Social media can
provide a real time understanding of the market which is core to competitiveness.
Business and government (for connection) need to leverage social media. According to
the recent MSB survey, 72 % of respondents were engaged in social media. It is now an
important part of communication, endowed with business possibilities. It was noted
however that technologies are important, but these will not of themselves provide
transformational benefits. There is need for a coordinated national strategy which will
lead to transformational development.
The Agriculture Sector
What about the focus on organic and raw foods in terms of new global trends as a niche
producer. There are growing markets for speciality foods, but these require systems,
the soft technology, the knowledge and understanding of what the market wants. These
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 39
are not high volume markets, but these are niche markets which Jamaica can do well,
but this requires a different level of knowledge intensity, implementation and approach.
Export volume has fallen but there is an increase in value. In expounding on the need to
look at higher value chain products as a way to go as a niche producer, the strategy
should be to identify what we produce now, how much we can produce based on best
practices and then finding the markets which will give the best possible price. We don’t
have to produce on price. We need to do the market research.
Why is the production of medical marijuana not being discussed as a means of putting
money into the public purse as well as breaking the underground economy? The issue
goes back to being willing to change the game in our interest and developing a strategic
approach to make it happen. There is no reason why this should not be done. There
are issues to do with barriers to trade. Persons have created products from marijuana,
but we are not allowed into the US market. We have to know the rules of the game and
change them. A similar case is that of the value- added on the tickets and the issue of
taking it to the WTO. We must not be afraid due to our size.
With regard to the supposed shift in land for agriculture, to housing, it was noted that
there is a propensity to complain rather than do something. Is it an issue of an absence
of will rather than a real problem. Dr. Gordon noted that there has been no significant
loss of land to housing, however if not careful, this can happen in the case of prime land,
which is a policy issue.
Following the rise of technologies between 1995 and 1996, what has happened to aqua
culture, where is the investment and why is it not taking place? There was a confluence
of renewed activities at the time which reflected in the high activity. When traditional
crops declined, activity fell. There is a programme with inner city areas with ornamental
fish. It is about providing opportunity and shifting the paradigm.
The Tourism Sector
What about health tourism? Dr. Hayle noted that Health tourism and Wellness are often
confused. Wellness has potential for driving the supply chain and community based
tourism. Health tourism is more lucrative. They are two important segments and we
have the talent to service both in Jamaica. The value added from agriculture is
important as a feeder to the tourism industry (wellness and health tourism). We need
to look at the value added chain in terms of pharmaceuticals and nutriceuticals.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 40
JAMPRO’s focus on a wellness cluster has led to development of shampoos and soaps
which are marketed through the hotels.
On the matter of the observation that the all inclusive concept does not support the
supply chain, it was noted that all inclusive is a marketing strategy not a product. It
does work; e.g. an all inclusive hotel has a company which sells tours to the hotel.
Additionally, events like Jazz and Blues are sold as an all inclusive concept.
Other issues
In terms of barriers to trade, there is an issue of reciprocity re USA policy. However, Dr.
Gordon noted that we have spent too long complaining about what the world is doing
to us rather than looking at the opportunities that exist. We need to look at ourselves
and try to get the systems right. This will create access to markets which many other
countries are not able to access if we are serious. The drive to food safety is a plus for
Jamaica. Trade barriers will always be there, but these are driven by the consumers in
the other markets. It does not call for an emotional response, but rather careful
assessments.
Distributive trade is 50 % of the economy as the margins are very high on inputs and we
cannot compete in manufacturing. It is because of the Jamaican paradigm and
therefore how we operate is based on making money through trading. In Trinidad,
money is to be made in manufacturing.
Is policy making based on pilots? Over years of work, companies such as the
Competitiveness Co. has built on past knowledge and going forward strategically,
implementing with the best people available local or overseas. The Jamaica Business
Recovery Programme for example was based on taking, assessing the data and coming
up with an effective strategic plan and implementing with the best people available
(local/overseas). Does the Government apply a pilot approach? Some organizations use
that approach, but there is no consistency.
The definition of excellence raises the question if we are bold enough to break the rules.
Are we prepared to do the things necessary, equal to the stated conviction? Our history
shows that we do have the courage to break stereotypes and barriers. It takes an
individual mindset turned collective. The challenge is that we do not naturally
collaborate. All pilots were done by working collectively and under the radar. We need
to identify those things that have worked well and study them.
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Wrap up
In wrapping up the discussions, Dr. Williams noted the key points of discussion as:
The evolution of the ICT sector globally and in Jamaica.
The tourism sector is more than accommodation.
The critical role of education in creating a knowledge-based society and driving evidence
based decision making.
What are the emerging areas in a dying agricultural sector and how can we overcome
the barriers.
MODULE 2.5: BRAINSTORMING SESSION -DR. JEAN-ERIC AUBERT & PROF. CARL DAHLMAN
The module allowed for brainstorming on key issues to be considered in the Knowledge
Economy strategy, to be elaborated on the second day afternoon.
Participants were asked to reflect based on the first day of presentations and discussions.
Professor Carl Dahlman noted that the morning session of Day 1 focussed on challenges faced
by Jamaica whilst the afternoon session concentrated on the opportunities. Some key
questions arising from the presentation and discussions were:
What are the low hanging fruit?
What are required to bring them to fruition? How do we break the culture of lack of
collaboration?
What resources (human and financial, local and overseas) are needed?
What is required for implementation?
Key areas were highlighted.
The potential of ICT was seen as a major contributor to competitiveness. The issue is
how to move the sector such that it can lead to concrete actions, reduce transaction
costs and improve other sectors of the economy.
The role of education. There is a need for people who have the skills and knowledge to
follow through for all sectors of the economy. How can ICTs help in provision of the
education to provide the right kind of human capital?
Dr. Aubert made observations about the Jamaica economy and the psyche.
There are many success stories.
There are low hanging fruits
There are organizations which function well with a lot of potential
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Transgressive capacity has negative aspects, but also positive aspects if one recognizes
that innovators are fundamentally deviant.
Fundamental optimism gives a capacity to rebound, however can be easily satisfied with
small progress without real systemic change
Fragmented society is an issue. Things are understood, but psyche reflects in the lack of
move toward real change.
There is a need to think of well designed pilot approaches not only to the economic
sector but also social aspects such as education, inner city development etc.
There is a need to do analytical work – Assessment for where you are coming from and
cognitive work which tests capacity for action on small well defined targets and
gradually build up confidence.
There is need to generate a self knowledge society; one that knows about itself and has
the will to implement change.
A number of points were made in the ensuing discussions as follows:
The example of Mexico was used to highlight a situation where there was a law that all
social policies had to demonstrate impact assessment, which would ensure that the
questions of who leads, who monitors and evaluates are answered. Can the private
sector take the lead in such an approach?
Research and Development and Innovation at the macro level, how do we
operationalise what needs to be done? How to get policy leadership? At the micro
level, how do we get the innovation and R&D to have pilot ideas of innovative
applications of knowledge? How do we frame the R&D for a meaningful way forward?
How can we maximize and leverage Agriculture and Tourism? Working from a sound
theoretical framework, try to prove best practices in the Jamaican setting, analyse and
document the learning, build on the positive and try new things. The philosophy was
that if you want to be among the best, we have to go to the best in the world, locally or
overseas, set the objectives and work out the approach without limitations. Target
Europe 2: the objective is to identify the markets in Europe which can pay high prices
and work back to the firms that should be able to deliver. It was noted that Jamaica
does not have an enabling environment; many stumbling blocks by Government.
With respect to tourism, it is an export industry. Tourism is used to make sure goods
and services are market ready. Market intelligence from the tourism sector is critical in
taking us to the various export markets. Lifestyle is very powerful from a marketing
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 43
perspective. This is then linked through the sectors to create the products. There is a
need to focus on training at all levels on productivity, innovation and competitiveness,
standards, certification and environmental issues in the private sector. An enabling
environment needs to be created and it is an opportune time for the Cabinet secretary
to find the synergies and implement with a monitoring mechanism. The critical issue is
the coordination.
Private sector performance in the global productivity index is average while the
Government has failed. To improve competitiveness at least within the context of the
CARICOM states, we need to use the variables used to rank the competitiveness index
and see how we can improve on those in the shortest possible time.
Over past 15 years, Jamaica has attracted foreign investment (25% of GDP) and
therefore we should have been growing at higher rates. However there are obstacles
such as implementation deficit incompetence at public, private sectors and regulations.
We need to consciously identify ways to tackle each of the variables in the indices. We
need broader governance systems to ensure that returns can be attracted to the
economy.
Action items
There needs to be serious sensitization of key stakeholders. Major stakeholders do not
understand what the concept of competition is.
Define Jamaica’s “diamond” of national competitiveness. We can look at a small hub of
diamonds – require driven leadership, locally, from the Diaspora and then the larger
community of international players.
What are the most critical institutions for competitiveness and what can we do to
strength these institutions? Note the absence of continuity in some sectors, e.g. in ICT
governance. The Governance structure needs to be fixed.
The lack of enabling environment is driving away investment. We need to focus on how
we use ICT to make bureaucratic red-tape redundant and create an enabling
environment. We need to create more agile Government organizations, promote
transparency and reduce corruption through disintermediation.
Many of the pillars discussed are already included in the Vision 2030 and the ICT plan
however the interconnectivity between sectors is not strong. There needs to be full
integration of ICT into all the aspects of the plan. We need to look at the Vision 2030
through the lens of developing a knowledge society, see how it can be deepened and
put in place the relevant support structures for implementation.
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In Jamaica, we are good at writing policies, but not at implementation. Universities
need to get together to see what the Jamaican society needs and what are the possible
training solutions. We are not looking at transformation in the right way. We need to
find ways to involve different groups of people to get the required changes.
The dialogue highlighted the potential of some parts of the private sector and Government
bureaucracy as a hindrance. The solutions need to address how to expand the understanding
of what is at stake, to identify and convince champions and how to focus on concrete things.
Dr. Aubert remarked that we need to have a change process that permeates all of the society.
We also need to think through the process of change, including the procedures and incentives,
adapted to the different issues which need to be tackled in a concrete manner.
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DAY TWO - AM SESSION
Session Chair: Prof. Evan Duggan
Objective of Session: To examine the issues and policies related to two critical knowledge
economy pillars –education and innovation.
INTRODUCTION
The conference has provided some important insights and will seek to find the answers to some
troubling questions. The session dealt with education and innovation. The nexus between
both provides the capability of powerful and important synergies.
The presentations covered the following issues:
Innovation factors and the global value chain: Entrepreneurial activity does not equate
to innovation. We need to create the linkage between both.
How we can market and monetize the creative industries and repatriate some of the
profits?
Talent Management and how to make intelligent human capital investments.
Vision 2030: Objective to transform Jamaica to a developed country. Can we find the
diligence and tenacity using the intelligence we have in Jamaica and unusual
approaches?
Knowledge management – How to harness and protect the knowledge of the
organization to enhance competitiveness.
MODULE 3.1: GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS AND COMPETITIVENES – MR. KENNETH HYNES
The presentation by Mr. Hynes addressed four areas:
What constitutes value
Overview of Value Chains
Trends and Implications
Action Planning for Jamaica
Using the example of two differently priced, but similar mangoes, Mr. Hynes demonstrated that
value is not just about the product and has four 4 dimensions.
Time (Quicker is better)
Quality (depends on product and sector)
Service (Pre, During or Post Sale)
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Total cost – What is the total transaction cost, including variables such as travel and
other transactions costs?
The importance of value chains was underscored, that is, the set of activities that have to be
sequenced to bring a product to market, in time, with high quality and follow up in a reliable
way. A look at primary value chain activities (inbound logistics- operations-outbound logistics-
marketing and sales- services) shows that all have to be coordinated in order to be competitive.
All may be a source of competitive advantage. Logistics is an important aspect of competitive
advantage. For example, in the case of Kenya as a dominant provider of horticulture in Europe,
the product supplied is identical to other counties, but the difference is logistics.
Three ways to strengthen a value chain:
Improve a segment of the value chain.
Remove a component that destroys value.
Align and co-ordinate the components of the value chain.
Collaboration is an essential pre-condition to a competitive industry.
ICT and transportation have globalized the value chain, with different parts of the value chain
all over the world, for example, the value chain for apparel.
Why is this relevant?
Outsourcing: No geographical limitations.
Market Access: Finding your place in the value chain is how markets are accessed.
Global Standards: There is a strict definition of what constitutes quality e.g. ISO. HACCAP.
Standards are getting higher, but they are well defined.
Key trends:
Rise of BRICs
Demographics (aging population in the west)
Sectors ( Finance and IT convergence)
Marketing and the rise of social media
Development, (additional 4 billion people represents a huge potential untapped market)
Most importantly, affecting Jamaica and SMEs is a global value chain which means on the
demand side, more choice for consumers and on the supply side, a decision about whom and
where to target. This is positive, but it also represents a challenge.
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Implications for Jamaican firms
There is no margin for error in terms of product quality and operational efficiency. Focus
and specialization are paramount. What is important is timeliness and reliability not
simply getting the product to the market. In Jamaica, SMEs have become more
specialized and have a greater understanding of where they lie on the value chain and
what constitutes value.
Firms need to be thinking about the elements which bring competitive advantage,
including choice of advantage (low cost or differentiated), choice of scope (geographic,
segment etc) and choice of technology (leader or follower). Mr. Hynes noted that a
good strategy integrates all the choices and should be informed by market research.
Firms need to know exactly what the players consider to be value. This reinforces the
need for specialization and collaboration.
Action Planning
Conversations re competitive issues in Jamaica follow a recurring pattern. Therefore, what is
going to be different? Overcoming barriers to change must address a number of factors:
Mistrust (public/private sector), silos, fragmented private sector which can be reflective
of social engagement but people like to do their own thing.
Lack of ownership.
Fear of failure - Social reputation has a high cost.
Pessimism - Maintaining momentum is difficult.
The barriers to change are many and therefore any action ought to be a change process. The
question is however, is there the wherewithal and commitment to see it through. There are five
preconditions for change to occur.
Tension – disconnect with current state
Belief – change is possible
Insight through research
Receptivity – broad based openness to working together
Leadership – ensuring that preconditions for change are maintained or increased.
Assuming that the financial and human capital resources are available, some thoughts on action
planning going forward include the following:
Adopt the pilot approach - Let’s try something new;
A well defined objective is needed;
Plans should be limited in scope, in terms of outcomes and participants;
Adopt a low profile, under promise or over deliver;
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The approach should be to prove the concept, frame it as a new way of doing things,
then disseminate results though media and local champions and then bring more people
on board.
These models exist in Jamaica and can be used to inform next steps.
MODULE 3.2: A REVIEW OF THE CULTURAL INDUSTRIES: ITS PLACE AND ROLE IN A JAMAICAN
KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY – MR. ROBERT GREGORY
Starting with global interpretations of knowledge and competiveness, Mr. Gregory referenced
the World Bank (2000) discussions on the subject which noted that “for developing countries to
enter into and competitively participate in the global economy, they must forge the powerful
combination of the best that the globe has to offer with the best of what they have to offer the
rest of the globe.” It is the “unique innovation and creativity” inspired by its Culture which
gives Jamaica the basis and means to forge its sustainable competitive advantage in a global
knowledge economy.
He asserted that since Culture is defined as EVERYTHING that we are as Jamaicans therefore,
the creation of culturally inspired goods and services should not be confined only to economic
activities related to inter alia, music, sport, cuisine and fashion, even though these are the areas
that the Jamaica brand is best known for. This culturally inspired creativity and innovation has
so far not been significantly replicated in any other industry sector, primarily because of the
influence of the remnant perspectives of plantation society where, indigenous cultural
expressions were narrowly defined as song, dance and related activities. This has continued to
the present day where the innovation and creatively of the ordinary people is oftentimes
marginalized and devalued. Only in more recent times have serious efforts to mainstream and
capitalize on this industry been witnessed. A consequence of the failure to sufficiently formalize
and mainstream cultural economic activities, is that a large part of the cultural industry is not
captured/reported or analysed in The World Economic Forum’s annual assessments of
Jamaica’s global competitiveness ranking.
JAMPRO, The Ministry of Culture and a number of other agencies and new Industry groupings
have been making efforts to formalize the cultural/creative industries using the cluster and
linkage methodology and with some success. The Fashion sector, for example, has been
exploring value chain possibilities (using indigenous sea-island cotton for their designs) to
deepen their product differentiation and competitive advantage. For less mature and fledgling
parts of the cultural industry such as, computer animation, digital and graphic design, theatre
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 49
and video/film production, there is a need for organization and collaboration. However, low
levels of trust remains the major inhibiting factor to these efforts.
Mr. Gregory opined that the Jamaican worker should be the centre-piece of any
competitiveness strategy. This requires a national mind-set repositioning of Jamaica as a
knowledge economy and Jamaican workers as knowledge workers. Noting that over the past 25
years Jamaica has moved from a Primary agriculture based economy to a Tertiary services
economy, the workforce and our thinking has not caught up with that reality. There is need to
develop, through a transformed education and training system, knowledge workers whose
professional practice, in whatever occupation, is dictated by their mastery of a standard
globally recognized body of knowledge, relevant to their respective occupations. This mastery
and know-how must be assessed and certified, as a guarantee of competence to either
potential customers or employers local or foreign. An empowered knowledge worker is the
key to Jamaica’s future as a globally competitive knowledge economy.
Bearing in mind the above, Gregory elaborated further on the transformed education and
training system as one that by deliberate design, is socially inclusive and affirms the legitimacy
of all Jamaicans. For example, students in the early stages are formally introduced to the
English language as the language of instruction by teachers respectfully using the Jamaican
language as an instructional springboard while demonstrating it as an authentic and legitimate
expression of Jamaican identity and culture. Education in a knowledge economy he asserted
needs to be a life-long activity, learning and learner centred, not teaching and teacher-centred,
where teachers facilitate student learning and encouraging innovation and creativity. Where
the Jamaican ethic of “tun yu han mek fashion,” is acknowledged as authentic Jamaican
behaviour.
This culturally inspired innovation and creativity, he believes, will then be manifested in all
sectors of our economy, the essential ingredient of what is called a Creative Economy. He
challenged the conference to imagine the powerful implications for the competitiveness of the
21st century Jamaican knowledge economy, when our cultural/creative industries influence all
economic activity across all sectors, resulting in the competitive production of highly
distinguishable and differentiated quality brand Jamaica products and services…”to the world”.
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MODULE 3.3: THE APPROACHES, STRATEGIES AND SKILL SETS REQUIRED FOR SUPERIOR
HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT – DR. ANNE CRICK
Why is talent important? Cheese, Thomas and Craig note that 80% of value now comes from
the intangible assets of organizations. It is less valuable to own land than to know when to buy
and sell and relocate activity and this is the value that people bring to the knowledge
organization.
Definition of talent
Talent is the attribute of individual with superior ability in a particular field. It differentiates us
from the crowd. It is important but not easy to find. Dr. Crick pointed to a 2006 global survey
finding which indicated that finding talent is the single most popular management
preoccupation. Finding talent is one thing, motivating and retaining it is another. It was noted
that Generation Y is not motivated solely by money.
Organizations with embedded talent management will outperform those who do not have this.
Talent is the source of competitive advantage in the knowledge frontier and it is not just an HR
function; it is everyone’s job. Dr. Crick noted that “We need to create a culture of talent
management.” Everybody manages culture (“the way we do things around here”) and so the
management of talent is a shared responsibility. This also means that each individual is
responsible for managing their own talent and every talent has to be maintained reinforced and
rewarded.
The context of knowledge work
Knowledge organizations are fuzzy with blurred boundaries. There is the need to combine soft
and hard skills. A knowledge organization must be a learning organization, one that is fluid,
responsive and anti bureaucratic. However there are some contradictions in these knowledge
organizations. They can be considered “ambidextrous” in that they need to be fluid enough to
permit knowledge sharing, but organized; robust to ensure that the right people are hired, but
fluid enough to ensure that they are not constrained; take time to germinate ideas but with a
sense of urgency.
Dr. Crick examined a number of organizational models.
Harris, Craig and Egan Model divide the knowledge worker into 4 groups in a typical
pyramid organizational chart. It shows that division of labour is needed, but this creates
a silo effect, it is hierarchical and limits the communication flow that needs to happen.
Customer service model is based on the concept that everyone is serving someone else.
This model however still represents silos.
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Concentric circle model (new). This highlights the four groups which need to be in non-
hierarchical relationships with each other without being in silos. Rigid boundaries do
not exist and there is free flow of information.
The advantages of the concentric circle model are that
It is open (removal of hierarchy and replacement with internal customer service and
interaction).
It adopts the concept of self organization based on the notion that when we let people
go and organize themselves they do really well.
It brings together the right people and creates learning.
It speeds up processes.
How do we make it work?
Define the needs for talents, mission critical jobs and future strategic goals. Talent
takes time to be developed and to be embedded into the organization.
Hire for diversity. Talent may not be found in the usual containers. Seek diversity.
Build skills and knowledge while recognizing that people will move in and out,
according to the fit with particular projects
Recognize that knowledge organizations work based on projects and allow for self
organizing principles.
Identify serial achievers and their life alignment curve.
Deploy talent in right place and right time, recalling that Generation Y is not just
working for money.
Challenges of talent management in Jamaica
Non hierarchical models are difficult to retain as hierarchy always creeps in. However
there is room for the ambidextrous organization.
Difficulties in risk taking. If we want innovation, there needs to be a willingness to take
risks.
Accepting diversity and rejecting traditional stereotypes.
Creating trust in an environment of low trust.
MODULE 3.4: OPERATIONALIZING VISION 2030 JAMAICA– MR. RICHARD LUMSDEN
Vision 2030 is the first long term (21 year) plan developed for Jamaica, with the aim of
achieving developed country status by 2030, not measured solely by economic criteria, but by
other developmental measures. The plan has bi-partisan support and is at the beginning of the
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third year. The plan seeks to move Jamaica to a new paradigm based on social (cultural,
human, knowledge and institutional), rather than physical (financial, man-made, natural) stocks
of capital (see below). The framework for Vision 2030 is based on the pillars of competitiveness
which will take the country from the basic factor stage, through to the efficiency stage (current)
and eventually transition to an innovation economy. It is a results-based management
framework, beginning with a national vision, goals, outcomes, strategies and sector strategies
and actions, leading to benefits for the population.
Mr. Lumsden presented a breakdown on the plan. The Vision statement is “Jamaica, the place
to live, work, raise families and do business,” recognising that we live in a global society but we
want Jamaica to be the first choice. The vision is broken down into 4 goals, each with several
national outcomes. The goals are:
Jamaicans are empowered to achieve their fullest potential.
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The Jamaican society is secure, cohesive and just.
Jamaica’s economy is prosperous.
Jamaica has a healthy natural environment.
These are measureable and linked to an entire planning framework. Many of the identified
outcomes under each goal are directly linked to generating a knowledge economy.
To make planning more manageable, medium term priorities are determined in 3 year phases.
The medium term framework for 2009-2012 focuses on 6 priority outcomes and some
supporting outcomes to be achieved within the context of some guiding principles such as
transformational leadership, accountability and transparency, partnership and cohesion, among
others.
There was an integrated planning (31 task forces) and implementation framework. Mr.
Lumsden noted that it was not a collection of projects, but a strategic and aspirational plan.
National strategic plans are translated into corporate plans of government, private sector,
NGOs, international partners and the Diaspora. Achievement of alignment is important for
successful implementation. The monitoring and implementation framework reports on
progress, vis-a-vis targets, from a political, technical and consultative (sector and national level)
standpoint. Vision 2030 provides an opportunity for collaboration among stakeholders,
contributes to an integrated results based management system within government, provides a
framework for linking development and spatial planning and a mechanism for communicating
best practices in national development planning.
To date, Vision 2030 has achieved alignment of plans and budgets and the creation of an
integrated planning, budgeting and reporting system, executed a wide-based publicity and
communication strategy and developed a monitoring framework.
Key facilitators to date include inter alia, the existence of strong central training institutions, a
powerful indigenous culture and strong nation brand, extensive metropolitan Diaspora, vibrant
media and civil society, and a world class system for starting business. Key inhibitors include
inter alia, low levels of certification of the workforce, high rates of crime, low investments in
R&D, weakness in physical planning, major weaknesses in governance and limited data for
measurement of indicators.
Mr. Lumsden identified some relevant national outcomes, strategies and targets in relation to
the knowledge economy. The outcomes are:
World Class Education and Training
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 54
Authentic and Transformational Culture
Security and Safety
Effective Governance
An Enabling Business Environment
Strong Economic Infrastructure
A Technology Enabled Society
Internationally Competitive Industry Structures
Sustainable Management and Use of Environmental and Natural Resources
Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning
In relation to above, there have been a number of achievements to date, including, the
development of a draft National Parenting Policy, ongoing reform of the JCF and introduction of
the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), upgrading of infrastructure and ICT
in the Courts and establishment of the Justice Reform Implementation Unit. Steps have been
taken to integrate various systems throughout government and organizations as a part of a
comprehensive alignment process.
Key medium term initiatives include the Community Renewal Programme, Tax Reform, a
National Educations Strategic Plan and Public Sector Rationalization. The key challenges to
achieving these are continuity and consistency, ensuring ongoing commitment of stakeholders,
addressing gaps in human and technical capacity, ensuring integrated planning, resourcing and
sustainability.
The next steps will focus on the alignment of corporate, sector and national plans, finalization
of targets, the establishment of a reporting mechanism and the development of a new medium
term framework (2012-2015). The process will take place during the 2nd to 4th quarters of FY
2011/2012 and will involve the review and evaluation of progress, environmental scanning, risk
analysis, strategic forecasting and development of new priorities for 2012-2015. It was
recommended that the action plans arising from the Conference could be infused into the next
round of planning.
MODULE 3.5: SO THAT WE MAY REAP FROM WHAT WE HAVE SOWN: KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT & KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS –
DR. GUNJAN MANSINGH
Dr. Mansingh began her presentation with a discussion which defined data, information
knowledge, knowledge management, and knowledge management systems and their
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importance. She indicated that knowledge consisted of data (raw facts) and information
(processed data) which gives information with guidance for action. Knowledge is actionable
information. Theory considers knowledge to be a significant resource of the firm which is
embedded in its culture and identity, documents, processes, products and human capital.
Knowledge management is concerned with the development of the organization’s knowledge
assets and is based on perspectives such as state of mind, process, access to information and
capability. We should focus on identifying the knowledge assets, determining their importance
and how they can be used for development. The perspective of knowledge impacts on how
one perceives and uses knowledge. Further, the knowledge management system relates to the
ICT platform which enables collaboration and sharing of multiple knowledge services. These
cannot be purchased off the shelf but are developed based on the particular organization or
country.
These knowledge services should be developed depending on the type of knowledge (explicit or
tacit) that exists, a knowledge mix strategy of codification-personalization is recommended.
Codification is done when the knowledge is mostly explicit and the focus is on capturing and
storing these knowledge assets and personalization is when the knowledge is tacit and the
focus is on facilitating knowledge sharing and connecting knowledge sources. For this purpose,
social media is a very powerful tool in enabling people to share and communicate tacit
knowledge. It is evident that the role of ICT changes accordingly, based on the strategy.
The Wikipedia definition of knowledge economy is “the use of knowledge technologies to
produce economic benefits as well as job creation”. Note that knowledge management is not a
technology. Since we know that information and knowledge are different we cannot use the
same technologies that we have used to manage information to manage knowledge. Examples
of knowledge technologies are expert systems, knowledge mapping and data mining and
warehousing.
Expert systems reflect the fact that knowledge exists with humans, and seeks to mimic human
experts using techniques to extract and codify existing knowledge from experts. An example is
having such systems being developed for smart phones which can be used by farmers.
Knowledge mapping is a visual representation of the relevant processes within an organization.
Knowledge mapping relies on an ontology which is a formal representation of knowledge within
a domain as a set of concepts and relationships. There are many different types of knowledge
maps, each with their own focus. The maps represent who, what, when, where, why, how of
the processes. This tool can be applied to Vision 2030. There are knowledge structure maps
which display not only processes but also show the linkages with the environment and changes
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in such. Knowledge source maps focus on the different roles that are required to do a task and
the different actors who are doing these roles.
Data mining and warehousing are knowledge discovery methods from data. Mining is the use
of software techniques to identify unknown patterns in data sets. Warehousing is accessing
and storing data from various sources. Data mining techniques are predictive and descriptive
and based on the data one can generate likelihoods with probabilities. Predictive modelling is
useful in areas such as crime and healthcare, where the data is available. One issue is that basic
systems for collection methods for areas such as healthcare and crime are missing.
Dr. Mansingh presented an example of a decision tree modelling applied to an internet banking
dataset and a case study of knowledge management in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). It
was noted that in the JCF, knowledge technologies are being used, but these systems are ad
hoc and based on individual or international interest. There is need for an overall architecture,
as technology without strategy will not work. An example of a success story was the Richmond
Virginia Police Department which used predictive analysis and geographic mapping, resulting in
a drop in the crime rate in that city. It was due to active collection, analysis and use of data
done every 8 hours rather than monthly. Knowledge is power and we have to learn to apply
this knowledge to create possibilities in sectors such as those identified in the 2030 Plan.
In conclusion, Dr. Mansingh noted that in going forward, the knowledge technologies that she
presented can make a difference in the areas that have been identified in the World Bank
report as areas where knowledge can contribute.
Driving competitiveness and productivity,
Facilitating welfare and the environment, and
Enabling institutions and governance.
Knowledge that already exists in the different sources should be used to guide the formulation
of policy and decision making.
DISCUSSIONS ON MODULES 3.1 – 3.5
At the end of all the presentations, the participants were invited to comment on any pertinent
issues raised. The ensuing discussions addressed a number of issues.
It was noted that there were certain specific structural and psychological problems
facing the society which required diagnostics and therapeutics. It was suggested that
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the insights from Dr. Mansingh’s presentation would be useful in analysing such data
and helping Jamaicans to understand their own personal problems. This can also be
done through the use of applications on the mobile phone: the Psyche App where
individuals can make a self analysis and the Hick App which uses transformational
methodologies to create the new programme for self.
The challenge of how to resolve the process of innovation within an organizational
framework was raised as a contradiction. It was noted that the organization needs to
recognize the contradictions and take steps to resolve this. The use of the “skunk
model” where departments are separated and then re-integrated in the organization
would be useful. The Google model is also an option, but it was noted that this appeals
to a certain age group. A revolutionary section of the company can be pulled out, but
there needs to be a mechanism for subsequent link in. However, it was also noted that
that innovators usually take it to the end and it is they who bring in the other skill sets
they need and not vice-versa. There was agreement that innovations can happen
outside of an organization and it was better to allow the innovators to get the additional
skill sets they needed to get the product to market, as existing organizations had a
tendency to stifle innovation. On the question of the source of data given that
innovation is usually considered left field, it was noted that good data is likely to come
from the innovator and not the corporate body.
On the matter of culture, the opinion was expressed that our tertiary institutions are
woefully inadequate to do the research to determine the processes which have led to
the development of a global industry underpinned by the reggae industry. This absence
of knowledge has undermined our capacity to determine if the process can be
replicated or learned. A lot of innovation and action research does happen, for
example in the case of Boys/Girls Champs, which has evolved over time into a whole
host of other areas such as the science of training and sports medicine etc.
It was noted that Dr. Mansingh’s presentation identified the crux of the matter. There is
need for organizational ontology within Jamaica as a crucial platform to build the next
real knowledge society. What we have now is a reflection of the confusion of the
government and the multilaterals. Some of the software cannot even be applied and
this is a waste of resources, time and energy which leads to a confusion of the
globalization process.
An implementation and information deficit was identified and therefore the issue of
realignment of the need for accelerated growth with the machinery of government is
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critical. Evidence based data should be the driver to create that culture in the planning
process.
The point was made that Vision 2030 still reflects our capacity for thinking in silos. The
level of accelerated growth required cannot be achieved without integration and
creation of synergies. There is the question of the implementation deficit which
permeates the system. We need to create a culture of evidence based data driven
approach in the planning process. Mr. Lumsden stated that it was important to look at
the bigger picture. The PIOJ uses the T 21 model, an integrated national development
planning tool, and in terms of the implementation deficit, the concept of organizational
ontology can be used for Vision 2030 Jamaica. There is a primary framework, at least
within the public sector, but this needs improvement. The issue of alignment with
budgetary allocations was seen as a concern for the Vision 2030 plan. What mandate
does the PIOJ have to ensure that budgetary allocation reflect the national priorities
such as the national export strategy and the development of the cultural industries?
The issue of a leadership deficit in the private and public sector was also discussed. Dr.
Crick noted that there should be no assumption that leadership equates to
management. It is a separate skill and therefore the focus should be on observing and
elevating the leadership capacity. Mr. Gregory also contributed that the leadership
deficit speaks to a followership deficit and a greater issue of lack of trust and social
capital which impacts our position as a country.
It was noted that there is a difference between creative and cultural industries and the
policy development implications for both. The transcendence from knowledge
economy to the cultural and creative economy is an issue to be pursued in all sectors.
This is part of the work at the Institute of Caribbean Studies. What is done at the
business level should be translated and integrated at the national level. While there
may be a distinction between cultural and creative industries, at the root of everything
is culture. A creative economy is a natural outcome of a knowledge economy; it is the
culture which defines the country.
There are strong mediating factors which influence our path such as low morale, lack of
engagement of youth and Diaspora, mistrust, fragmentation, silos. There is need for
effective leadership.
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Preparation for developing an Action Plan
The session ended with a presentation by Professor Dahlman and Dr. Aubert of the plan for the
3 Breakout Groups for Draft Action Planning. The breakout groups were each asked to answer
one of questions A, B & C. Each group was also to answer question Z. The Action Plans were to
consider issues such as Objectives, Target Groups, Roadmap for Actions and Resources needed.
Questions:
A: How to engage public and private sector leaders in a competitiveness and Knowledge
Economy based strategy?
B: How to exploit competitive niche projects that could be source of jobs and wealth, i.e.
what are the low hanging fruits?
C: How to adjust the education and training system to competitiveness and Knowledge
Economy needs?
Z: How to institutionalize the Knowledge Economy operation and how to develop and
efficient media strategy?
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DAY TWO - PM SESSION
Session Chair: Prof. Winston Davidson
Overview:
The objectives of this session were:
Brainstorming on the essential components of a National Strategy and Action Plan for
development of a Jamaican Knowledge Society and Economy for successful
participation in the global economy.
Visioning and planning for the short, medium and long-term development and
sustainability of the knowledge economy initiatives and the strategies for
implementation.
MODULE 4.1: INNOVATION POLICY - DR. JEAN-ERIC AUBERT
Dr. Aubert reviewed the issues and policies of innovation policy. He stated that innovation
policy has been developing in advanced economies since the early seventies. He defines
innovation as the development and diffusion of new products and new practices, and
emphasized that the term “new” should be related to a given context (“new” should not be
understood in absolute manner). He underscored the point that sometimes innovation
precedes research and that the key is to combine existing knowledge and technology. The
combination and adaptation of technology, available worldwide, is especially useful in
developing countries. Innovation is deemed a process conducted by entrepreneurs and
supported by various actors, including “godfathers” in large organisations. Culture and
institutions play a key role in the process of innovation.
The role of Government in supporting innovation was again referred to as in Dr. Aubert’s earlier
presentation as an analogy of gardening innovation, where Government would have the task of
watering the garden through the provision of finance and support for the innovation. The
removal of weeds, that addresses both deregulation and competition, would be another
support that the government would have to offer, including through an appropriate judicial
system. Nurturing the soil through research, education and information also contribute to
innovation, and is another task of the government.
The traditional positioning of the innovation policy residing with research and industry, and
aiming at linking them, needs to shift to a different positioning where the innovation policy is at
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the heart and is pivotal to and impacts on all the facets of government actions such as trade,
research, education, finance, industry as well as other areas. An innovation policy, to be
efficient, needs also flexible agencies and focused programmes.
Flexible agencies should be designed and operative with multiple instruments able to address
the various needs of innovative enterprises, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Focused programmes include large scale programmes as those in space or defense in the USA,
spatially focused programmes as in Japan and China with technoparks and cities, or pro-poor
programmes as in India.
Innovation strategies should build on country strengths and relate to development levels. The
strategies should exploit the country’s assets, including agriculture, tourism, possibly
manufacturing in selected sectors. These strategies should include in them foreign direct
investments (FDI) as source of technology, management and trade channels. Thereafter the
strategy would build out to further include advanced innovation systems to establish an
internationally recognized science base.
There are some generic policy measures which Jamaica could review and adjust to suit if
needed.
There is the matter of education. It may be opportune to consider linking engineering
and business education and to sensitise the students to innovation and
entrepreneurship from the primary school level.
Incubators, technical services and business angels can all be developed as innovation
support schemes
Other generic policy measures that may be addressed include the collaboration
between universities and industry
The Metrology, Standards, Testing and Quality (MSTQ) Infrastructure may be developed
and or upgraded
The mobilization of the Diaspora is yet another generic policy measure worthy of review
and tapping into, to identify the technical competencies that reside in Jamaicans living
outside of the country and to explore availability of funding
On site visits as well as study tours could be taken on for policy makers and other
change agents.
Jamaica could also develop an action plan that would yield fruits within a relatively short time
span (3 to 4 years). Dr. Aubert suggested promoting export industries and promotion of societal
innovations.
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Choosing the low hanging fruits of agro-foods, tourism and the creative industries could
be a place to start with the promotion of the export industries.
Jamaica would have to address areas of finance, regulations and training by setting
specific programmes to meet the 3 year timeline.
Societal innovations require the involvement of the youth in community projects from
public procurement procedure through to completion.
Promotion and media to publicize all the stories, the successes and failures would be a
sure way to inform, communicate and get the attention of the public.
Dr. Aubert emphasized also the need to consider the specifics of the Jamaica’s culture, culture
understood as ‘the way we do things here’ as anthropologists define it. It seems that Jamaica is
affected by a lack of trust and by transgressive behaviors. Without self knowledge and
capability for critical analysis, a knowledge society will be difficult to develop.
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MODULE 4.2: REVIEW OF ISSUES AND POLICIES OF THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: EDUCATION
AND TRAINING - PROFESSOR CARL DAHLMAN
Professor Dahlman in his presentation looked at the role of education in development and how
education and training compares in Jamaica. He noted that education and innovation are key
elements and are becoming more important given the speed of creation and dissemination of
new knowledge. With the half life of knowledge rapidly shrinking and knowledge creation being
vital for a knowledge economy then it is clear that education is the fundamental enabler of the
knowledge economy and is critical for long term competitiveness and growth.
Addressing education within the context of a changing education and training programme is a
global challenge. Moving from the traditional model of information based, teacher directed,
terminal education to the knowledge economy model where education is now about
knowledge creation, student centred initiative based on lifelong learning, is a challenge. To
enhance education at all levels requires addressing the challenge of quality education, creation
and adaptation of knowledge, use of knowledge and the challenge of global competition.
Systems of lifelong learning will have to be developed and enhanced. At the tertiary level there
is the need to respond quickly to the rapidly changing needs of the market. The tertiary
institutions are challenged by finance, governance, cost of providing the higher education and
the international competition. These tertiary institutions must become critical players in the
innovation system at the national level.
Education has gone global with millions of students studying abroad away from their home
country. With the competition of foreign educational institutions setting up physical presence
in another country, or collaborating with local institutions, there is greater pressure on the local
education system. With internet based on-line courses and with globalization and greater
competition developing countries will be faced with much greater pressure on their education
system.
To respond to the increase in international competition, developing countries will have to make
major investments in education which must be geared to increase and improve the quality of
education and training. Critical to the investments in education, the reform of the system and
embracing of innovation are key elements to a successful outcome.
The Global Competitiveness Report 2010, ranked Jamaica 115 out of 139 countries on the
quality of mathematics and science education. In 2009 there were 5913 Jamaicans studying
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abroad, many of whom may never return home. There is however the opportunity to leverage
the skills, expertise and network of these Jamaicans in foreign places.
Prof. Dahlman suggested some possible steps to strengthen education and training in Jamaica:
Improvement in quality of education at all levels primary secondary and higher
educational institutions.
Teaching students how to learn through their life time
For the knowledge economy elements of communication, problem solving, creativity
and team work should be included in the curriculum with a view of meeting the needs
of the private sector.
Jamaica, in spite of the financial constraints, needs to address both the stock and flow
challenges of education and of the education system as the country gears towards a
knowledge based economy.
To increase the resources for education as well as the productivity of education
resources an educational financial market will have to be developed. From this market
of private sector contribution and public resources student loan funds would be made
available.
Private provision of education and training will have to be extended and increased.
Productivity of education would have been improved through improving the pedagogy
of education; through reducing the time to move from one level of education to the
next; and through the more extensive use of ICT technologies.
MODULES 4.3 & 4.4: DRAFT ACTION PLAN - KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY
Dr. Aubert and Professor Dahlman indicated that the outcome of the two day seminar was to
have a draft action plan for implementation. In preparation the participants and stakeholders
were broken out in three groups and each group given a particular area for discussion under
the umbrella theme of enhancing Jamaica’s competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.
The topics for discussion were as follows:
Group 1: “How to engage Private and Public Sector leaders in a competitiveness and
knowledge based strategy”
Group 2: “How to exploit competitiveness in niche projects (low hanging fruits) that can
be a source of jobs and wealth”
Group 3: “How to adjust education and training system to address competitiveness and
knowledge economy needs”
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The groups were charged with delivering their deliberations using no more than five
PowerPoint slides. They were then advised that after the deliberations, the presentations
would be of five minutes duration followed by fifteen minutes for comments and questions.
The groups were to include in the presentations; the objectives, the targets groups and the
road map of actions as well as the resources required.
The main points from each group are presented below. The Chapter entitled “The Way
Forward” provides a consolidated action plan arising from the session.
Report of Group A: How to engage the Private and Public Sector leaders in a competitiveness,
knowledge economy based strategy.
Objectives:
Need to communicate what’s at stake. Create an awareness of the problem and its
consequences and not in generic terms, so each stakeholders can know how it impacts
his or her community
Get private sector involved in tangible practical pilot projects that will support the
development of a knowledge economy
Reward those companies who become globally competitive
Target Groups
Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica
SMEs
Jamaica Chamber of Commerce
Jamaica Manufacturers Association
Jamaica Exporters Association
National Competitiveness Council
Partnership for Transformation
Planning Institute of Jamaica
JAMPRO
Jamaica Teachers’ Association
Road Map of Actions
Consider the 4 pillars of success: Education, ICT, Innovation, Business environment.
Revising the national leadership around science and technology
Looking actively to curricula as a support
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A deliberate effort to engage the Private Sector through the National Competitiveness
Council to improve Jamaica’s ranking on the competitiveness scale
Reexamine the system of taxation to foster greater competiveness
Reexamine the way we determine what gets the priority in terms of policy and enabling
legislation. Legislation must be implemented at an accelerated rate, as even if we
implement legislation we may make progress but not enough when compared with
other countries
Engage with Diaspora, through their annual conferences e.g., in specific and active
discussion on the Knowledge Economy
Develop incentives for private sector entities who adhere to international standards and
benchmarks, to ensure that their goods and services are competitive
Resources
Tax waivers
Provision of technical expertise
Assistance from International Development Partners
Discussions on presentation by Group A
Prof. Dahlman in commenting on the presentation indicted that he liked that it was very
focused and pragmatic, however it sounded as if there were not many problems in the overall
environment. Policy documents done by different business organizations, have identified a
number of road blocks which need to be prioritized and acted on. He also commented on the
seeming bias towards big existing businesses. He suggested that there was a need to look at
impediments at the grassroots levels. This requires more nurturing, in terms of developing
backward linkages, plugging into the tourism industry and the potential for business schools to
facilitate students to go into business. Jamaica can exploit the high level human capital and
opportunities available and identify where it makes senses to have collective action. Developing
partnerships with foreign investors and organization and governments that can provide
technical assistance and resources would be another strategy.
Dr. Aubert in his comments highlighted the lack of specific actions targeted at the real leaders
in the Jamaica society e.g. the politician, Members of Parliament and the dons. This is
important as the key fundamental roadblocks to competitiveness for Jamaica have been
identified as crime, corruption and bureaucracy.
Report of Group B: How to exploit competitive niche products as a source of jobs and wealth:
Identifying the low hanging fruit
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Most important is to adopt a strategy of focused differentiation. This will be taking advantage
of that which is unique to Jamaica. No other country in the world can exploit the opportunities
identified, as they do not have the natural advantages that we do.
Opportunities are in cultural industries and tourism: sports tourism, health tourism,
production of craft items, giftware and personal care items.
Opportunity: Cultural Industries
Objective:
Capture a worldwide market that will sample a range of Jamaican cultural products and
services.
o Set up physical and organizational structures in each parish focused on a specific
range of cultural industries. e.g. in Trelawny where we now have a yam festival,
could have a food festival, with specific types of music. Portland which now has
the jerk festival is another example. Would create a whole range of cultural
services and products which are different for each parish. Accompanying this
would be a marketing campaign to attract tourist from across the world, who
would move from parish to parish to experience all Jamaica has to offer in terms
of culture
Target Groups
Public/private partnership
State actors
Road Map of Actions
Establish Public/private partnership
Create a policy framework
Operationalize
Resources
Centralized organization for Monitoring and Evaluation
Opportunity: Sports Tourism
Objectives:
Create a Sports Tourism product that takes advantages of the reputation Jamaica has
developed over decades, especially in the area of athletics.
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Target Croups
Universities in Jamaica
Jamaican Coaches
Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association
Jamaica Olympic Association
High School and College students worldwide
Plan of Action
Package the business opportunity and present to sports teams, businesses and
universities and a range of potential investors who would be interested in exploiting the
business opportunity
Businesses to be certified by the Tourism Product Development Company to ensure
quality. This is to ensure that the Jamaican brand is developed and not destroyed
Opportunity: Craft Giftware and personal care items
Objective:
Create employment by targeting retail outlets, MSME Alliance, Edna Manley College, other
tertiary institutions and the communities, that can come together to produce the craft products
in Jamaica. After developing excess capacity for the production of these items, would sensitive
the vendors who are selling fraudulently labeled items, then enforce the regulations and take
advantage of the vacuum that would emerge in the market from stopping the sale of these
items.
Resources Needed
Training for artisans
Standards for prod
Enforcement
Resource capacity for research and development, so items can be globally competitive.
Plan of Action
Developing policy clusters to can identify the synergies between all these opportunities
Then develop project plans. What has been presented are very broad outlines.
Discussions on presentation by Group B
One of the challenges related to craft products is that by and large they are volume
products and therefore it is difficult to compete. We should however strive to be a niche
producer, low volume and high quality and so would need to find a way to make
products that can be differentiated and cannot be produced elsewhere.
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Jamaica cannot compete with the products from China e.g. and as such the Jamaican
made product must be clearly identified so the tourist can know which is a true
Jamaican product
Investment should be made in ensuring that designs are indigenous and marketable and
that they are copyrighted
The product can be enhanced by attaching to it the history and background o the
producer
Dr. Aubert indicated that he was impressed by the ambition for competitiveness on the global
market. He wondered if this could be encapsulated into a branding name for Jamaica which can
be sold on the global market, maybe the “island of enjoyment” which would cover our sport,
culture, music, enjoyment of the body. He stressed the importance of being self organized, as
trade groups and communities and to ask government to just undertake what was necessary
for them to, such as standards and promotion.
Prof. Dahlman indicated that what is required is a strong system of certification for the
products, strong quality control, which would identify an authentic Jamaican product. Medical
tourism he also identified as an incredible opportunity for Jamaica. This would need to be
linked to the physical infrastructure for health care and well as the training to support the
service functions. He emphasized to need to sustain the discussions, bringing in business
people, self organization and not relying on government.
On the issue of branding, Dr. Gordon advised the participants that the Jamaica Exporters
Association and the Competitiveness Company have registered four collective marks and five
certification marks covering key authentic Jamaican items. These are registered in the US and
Europe and are supported by lawyers that will monitor their use and a international marketing
campaign.
Supporting the point made by Prof. Dahlman on the opportunity in health tourism, Prof.
Davidson indicated that they are some 140,000 estimated persons on the ground now, who
give care in their communities without any training. These persons could be trained as home
care personnel, certified and this used as a stepping stone for the development of the health
tourism sector.
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Report of Group C: How to adjust the education and training system appropriate for the
competitiveness and Knowledge Economy needs
Objectives:
What is the new role of education? It should be treated as a another sector of the
mainstream economy
To achieve global standards that can be benchmarked against key skills of
communication and problem solving. These are critical core skills that the product of the
education system, our graduates, should have.
To build a network of champions as disciples of the new dispensation spread out across
the country, in teachers colleges, schools, churches , communities, private business
places, Jamaica Employers Federation , PSOJ who will promote and advocate the this
new dispensation. This is an outside-in approach. The people should now say what they
want and politically force that on the Ministry of Education to get the buy in.
Systematically affirm all students to build self esteem and self confidence which is
needed for learning. From the early childhood phase
Target Groups
Teacher training institutions
Trainers and Principals of schools
Parents and employers
Ministries and public institutions, including the National Council on Education
Road Map of Actions
Implement the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) System,
managed by the OECD Secretariat in Paris, for OECD countries, in Jamaica. It is an
assessment for 15 year olds every year, on certain standards of competence. Many non
OECD countries have joined, as their way to establish the competitive position of their
education system vis-a-vis other education systems around the world.
Pilot the new curriculum and approach in certain schools and create them as centres of
excellence for mainstreaming.
Use of on-line broadband systems and Information and Communication Technology to
allow more democratic access to information for all our students.
Relook at the role of community colleges to help with retraining and reengineering the
system. Change the curriculum, from a syllabus focus to a curriculum focus.
Provide the competence profile for the average 15 year old, and target it at our 15 year
olds to aspire to excellence
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Resources Needed
Success stories
System of constant communication and updating, to link the champions
Create awareness to media programmes
Accessibility to a common curriculum
Champions
Discussions
Presentation did not explicitly address adult learners. However, access at every age and
stage is what is being advocated.
Two areas that seem to be accepted as sources of greatest deprivation are Mathematics
and Science. Need to identify how these subjects are taught, as they are key to the
Knowledge Society.
Quality outcomes from education have not always been consistent as quality failures
have increased over the past 20 years. There needs to be a determination of what has
shifted and identify what is driving that decline. It should be noted however that the
participation rate in the current system is almost universal, so it is difficult to compare
the results to over 20 years ago when participation was far more selective.
Experience globally is that teacher training is heavily methods-based. The methods
evolve and become better fine tuned as they are found to be very effective in the
teaching of Mathematics and Science. Jamaican teacher training is not methods-based
and this is a recommendation for adoption.
A curriculum based approach, promotes a course of study with specific learning
outcomes. The current syllabus based approach focuses on the child covering the
syllabus for a particular subject area. The recommendation is for Jamaica to adopt a
curriculum based approach.
Prof. Dahlman in providing feedback on the presentation agreed that benchmarking is very
important and supported the adoption of the OECD/PISA system. He gave the example of
Germany who had improved their learning outcomes by adopting this system and focusing and
working towards achieving the standards. He indicated that technologies are available for
training in Math and Science e.g. Singapore. Another important issue of one of how to get buy
in to undertake these changes. There needs to be pressure from the outside, e.g. the business
sector or Ministry of Finance, who want to see greater return on the investment in education.
Consideration also needs to be given to how to make the effort sustainable in terms of
improving education.
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Dr. Aubert suggested that a determination needs to be made on where to place the priority
translated to where to place the resources. He gave the example of Finland who is on top in the
PISA system. In their society, no child is left out. They address the issues from the early
childhood stage. Special educators are available who identify from early if a child has special
needs. Their governance structure allows for a participatory system, with different levels
meeting regularly. Jamaica should put an emphasis on the children with special needs and the
early childhood sector. This combined with appropriate nutrition and health care will result in
excellent performance.
Closing remarks on the Group presentations
On reviewing the objectives of the Session Prof. Davidson closed with a few observations.
Knowledge is the awareness of information, which is a cerebral function.
Hopefully the visioning done can be captured and some opportunity will be found in the
future to explore the issues and questions that have arisen. It will require follow up by
the organizers.
On all of the three presentations have emerged the issue of public/private partnerships
which is key to our progress.
What is the political directorate responsibility and policy development
Prof. Dahlman focused the minds of the group on how to carry the issues forward. The
expressed the view that there is merit in keeping the energy going with a group like this
together. There are issues that need to be worked on: the issues of trust, governance and use
of ICT across the sectors. Is the organization to carry this forward the Knowledge Society
Foundation, or somewhere else? He suggested that there are good examples of things that
have been done and made a difference which need to get into the public domain. New ideas
need to be communicated. As everything cannot be done at once, he recommended selecting
initial activities, the low hanging fruit, and then scaling up.
He then asked the question of the participant: What kind of mechanism do you see for seeing
this initiative going forward? Some of the responses were:
Our approach has to be first of all looking at what information we have gathered here
and how it can be implemented.
Need to incentivise the private sector to participate.
To lift country out of where it is, need to say to the policy makers that these are our
findings, and they should tell us how they are going to implement policies to achieve the
results.
Must share the information with a wider community of interest.
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In a fast paced world Jamaica is falling behind. As a people we need to pull together to
define the objectives and go after the target audience. The message has to be refined.
Financial resources could be there to implement these recommendations, with proper
governance and modern public sector reform, with the use of ICT.
Need a systematic data capture, to collect information, convert information into
knowledge and can develop a national development plan from there. It is the only way
to get the evidence needed for successful policy making. Any policy, plan or programme
must be driven by evidence based data.
Prof. Dahlman then articulated the outline of a Communications Strategy for adoption.
Developing an communication plan – 5 step approach
1. Define objective
a. Define specific outcome/results you want to achieve
2. Identify target audience
a. Identify decision makers that can influence/determine the desired outcomes
3. Refine messaging
a. Refine two or three themes you wish to stress
b. Source supporting data including quick wins
4. Identify and build a constituency for the strategy
a. Build network of advocates
b. Ensure consistency re objectives and messaging
c. Choose groups based not only on similar interest but ability to influence the
target audience
5. Develop action plan to engage and activate channels
a. Formalize relationships and discussions
b. Ensure Messaging and activities are aligned
c. Assign ownership of effort
Dr. Aubert made some final remarks to close the session:
Make the project as good as possible, as history has shown that when there is a good
project which is convincing, it is implemented, with the necessary resources.
Ensure that policy discussions are evidenced based.
The upcoming election can be seen as an opportunity to present something new, to the
electorate that is concrete, simple and that lay people can grasp.
Raise the fundamental issues of financing the new kind of competitiveness regime.
If the Knowledge Society Foundation is strong enough and has the right clout then it can
be used as the vehicle to carry the project forward.
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CLOSING CEREMONY
Mrs. daCosta expressed pleasure at all of the presentations, which she described as world class.
She highlighted our ability to recognise problems and to define them but, urged participants to
work towards carrying the process forward. There is the need to indentify champions to do so,
in government, private sector, community groups and the educational sector. In the final
analysis she indicated, if the politicians do not buy in then we cannot move from where we are
to where we ought to be.
She advised participants that they may be called on further, as concerned persons who would
like their country to move forward in a more concerted, constructive way, to regroup to work
on bringing the plan to reality.
Tokens of appreciation were then handed out to all the presenters by Silburn Clarke.
In an impromptu moment, he introduced Karen Hewett- Kennedy, who presented her poem on
knowledge, which was written during the time of conference. The sentiments in the poem, she
indicated were motivated by her belief that knowledge resides in all of us.
Mr. Clarke thanked all participants, on behalf of the Spatial Family, for an “awesome”
conference. We closed by reminding all that although Jamaica is small, we can “punch above
our weight class”. We have been doing so in sports and music and we can do so in other
pursuits. We need to have embedded in our psyche, that Jamaica can be one of the best
countries in the world and having decided that that is so, do the things that can make this a
reality.
He closed with his thanks to participants, presenters, organizers, the Spatial family,
videographers, and the rapporteurs for making the event successful. He proposed that the
Knowledge Society Foundation could be used as a broad based vehicle to move the process
forward, as the basis for a wider resource group. He encouraged persons to become members.
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Ode to Knowledge By Karen Hewett- Kennedy Knowledge after me nuh have none But hold that thought me a bake bread and it no done A pinch of salt some flour, use nuff yeast Wait for it to rise and the lets have a feast Knowledge have me nuh have none But hold that thought while we cut a tune and have some fun With the rhythm and de beat the words are sweet So we can nu linga and gully creep, kiss me teeth Knowledge after me nu have none But hold that thought as I dig some yam what fun Some plants they don`t grow until its quite dark While others just drop them anywhere growing them is quite a lark Knowledge after me nuh have none But hold that thought for this race no done As I map a strategy should I run fast? Lean on the curve as I run the bend for Jamaica can`t come last Knowledge after me nuh have none But hold that thought what you say the whole of we mad Why because we just a stare into space is glad we glad Why all the fuss maybe we just need to trust That you respect me and I respect you for this is a must Knowledge after me nuh have none But hold that thought the knowledge is here and it can`t done It is in our genes, in our bodies and in our brains It pours out of our souls it is really no strain So let’s empower our people the knowledge is there But if we don`t release it, oh it will be really unfair And Jamaica will suffer and we will continue to live in fear. Presented at the 2011 Knowledge Economy Conference April 16 2011
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 76
THE WAY FORWARD
The working session of the Conference culminated with the drafting of a plan of action to
implement key strategies towards achieving competitiveness in a knowledge economy. This
was the result of group work by participants and informed by the experience of the Conference
Advisors - Dr. Jean-Eric Aubert & Prof. Carl Dahlman.
PLAN OF ACTION TO IMPLEMENT KEY STRATEGIES TOWARDS ACHIEVING COMPETITIVENESS
IN A KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY
Strategy: Engaging Public and Private Sector Leaders in a Competitiveness Knowledge Economy based Strategy
Objectives • To create awareness
of the problem and its consequences – what is at stake (not in generic terms)
• For private sector to see the benefits of involvement of the process – incentives
• To get private sector involved in tangible and practical pilot projects that will support the development of a knowledge economy
• Reward companies that make themselves globally competitive.
Target Groups • Private Sector
Organisation of Jamaica
• Small and medium enterprises
• Jamaica Chamber of Commerce
• Jamaica Manufacturing Association
• Jamaica Exporters Association
• National Competitiveness Council
• Partnership for Transformation
• Planning Institute of Jamaica
• JAMPRO • JTA
Road Map of Actions • Deliberate effort to
engage the Private sector through National Competitive Council
• Revive the national leadership around science and technology
• Re-examine the system of taxation to foster competiveness
• Engage with Diaspora – e.g. annual conference
• Develop incentives for Private sector entities who adhere to international standards and benchmarks ensuring that their goods and services are competitive
Resources • Resources for
incentives, tax waivers and provision of technical expertise
• Resources from international development partners
Strategy: Adjusting the Education and training system to Competiveness/ Knowledge Economy needs
Objectives • What is the role of
the education system in the 21st century?
• Achieve global standards which can
Target Groups • Teacher training
institutions, trainers and principals
• Parents, employers and wider community as
Roadmap of Actions • Establish the competitive
position of our Education System
• Implement PISA assessment system as in OECD countries
Resources Needed • Success Stories • Communicate • Create awareness
through media for programs that exist
• Accessibility to a
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be benchmarked in relation to key skills e.g. communication, problem solving, creativity, teamwork and citizenship.
• Build Network of Champions who promote and advocate the new dispensation
• Get Buy-in – yes we have to!
• Systematically affirm all students to build self esteem and self confidence
advocates for change
• Ministries and public institutions including The National Council for Education
• Creation of pilot schools/Centres of excellence - to create success stories
• Promote the use of National on-line broadband systems and ICTs
• Change the curriculum • Re-look at the role of
Community Colleges to help with retraining and reengineering
• Provide the competency profile of the average 15 year old skills and competencies as a competitive spur for Jamaican 15 year old to aspire and excel.
common curriculum
• Champions
Strategy: Exploiting competitive niche projects as a source of jobs and wealth
Using a strategy of focused differentiation. Opportunities identifies:
1. Cultural industries 2. Sports Tourism 3. Production of craft items, giftware, personal care items
Overall Plan of Action Develop policy clusters. Identify the synergies. Create project plans.
Opportunity: Cultural Industries Objective: To capture a worldwide market that will sample a range of Jamaican cultural products and services in Jamaica.
Targeted Groups • Public-Private
Partnership • Investors • Min of Tourism, JTB ,
JAMPRO, JBDC and other state actors
• Development Bank of Jamaica
• UDC
Road Map of Actions • Establish a PP
partnership • Establish the policy
framework • Create a blue print for
the physical and organizational structures to create these in each parish
• Operationalize
Resources • A centralized
organization for monitoring and evaluation
Opportunity: Sports Tourism Objective: Creation of a sports tourism
Targeted Groups • Universities in
Jamaica • High school and
college students
Plan of Action • Package the business
opportunity and present it to sports teams, businesses and
Resources • UTech, UWI, GC
Foster College • Multi-purpose
facility
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 78
product.
worldwide • Jamaican Coaches • JAAA, JOA
Universities • The businesses exploiting
the opportunities would be certified by TPDCo.
• Min. of Sports and Culture
• Jamaican coaches and teachers
Opportunity: Craft, giftware, personal care items Objective: To create employment through domestic production of craft items for sale to tourists and capture forex.
Targeted Groups • Retail outlets • BSJ, Min. of
Commerce • JHTA, In bond
Merchants Assn • MSME Alliance • Edna Manley College
of the Visual and Performing Arts, other tertiary institutions
• Heart NTA • Communities
Road Map of Actions • Get the buy-in from the
political leadership and the BSJ.
• Develop a Plan of Action • Develop excess capacity
for production of craft items.
• Sensitize vendors who are selling fraudulently labeled items.
• Enforce regulations.
Resources Needed • Training for the
artisans • Standards for the
products • Enforcement • Resource capacity
for R&D to be globally competitive
CONCLUSION
The ideas and ideals of the conference have resonated with a broad cross-section of our society
and will be sustained by participants in their various fields of endeavour as well as through the
vehicle of the Knowledge Society Foundation. As part of the Action Plan, a communication
strategy will be developed and implemented, taking into account the suggestions made by the
Conference Advisors and local knowledge.
The Knowledge Society Foundation looks forward to the participation and involvement of key
stakeholders such as those who participated at this historic Conference, as we strive to pull
Jamaica up in the world Competitiveness and Knowledge economy rankings and work towards
achieving the vision of “Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 79
FEEDBACK
Silburn
Congratulations on an excellent
conference. Sorry we had to leave
before the end. I would love to
receive the summary and slides from
the end session
I am particularly interested as to
where we all go from here. I think
that the most important step would
be collaborative linkages between the
persons who attended. The
conference brought together some of
the most creative and active persons
in Jamaica as participants
One love
Fred
Dear Silburn,
Congratulations are in order for this
critical work that you are doing and I
am looking forward to working with
you in the future.
Hilary
Silburn
I join Carl in expressing my warm
thanks and congratulations for the
exceptional event that you have set
up.
Since our earliest contacts, it has
been a very great pleasure working
with you, and also very rewarding.
Many thanks also to Jackie for her
perfect support throughout the
process and to JAMPRO for the
excellent visit prior to the
Conference.
The future is bright. As promised, I
will send you a few pages reflecting
on the conference and next steps.
Warm regards
Jean-Eric
Silburn,
Great start. Please send me copies of
the presentations as soon as you can.
Quite informative conference.
Thank you
Marjorie
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Dear Silburn,
Congratulations on what appears to have been an extremely
successful conference.
JAMPRO is pleased to have been able to assist and I thank you
for taking the time to recognize the work of the JAMPRO team
and to express your appreciation for their assistance.
Warm regards,
Sancia
Dear Silburn and Jacqueline,
Although I did not have a chance to
speak much with either of you, I’d like to
express my appreciation for all the work
that went in to making the Knowledge
Economy conference such a
success. Amongst other things, I was
impressed by your attention to detail –
which manifest in a professional and
smoothly-run two days. As I know that
this was a team effort, please also pass
on my words of congratulations to the
entire team!
When leaving, Jacqueline asked me to
contribute my thoughts further – and
this I would be glad to do. I would
however love to learn more about how
these two days’ results will be translated
into something practical. I’m sure this
was discussed in the final sessions today
– and so I could well have missed the
outcome as I unfortunately had to leave
a little early.
With thanks again,
Katrine
Silburn,
Congratulations on your efforts to stage this
forum.
I think it deals with a crucial subject-matter,
and I am sorry I was not able to participate in
the brainstorming and closing sessions.
However, I would like to see how we can
collectively move this dialogue forward and
translate it into working projects that are
aimed at arriving at solutions to the problem
of building an environment to foster
commercialization of research and ideas
particularly in the areas of science and
engineering, broadly speaking.
One of the discussion I think involves the
organization of research in the science and
engineering as part of driving the "knowledge
sector" with a focus on commercialization.
Again, let me congratulate you and your team
for a well-executed effort. The presentations
were instructive....
Cheers!
Reggie
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 81
Silburn
Congratulations on an excellent conference. I was
very impressed by the excellent group of people
you were able to assemble for the workshop, not
just the presenters, but especially the participants.
I also want to thank you, Jackie and Jampro for the
excellent set of meetings that were set up for
Jean-Eric and myself prior to the conference. They
give us important perspectives and insights that
were very useful for our presentations and for our
comments during the conference.
I also enjoyed talking to some of your staff and you
students at the reception last night. A very
impressive group of young minds. I am sure they
will go far. As I also told you I was extremely
impressed that you decided to use the prize your
company got to finance this event--really
extraordinary.
Warm regards,
Carl Dahlman
Dear Silburn,
Congratulations on what was, by all
accounts, a great conference, and I am
very glad that the PSOJ was able to
contribute in some measure to that
success.
I was not able to be present
personally, I am however, checking
regularly on the conference web site
for the upload of conference material
so that I may review them.
Best regards,
Joe
Silburn
Congratulations on a very special
production. You and your team made us
proud. For the time I was able to attend I
found the presentations and discussions
valuable. I look forward to bouncing
around some ideas with you soon as KM is
an area of interest and one in which I did
my MPhil a few years ago.
Great conference. Hope it will be an
annual event.
Blessings.
Nsombi
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APPENDICES
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PARTICIPATING STAKEHOLDERS
Name Organisation
Stacy Adams JAMPRO
Winston Adams University College of the Caribbean
Llewelyn Allen Entrepreneur
Jean-Eric Aubert Innovation and Knowledge Economy Consultant
Ian Bailey-Harris Reborn
Sancia Bennett Templer JAMPRO
Marcia Binns-Morrison Spatial Innovision limited
Joy Ann Bramwell Management Institute for National Development
Ancile Brewster IDB
Fabian Brown Value Added Services
Winston Butler University of the West Indies
Roshaun Clarke International Artiste
Silburn Clarke Spatial Innovision Limited
Maurice Coke Jamaica Computer Society
Brigitte Collins University of the West Indies
Avrill Crawford e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited
Anne Crick UWI
Brenda Cuthbert Jamaica Employers Federation
Jacqueline daCosta Knowledge Society Foundation
Noel daCosta Red Stripe
Carl Dahlman Georgetown University
Glenda Davis Jamaica Fashion Cluster
Winston Davidson University of Technology
Natalie Dobbs Spatial Innovision Limited
Charles Douglas Jamaica Productivity Centre
Evan Duggan University of the West Indies
Hopeton Dunn University of the West Indies
Claude Duncan JAMPRO
Neville Duncan University of the West Indies
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Name Organisation
Paulette Dunn-Smith Dunn, Pierre, Barnett & Associates
Dawn Elliott TCU
Delroy Ellis Digital Systems and Supplies Ltd
Mervyn Eyre Fujitsu Caribbean
Karis Flowers PSOJ
Nicole Foga FOGA DALEY
Marcia Forbes Phase Three Productions Ltd.
Sharon Fox-Mould Fine Artist
Donna-Maria Freckleton Donna-Maria Freckleton & Associates
Sandra Glasgow PSOJ
Andre Gordon Technological Solutions Limited
Damian Graham Spatial Innovision Limited
Delroy Green Northern Caribbean University
Robert Gregory Consultant
Kenneth Hall Retired Governor General and Former Principal, UWI, Mona
Cherryl Hanson Simpson Financially SMART Services
Kerry-Ann Harriott Spatial Innovision Limited
Winston Harrison Fujitsu Caribbean (Jamaica) Limited
Carolyn Hayle HEART Trust/NTA
Maxine Henry-Wilson University of the West Indies
Deborah Hickling University of the West Indies
Frederick Hickling University of the West Indies
Karen Hewett-Kennedy Portmore Community College
Andrea Hutchinson Spatial Innovision Ltd.
Anthony Hylton Hylton Brown
Kenneth Hynes ontheFrontier
Fitz Jackson House of Representatives
Nsombi Jaja Quality Management Consultancy Co. Ltd
Everard Johnson Spatial Innovision Limited
Sandra Jones Fujitsu Caribbean (Jamaica) Limited
Glenice Leachman The Port Authority Of Jamaica
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Name Organisation
Andrew Lee Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited (Flow)
Glaister Leslie The Competitiveness Company
Richard Lumsden Planning Institute of Jamaica
Kerry-Ann Mahabeer Spatial Innovision Limited
Horace Manderson Businessman
Raymond Martin Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement
Gunjan Mansingh University of the West Indies
Patrick McLean Spatial Innovision Limited
Matthew McNaughton ./roots Developer Community
Maurice McNaughton Mona School of Business, UWI
Henley Morgan Caribbean Applied Technology Centre Limited
Rohan Morris TELiCON Ltd.
Cara Murray Xsomo International
Charmaine Nelson Office of the Prime Minister
Douglas Nelson Spatial Innovision Limited
Lawrence Nicholson University of the West Indies
Reginald Nugent University of Technology
Blossom O'Meally-Nelson University College of the Caribbean
Craig Perue University of the West Indies
Ingrid Riley ConnectiMass
Danny Roberts University of the West Indies, Open Campus
Hilary Robertson-Hickling University of the West Indies
Natasha Sampson Ministry of Finance and the Public Service
Lennox Scarlett St. Paul's United Church
Donovan Senior Fujitsu Caribbean (Jamaica) Limited
Terine Sewell Spatial Innovision
Dean Smith University of Technology
Katrine Smith Visual & Performing Arts Jamaica
Tanisha Smith Fujitsu Caribbean (Jamaica) Limited
Deloree Staple Chambers Tax Administration Department
Tassia Stewart JAMPRO
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Name Organisation
Marjorie Straw JAMPRO
Milton Samuda JCC
Elizabeth Terry ICT4D Jamaica/HEART Trust/NTA
Mark Tracey IMF
Michele Thomas Mona School of Business, UWI
Ralph Thomas Mona School of Business, UWI
Sean Thorpe University of Technology
Densil Williams University of the West Indies
George Wright Tax Administration Jamaica
,
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CONFERENCE LEADERS / PRESENTERS
The Most Honourable Professor Sir Kenneth Octavius Hall, ON,
GCMG, OJ
Former Governor General of Jamaica
The Most Honourable Professor Sir Kenneth Octavius Hall, ON,
GCMG, OJ, was appointed Governor-General of Jamaica on
February 16, 2006. He is currently an Honorary Distinguished Fellow
of the Mona School of Business, at the Mona Campus of the
University of the West Indies. Professor Sir Kenneth Hall holds a
PhD in History from the Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. In
2004, the Government of Jamaica conferred upon him the Order of Jamaica for significant
contribution to education and regional development.
His has been a career that spans over four decades and one that has blazed a trail of excellence
in the field of Education both in Jamaica and the United States. He is also renowned for his
contribution to advancement of the regional integration process, during his tenure at the
CARICOM Secretariat from 1975-1977 and again, between 1994 and 1996. Prior to assuming his
position as Governor-General, Professor Kenneth Hall was Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of
the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. During the ten years (1996-2006) at the UWI,
the policies he implemented resulted in a significant transformation in academic programmes,
physical infrastructure and in student relations on the Campus. He was zealous in his efforts to
establish an environment that was conducive to learning; and one that was supported heavily
by information and communication technologies.
Dr. Jean Eric Aubert
Dr. Jean-Eric Aubert is an international expert in innovation policies
and in development strategies. After a career at the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Dr. Jean-Eric
Aubert worked for ten years (2000-2009) at the World Bank. As
Lead Specialist, he led the World Bank Institute “Knowledge for
Development Program”, promoting knowledge economy work in
the Bank and related activities in client countries in form of strategic
studies, international conferences and workshops, and project
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identifications, covering a broad range of policy topics including innovation, education, ICT and
the business environment. He managed the World Bank Institute in Paris providing video
conferencing-based training sessions worldwide. He was also in charge of the World Bank office
in Marseille, France, of which he initiated the transformation into the Centre for Mediterranean
Integration, a multi-partner, intergovernmental platform for North/South collaboration and
joint learning in economic, social and environmental policy fields.
Throughout his career, Jean-Eric Aubert has operated as policy evaluator and advisor in more
than 40 countries of all development levels. He is the author or director of some 50
international publications and books. A French national, Jean-Eric Aubert holds Post Graduate
Diplomas in Economics and a Ph.D in Applied Mathematics (Docteur de Troisième Cycle) from
Paris Universities.
Prof. Carl J. Dahlman
Professor Carl J. Dahlman is the Luce Professor of International
Relations and Information Technology at the Edmund A. Walsh
School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He joined
Georgetown in January 2005 after more than 25 years of
distinguished service at the World Bank. At Georgetown, Prof.
Dahlman’s research and teaching explore how rapid advances in
science, technology and information are affecting the growth
prospects of nations and influencing trade, investment, innovation,
education and economic relations in an increasingly globalizing
world. At the World Bank Prof. Dahlman served as Senior Advisor to the World Bank Institute
and managed the Knowledge for Development (K4D) since 1999. Prior to that he served as Staff
Director of the 1998-1999 World Development Report, Knowledge for Development, was the
Bank’s Resident Representative and Financial Sector Leader in Mexico, and led divisions in the
Bank’s Private Sector Development, and Industry and Energy Departments.
He has conducted extensive analytical work in major developing countries including Argentina,
Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia,
Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. He has co-authored eight books on the knowledge economy
in different countries and many chapters and articles on education and skills, and innovation.
He is currently finalizing a book on the implications of the rise of China and India for the world.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 89
Dr. Anne Crick
Dr. Anne P. Crick is a Senior Lecturer of Organizational Management at
the University of the West Indies Mona Campus and was a former
Head of the Department of Management Studies and the Centre for
Hospitality and Tourism Management located in Nassau, Bahamas. She
is also a former Associate Dean of the Faculty of Social Science. She
holds a BSc. degree in Hotel Management from the University of the
West Indies, an M.S. in Organizational Management from Pennsylvania
State University and a PhD in Organizational Management from
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She is also a certified trainer in hospitality
management and is a trained facilitator.
In her current position at the University of the West Indies she lectures in Organizational
Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Organizational Development and Organizational
Design. She has also developed courses in Quality Service Management for the graduate and
undergraduate level. Dr. Crick is an active researcher who focuses on the mechanisms that
enhance and detract from the effective delivery of service in Jamaican organizations. She has
approximately 20 book chapters and articles relating to her field of service and has done
numerous presentations locally and overseas.
Dr. Crick worked in several of Jamaica’s leading hotels as a manager and as a trainer before
moving fully into academia. She has facilitated and trained at some of Jamaica’s leading
organizations including the Sandals Chain, Insurance Company of the West Indies, Rural
Agricultural Development Authority, Digicel, Bank of Nova Scotia, The National Housing Trust,
Grace Kennedy and Company and the Cigarette Company of Jamaica. Her style is characterized
by a focus on the underlying factors that will drive sustainable change rather than developing a
quick solution to the organization’s problems.
Prof. Winston Davidson
Professor Winston Davidson, is Professor of Public Health & Health
Technology and Head of the School of Public Health & Health Policy
at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Prof. Davidson developed
and deployed the National Primary Health Care program throughout
Jamaica derived from research done in the Department of Social &
Preventive medicine 1973 to 1975 which is still in existence after 30
years; facilitated the development of the National drug abuse
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 90
prevention Institutions i.e. Detoxification Unit UWI Hospital observation Ward, Richmond
Fellowship Drug Rehab Centre , Addiction Alert , William Chamberlain Drug Rehab Centre ,
Eighteen Community Development Action Committees in fourteen Parishes utilizing the POPIE
method of Community Development; developed and implemented the Integrated Demand
Reduction program which was endorsed by the United Nations after its adoption as both a
Caribbean Model and a Global strategy for Drug demand reduction ; led the organizational
reform of the Ministry of Health, GoJ, resulting in the development of Primary Secondary and
Tertiary Health Care establishing the continuity of care and integration of care model;
developed the conceptual framework document and led a relentless campaign for the
implementation of the National Health Fund, which is an institution which used proceeds from
a tax on cigarettes to offset the costs of drugs for the treatment of chronic disease and
promoting wellness and healthy lifestyles. Prof. Davidson’s pioneering research in Telemedicine
in Jamaica and in developing the National Electronic Health Record System of the Jamaican
Government is globally recognized.
Prof. Davidson’s publications includes 57 papers and publications related to Health Policy,
Planning and Organizational issues; Primary Health Care; Drug Abuse Prevention, Epidemiology,
Community Development, Public Health, Control of Communicable Diseases, Philosophy,
Telemedicine, Information Technology and Wellness.
Prof. Evan Duggan
Professor Evan Duggan is the Executive Director of the Mona School
of Business and Professor of Management Information Systems. He
joined the Mona School of Business in 2006 after eight years at the
Culverhouse College of Commerce & Business Administration,
University of Alabama, USA. Professor Duggan obtained the Ph.D. and
MBA degrees from Georgia State University with concentrations in
Decision Sciences and Computer Information Systems and the B.Sc.
from the University of the West Indies, Mona.
He has many years of progressive IT experience in industry and academia. He worked at Alcan
Jamaica Company (now Windalco) for 25 years in all areas of IT, including the position of
Manager of the Information Services Department, and served a short stint as Chief Systems
Analyst at Alcan’s Head Office in Montreal Canada, where he led a team in the development of
a common IS project management methodology for use by the organization worldwide.
His research interests involve the management of information systems (IS) in corporations, with
particular reference to IS success factors and quality and systems delivery methodologies. He
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 91
has published extensively in refereed IS and allied journals. Professor Duggan has also written
papers for edited books, and major conference proceedings as well as other scholarly outlets.
His book (with co-editor, Han Reichgelt) Measuring Information Systems Delivery Quality
(published by Idea Group Inc.) is in the libraries of leading Business and Engineering schools. In
addition to conducting ad hoc reviews of papers for a number of journals and conferences, he is
a Section Editor for the African Journal of Information Systems, Associate Editor for
Communications of the Association for Information System, and he is on the editorial boards of
several international journals, scholarly publishing companies and book series.
Professor Duggan has taught Management Information Systems and Decision Sciences courses
in several US institutions. At UWI, he teaches in the Masters and Doctoral programmes and
provides academic leadership to the IS PhD students. He has been the Academic Director for
the Doctorate in Business Administration programme. He is a faculty mentor for the US-based
KPMG Information Systems Doctoral Students Association and was the Chairman of the
Doctoral Students Affairs Committee for the Decision Sciences Institute (2006-2007) and faculty
advisor at the Doctoral Consortium of the Information Resources Management Association
International Conference (2004-2006). Professor Duggan was honoured by his inclusion in
Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, 2005-2006.
Prof. Neville Duncan
Professor Neville Duncan holds the B.Sc. Economics & M.Sc.
Government Degrees (University of the West Indies), and Ph.D.
from Manchester University, England. He is a retired Professor in
Caribbean Policy Studies and a former Director of the Sir Arthur
Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), UWI,
Jamaica.
He is the author/editor of nine (9) books or monographs, nine (12)
reports, 70+ academic and scholarly articles, several published
other research, and hundreds of papers and manuscripts. He has undertaken considerable
scholarly work in international political economy, governance, poverty and community
development and has had important consultancies with IDB, World Bank, OAS, UNDP, UNICEF,
ECLAC/CDCC, DFID, ILO, CARICOM, OXFAM, NGOs, among others. Recent evaluation
consultations were done for the British Virgin Island Government (Social Sector Policy and
Implementation Plan); for the Ministry of Water and Housing Jamaica (National Housing Policy
and Implementation Plan); Assessment of Development Results (ADR) report, Governance
Consultant with a team, doing an ADR on UNDP, Jamaica; and on The Political Economy of
Implementation Deficit for the World Bank.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 92
He was a member of the National Council of Local Government Reform and functioned as
coordinator of research for the Council, acted as Deputy Chair and later as Chairman. His
service to the University community has been extensive, having served as chair of major
Committees, led the staff trade union, headed the Credit Union, organised many international
conferences, and enhanced the reputation of the University through his public service and
scholarly activities. He is well-known for his public commentaries on Caribbean Political
Economy.
Prof. Hopeton Dunn
Professor Hopeton S. Dunn is the Academic Director of the
University of the West Indies, Mona, Master’s Degree Programme in
Telecommunications Policy and Technology Management. He holds
the Digicel Foundation Chair in Telecommunications Policy and
Management at the University of the West Indies. He is the
Secretary General of the International Association for Media and
Communication Research, Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission
of Jamaica and a member of the Jamaica National Commission for
UNESCO. Professor Dunn is the former Chairman of the Jamaica
Telecoms Advisory Council of the Government of Jamaica, and a former Chairman and CEO of
the Creative Production and Training Centre and its Media Technology Institute.
His books and academic papers are in the areas of New Media and Telecommunications,
Theories of Globalization, and the Political Economy of African and Caribbean Information
Networks. He has delivered lectures or presented on academic panels on these subjects in the
Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Professor Dunn has won
multiple awards for research and is author or editor of four books and numerous book chapters
and scholarly papers.
Dr. Dawn Elliott
Dr. Dawn Elliott is an Associate Professor in the Department of
Economics at Texas Christian University. She completed her
undergraduate training at the UWI Mona. This laid the foundation
for her specialization in economics, in particular development
economics. Her research interests include a wide range of issues
related to Caribbean Development and her most recent publications
may be found in the Studies in Comparative International
Development; Forum of Social Economics; Journal of International
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 93
Trade and Economic Development; International Journal of Development Issues; Applied
Economics; Journal of Economic Issues; and the Journal of International Women’s Studies.
Dr. Andre Gordon
Dr. André Gordon is the Managing Director of Technological Solutions
Limited (TSL), a company which provides technical services to the
manufacturing, distribution, food service, hospitality and export sectors
and Chief Executive Officer/Principal Consultant of TSL Technical
Services Limited a consulting company. Both are located at The
Technology Innovation Centre on the campus of the University of
Technology, Jamaica. In 1994, Dr. Gordon conceptualized and built the
Grace Technology Centre, where he was the Manager, before leading a
management buyout from Grace, Kennedy & Co. Ltd. in 1996. TSL is the
only private sector-owned, organization of its kind in the Caribbean and the first laboratory in
the region to have been ISO 9002 certified.
Mr. Robert Gregory
Robert Gregory presently consults in the area of organisational
development and project implementation services, lecturing,
leadership coaching and mentoring. Mr. Gregory was the President
of Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI) from 2007-2009 providing strategic
leadership for a team of more than eighty (80) professionals and
facilitated over US$1/2 billion of Foreign Direct Investment. In 2008,
JTI won the coveted International Trade Centre (ITC) of UNCTAD
Award for “Best Trade Promotion Organisation from a Small State
Economy”. In 2009, JTI led a coordinated private/public sector Multi-
Agency collaborative which launched the National Export Strategyof Jamaica.
From 1991 to 2007, Robert was the Executive Director of the premier workforce development
institution in Jamaica, the Human Employment and Resource Training Trust/National Training
Agency (HEART Trust/NTA). There he directed the successful organisational restructuring of the
Trust – then a national youth vocational training institution– to assume the role of the National
Training Agency of Jamaica. The Trust was awarded the Employer of Choice by the Jamaica
Employers Federation (JEF) in 2005. He led the establishment of the National Council on
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), the ISO certified, quality assurance
body which awards the National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica (NVQJ) and spearheaded
the formation of the Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies (CANTA) where he
served as Charter President. CANTA led the Caribbean-wide introduction of the CARICOM
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 94
approved Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), which now enables the free movement of
certified workers within the Caribbean Community.
Dr. Carolyn Hayle
Appointed as Executive Director of the HEART Trust /National
Training Agency (HEART Trust/NTA) in November 2009, Dr. Carolyn
Hayle has had a distinguished career both locally and internationally
in tourism, education and marketing. She holds a Ph.D. in
Sustainable Development from the University of the West Indies
(UWI), a MBA (General Management) from Howard University and a
B.Sc. in Business (with minors in Economics and Finance) from
Strayer College, USA.
As Executive Director, she is accountable for the strategic leadership and operational
management of the organization, guiding policy direction on national and regional workforce
development and Technical and Vocational Education and Training. She also sits on the policy-
making HEART Trust/NTA Board of Directors, and serves on a number of Management
Committees of the Board.
Dr. Hayle has held a number of senior management positions at the UWI where she was
responsible for developing various UWI tourism programmes. She was also responsible for the
administration of the UWI Centre for Environment and Development. She also lectures on
sustainable tourism, marketing and tourism management in the Masters of Science programme
in Tourism & Hospitality Management.
Mr. Kenneth Hynes
Kenneth Hynes, Managing Director of ontheFRONTIER Group, has over
10 years experience advising public and private sector leaders, and the
donor community, on how to improve national competitiveness and
prosperity. Ken currently leads the Pioneers of Prosperity Program; a
global awards program that seeks to identify, reward, and promote
innovative small to medium sized firms so that their success can be
replicated by others. Ken recently completed a cluster best practices
study for the Inter-American Development Bank, which informed the
design and implementation of the Compete Caribbean Program.
Ken has led the design and implementation of over a dozen cluster competitiveness programs
encompassing value chain analysis, market analysis, cross-country benchmarking, and public
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 95
private dialogue. In 2009 he led the Opportunities and Constraints to Growth in the Caribbean
Study, which helped to guide DFID’s support to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy
(CSME). Previously, he advised the political and business leadership in Jamaica on the
development of sector strategies for agribusiness, entertainment and tourism.
Mr. Hynes is frequently asked to speak on issues of innovation, competitiveness and prosperity.
Most recently, he spoke at the Euromoney Latin American Finance Conference and a
conference on Caribbean investment opportunities hosted by former U.K. Prime Minister Tony
Blair. He is a contributing author to “In the River They Swim” a book on Enterprise Solutions to
Poverty (Templeton Press 2009). He has also written a number of columns for the Jamaica
Observer.
Mr. Richard Lumsden
Mr. Richard Lumsden is the Programme Manager, Vision 2030 Jamaica,
in the Plan Development Unit, at the Planning Institute of Jamaica
(PIOJ). He is a former Corporate Planner at JAMPRO and has many years
experience in Business Consulting.
Mr. Lumsden is a former Jamaica Scholar, a graduate with a B.A. degree
in Economics from the Yale University, USA, and an MBA in Finance
from the Manchester Business School in the UK.
Dr. Gunjan Mansingh
Dr. Gunjan Mansingh is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing at
the University of the West Indies (U.W.I), Mona, Jamaica. She
obtained a PhD. in Information Systems and an M.Phil. in Computer
Science from U.W.I. and a B.Sc. from Bombay University, India. She
worked for a few years in the IT industry in Jamaica before moving to
academia. Her research interests are Data Mining, Knowledge
Management, Ontologies and Expert Systems. In her research she has
worked in different domains in Jamaica such as healthcare, crime,
agriculture and ecommerce. She has publications in refereed journals
such as Knowledge Management Research and Practice, Information Sciences, Expert Systems
with Applications and British Journal of Sports Medicine. She also has several papers published
in the proceedings of international conferences. She teaches various courses at the
undergraduate and the graduate level in Computer Science and Information Systems.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 96
Dr. Densil Williams
Dr. Densil Williams is senior lecturer of International Business in the
Department of Management Studies, at UWI, Mona Campus. He is
also the Head of the Department of Management Studies, UWI,
Mona. His research interests are in the areas of international
business with special focus on the international activities of small
firms; strategy and, international development. His works have
appeared in major international journals in North-America and
Europe. He has also presented his works at major international
conferences in Europe and North- America. In 2009, one of his
papers was awarded the best empirical research paper at the International Council of Small
Business World Conference in Seoul, South Korea.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 97
LEAD SPONSOR, CONFERENCE DIRECTOR & RAPPORTEURS
LEAD SPONSOR: Spatial Innovision Limited
Silburn St. Aubyn Clarke is the founder and CEO of Spatial Innovision
Limited www.spatialvision.com, the leading geospatial solutions
company in the Caribbean. Formed in 1998 the company has a staff of
15. Headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica, approximately 70% of the
company’s revenue is from the region. In 2008 the firm was inducted
into the Jamaica Exporter’s Association (JEA) US$1million club, was
named Champion Exporter for the Services Category US$1mil to US$5mil
and was awarded the National Commercial Bank’s Regional Innovation
Award. In 2009 the firm was again declared a Champion Exporter of the JEA and was named a
winner in the inaugural Pioneers of Prosperity 2009 Caribbean Programme
(www.pioneersofprosperity.org) and ranked among the the 1% of Small Business firms in the
Caribbean. For the third year in succession, Spatial copped the 2010 JEA Champion Exporter
Services Category. In November 2009 Silburn was the recipient of the GIS Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Government of Jamaica. Silburn is currently completing his Doctorate in
Business Administration at the Mona School of Business, UWI, Mona. His research interest
includes entrepreneurship, knowledge, culture, strategy, firm ambidexterity and development
with a particular focus on small firms.
CONFERENCE DIRECTOR: Mrs. Jacqueline daCosta
Mrs. daCosta has held many senior positions in the Jamaican Government.
These include Consultant Coordinator Special Programmes and Projects in
the Cabinet Office, Technical Advisor to a number of Cabinet Sub-
Committees and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Land and
Environment, which included Sustainable Development Planning, Mining
and National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Prior to that she was the Senior
Advisor on Land Policy and Physical Development, to the then Prime
Minister of Jamaica. She is at present a Private Consultant, working in
some of the areas mentioned above and is the Chair and CEO of the National Best Community
Foundation.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 98
CHIEF RAPPORTEUR: Mrs. Charmaine Nelson
Charmaine Nelson is a certified Project Management Professional
(PMP). Her academic qualifications include an MBA (Distinction) and a
BSc. (Hons.) in Computer Science, both from the University of the West
Indies. A multi-skilled individual, her work experience spans the private,
public and NGO sectors, primarily in the fields of management,
information systems development and project management. Her early
work years were in the area of Information Systems Design and
Programming in the financial sector. Mrs. Nelson also worked at the Jamaica Social Investment
Fund (JSIF), from its inception, with her final position there being Operations Manager. She is
currently assigned to the Public Sector Transformation Unit of the Cabinet Office, as their
Project Management Specialist. This places her in a small team of highly skilled professionals
charged with leading the transformation of the public sector for greater efficiency and cost
effectiveness. Mrs. Nelson is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Business Administration at the
Mona School of Business, UWI, Mona. Her research is focused on uncovering strategies,
mechanisms and tools to improve the management and performance of public sector projects.
RAPPORTEUR: Mrs. Michele Thomas
Michele Thomas is a Research and Management Consultant, currently
providing research, teaching and business services in a number of areas,
including Information and Communications Technology. Mrs. Thomas
has a background in telecommunications policy, social and economic
research and planning, having worked as Director, Policy and Strategic
Planning at the Spectrum Management Authority (2002-2008), and a
Senior Economist at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (1998- 2002). In
her professional capacity, Mrs. Thomas has provided research, policy
and regulatory advice and services on a wide spectrum of issues to inter-
alia, the Telecommunications Policy and Management Programme, Mona School of Business,
various Government Ministries and Agencies, Non-Government organizations and the
Caribbean Telecommunications Union. She holds a MSc. Regulation and Policy
(Telecommunications), University of the West Indies (St. Augustine), 2006, a MSc. Economics
from the University of London (Birkbeck College), 1997 and a BSc. (Hons.), Economics and
Management from the University of the West Indies (Mona), 1990.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 99
RAPPORTEUR: Mrs. Brenda Cuthbert
Brenda Cuthbert is currently the CEO of Jamaica Employers' Federation.
She is the first Jamaican female to obtain a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture
from UWI St Augustine Trinidad. As a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, Mrs.
Cuthbert attended Colorado State University and was awarded post
graduate diploma in Agri-Business Management and Finance. Her MBA
was earned at Nova South Eastern University and she has pursued post
graduate studies at Wharton School of Business at University of
Pennsylvania. Her work experience has been in Agriculture in the Public
Sector and as Agriculture Manager and later Marketing Manager at National Commercial Bank.
Mrs. Cuthbert spent six years as General Manager of City of Kingston Cooperative Credit Union
prior to her present position. She is in the Doctorate in Business Administration programme at
Mona School of Business UWI Mona and plans to do research on cooperatives and
development.
Conference Proceedings: Strategies for Enhancing Jamaican Competitiveness in the Global Knowledge Economy 2011 100
PICTORIALS
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