Biotechnology and the life sciences have become an important part of S'pore's economy. By pumping in millions of dollars into research, the government is hoping that we will be able to develop practical applications which will eventually translate into big bucks. But beyond the economic benefits, biotechnology holds great promise for healthcare. Think new drugs to tackle illnesses, individualised treatment based on genetic profiling, new vaccines, and nutritional medicine to promote health and well-being.
As always, the problem is availability. Only the rich can afford all these new drugs and treatments. These new technologies are largely unavailable to the poor, and are something that the middle-class will struggle to afford. This issue of availablity lies at the heart of what I presented on, namely the battle between big pharma and developing nations over patent rights. On the one hand, it's necessary to protect patent rights to enable big pharma to recoup their R&D costs and continue to innovate, but on the other hand, we have a health crisis on our hands and the available drugs are simply too expensive. While the severity of the situation can be mitigated through compromise, this problem will never disappear entirely.
Also, I think that not enough resources are being channelled into prevention. And given the profitability of pharmaceutical companies and their importance to the economy, it seems as if there's little incentive to do so. Where infectious diseases are concerned, investing in sanitation is the way to go. As for lifestyle diseases like cancer, diabetes and stroke, public education is the key
Monday 26 September 2011
Tuesday 20 September 2011
ICT and World Change
Information and communications technology (ICT) is probably the one aspect that everyone can identify with. According to Wikipedia, ICT consists of all technical means used to handle information and aid communication.
I think that to a large extent, we have harnessed the potential of ICT, but its negative effects have not been sufficiently tackled. Privacy is one major issue. Hacking into the databases of major companies (such as the attack against Sony) and stealing personal information is one thing, but what many people don't realise is how much information is collected about them when they do Internet searches and use social networking sites. Google actually knows a ton about you, not just through tracking what you key into their search engine, but through your use of applications like Googlemaps on your mobile devices. Crime is a related problem. ICT has made it much easier to execute large scale criminal operations and to cover your tracks much more easily.
But I suppose all this is inevitable. The onus is on governments to strengthen the regulatory framework and move quickly to tackle emerging problems.
I think that to a large extent, we have harnessed the potential of ICT, but its negative effects have not been sufficiently tackled. Privacy is one major issue. Hacking into the databases of major companies (such as the attack against Sony) and stealing personal information is one thing, but what many people don't realise is how much information is collected about them when they do Internet searches and use social networking sites. Google actually knows a ton about you, not just through tracking what you key into their search engine, but through your use of applications like Googlemaps on your mobile devices. Crime is a related problem. ICT has made it much easier to execute large scale criminal operations and to cover your tracks much more easily.
But I suppose all this is inevitable. The onus is on governments to strengthen the regulatory framework and move quickly to tackle emerging problems.
Monday 12 September 2011
Drivers of World Change and Change Management/Change Leadership
Drivers of World Change
The world is changing rapidly, possibly faster than it ever has at any point in history. It's an exciting period in which to live, but also the most unsettling. With change comes opportunities, but also a whole slew of problems to deal with.
'Global Drivers of Change to 2060' was a very insightful study, and got me thinking about the future of our world. Some drivers of change suggest a bleak future, but others hold great promise and captivate the imagination. Climate change is a rather fearsome thing, as it will change the way we live and is very difficult to control. Food security is also a major problem, in light of the projected exponential increase in world population, and how technology seems to be nearing its limits. There's only so much food we can squeeze out of one acre of land. The increasing consumption of meat in developing countries is a related concern, given how much more resource intensive producing 1 kg of meat is, compared to 1 kg of grain. Infectious diseases also threaten.
The other drivers of change are more within human control, but as always, international cooperation is terribly difficult. There is also a tendency to focus on short-term problems, rather than seeking to tackle the long-term challenges that lie ahead.
Change Management / Change Leadership
In light of how change has accelerated, change management has become an increasingly important skill. The 2 change management models discussed in class, traditional (freeze-unfreeze-freeze) and modern (continuous monitoring and renewal), should be seen as representing opposite ends of a continuum rather than two distinct approaches.
While it is necessary to respond to changes that directly affect a company, it is neither efficient nor practicable to keep changing the way certain things are done. Nevertheless, it is important to every now and then evaluate whether a certain approach is working, and consider what improvements can be made.
The world is changing rapidly, possibly faster than it ever has at any point in history. It's an exciting period in which to live, but also the most unsettling. With change comes opportunities, but also a whole slew of problems to deal with.
'Global Drivers of Change to 2060' was a very insightful study, and got me thinking about the future of our world. Some drivers of change suggest a bleak future, but others hold great promise and captivate the imagination. Climate change is a rather fearsome thing, as it will change the way we live and is very difficult to control. Food security is also a major problem, in light of the projected exponential increase in world population, and how technology seems to be nearing its limits. There's only so much food we can squeeze out of one acre of land. The increasing consumption of meat in developing countries is a related concern, given how much more resource intensive producing 1 kg of meat is, compared to 1 kg of grain. Infectious diseases also threaten.
The other drivers of change are more within human control, but as always, international cooperation is terribly difficult. There is also a tendency to focus on short-term problems, rather than seeking to tackle the long-term challenges that lie ahead.
Change Management / Change Leadership
In light of how change has accelerated, change management has become an increasingly important skill. The 2 change management models discussed in class, traditional (freeze-unfreeze-freeze) and modern (continuous monitoring and renewal), should be seen as representing opposite ends of a continuum rather than two distinct approaches.
While it is necessary to respond to changes that directly affect a company, it is neither efficient nor practicable to keep changing the way certain things are done. Nevertheless, it is important to every now and then evaluate whether a certain approach is working, and consider what improvements can be made.
Sustainable Development and Innovation Management
Sustainable Development
The phrase 'sustainable development' is nothing new, given how it was one of the important chapters in the secondary school Social Studies curriculum. Singapore's definition of sustainable development is growing the country in a way that is efficient, clean and green. Various measures have been implemented to ensure energy efficiency and minimise pollution. To the government's credit, most of them are highly effective. Nevertheless, Singapore remains one of the most energy intensive economies in Asia, and nearly all our energy comes from non-renewable sources (i.e. natural gas and oil). Things are likely to remain this way, as there are no plans to move away from manufacturing, which forms the bulk of our energy consumption. Technology can help us to increase our energy efficiency and perhaps gradually shift towards renewable energy sources, but as far as the present and near future are concerned, Singapore's development is not and will not truly be sustainable.
For countries that can easily tap on renewable energy sources e.g. tidal, wind, it is much easier to move towards sustainable development. But doing so requires a huge amount of political will and signficant government investment. If resources like coal and oil are readily available and more economical than renewable alternatives, there will be little or no impetus to change. Sustainable development also requires a change in mindset and attitudes. There has to be greater emphasis on recycling and other environment-friendly practices, both at an individual and commercial level.
Innovation Management
The Shahi landscape model for technology was an interesting categorisation of the various business opportunties available. The value creation pipeline adequately represents the process of innovation, and seems rather obvious, though I suppose that a diagram does aid in understanding to some extent. I think success in innovation is a combination of an insightful idea, hard work and a large dose of good luck. It's hard to put it into a formula, and no amount of study or learning can guarantee success.
The phrase 'sustainable development' is nothing new, given how it was one of the important chapters in the secondary school Social Studies curriculum. Singapore's definition of sustainable development is growing the country in a way that is efficient, clean and green. Various measures have been implemented to ensure energy efficiency and minimise pollution. To the government's credit, most of them are highly effective. Nevertheless, Singapore remains one of the most energy intensive economies in Asia, and nearly all our energy comes from non-renewable sources (i.e. natural gas and oil). Things are likely to remain this way, as there are no plans to move away from manufacturing, which forms the bulk of our energy consumption. Technology can help us to increase our energy efficiency and perhaps gradually shift towards renewable energy sources, but as far as the present and near future are concerned, Singapore's development is not and will not truly be sustainable.
For countries that can easily tap on renewable energy sources e.g. tidal, wind, it is much easier to move towards sustainable development. But doing so requires a huge amount of political will and signficant government investment. If resources like coal and oil are readily available and more economical than renewable alternatives, there will be little or no impetus to change. Sustainable development also requires a change in mindset and attitudes. There has to be greater emphasis on recycling and other environment-friendly practices, both at an individual and commercial level.
Innovation Management
The Shahi landscape model for technology was an interesting categorisation of the various business opportunties available. The value creation pipeline adequately represents the process of innovation, and seems rather obvious, though I suppose that a diagram does aid in understanding to some extent. I think success in innovation is a combination of an insightful idea, hard work and a large dose of good luck. It's hard to put it into a formula, and no amount of study or learning can guarantee success.
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