Open Innovation, because of its ability to be agile and nimble and its capacity to harness global knowledge agents may be an alternative, parallel model for Jamaica to accelerate its progress towards Vision 2030.

 Transformational leadership is about character, not marketing; and the measure of character is to be found not merely in who one claims to be but in the consistency and authenticity of asserted core values and the commitment that one has towards the ideals and values that he / she espouses.

Electricity consumption is strongly correlated to GDP, making it the single best physical indicator of overall economic activity in a country; in genera, productivity growth is greater the lower the real price of electricity. While the debate rages about long-term alternative fuel source to expensive imported oil - LNG and coal are most often on the agenda- it is important that stakeholders, including the electricity operator, the regulator, the policymakers and consumers (business and residential) implement doable short-term measures like more rigorous regulation, cost efficiencies and conservation.

In an increasingly competitive economic environment, firms have to devise and implement strategies to attract, compensate and retain talent in order to achieve business objectives. The challenge is particularly acute in the context of the current recession which puts companies under additional pressure to manage costs, including compensation. How are Jamaican firms, unions and workers responding to this challenge?

 In today’s challenging global environment, fuelled by the worldwide economic recession and weak prospects for sustainable growth, particularly in developing countries, organisations are challenged to find the right mix of solutions to create the competitive edge needed to ensure their survival in the marketplace. Many of these organisations realise that beyond the necessary technological changes they have to make, the newly emerging business paradigm also compels them to be much more creative and innovative. Unfortunately what stands in the way of this much needed change is the ‘unfreezing’ of the inhibiting traditional corporate culture and human behaviour at the workplace.

Jamaica has passed the first three quarterly performance tests required by the 27-month Stand-By Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) signed in January 2010. The US$1.27-billion loan is disbursed in tranches subject to meeting the conditionalities of the Agreement. To get the loan request approved and receive the first drawdown of approximately US$610-million, the government had to take “prior actions” in the form of imposing a tax package equivalent to 2% of GDP in December 2009, completing the Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX), and selling Air Jamaica, both by January 2010.

 The Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX) allowed the country to reduce its debt obligation by exchanging high interest government paper for lower interest paper at longer maturities. Collectively, Jamaican taxpayers have benefited from a lower debt profile and interest savings of over US$500-million in 2010. That said, Jamaican borrowers have yet to reap the benefits of a low interest rate regime. Hence the paradox – it costs the nation less than 9% per annum to borrow money from local investors, yet borrowers continue to pay upwards of 33% to borrow money from the financial sector.