Program to Use Solar Cookers to Eliminate Breathing Toxins While Cooking Does Not Produce Intended Results

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In 2009, I published a post on this blog about solar cookers, which offer a simple, safe, and convenient way to cook food without consuming fuels. Solar cookers provide a number of value propositions including a solution of cooking without breathing toxins that are generated when cooking with fires fueled by wood or dung. For people in developing countries, using solar cookers also eliminate the need to walk long distances to collect wood or spend their limited income on fuel. Having traveled to developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean throughout my career, I have long advocated governments or nongovernmental organizations to financially support programs that help deliver solar cookers to the world's most vulnerable populations.

Given my enthusiasm for this wonderful device that seemed to help millions of people, mostly women and girls, in developing countries worldwide, an article by ProPublica captured my attention. Eight years after the formation of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a Washington, DC-based public-private partnership hosted by the UN Foundation, and $75 million spent by the organization that "was formed to help mount a sustained effort at tackling the threats posed by household pollution" including a pledge "to help engineer the distribution of 100 million cookstoves," the article says "the Alliance has fallen well short of its ambitious health and climate goals."

The article's author, Sara Morrison, notes, "An array of studies, including some financed by the Alliance itself, have shown that the millions of biomass cookstoves of the kind sold or distributed in the effort do not perform well enough in the field to reduce users' risk of deadly illnesses like heart disease and pneumonia."

What is more, "The stoves also have not delivered much in the way of climate benefits. It turns out emissions from cooking fires were less of a warming threat than feared, and that — outside of some de-forestation hot spots — the harvesting of wood for cooking fires only modestly reduces the sustainability of forests."

Ms. Morrison importantly explains that "[t]he Alliance's top officials do not dispute that they have met with an array of disappointments. For one thing, they said, some of the countries and companies that pledged tens of millions of dollars early on failed to deliver, which they blamed on shifting priorities and agendas, not the Alliance's struggles."

Going forward, "The Alliance's plans for the future come with something of an ironic twist: It will now make greater efforts to promote and distribute stoves that use propane, a fossil fuel, the same blue-flamed byproduct of gas drilling contained in cylinders under countless American backyard grills. (Outside of the U.S. propane is most commonly called liquefied petroleum gas, or lpg.) These stoves, it turns out, burn much more cleanly and efficiently than nearly all biomass stoves, reducing the harmful smoke given off during cooking while having a negligible impact on the climate."

While I am disappointed by the article's findings that the Alliance's solar cookers program did not produce the intended results, it is encouraging to see a shift take place with the aim to achieve a benefit to those in developing countries whom are tasked with cooking. Initiatives of these nature carry a high risk of failure. The problem of breathing toxins while cooking has not disappeared and it is essential to evaluate lessons learned and proceed with the knowledge gained to creating a long-term sustainable solution that will benefit billions of people worldwide.

What are your thoughts utilizing solar cookers for clean and efficient household cooking solutions?

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Asia Set to Become World's Largest 5G Region by 2025, Says GSMA

Asia Pacific is on track to become the world's largest 5G region by 2025, led by pioneering 5G markets such as Australia, China, Japan and South Korea, according to the latest edition of the GSMA's Mobile Economy report. Authored by GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the London, England-based GSMA, The Mobile Economy: Asia Pacific 2018 further says Asia's mobile industry added $1.5 trillion in economic value in 2017, equivalent to 5.4 percent of regional GDP, which includes direct ecosystem contribution (1.8%); indirect contribution (0.6%); and productivity improvements (3.0%).

The GSMA report presents the following five findings:

Mobile adoption growth slowing

According to the report, "Asia Pacific has been the biggest contributor to global subscriber growth in recent years and still has room for growth. As of the end of 2017, there were 2.7 billion unique mobile subscribers in Asia Pacific, accounting for two thirds of the region's population. More than half the world's mobile subscribers live in Asia Pacific – mostly in China and India."

In addition, the report explains that "growth has reached its peak and has started to taper out: between 2017 and 2025, the subscriber base is set to increase by a CAGR of 1.8%, down from 6.0% over the previous four years. Three key factors explain this slowdown:

• The region is home to some of the most penetrated markets in the world, with minimal opportunity for further subscriber growth;
• The region includes markets with very low penetration levels, where socioeconomic issues such as rapid population growth, poverty and inequality, unplanned urbanization and natural disasters create barriers to mobile adoption; and
• Some markets have seen their previously strong growth stagnate due to the challenges of connecting those still unconnected, particularly poorer and rural communities.

"Despite reaching its peak in terms of subscriber growth, Asia Pacific will account for just over half of new subscribers globally by 2025. We forecast 424 million new subscribers to be connected across the region by 2025, bringing the total to 3.2 billion, or 73% of the population."

4G takes the lead, while commercial 5G approaches

The report points out that 2017 saw the first year when 4G surpassed 2G in total share of mobile connections. "The region is home to some of the world's most advanced markets in terms of 4G adoption, such as South Korea, Japan and Australia. However, emerging markets (including India, Bangladesh and Indonesia) will be the key drivers of 4G growth over the next few years. Across the region as a whole, 4G is expected to surpass 50% of connections by 2019 and will then dominate to 2025."

What is more, "5G will gain a foothold in the region by the end of the decade. With launches expected from 2019, networks covering 37% of the population by 2025, and increasing availability of 5G-enabled devices, 5G connections will scale rapidly, particularly in markets such as China, South Korea, Australia and Japan. By 2025, we forecast 5G connections to reach 675 million across Asia Pacific, accounting for more than half of the global total for 5G."

Mobile contributing to economic growth and enabling innovation

In addition to the aforementioned GDP growth rate, "the mobile ecosystem supported more than 17 million jobs and made a substantial contribution to the funding of the public sector, with almost $170 billion raised in the form of general taxation. By 2022, the mobile economy in the region will generate more than $1.8 trillion of economic value added as countries continue to benefit from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by increased take-up of mobile services."

Moreover, the Asia Pacific "region has become the world's largest retail e-commerce market, driven by the burgeoning economies in China, Japan and South Korea, where payment platforms such as Alipay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay are fast becoming ubiquitous. More recently, however, a combination of market and demographic factors has resulted in countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, becoming the key drivers of growth. Mobile internet users in these markets are among the most engaged globally on e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee and Tokopedia, which provide scalable, readily accessible platforms for smaller retailers to transact online with their customers."

As a supporter of startups, I found particular value that "the startup ecosystem in Asia Pacific is growing rapidly, with the number of active tech hubs in the region's emerging markets doubling over the last year and venture funding into South/Southeast Asian countries tripling since 2016. Most emerging markets in the region are benefiting from big deal flows and growing interest from international investors, taking advantage of the optimism to improve their ecosystems and acting as alternative investment destinations to the more established markets."

 

Mobile essential to addressing social challenges

Having traveled to the Asia Pacific region on a number of occasions over the past few years, I have witnessed how the large-scale societal adoption and use of digital technologies has become "a key driver of measurable economic, social and cultural value, including increased productivity, a rise in employment rates, improved security and greater capacity to tackle social and environmental issues.

"Despite rapid growth in mobile internet penetration in recent years," the report claims "2.4 billion people in Asia Pacific remain offline, mostly in low- and middle-income countries, unable to benefit from the social and economic opportunities of the internet. As challenges around infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness and content are addressed, an additional 1 billion people will gain access to the mobile internet across the region by 2025, bringing the total to 2.7 billion, or 63% of the population.

The GSMA report encouragingly notes that "[m]obile is also playing a key role in tackling various social and economic challenges as outlined by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the mobile industry's contribution can be seen across all 17 SDGs, there are two areas of particular relevance in Asia Pacific: firstly, leveraging mobile operators' big data capabilities to address humanitarian crises, including epidemics and natural disasters; and secondly, supporting initiatives in low- and middle-income countries to reduce the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money. Mobile technology provides access to tools and applications that help address these issues, and enables new technologies and innovations to build more efficient and environmentally sustainable societies."

Advancing digital societies in Asia Pacific

"As more countries continue to implement their strategies for digital transformation, proving identity online will become essential to participation and inclusion. To create digital societies, governments worldwide recognize the importance of a digital identity – being able to verify an individual's identity electronically. A digital identity acts as a gateway to enable faster and easier interaction with public institutions, and is essential for individuals to participate in a full digital lifestyle."

I strongly agree that "data privacy and the security of digital identities has assumed greater importance." The report adds: "While mobile operators apply high standards of privacy, data protection and security for their customers' data, the inadequacy of legal frameworks can worsen customer perceptions about operators' use of their data and potentially reduce their willingness to use mobile devices to access identity-linked services. A digital identity system must have a foundation of trust if it is to generate widespread acceptance among users."

Crucially, the report suggests "[c]oncerted action between governments and mobile operators can help reap the benefits that stem from digital identity and address the challenges presented by increasing cross-border data flows and cyber-attacks that affect digital commerce between countries and overall trade. When governments develop a national strategy underpinned by an enabling policy environment, the prospects are much better for mobile-enabled, digital identity services to accelerate a country's digital transformation, support digital and financial inclusion, and offer the benefits of convenience and reach."

What aspects of GSMA's report do you find valuable to your business?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Looking Beyond Blockchain's Hype for its Strategic Business Value

As mentioned in a previous post on this blog, my colleagues and I are making efforts to better understand the workings of blockchain, which is a distributed ledger, or database, shared across a public or private computing network. Our efforts include reading an increasing number of articles coupled with attending events where we meet people whom are experts in the technology, founders of startups or managers representing investment firms that provide financial support to such startups. Despite the hype and enthusiasm surrounding blockchain, I am concerned about the lack of business model or strategic business value for the emerging technology.

In an article published by McKinsey & Company entitled "Blockchain beyond the hype: What is the strategic business value?" the authors note:

Blockchain was a priority topic at Davos; a World Economic Forum survey suggested that 10 percent of global GDP will be stored on blockchain by 2027. Multiple governments have published reports on the potential implications of blockchain, and the past two years alone have seen more than half a million new publications on and 3.7 million Google search results for blockchain.

Most tellingly, large investments in blockchain are being made. Venture-capital funding for blockchain start-ups consistently grew and were up to $1 billion in 2017. The blockchain-specific investment model of initial coin offerings (ICOs), the sale of cryptocurrency tokens in a new venture, has skyrocketed to $5 billion. Leading technology players are also heavily investing in blockchain: IBM has more than 1,000 staff and $200 million invested in the blockchain-powered Internet of Things (IoT).

However, "Despite the hype, blockchain is still an immature technology, with a market that is still nascent and a clear recipe for success that has not yet emerged. Unstructured experimentation of blockchain solutions without strategic evaluation of the value at stake or the feasibility of capturing it means that many companies will not see a return on their investments. With this in mind, how can companies determine if there is strategic value in blockchain that justifies major investments?"

The article presents results from research that "seeks to answer this question by evaluating not only the strategic importance of blockchain to major industries but also who can capture what type of value through what type of approach. In-depth, industry-by-industry analysis combined with expert and company interviews revealed more than 90 discrete use cases of varying maturity for blockchain across major industries."

McKinsey's analysis suggests the following three key insights on the strategic value of blockchain:

• Blockchain does not have to be a disintermediator to generate value, a fact that encourages permissioned commercial applications.
• Blockchain's short-term value will be predominantly in reducing cost before creating transformative business models.
• Blockchain is still three to five years away from feasibility at scale, primarily because of the difficulty of resolving the "coopetition" paradox to establish common standards.

The article further suggests companies should take the following structured approach in their blockchain strategies:

• Identify value by pragmatically and skeptically assessing impact and feasibility at a granular level and focusing on addressing true pain points with specific use cases within select industries.
• Capture value by tailoring strategic approaches to blockchain to their market position, with consideration of measures such as ability to shape the ecosystem, establish standards, and address regulatory barriers.

"With the right strategic approach, companies can start extracting value in the short term. Dominant players who can establish their blockchains as the market solutions should make big bets now."

I am not questioning the value of blockchain in itself or the technology's ability to transform a variety of sectors including agriculture, financial services, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, retail, and transport and logistics. However, having witnessed the rise of the dot-com bubble in the 1990s and its crash in 2001, I hold reservations about the mad rush to dump money in companies focused on developing solutions around blockchain. Many of the companies I have encountered over the past few years have yet to present a viable business model that addresses the fundamentals every venture should be incorporating including a plan to monetize the technology, a coherent sales and marketing strategy, and a strategy to mitigate various risks that will prevent their business from becoming a successful (i.e., profitable) enterprise.

The McKinsey article begins by noting: "Companies can determine whether they should invest in blockchain by focusing on specific use cases and their market position." Good advice when trying to avoid the business trap of "if you build it, they will come."

Do you have concerns about blockchain's strategic business value?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Your LinkedIn Profile and Resume Should Not Be Identical

The previous post on this blog focused on four ways job seekers and jump-start their job search. Identifying what kind of jobs you want to search and apply for is one step followed by updating your resume and LinkedIn profile. Based on my experience as an employer, many people mistakenly assume they should copy and paste the content from the former into the latter. Erica Breuer, founder of Cake Resumes, wrote an article for The Muse that presents four differences between the LinkedIn profile and resume.

1. It Should Tell a Bigger Story

Ms. Breuer says "[y]our LinkedIn profile is a place for all that additional color you cut your from your resume to make it one page. But I'm not just talking about including portfolio items, projects, more skills, and so on (although those are great things to incorporate).

"Let's take your professional experiences section, for example. You have the opportunity to give the backstory on interesting twists and turns that can't be explained on your resume. So, instead of sticking with bullets, share a bit about your work."

Similar to the resume, I recommend including milestones or measurements of success as you tell your bigger story on your LinkedIn profile.

2. It Shouldn't Be Tailored

I agree with Ms. Breuer that "[y]our profile should include a few crowd-pleaser items that will appeal to a wider audience." Regularly sharing articles that you find interesting gives people an understanding of the sources that help you make informed decisions, which is a valued-skill to many employers.

Moreover, authoring an article, which provides insights into how you synthesize information or identify a problem and formulate proposed solution(s), is another feature you can utilize to help make your LinkedIn profile standout from the crowd. Publishing an article also provides people within your network with an understanding of your written communication style, which many employers, myself included, find valuable.

Ms. Breuer's second point provides a reminder for job seekers to tailor their resume to the position they are pursuing.

3. It Should Include Back-up

"On your resume," Ms. Breur explains, "information is more or less taken at face value until it's time for your interview. But when you're making statements about your talents or work style on LinkedIn, you have the advantage of backing your claims up."

She adds: "You can say, 'I always go the extra mile' in your summary, but a dazzling recommendation from a former boss proves it. Or, instead of just including that you love to write, keep your profile's publications section up to date with new articles. Are you an expert with Salesforce? Get the skill endorsements to reflect it."

It is important to note, however, that I have endorsements for skills from people whom I have never met. Unfortunately, this diminishes the value of skill endorsements. Nevertheless, I certainly support posting recommendations from your former colleagues, clients or managers to your LinkedIn profile.

4. It Shouldn't Be Too Formal

"Robotic third-person resume language is not going to cut it here," says Ms. Breur. "A summary that reads like a bio on the back of a book is one that no one reads. Instead, draft it by writing the way you speak."

I support her suggestion of using "a conversational tone and pepper in details about your work that humanize you. Don't just talk about what you do; talk about why you love doing it. Instead of focusing on the number of years of experience you have in XYZ industry, explain how you got your start there. Weave in bits about the types of teams you've enjoyed working on, your personal philosophy, or what kinds of projects inspire you the most."

Lastly, the Muse published an article that contains a useful infographic entitled "17 LinkedIn Profile Must-Haves." Below are a few points that I see of particular value in having a strong LinkedIn profile:

Brand Your Professional Headline

"Include information designed to encourage your potential visitor to find out more about you."

Align Your Industry

"Be found by the right people by being specific about your industry(s)."

Be Active!

"Update your status on a regular basis" and "share thoughtful/insightful news within your industry."

Strut Your Stuff!
- "Add items to your profile, such as projects, test scores, courses, patents, certifications, and volunteer/causes."

- Looking for work? 42% of hiring managers surveyed say they view volunteer experience as equivalent to formal work experience."

Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups
- "There are more than 200 conversations happening each minute across LinkedIn Groups."

- "Joining a Group lets other contact you using the Group messaging feature."

- "STATISTIC: 81% of users belong to at least one group."

While not mentioned in the infographic, the value in participating in a LinkedIn Group provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge with people whom may be a prospective employer or have knowledge of an available job opening.

What do you think makes for a strong LinkedIn profile?

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of GT Perspectives, an online forum focused on turning perspective into opportunity.

Have a Clearly Defined Direction, Effective Networking, and Two Other Ways to Jump-Start Your Job Search

As a co-founder of CareerLight, LLC, a company that provides customized career training to international students to help them prepare for job opportunities in the U.S. and abroad, I share articles that may be of interest to our clients. An article that our clients found of particular value was written by Hallie Crawford entitled "4 Ways to Jump-Start Your Job Search."

Ms. Crawford, a certified career coach, speaker, author and freelance blogger for U.S. News & World Report, accurately notes that the reason job seekers give up on job searching, or feel overwhelmed before they begin the search, is because of "a lack of a defined strategy." She adds: "It's important to have a plan, a weekly schedule and to set realistic goals to have a successful search."

Below are Ms. Crawford's four ways a job seeker can jump-start their job search strategy:

"Have a clearly defined direction. Before you can start your job search, it's essential to know what your ideal next job is and what positions you want to apply for. During your search, all of your steps should take you toward that final goal. Otherwise, you won't get anywhere quickly in your job search."

Furthermore, according to Ms. Crawford, "Part of defining your direction is discovering or refining your personal brand. This includes things such as:

• Your strengths
• Your experience
• Your personality type
• Your values

"Not only will this help you search for the right kind of job, but it will also help you do better in job interviews. You will know yourself better and be able to represent yourself better to a hiring manager."

As an employer, I have a particular appreciation for those job candidates whom understand their strengths (and weaknesses), personality type, and values. The process of creating a personal brand is having a strong sense of self-awareness.

"Once you have identified what kinds of jobs you want to search and apply for, you will want to update your resume and LinkedIn profile. These items, as well as your cover letter, should represent you and communicate your brand. However, the formatting of your resume can detract from your brand, so make sure you are consistent in the font and format you use for your documents. Make sure to include keywords and marketable results in your resume and LinkedIn profile. Finally, ask a friend to proofread your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile."

A compelling cover letter should address your desire of wanting to work at the company you are seeking to be hired by (an employer or hiring manager will ask, "Why do you want to work for my company?"), an understanding of the position you are applying for ("Does the candidate understand the job requirements or responsibilities?"), and a summary of your skills and experience on why you are the ideal candidate for the position.

A resume that contains impeccable qualifications and an impressive work history will get lost if the document's format is poor. The ideal resume is one that starts with a strong list of qualifications and followed by experience demonstrating proof of the candidate's qualifications. Providing specific milestones or measurements of success are an added bonus!!

As someone who values technology, I prefer to view a candidate's LinkedIn profile over reading their resume. Therefore, a job seeker should spend time in developing a compelling LinkedIn profile. It is important to note that a resume and LinkedIn have distinctive purposes and should not be identical. I will publish a future post on this blog detailing those differences.

And yes, have a friend proofread everything. Failure to be attentive to details reflects poorly on your brand and hiring you poses a risk a company may not want to undertake. (I will NEVER hire a candidate that had a misspelling on their cover letter, resume or LinkedIn profile despite their impressive credentials.)

"Once your documents are updated, you must start networking, effectively. Networking is a critical element to your search, since 60 to 70 percent of jobs are found through the hidden job market. Try sites such as Twitter, Meetup, Facebook and LinkedIn. It's also helpful to reach out to your alumni or industry associations. Schedule two hours each week to keep in touch with your connections by emailing them an update on your search or an article, setting up a phone or coffee meeting and attending a networking event."

I strongly agree with Ms. Crawford's third point on jump-starting your job search. Networking and better yet, relationship-building, is essential to not just seeking out those hidden jobs, but advancing your career in the future.

"An underutilized tool that is helpful in your job search is the informational interview. This is a meeting or call with someone who works in the specific position or company you are interested in. Informational interviews are great for learning more about what it's actually like to have that job and networking into the organization you are interested in."

While my daily schedule is incredibly busy, I will make time to meet, either in-person or via a telephone call, with just about any job seeker who is interested in learning more about a particular company where I have an active role in its operations.

And Ms. Crawford is correct to explain that "[a]n informational interview is not a job interview, but bring a copy of your resume and business card just in case. Always follow up after an informational interview, thanking the person for their time."

What ideas do you have that will help job seekers jump-start their job search?

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of GT Perspectives, an online forum focused on turning perspective into opportunity.

Blockchain Can Drive Efficiency and Enable New Business Models in Global Logistics Industry

An online search for 'blockchain' will yield hundreds of articles. While the breadth and depth of these articles are wide-ranging, it is generally agreed that blockchain will become ubiquitous in many sectors including but not limited to financial services, insurance, healthcare, retail, and logistics and supply chain management. My colleagues and I are making significant efforts to better understand how blockchain works and ways it will improve business efficiency.

While many people are hearing the word 'blockchain' more often, very few understand how it works. Arjun Kharpal, a technology correspondent for CNBC, wrote an article on June 18, 2018 entitled "Everything you need to know about the blockchain," Mr. Kharpal begins explaining blockchain by how it "works with bitcoin" and then "see how the technology can be transferred to many other real-world use cases." With respect to supply chain management, Mr. Kharpal says, "Blockchain technology can also be used to track products across a supply chain or route. For example, diamond producer De Beers recently announced that it had trialed the technology to trace the stones from the time they were mined to delivering them to a jeweler. The blockchain can also be used to track ownership of assets such as fine art of even property."

DHL, a global logistics company, through its Customer Solutions & Innovation division, published a report entitled Blockchain in Logistics, which provides perspectives on the upcoming impact of blockchain technology and use cases for the logistics industry. Produced in cooperation with Accenture, a management consulting company, the report aims to answer:

1. What is blockchain and what are the key challenges?
2. How is this technology already being applied across industries?
3. What opportunities could blockchain deliver to your logistics operations?

In addition to the aforementioned article by Mr. Kharpal, the DHL report provides a concise definition of blockchain as "a distributed ledger technology that can record transactions between parties in a secure and permanent way. By 'sharing' databases between multiple parties, blockchain essentially removes the need for intermediaries who were previously required to act as trusted third parties to verify, record and coordinate transactions. By facilitating the move from a centralized to a decentralized and distributed system (see figure 1), blockchain effectively liberates data that was previously kept in safeguarded silos."

Key challenges facing blockchain technology include:

"Gaining industry adoption is the most critical challenge and this will determine the success of blockchain technology in logistics. Being able to accurately and safely exchange information within a community is a key advantage of blockchain and stakeholders benefit the most when their community contains many relevant members. Therefore, similar to Facebook, the value of the community increases when it is adopted by a growing number of relevant stakeholders."

"It is necessary to make progress with blockchain technology itself in order to overcome current technical limitations. This is especially required for companies moving from a pilot implementation to full-scale deployment. For example, some blockchain implementations have been known to scale poorly and suffer from high latency although new innovations are being developed to address these scalability and performance issues."

"Organization and culture play a significant role in the success of digital transformation in any industry. Particularly with blockchain technology, this cannot be overlooked as its adoption will require a collaborative mindset to engage with a large number of stakeholders. Therefore, within
organizations, a culture of embracing new opportunities from blockchain technology should be fostered. Managers, particularly those in IT functions, must gain blockchain expertise to proactively push organizational exploration and, if applicable, adoption of blockchain-based solutions."

The report importantly notes, "While there are many hurdles to overcome, these challenges with blockchain are not insurmountable. Already this technology, despite its relative infancy, is showing promise across a wide range of industries including citizen services, retail, life sciences and healthcare, automotive, manufacturing, energy, and logistics."

Specifically to logistics, the report says "global supply chains are highly complex, with diverse stakeholders, varying interests, and many third-party intermediaries – challenges that blockchain is well suited to address. In the logistics industry, blockchain can be harnessed in two key ways, namely, to drive efficiency and enable new business models:

"Drive efficiency: Blockchain can potentially improve efficiency in global trade by greatly reducing bureaucracy and paperwork. For example, a multi-stakeholder process with a lengthy paper trail could be replaced with an automated process storing information in a tamper-evident digital format.

"Another example is the automation of services that currently require an intermediary such as insurance, legal, brokerage, and settlement services. Blockchain could be used to track a product's lifecycle and ownership transfer from origin to store shelf, even as it changes hands between the manufacturer, logistics service provider, wholesaler, retailer and consumer. It would facilitate and automate each business transaction, enabling a more direct relationship between each participant (e.g., automating payments and transferring legal ownership between parties).

"Enable new business models: Micro payments, digital identities, certificates, tamper-proof documents and much more can be introduced and radically improved using blockchain-based services. For example, driver training organizations could replace easy-to-fake paper-based certificates with tamper-proof digital versions that can then lead to new identity-related services. Just as the Internet began a revolution of communication, blockchain technology could disrupt current business practices and models."

Lastly, the report encouragingly explains, "Blockchain technology is emerging from its first deployments in cryptocurrency and is now likely to have significant impact across almost all industries. Like a pebble dropped into a lake, the ripples from this technology are beginning to expand outwards in all directions including the logistics industry, where blockchain promises to make business processes more efficient and facilitate innovative new services and business models."

How will your organization utilize blockchain technology?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Report Explores How Digital Technologies Are Shaping the Middle East's Healthcare Ecosystems

According to a report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU), "5 out of 14 countries in the Middle East have a well-defined digital transformation plan for healthcare in action. Governments, healthcare providers and companies will have to figure out how to initiate entire healthcare ecosystems to adopt new technology-enabled ways of solving challenges in healthcare."

The EIU's report, Digital Health: Digital Transformation in the Middle East, explores how digital technologies are shaping the Middle East's healthcare ecosystems, activities and stakeholders in significant ways. It is also on this deepened understanding that we examine the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the realities of finding digital health solutions for this region. The report is segmented by three chapters.

Scaling up digital health solutions in the Middle East: The seeds of digital transformation 

"Government-led digital transformation efforts in several parts in the Middle East are reshaping how individuals and organisations in the healthcare ecosystem are interacting with each other. There is a stronger need for collaboration and companies will need to engage with other players on new terms."

Key implications:

• For digital health to take off, there must be a fundamental shift in how stakeholders collaborate. Achieving a vibrant digital health ecosystem often requires government action;
• Governments and organizations need a strategy not just for itself, but for the entire digital health ecosystem;
• To scale digital health use, companies need to understand and respond to local challenges and varying levels of readiness for technology adoption in different markets; and
• Companies can seed change in different markets more effectively and quickly by setting up centers for digital health in strategic locations with high digital density, leading to the formation of digital hubs.

Locating technology's value proposition in different markets

"Digital health instantiates itself uniquely in different countries and markets faced with an exclusive set of healthcare challenges. We examine how quality care can be extended across distances by growing telehealth use in different settings and geographies. We also look at data-driven solutions that are used to create smarter, more efficient and more precise healthcare delivery and patient experiences."

Key implications:

• New insights will emerge from existing data that will challenge existing strategies and models in healthcare;
• Recognize and define what healthcare challenges can be addressed by technological solutions;
• Locate opportunities where technology can be used to enhance core products and value propositions of pharmaceutical and medical device companies, for example enabling more tailored treatments and services through big data insights;
• Determine how ready are different markets and adopters for the introduction of technologically-enhanced product and service offerings, and tailor a go-to-market strategy accordingly;
• Figure how incentives for adoption can be better aligned, e.g. initiatives to encourage patients to share their health data; and
• Healthcare companies will have to think hard how technology can be integrated in their overall growth strategy.

Future care models for the Middle East: Keeping people healthy

"Digital technology is making new care experiences possible by reshuffling delivery nodes of different medical services that will bring opportunities in decentralized and near-patient products and services."

Key implications:

• Companies need to think about how to offer value in a shifting healthcare delivery landscape as the delivery locus of different medical services gets reshuffled;
• Anticipate patient and provider needs amid digitization; and
• Remap patient pathways and journeys. Small preferences in using technology accumulates in broader changes in the patient pathway and journey.

The report further explains that "[w]hile the level of digital maturity is uneven across the region, and sometimes across different areas of healthcare, it is only a matter of time before the full benefits of digital health permeate the region. More than ever, healthcare companies need to respond to that future now."

If you work in the healthcare sector in the Middle East, how will digital health technologies shape healthcare?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Mobile Broadband Development in Central America Is Lagging Behind the Rest of Latin America, Finds GMSA Study

"Delivering mobile broadband to the whole population is now central to the digital strategy of Central American governments," a study by GSMA explains. "Digital government agendas have recently been launched in Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Guatemala. However, the region is lagging behind the rest of Latin America as the delay in 3G deployment and adoption spills over to 4G, where it is even more pronounced."

The study, Assessing the impact of market structure on innovation and quality: Driving mobile broadband in Central America, available in both English and Español, presents the following key points:

Central America is lagging behind in mobile broadband adoption and deployment. Closing this gap requires the promotion of market structures that boost competition in investment and innovation, and public policies that take the entire digital ecosystem into account

"The study examines the role of market structures in the development of the mobile sector in Central America. The market structures of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama are analyzed, exploring their impact on operator performance in investment and 4G networks. A comparative study of public policy in the region shows how policy can foster an environment in which operators acquire greater ability and incentives to compete in investment and innovation, to the benefit of consumers in the region."

Investment in mobile communications in Central America follows an inverted U relationship with the number of operators

"The analysis confirms that operator investment in Central and South America is not necessarily higher in markets with a higher number of players. It reveals the existence of an inverted U, where operator investment is maximized when operators have an EBITDA margin of 32-38%. Operators whose profitability is below these levels invest less."

Operators' 4G speeds in two-player markets are 40% faster than the Central American average and 10% faster in three-player markets

"Analysis of speeds experienced by users of 4G networks in Central and South America consistently show similar results. The study finds (in its most conservative estimates):

• Operators in two- or three-player markets experience 4G download speeds that are up to 8 Mbps faster due to market structure. This means that users in these markets experience download speeds that can be around 40% faster than the Central American average.
• Operators in markets with four or more players record 4G speeds that are 2 Mbps slower due to the market structure. This means their users have download speeds that are 10% slower than the Central American average.

These findings were obtained from models of 4G download speeds estimated using Speedtest Intelligence™ data from 52 operators in Central and South America from 2013 to 2016 (based on consumer-initiated tests).

Public authorities in Central America have the opportunity to remedy the delay in 4G by promoting public policy that encourages innovation and investment

"In light of the evidence provided in this study, public policy should promote the ability and incentives to invest, encouraging an environment with greater competition in innovation to deliver better products and services to users. This requires operators to have scale, margins, sufficient expected return and efficiency in the use of spectrum."

The report also identifies three main public policy recommendations:

1. Merger review should consider how efficiencies can stimulate players' ability and incentive to compete, using appropriate analysis criteria. Additionally, authorities should consider all the competitive pressures operators face in the digital ecosystem, particularly in the context of convergence. These recommendations apply to all the markets, although specific barriers have been identified in Panama, where specific legislation de facto has prohibited mergers for many years; and El Salvador, where efficiency arguments have not been accepted in merger review;
2. Retail and wholesale regulations limit operators' ability to compete. Three of the six markets have price caps (Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua), direct regulations on network quality (Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras) and constraints on price discrimination (Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua). Authorities should review the market and competition assessments that form the basis of these regulations; and
3. Spectrum regulation should promote efficient use by assigning sufficient amounts of spectrum in large blocks and high and low frequency bands. The study finds that Central America has assigned only 21% of the required spectrum recommended by the International Telecommunication Union for efficient and effective provision of mobile services. In this regard, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador are significantly lagging behind.

Mobile technology can serve as tool for positive change for those living in Central America. Governments of Central American nations, however, must make a concerted effort to reform regulations to attract investment from the private sector.

What recommendations would you add to stimulate the growth of Central America's mobile technology sector?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Mobile Ecosystem to Be Worth $51 Billion to West Africa Economy by 2022

The role of the mobile technology sector in driving economic growth is a topic that is discussed regularly in this blog. Whether it is in India, Latin America, Southeast Asia, or Sub-Saharan Africa, the mobile ecosystem can play a vital role in empowering billions of people while achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seek to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This post focuses on a report, The Mobile Economy: West Africa 2018, produced by the GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of London, England-based GSMA,

Available in both English and Français, the report presents three major points:

Mobile adoption on the rise

"By the end of 2017, there were 176 million unique subscribers across the West Africa sub-region, comprising the 15 member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),"  Overall subscriber penetration reached 47% in 2017, up from 28% at the start of this decade. Despite the remarkable subscriber growth in the sub-region in recent years, and indeed across Sub-Saharan Africa, more than half of the region's population do not yet subscribe to a mobile service."

Moreover, "Subscriber growth will be driven by a demographic shift in the coming years, as many young adults take out a mobile subscription. Over the period to 2025, around 72 million new mobile subscribers will be added in West Africa, taking subscriber penetration to 54%.

The study importantly explains that "the transition to mobile broadband is gaining momentum across West Africa. 3G remains the dominant mobile broadband technology, but 4G adoption is rising rapidly from network expansion and greater availability of 4G devices. The number of smartphone connections has more than doubled over the last two years to reach 112 million, accounting for 35% of total connections on average at the end of 2017."

Mobile contributing to GDP and employment

The GSMA study says the mobile ecosystem contributed $37 billion to the West African economy in 2017, equivalent to 6.5% of GDP. "The mobile ecosystem consists of mobile operators, infrastructure service providers, retailers and distributors of mobile products and services, mobile handset manufacturers, and mobile content, application and service providers. The use of mobile technology also drives improvements in productivity and efficiency for workers and firms. 3G and 4G technology allow workers and firms to use mobile data and internet services. This improves access to information and services, which in turn drives efficiency in business processes across many industries, including finance and health. This impact of mobile internet is particularly significant where fixed infrastructure is poor and mostly confined to large cities and business & industrial districts."

What is more, "Mobile operators and the wider mobile ecosystem provided direct employment to more than 200,000 people in West Africa in 2017, predominantly in the retailing and distribution of services and handsets. In addition to this, economic activity in the ecosystem creates jobs in other linked sectors as a result of the demand generated by the mobile sector. Going forward, we expect the economic contribution of the mobile ecosystem to continue to increase in both relative and absolute terms. In value-added terms, we estimate that mobile will contribute $51 billion to the West African economy by 2022, equivalent to 7.7% of GDP."

Mobile delivering greater inclusion and empowering consumers

Encouragingly, "The number of mobile internet subscribers doubled over the last four years to reach 78 million, nearly half of the total number of mobile subscribers, by the end of 2017." The number of registered mobile money accounts in the sub-region reached 104.5 million in 2017, while the total value of transactions for the same period reached $5.3 billion. The rapid adoption of mobile services and the funding and infrastructure gaps in the provision of essential services present an opportunity for local innovators to create digital solutions that address a wide range of social and economic challenges across different countries in the sub-region. As of February 2018, there were 142 active tech hubs across West Africa."

Based on my experience of working in West Africa, I agree with the report's assertion:

Collaboration among all stakeholders is required to sustain growth and innovation in the mobile industry across the sub-region. In addition to the work of operators to expand and improve networks, significant efforts from governments at all levels are needed to create the right conditions for continued investment. At the supranational level, ECOWAS is well placed to convene and facilitate dialogue between multilateral stakeholders; serve as a hub for knowledge sharing and dissemination with regards to best practices; and provide a platform to harmonize differences in approach towards key issues that impact the mobile industry across the sub-region. At the country level, national and municipal governments have a role to play in addressing fiscal and regulatory issues that directly impact investment sentiments, especially on capital-intensive infrastructure deployment and the rollout of innovative mobile-based services.

Infographic: GSMA Intelligence

Are you engaged in West Africa's mobile economy? If so, what advice to you have in creating solutions that will end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all?

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Poor Communication Is Having a Tremendous Impact on the Workplace

Merriam-Webster defines 'communication' as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. This simple concept is often painstakingly difficult to implement effectively in any company. Therefore, I read with great enthusiasm the findings of a survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU) and sponsored by Lucidchart, a visual productivity platform that helps anyone understand and share ideas, information, and processes with clarity, that reveals some of the perceived causes and effects of these communication breakdowns.

Entitled Communication barriers in the modern workplace, the survey's executive summary says, "It wasn't long ago that a work meeting meant gathering around a table to discuss an agenda. These days you may be using Slack, Hangouts or other digital collaboration platforms that blend messaging with video and allow real-time editing of documents. Even with these tools, communication at work can still break down, potentially endangering careers, creating stressful work environments and slowing growth."

The survey, conducted from November 2017 to January 2018, included 403 senior executives, managers and junior staff at US companies divided equally and from companies with annual revenue of less than US$10m, between US$10m and US$1bn and more than US$1bn. The survey research provides insights about what employees see as the biggest barriers to workplace communication, the causes of the barriers and their impact on work life. Below are the survey's key highlights:

Poor communication is having a tremendous impact on the workplace.

"Unclear instructions from superiors, pointless meetings and other stressors can snowball into larger issues with widespread impacts on the business. Respondents say communication barriers are leading to a delay or failure to complete projects (44%), low morale (31%), missed performance goals (25%) and even lost sales (18%)—some worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."

The most frequently cited cause of communication barriers is fundamentally human: different communication styles.

"In an age of constantly changing and real-time communication tools, this barrier is made more complex by generational and functional differences in communication preferences."

The use of instant messaging and social media at work reflects a gap between how generations use certain communication tools.

"Nearly a third of millennials (31%) say they use instant messaging at work every day, compared with only 12% of baby boomers. Tomorrow's executives will find they have to adapt if they want to be effective today when working with older generations that prefer to pick up a phone. At the same time, older generations would be wise to embrace the new communication tools on which developing leaders will continue to rely."

There is a discrepancy between the communication tools that people find most effective and the ones they regularly use.

"Visual-based tools, for example, are relatively underused compared with their effectiveness. Video conferencing, presentation decks, white boards and sketch pads are largely seen as somewhat or very effective at helping respondents share ideas and understand them well. However, email, which is the most commonly used method of workplace communication, is not considered very effective by the majority of respondents."

An employee's place in the pecking order affects the fallout they face from poor communication.

"Middle managers tend to be affected the most by communication barriers. For example, nearly half of directors (49%) say their colleagues experience the consequences of poor communication either frequently or very frequently—more than C-level executives and non-manager employees. This fact though is not so surprising considering they are constantly conveying information back and forth between senior executives and junior employees, both of whom have different approaches to communication."

As a manager, I appreciate the report's findings that "[o]vercoming communication barriers will ultimately have to involve not only accommodating different personal styles, but also ensuring that management's communications are effective and account for generational differences in how information is shared at work." Moreover, "Different communication styles and ineffective use of communication tools are contributing to the lack of clarity about responsibilities that is evident in the research, and certainly adding to workplace stress levels. In fact, the survey shows that unclear instructions from a senior colleague or manager is the most frequently cited stressful situation at work."
Lastly, I find comfort in the report's concluding paragraph:

Work environments don't have to be full of miscommunication land mines, and businesses can take practical steps to improve communication. Meetings are a good place to start. The survey shows that 78% of respondents think having clearer goals for every scheduled meeting would have a significant impact on improving workplace communication, including 39% who say the improvement would be very significant. Moreover, six out of ten respondents say firm-wide training (62%) and having a wider range of communication tools to use (63%) would significantly improve work communication. By improving in areas such as these, as well as being aware of communication differences and the best applications of various tools, the workforce can both communicate more effectively and keep pace with the inevitable continuous change in when and how we connect at work.

Do you have any recommendations on how to communicate more effectively in the workplace?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.