Last night with very great pleasure, I attended the 100^th year celebration of the Chinese chamber of Commerce in Mauritius. Our family has always participated to the chamber activities. Grand farther, YIPTONG, founder of the family in Mauritius was himself President of the chamber in 1938.

The very able and dynamic President in her speech made a review of the achievements of the chamber and repositioned the vision of the chamber in the perspective of the future with its new challenges. She concluded her speech in wishing the chamber to live up another 100 years.

Objectives of the chamber

To protect and promote the business interest of the Chinese Community in Mauritius

To represent the interest of members vis a vis governmental and non governmental authorities

To promote interaction among traders and industrialists

To facilitate meetings between members and their foreign counterparts

To promote business activities, local and overseas, for the benefits of traders and industrialists

To promote benefits to members of the Chinese Community, during sickness or infirmity or old age and death

From the Souvenir magazine produced for the occasion,I went through the list of founder members and the list of Past Presidents. I found it most interesting to see the names of the persons.

The saga is carrying on. Most of us are waiting for the findings of Cambridge and the decision of the government authorities to solve the problem caused by the leaks. I came across a sensible text of a HSC student to whom I would wish that he earns a scholarship.This is the sort of Elite our country needs.

SEALING THE LEAKING EDUCATION PIPE

“Real Intelligence is absolute, not relative”

In connection with my previous article, I believe that, instead of always cutting away the surplus of unwanted branches in a tree, we should rather remove its roots. This incident can become a blessing in disguise if we decide to tackle the real problem that we face: A dilapidated education system. One of the major problems with our system is that it focuses solely on exams, thereby providing a purely theoretical knowledge taught in a mechanical manner. This has dire consequences, especially for the sciences, as students lack the logical, practical and hands on skills that characterize any area of study. We study not to satisfy our intellectual thirst but to pass exams. The education that we receive is purely academic and does not provide us with the tools we will need to face the global job market of tomorrow. Moreover, the HSC is a make or break factor in providing an opportunity to afford an education at a prestigious foreign university. Being elite, I can count the number of broken dreams just because of someone not being a laureate. Therefore, the real challenge that we face these days is not to find out who are the ones who got tips on “Facebook” or “Blackpapers”, but rather, how do we provide future Mauritians with an all-rounded education that makes them global citizens in the real sense?

First and foremost, after having consulted some Human Resource Managers about the alleged possibility that employers can turn their nose to future job applicants whose CVs include a notorious “Cambridge 2008 A Levels” certificate, it behoves me to tell all my counterparts believing adamantly that this year’s supposedly “tarnished” exam certificate will be prejudiced against their professional careers that they are completely wrong! Many employers do not even ask the applicant when he/she obtained each of his qualifications or will not even have heard about the year 2008 when Cambridge messed its exams up! What matters the most to them is, I quote, “the credentials of the university you have attended, the specifications of your tertiary degrees and the outlook they will have of your personality through your written job application or your interview”. Can you imagine for a second a local or foreign multinational refusing to employ an interesting and motivated student who has freshly graduated with flying colours from a prestigious university such as Princeton, Oxford and Melbourne and who has, as only drawback, a supposedly fake “Cambridge 2008 A Levels” certificate? Willy-nilly, the latter is and will always be a prerequisite of our future local or abroad professional aspirations, irrespective of each exam’s year. Moreover, hypocrisy is a proliferating epidemic among many HSC students, especially among those who throw into question the credibility of their “Cambridge 2008 A Levels” certificate. However, why have the students believing that their future Cambridge certificate will have practically no value in their professional life attended their last examinations when instead, they could have boycotted them? This is because, whatever one’s degree of dislike of Cambridge, one still needs the academic backing of this internationally-renown institution and not vice-versa. My dear Cambridge-hatred friends, when you have convictions, whether good or wrong, you must assume them ENTIRELY and not simply use them as an invisible coat to hide your own cowardice or your naivety!

Regarding the current situation that we face, we must envisage a reasonable solution. I will not take any stance, but rather, present two different schools of thought and let readers draw their own conclusion. Firstly, we could correct the November 2008 papers and keep the results. Then, we hold another exam (if need be, only in required papers) and we compare the two results so that scholarships are awarded only in case of consistent performance (but with regards to the first sitting). That would provide us with more grounds to judge who were the ones having had recourse to unconventional exam preparation. This solution does not bear in mind the stress caused to some students by exams but makes the actual results more credible. Secondly, we could tolerate a small injustice to prevent an apocalypse ahead. We can afford to be lenient this time around because as I mentioned before, it is not as if marking schemes were available online. The answers posted in web forums could well be wrong! Assuming then that this would have an insignificant impact on rankings, we award scholarships but take measures to prevent such resurgence in the future.

Now let me demystify something for all Mauritian students: HSC exams are one component of University applications, NOT THE APPLICATION. There are other important aspects like a personal statement and extra-curricular activities. Universities are not looking for academic geniuses with impeccable results; Imperial College (UK), for instance, takes great pride in rejecting students with three As. They look for academic promise coupled with personal character. They want individuals that can make a difference in their chosen fields. Our education system must therefore mould us into such citizens. Currently, we take Cambridge “A level” courses and focus on only one discipline (Science or Economics or Arts or Technical). Moreover, we never go beyond paper work. Our results come only from our performance in a few papers. However, the International Baccalaureate (IB) System provides a much better alternative. Under the IB Diploma Programme, we would have to take one subject from each of the following disciplines: A first language, a second language, Individuals and Societies, Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Experimental Sciences, and the Arts. Our evaluation would be based on three aspects: An extended essay of about 4000 words, the theoretical knowledge acquired from the six chosen subjects and finally, on our involvement in artistic pursuit, sports or community service works. By providing a multi-disciplinary course, IB provides the all-rounded knowledge that is vital in the job market of tomorrow. The education that we would receive would be much more complete. The essay would help us develop a crucial aspect of our university life-writing skills. Also, involvement in extra-curricular activities would provide us with the required personal qualities of tomorrow’s society, and community service could finally provide some of the much talked about Civics Education. The IB programme must be implemented on a pilot basis to entering form one students in two years time to allow for some teacher training and general system setting up.

At the center of the current debate are laureates. Indeed scholarships are a luxury to those who want to pursue studies abroad as most of us cannot afford such astronomical costs. But why is it that half a mark has to decide between scholarship and no scholarship? I am of the opinion that our leaders should invest massively in Education. We must provide a multi-billion yearly budget that provides both need-based and merit-based financial opportunities to Mauritians wanting to study abroad. However, such a contract must contain a legal binding commitment on the part of beneficiaries to serve their country for at least five years (without any bonds fee payments possible). If our country helps us, should we not help it in return (I am aware of the political realities jeopardizing meritocracy)? Such a budget would not be an expenditure, it would be an investment. If colossal amounts of money can be spent for the organization of extravagant political gatherings at the Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre, why can’t we finance more university opportunities for our brainy students? Will this investment not prove to be more benefiting than populist gatherings (including the famous “briani” distribution there) to our country’s future? Abolishing the laureate system in view of providing more opportunities would also dramatically reduce private tuitions. Most students have recourse to tuition to beef up their exam preparation in view of the competition. Those who do not compete merely follow through by a snowball effect. But what if the system stopped at 5 As and percentiles? There would be no point in taking tuition at the expense of school work. This would provide more time for other activities that go in the context of a more all-rounded education.

The functions of a school go well beyond Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. They are associated with the socialization of students. From young children in pre-primary to children in primary and adolescents in secondary, the school harbours a meeting place for exchanges between peers that cut across race, social class or ethnicity. But what is it really like in Mauritian schools? Do we have enough time to engage in team activities? Are friendships not impeded by the fact that friends face a cutthroat competition for scholarships? It is my personal view (backed with knowledge of actual cases) that the intense competition does not favour team involvement. It creates individualistic personalities who have little consideration for others. Now let us take these same students twenty years in time. They will be the future professionals of our economy. Imagine the same students who currently say, I quote, “I do not care about future years, this is the problem of Cambridge and the MES. I am only worried about me!” What type of adult does our system tend to create?

With every disturbance comes the opportunity to emerge stronger. This is our chance to change what is a broken education system. Our education has to go beyond the relative aspect of our intelligence based on “Classified” and “Year By Year” books only. It should touch the absolute nature of our intelligence: our logic. It must spearhead the economic progress of the country by moulding a labour force capable of competition in today’s global market by providing a broader foundation that is multi-disciplinary. It must provide every student with the assurance that “Yes I can dare to dream of studying abroad even though my parents cannot afford it”. The distress caused by the current turn of events can turn the tides. It is up to our leaders to do it. I make a call to all my fellow elites, let us put our personal interest behind and think of those who will come after us!

Written by E.L.I.T.E (Emancipation of Labour-Intensive and True Elite)

The three Values statement is translated into strategies deployed throughout the stores.

1. WAY Customer Proximity means that the supermarkets are ideally situated to serve their respective areas. Each WAY operator knows their customers’ needs. As much as the customers may identify the owners of the store the owners will endeavour to know each regular customer. As opposed to corporate stores, most of the WAY stores are ran by the owners who are able to take on the spot decisions. WAY stores are people store. Every store has a customer solution provider desk.

2. WAY Effective Service and range of products means a clean, comfortable environment with efficient service. Most stores offer Fresh produce and fresh bread. With modern computer assisted equipments WAY stores indentify the best and most popular range of products in their offer.

3. WAY Value for money Pricing means a fair price to the customers which has been achieved through the best bulk buying systems managed by the group. Efficient operations within the stores and tight control overall logistics and distribution costs ensure best value for the customers. WAY stores have lean management processes in place.

On the Mauritian scene of grocery stores, in the span of 4 years, WAY group has forged a prominent position. Why and How? It is worthy to note that the Brand WAY is local, coined and created for the purpose. Since, it has made his way. In four years the total turnover of the group should attain 2.6 billion rupees with a rate of growth of 20% per annum. WAY group has 13 outlets for the time being and more stores will be branded WAY in the coming future.

What binds the group of supermarkets? What drives their success?

Originally in 2004, a group of nine retail outlets decided to create an independent buying force and more importantly to create a Brand with common shared values which are recognised by its clients.

What are the distinctive WAY values and offerings?

1. Customer Proximity. In all stores, WAY believes that their customers are their reason to exist. WAY are in proximity of their customers.

2. Effective Service and range of products. WAY offer effective service and a range of products to suit the needs of their customs.

3. Value for money Pricing. Through their bulk buying and collective negotiations with suppliers, WAY provides value for money pricing.

Through these 3 WAY values statements are deployed strategies and action plans that enable the store operators to live and deliver continuously  the promises that they make to their ‘reasons to exist’ customers.We shall  learn later of the strategies and action plans on a new posting.

No customers: No WAY.

Paru sur le journal LA CROIX avril 2008

Et quid de Maurice ? Qui bénéfice du même ensoleillement  que La Réunion ?

Le bon élève de l’outre-mer veut expérimenter toutes les alternatives aux énergies fossiles pour atteindre 50 % d’autonomie électrique et la région rêve même d’une indépendance à 100 %

La Réunion ? « Un petit laboratoire des problèmes du monde », affirme son président de région, Paul Vergès. Cette île paradisiaque habitée depuis trois cent cinquante ans, cet éruptif lopin de terre de l’océan Indien d’une superficie inférieure au tiers de la Corse, est un concentré des soubresauts de la planète.

L’île est particulièrement exposée à la pression démographique : les habitants, 250 000 au sortir de la guerre, sont aujourd’hui 800 000 et atteindront le million dans moins de vingt ans. Elle est spécialement menacée par le réchauffement climatique en raison des prévisions de violence accrue des cyclones. Et sévèrement chahutée par la mondialisation : 2013 sonnera le glas du soutien à la filière sucre, base de l’économie locale, et « les bateaux lancés sur les autoroutes maritimes mondiales feront de moins en moins le crochet par l’île », pronostique Paul Vergès.

Avec sa population cosmopolite de descendants de marins et colons européens, d’anciens esclaves africains et de migrants venus d’Inde et de Chine, le métissage biologique et culturel de la Réunion est tel que « nous sommes tous des descendants d’étrangers et d’immigrés », poursuit le président de la région, faisant de l’île le reflet avant-gardiste de l’Europe multiethnique et multireligieuse de demain.

Une “écolonomie” à base de “négawatts”

Ainsi ce « laboratoire des problèmes du monde » peut être, plus qu’une terre de lamentation, un lieu d’expérimentation. Et La Réunion, qui a la réputation d’être le bon élève de l’outre-mer, entend jouer à fond son rôle de premier de la classe.

Son ambition ? Prouver sur ce territoire de 2 500 km2 que l’on peut éradiquer les émissions de CO2 et viser l’indépendance électrique grâce aux énergies renouvelables. Une obsession pour Paul Vergès qui avait présenté son projet d’indépendance énergétique de l’île dès 1999 à l’Unesco, mais avait à l’époque été accueilli avec quelque incrédulité.

Aujourd’hui, le gouvernement s’arrime à cette volonté réunionnaise pour faire de l’île la roue d’entraînement du Grenelle de l’environnement dans les DOM et de son objectif de 50 % d’énergies renouvelables outre-mer à l’horizon 2020.
« Paul Vergès est la première des énergies renouvelables à La Réunion », reconnaît André Antolini qui voue une « immense gratitude aux DOM ». « Les DOM, poursuit le président du Syndicat des énergies renouvelables, ont été de longues années un sanctuaire qui a permis le sauvetage de l’industrie française des énergies renouvelables. »

La Réunion bruit de cette nouvelle « écolonomie » ; un terme que le secrétaire d’État chargé de l’outre-mer, Yves Jégo, a repris à son compte lors de sa visite à La Réunion fin mars. Cette économie du développement durable est basée, pour l’électricité, sur la production de « négawatts » – parce que les meilleurs des watts sont ceux que l’on ne consomme pas – et sur la production de mégawatts d’origine renouvelable : éolien, solaire, biomasse et des projets tous azimuts en géothermie, énergie marine, stockage de l’électricité…

EDF vend de l’électricité à perte

« La seule centrale qui me fait gagner de l’argent, c’est la centrale à négawatts », confirme Jean-Louis Barbet, chef du pôle gestion du système électrique d’EDF à la Réunion. Car EDF vend l’électricité lourdement à perte sur l’île. « Un mégawattheure est vendu 90 €. Or, son coût de production s’élève à 145 € », explique-t-il. Chaque consommateur français finance la différence sur sa facture, au travers de la contribution au service public de l’électricité (CSPE). Donc, EDF a investi dans cette centrale à « négawatts » en aidant à la diffusion de 1,2 milliond’ampoules lampes basse consommation. « On a gagné 10 mégawatts », comptabilise le gestionnaire.

Autres grands économiseurs d’électricité : les 81 000 chauffe-eau solaires (CES) installés sur les toits – 10 000 de plus chaque année – pour un parc de 230 000 logements. « On a ainsi évité la construction d’une centrale thermique de 40 mégawatts », argumente Sylvain Viellepeau, directeur de Giordano, l’entreprise qui alimente 40 % du marché réunionnais des CES.

Mais le fleuron, ce sont les 400 m2 de modules solaires thermiques à usage industriel installés sur les toits des abattoirs Sicabat, à Saint-Pierre, qui traitent 12 000 tonnes de porc par an. « La plus grande installation thermique d’Europe », selon Sylvain Viellepeau, permet de porter chaque jour 60 000 litres d’eau à 65 °C pour nettoyer les 13 000 m2 de l’usine. Cette dernière a ainsi pu renoncer à acheter une nouvelle chaudière au fioul et économise 144 tonnes de CO2 par an.

Convaincue par l’intérêt du solaire, l’entreprise a loué 6 000 m2 de toit pour installer une centrale photovoltaïque qui sera opérationnelle début 2009. « L’engouement pour le solaire a déclenché une spéculation sur les toits : les toits sont préemptés par des baux de location dans le but d’y installer à terme des panneaux solaires », reconnaît Bertrand Dellinger, directeur général de BP Solar à la Réunion, l’entreprise qui avait, de manière pionnière, participé à l’électrification solaire des habitations de la zone montagneuse enclavée du cirque de Mafate, non raccordée au réseau électrique.

Les lycées dans la course

La chasse aux toits a bel et bien démarré. Les 7 500 panneaux d’une puissance de 1,25 mégawatt crête (MWc) installés sur les 20 000 m2 de toiture d’une plate-forme logistique au Port fonctionneront le mois prochain. Sur la même commune du Port, qui s’est proclamée « ville solaire » lors d’une délibération du conseil municipal en décembre dernier, 10 000 panneaux solaires sont en cours d’installation sur les toits d’une centrale d’achats. Les 42 lycées de l’île sont dans la course : sept ont déjà leurs toits couverts, cinq sont en cours d’installation, les autres doivent suivre. Avec toujours en ligne de mire l’excellent gisement solaire de l’île, exploitable toute l’année, mais aussi la lourde contrainte du risque cyclonique qui impose d’arrimer les installations au toit ou au sol.

Le centre d’enfouissement technique de Sainte-Suzanne fait visiter son ancienne décharge. Les quatre hectares de terre ont été réhabilités en unité de production de biogaz (issu de la méthanisation des déchets) et en centrale solaire, une autre première mondiale à la Réunion. « Nous avons récupéré les anciens voussoirs d’un tunnelier (les morceaux de voûte de tunnel en béton) qui pèsent 1,2 tonne à l’unité pour lester nos modules solaires au sol afin qu’ils résistent à des rafales de vent de 250 km/h », explique Alain Orriols, directeur général de SCE, Société de conversion d’énergie.

C’est aussi à cause des cyclones que seules poussent sur l’île les éoliennes Vergnet, du nom de leur inventeur, Marc Vergnet (1). Ces éoliennes bipales à mât haubané et articulé à la base sont rabattables au sol en trois quarts d’heure et sont, de ce fait, les seules de la planète à résister aux cyclones. Elles brassent nonchalamment le vent sur les hauteurs de Sainte-Suzanne. « Nous sommes une commune moderne à la campagne », revendique Maurice Gironcel, maire de Sainte-Suzanne, avec à ses pieds la décharge devenue centrale électrique et au-dessus de sa tête le parc Aérowatt et ses éoliennes Vergnet qui projette de s’orienter vers un cocktail énergétique : des panneaux solaires au pied des éoliennes et du stockage d’électricité par pompage-turbinage (2).

“Comme si on écopait à la petite cuillère”

Avec ses réalisations, ses projets et ses premières mondiales, la Réunion avance-t-elle vraiment vers l’autonomie électrique ? « C’est comme si l’on écopait à la petite cuillère », confesse Jules Dieudonné, directeur du Prerure, le Programme régional d’exploration et d’exploitation des énergies renouvelables et de l’usage rationnel de l’énergie.

Il fait directement référence à ce que l’on appelle sur l’île « les ravages de la “défisc” », ces programmes immobiliers jouissant de la défiscalisation qui poussent sur l’île sans répondre à la moindre exigence de réglementation thermique.

Quarante mille climatiseurs et 20 000 chauffe-eau électriques sont ainsi importés chaque année… « La Réunion a été historiquement traumatisée par le cyclone dévastateur de 1948. Les toits des maisons ont été emportés, les habitations détruites. De ce jour, l’île a renoncé à l’habitat créole avec ses coursives, ses fenêtres à jalousie et sa ventilation naturelle pour s’orienter massivement vers la construction en béton, les toitures terrasses et les baies vitrées », explique Jean-Claude Futhazar, directeur de l’environnement au conseil régional.

« Dans les bureaux, avec les façades en plein soleil, il fait si chaud qu’on ferme les rideaux, branche la climatisation et allume les lumières puisqu’on est dans le noir en plein jour », s’insurge l’énergéticien Jocelyn Meschenmoser qui participa à la réalisation de « L’Îlette du centre », l’une des rares « opérations de défiscalisation citoyennes », selon l’expression de son architecte Michel Reynaud, soit 300 m2 de bureaux et 66 logements qui ont renoué avec la fraîcheur naturelle et le confort de l’architecture créole au cœur de Saint-Pierre.

Pour sortir de cette hérésie de la construction, la Réunion réclame ce que Paris lui a jusqu’ici toujours refusé, à savoir l’autorisation de faire sa propre révolution énergétique – les DOM n’ayant droit à aucune réglementation thermique –, et table sur les deux projets de loi outre-mer et Grenelle de l’environnement.

Marie VERDIER, à La Réunion

Common greetings during this holiday are the Arabic greeting EĪd mubārak (“Blessed Eid”) or ‘Īd sa‘īd (“Happy Eid”). In addition, many countries have their own greetings based on local language and traditions.

Typically, Muslims will wake up early in the morning and have a small breakfast. Muslims are encouraged to dress in their best clothes (new if possible) and to attend a special Eid prayer that is performed in congregation at mosques or open areas like fields, squares etc. When Muslims finish their fast at the last day (29th or 30th Ramadaan), they recite Takbir:

God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest,

There is no deity but God

God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest

and to God goes all praise

Although Eid ul-Fitr is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, since the Islamic calendar is a lunar one and the Gregorian calendar is a solar one. This difference in calendars means Eid ul-Fitr moves in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days earlier every year. Eid may also vary from country to country depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not. The future dates are estimated at:

• 2009: 21 September
• 2010: 10 September
• 2011: 31 August
• 2012: 19 August
• 2013: 8 August
• 2014: 29 July
• 2015: 19 July

Eid ul-Fitr begins the night before each of the above dates, at sunset.

To all of my blog readers of Muslim faith: EĪd mubārak!

Is there an opportunity for Mauritius to join in the growing food sector in the world? Can Mauritius join in by producing premium quality respecting all the exigencies of the health and environmental requirements?

This is a recent an extract on the subject.

Aquaculture industry is stagnating

Published:  12 September, 2008

Europe’s once lucrative aquaculture industry is stagnating, beset with red tape, over-regulation and zealous planning authorities.

This was the stark warning given to an international conference today by Scottish Conservative Euro MP Struan Stevenson. Speaking at the conference ‘A Coherent Approach to Sustainable Development’, sponsored by the Spanish Government and supported by the French Presidency, in Brussels.

Struan Stevenson said:’ Europe used to lead the world in the production of farmed fish and Scotland was at the forefront of the industry, but in recent years we’ve taken our eye off the ball. We have allowed our non-EU competitors to assume dominance in this rapidly developing sector and we have seen our indigenous industry haemorrhage jobs to countries outside the EU. At a time of soaring food prices and rising consumer demand, we import almost 50 per cent of our seafood needs when we are perfectly capable of producing this food ourselves.

‘Marine aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world, growing at 9 per cent per annum everywhere except in the EU, where growth is stagnating. In Europe we have the perfect environment for fish farming. We have an almost limitless coastline with ideal bays, fjords and sea conditions. We lead the world in the science and technology necessary for a thriving aquaculture sector. And yet we are in danger of starving in a land of plenty.

‘Why is this? It is because aquaculture has become one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the entire food production industry in Europe. EU aquaculture has the opportunity to double in size in the next 25 years, but only if we can tackle the unnecessary regulatory burden the sector has to contend with. EU fish-farmers have to deal with more than 400 different pieces of regulation, not to mention additional planning and environmental constraints in the Member States, before they can reel in a single fish. And this is not simply from DG Mare in the European Commission. It is from DG Environment, DG Trade, DG Sanco and a host of other agencies.

‘Red tape and the seemingly endless production of legislative directives in Europe are a gift to our competitors in China, Japan, Chile, Vietnam and elsewhere. At a time when demand for healthy fish products is rising internationally, while marine fish stocks continue to decline, the opportunities for EU aquaculture to lead the world in fish farming innovation and technological development are being hampered by red tape.

‘Above all, there is a great need for financial support for SMEs and a need to look at a simplification of the legislation affecting fish farming with an objective of better implementation at Member State level. Less red tape, less bureaucracy and a one-stop-shop approach to the development of new fish farms is an essential pre-requisite for a successful industry. We also need more flexibility in licensing of therapeutic agents and in the planning and sitting of new fish farms.’

Avinash’s blog today prompted me to dig in my files to look for an article which I read some time ago. ‘To be or not to be an entrepreneur’ is a question not often asked in Mauritius. Successful models are not known enough and yet there are many around. Just to name a few, Dewa dal pourri , Sirop Dowlut, Steward lazzat, Mine Appolo, FDG garments, Esko biscuits, are all models of entrepreneurship. To prosper seems to be not well seen in Mauritius, as much as to go bankrupt is disgraceful. We may well be too conservative and risks adverse. How do we move the Mauritians to be more entrepreneurial? What new mind set has to be instilled in the upcoming youth? A faint heart never won fair lady. For too long, financial success in Mauritius had meant having a secured job, preferably in Government service where the risk of bankruptcy is not possible; losing one’s employ is remote and salary is not paid according to output. For too long, tenure and seniority are more important than productivity.

To a large extent, although I was always employed in my life career I had considered myself to be an entrepreneur. I was paid to produce increased value for the shareholders and to grow the assets entrusted to the organisation. During the later part of my work life, over 25 percent of my earning was based on productivity.

Allen & Lindahl discuss the creed of the entrepreneur in an article they wrote in 1989:

Creed of the Entrepreneur

Certain principles and values guide the actions of people who start and sustain successful enterprises.

Over the past two years, we have conducted a series of interviews with successful entrepreneurs from a wide variety of highly profitable and trend-setting enterprises. This research has revealed the unique patterns of thinking and planning, the distinctive mindset, of these individuals.

The unique mindset of the entrepreneur includes sixteen clearly-defined attitudes, perceptions and principles. To convey how this mindset works, we have formulated sixteen first-person statements—components of an on-going, internal dialogue. These statements of mission guide the entrepreneur’s action agenda. They form the mental template that enables him or her to rise from the trenches and realize the highest objectives.

1. “I know from experience that a chronic lack of money is an unacceptable way of life for me.” Without exception, these entrepreneurs came from humble beginnings; they have known poverty and deprivation in personal and sometimes painful ways. Without being bitter about this aspect of their lives, they are, nevertheless, willing to relinquish poverty as a schoolmaster, forever. Their experience has indelibly impressed on their minds the certainty that, for them, affluence is better. The likelihood of achieving financial objectives increases dramatically when the entrepreneur makes an irrevocable mental pact that he will never again experience hardship conditions, whatever it costs in time or effort to remedy the situation.

2. “I am solely responsible for my own success—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Each entrepreneur bore heavy responsibility for family and financial matters from youth, and each emerged from this experience with a sense of self-reliance, independence, and self-sufficiency—attributes that propel them forward in powerful ways. They cherish freedom of choice; they insist on controlling their own destiny and being their own boss.

3. “I know who I am, and I know that I’ll succeed both because of who I am and in spite of it.” These people know themselves intimately and honestly—both the strengths and the weaknesses. Each is aware of those qualities that give him or her a competitive “edge.” And each knows where he or she must compensate for the deficits—compensate through practical learning and experience, positive attitudes, faith in self, and sheer enthusiasm. They don’t always know how they will succeed, but they are positive that they will succeed in the long run.

4. “I rely on the guidance and example of mentors wiser than I am and gladly return the favor, wherever I can, to others who look to me for help.” These entrepreneurs listened carefully to those who had been down the path before and emulated those who achieved aspects of goals that they were striving to achieve. This attitude reflects openness, a willingness to learn, and an eagerness to accelerate the process of fulfilling dreams by standing on the shoulders of more experienced role models. Then, as the individual entrepreneur expands successfully on their experience and knowledge, he serves as mentor for others, thus multiplying the positive model in the lives of many people.

5. “I can create value by identifying critical needs that are waiting to be fulfilled in the marketplace and communicating with power my ability to fulfill them.” The story of entrepreneurial achievers invariably reflects the mental quality of the contrarian detective: the ability to see clearly what everyone else has overlooked, to conceive of a strategy different from what everyone else is doing, to find a market niche that begs for a product or service critically needed but somehow missing from the existing array of market options. Where the entrepreneur identifies such needs, he instantly creates value and the potential for great personal wealth. But he must then communicate with power and persuasiveness his ability to deliver the product or service that fills the need. He knows that a great product needs effective marketing. He knows instinctively that powerful marketing of a shallow product is as worthless as limp marketing of a product that fills a genuine need. He creates a winning combination: a market niche, a quality product and an effective marketing program.

6. “My central goal is not money, but service.” Successful entrepreneurs tend to direct their energy not to money per se, but rather to the delivery of quality service. It’s not that their motivation is purely philanthropic: they simply understand that money inevitably follows the delivery of needed services. The mindset says: “Do whatever you love to do, do it consummately well, and so long as it fills a critical need for people, you will be greatly rewarded.”

7. “I welcome hard work as an opportunity and an essential key to success.” These individuals look at work as a privilege, even a joy. They know how to work, and work very hard—over long periods of time when necessary. They carry an image of the full cycle of enterprise clearly in their minds constantly: work brings about the delivery of goods and services, which in turn creates rewards. They know that people who want to achieve uncommon things must act in uncommon ways, being willing to work harder and smarter, doing things that others are unwilling to do. This commitment and determination brings about its own rewards.

8. “I am willing to risk everything on the basis of my own performance.” These people seldom embrace risk of a blind and reckless nature; however, they are willing to put everything on the line based on what they know they can do. Often the only things they have to invest are their personal resourcefulness and their talents. But they are convinced that these qualities make them equal to any task. They are willing to assume high risk when they are in charge, because they feel they can come up with a safe way to land.

9. “I regard failures and reversals as the inevitable triggers of my creativity.” These peak performers have chalked up some of the most compelling chronicles of failure and undesirable outcomes imaginable—all on the way to success. What most people would consider crushing and defeating blows, they regard as important stepping stones on an upward path. Because of this unique way of thinking about failures, they extract important learnings from them. They learn how to make changes necessary to avoid such problems in the future. This attitude engenders flexibility and adaptability in the way they deal with everyday challenges and obstacles.

10. “I thrive on networking.” An important part of the mindset is the conviction that relationships are fundamental to personal achievement. While at first glance it may appear paradoxical that individuals who rise and fall on the basis of their own self-sufficiency and independence build bridges to others, a closer look shows that peak achievers express their individuality in ways that plant seeds for future harvests by carefully and strategically cementing relationships with peers and colleagues, and then cultivating and fostering these ties with care, year in and year out.

The stories of our entrepreneurs are variations on the theme of successful networking, which sometimes creates the “big break,” sometimes produces the winning partnership, but always accelerates the process of getting where you want to go.

11. “I must find ways to leverage myself if I am to move mountains.” The entrepreneurs in our sampling are masters of leverage. Their minds focus constantly on ways to multiply, magnify, and proliferate their ideas and efforts in ways that go beyond individual strengths and resources. They concentrate on products and services that have continuity, that go on forever after an initial push, acquiring a life of their own, either because they are consumable or indispensable or both. They then leverage their time and resources by enlisting the aid of others to finance, build, and operate companies under their leadership. They organize teams of co-workers who become extensions of their own minds, eyes and hands. They know that their chances of “moving mountains” are infinitely greater through teamwork and leverage.

12. “I believe in the concept of the pilot program.” Successful entrepreneurs manage growth incrementally. Prototypes and pilot programs must necessarily precede mass-production. Building must be done systematically. Breakthroughs result from small beginnings. Drive and ambition are typically balanced with sensible tolerance for the testing and perfecting phases of growth.

13. “If I can control the bottom line, I can control my destiny and the realization of my dreams.” The entrepreneur couples creative energy and vision with a careful watch of the bottom line. He is willing to carry out the “due diligence” process, to sift through the detail to discover what is happening. He seeks reliable, objective feedback. He carefully monitors how things are going in order to make mid-course corrections with dispatch and cool effectiveness.

14. “It’s not ‘me up here and them down there’ but rather ‘we are all in this together.'” The entrepreneur is refreshingly on scene every step of the way. He manages from the trenches. His mind is immune to creating vertical barriers; he genuinely wants to mix with his people, sense their needs, help them succeed, maintain constant contact with the customers, see first-hand how well they are being served, and know exactly what has to happen to make things even better. He is not condescending in his mind or manner; rather, he naturally thinks of himself on a level with the rest, which is why he gains the loyalty and trust of others.

15. “I live with the thought of ‘What else?’ or ‘What next?'” Successful entrepreneurs typically go from one level of success to another as they move toward ultimate goals they never seem to reach. The trip, in fact, is often the goal. The process of getting places is more important than staying in any one spot for any length of time. The question is ever present: “What else can I do?” “What other connections, projects, campaigns, enterprises can I get involved with?” They are never satisfied with the status quo; there is always another mountain to conquer.

That is why the entrepreneur builds an exit-mentality into every project he undertakes. He can’t be married forever to his current enterprise. He thinks in cycles and transitions. He understands well how value can be enhanced and wealth multiplied by selling all or part of what he has built when the timing is right. Then he goes on to the next triumph.

16. “I look upon my work as simply a way to serve higher ideals.” Perhaps most surprising in the dog-eat-dog world of business is that all of our entrepreneurs, without exception, looked upon their work largely as a means to higher ends. When we looked into their minds and hearts to see what they value most highly, we found that it is not equity and net-worth, but rather how their success contributes to the upholding of deeply seated values—serving the needs of family and loved ones, cultivating integrity and honor, rendering charitable service, staying healthy and fit, enjoying the beauties of nature and, of course, being at peace with oneself.

They learn, sometimes from sad experience, that while it may be possible to launch a successful career or business without these values being uppermost, enduring satisfaction comes only to those whose achievements serve higher purposes in life than success alone. The ultimate reward of success is the freedom it brings to serve these higher ideals.

These sixteen principles, then, constitute the unique pattern of thought that makes successful entrepreneurs tick, that makes them what they are. This mindset empowers the individual to do the things that get results. Taken together, these principles form the internal mission statement of the entrepreneur. They are his mental constitution, his method of structuring and channelling his creativity, of realizing his dreams.

In my reading of the scripture today,in the First Letter to the Corinthians, it was greatly about Faith Hope and Love. I am amazed to have lived last night of the impact of the love given by my grand mother to his brother more than have a half  century ago.

Grand mother born in the Young family left China in the early 20’s to join Grand Pa in Mauritius. She left behind in Mei Xien two girls with her mother in law and I bet that she would never have thought then  that she would have give birth to 16 more babies there after. She lived a life of abundance and love.

As things turned out, earning a good living in Mauritius, Grand Pa sent back money to his folks. Like wise Grand mother’s folks were not forgotten. Her folks were also sent in money from time to time.Some uncles even estimated that more than half of Grand Pa earning were sent back through the years.

It is interesting to note that on the one hand Chinese were considered as aliens to the British colony,on the other hand being treated as aliens, the chinese residents also had in mind to return back to home once they had made enough money. I noted that both my father and mother though born in Mauritius travelled on a Chinese issued laisse passer to China in 1946, they did not have a  British travel document.

This very act of love of our grand Parents produced last night an almost miracle. Our connection with the folks of our grand mother’s side of her Young family had been severed more than 40 years ago. Ever since grand mother passed away, there had been no communication between us in Mauritius and the Young family in Mei Xien. The near miracle is the meeting of grand ma’s grand newphew in Mauritius.

Cousin Young, now 50 years old, since his childhood knew that he had an aunt living in Mauritius who regularly sent in money to his grand father and family.  This week, he traveled to Mauritius to survey the possibility of supplying construction labour to Super Construction a builder. He inquired about the family and was directed to us.

It was a great rejoicing last night for cousin Young and the family to meet and to establish back relationship with grand ma folks. Thank you grand parents for the generosity sowed half a century ago.  We have reaped one of the  fruit of your love.

Matt Schulyer of Capital One in an essay published in September discussed the future of work and its emerging trends in the west. Knowing the trends in the industrial and developed world, it would be interesting to anticipate what may be the impact on our little Mauritius.

The developed economy would be sourcing off shore some of the work, would we be positioned to capture some of the market? How are we Mauritians able to be faster, better and cheaper? How flexible and versatile may we be? Are we preparing now and positioning ourselves to face the future?

I have retained the following points from the trends:

Emerging trends are changing the nature of knowledge work, demanding new options. Business cycles create more intensity, complexity, and uncertainty—demanding high productivity. Also, the balance of power is shifting from individual contributors to cross-functional, networked teams; and technology is accelerating the pace and scope of change. Work is more complex, collaborative, distributed in time and place, less predictable, and more demanding. To remain viable, leaders need to respond to trends with flexibility, speed, and innovative, cost-effective solutions.

Workforce Trends

Retiring Baby Boomers could soon lead to a scarcity of knowledge workers. If these retiring workers can’t be replaced, more work may be off-shored, or companies may need to bring back retired workers on a part-time basis. Also, some companies are experiencing a breakdown in the employer-employee bond as pensions disappear, benefits become portable, job sites increase or become mobile, and employee churn rises.

The millennial generation, or Gen Y, is altering employee expectations. For example, most millennials would prefer to work for companies that give them opportunities to contribute their talents to nonprofits on company time. A company’s commitment to social responsibility can determine whether millennials will accept a job offer. And they are more likely to pick an area to live that suits their lifestyle.

Work models and patterns that enable people to work when it’s convenient to them and when they’re most productive are popular. Gen Y expects work to mirror the college experience with flexibility in work hours. Gen Xers also value flexible work hours and locations that enable them care for children or continue their education. Baby Boomers too are vocal about wanting more flexible work practices that allows for elder care, exercise, or personal growth.

Could be get the retirees to live in Mauritius in a more clement and comfortable environment and work from remote? How would we acquire more knowledge for our folks?

Technological Trends

The rate and reach of technological change also impact the workplace. The infrastructure is now widely available to give employees access to information anywhere and anytime. Soon, high-speed Internet and wireless access will grow more robust and ubiquitous and become an expected amenity, while mobile devices quickly converge into a single, fully-integrated tool. Traditional brick-and-mortar offices may no longer be the focus of work efforts as meetings are conducted in cyberspace.

Technological advances also introduce uncertainty and risk. Consumers expect faster transaction speeds and greater accuracy, while more marketing channels make reaching the consumer harder. Regulatory compliance, information security, and privacy issues will create added risk and uncertainty for both companies and consumers.

What have been set up in Mauritius to be abreast of the technological advancement at least in the sectors of interest to us?

Business Process Trends

Future enterprises will be more dispersed in terms of markets and suppliers, and expand their dependence on multiple extended partners. Businesses will focus on improving productivity with shorter product cycles. “Faster, better, cheaper” will remain the mantra. Uncertainty will drive structure churn, while environmental regulations will create economic uncertainty. Flexibility, adaptability and ideation will be success factors. Global risks will intensify due to the threat of terrorism, financial shocks, and natural disasters.

Are you ensuring that our country is safer in the future against the  increasing global risks?

Tomorrow’s Workplace

The workplace will need to be flexible. In some cases, companies will have to create new spaces to enhance concentration and focus, privacy and security, and yet allow for spontaneous interaction. Workspaces will become increasingly diverse, some co-located, some virtual, and some both. Web 2.0—the use of the Internet as a collaborative platform to maximize creativity and productivity—social networking and social computing will be the conference rooms and workspaces of the future. Employers need to increase the usable workspace in the office.

Tomorrow’s workplace needs to be vibrant and energizing, with a focus on natural daylight, sustainable healthy space, natural landscaping, open space to maximize views from windows, creative office construction, low panels between offices, open desking, and glazed walls to make activity apparent and expose inefficient use of space. Mobile technologies help eliminate the need for brick and mortar, or reduce costs for energy or real estate.

What are the plans to outbeat the  world energy crunch?

Three Phases of Change

The key to coping with change is actively managing the change process while enabling people to move through three phases of the change curve:

1. Awareness. In this phase, leaders build cognizance that change is coming. Common emotions include denial, anxiety, and shock. Productivity and morale may decline. Leaders should help people understand the new direction and what options are available to them. Employees may begin to feel fear, anger, frustration, and confusion.

2. Acceptance. During this phase, leaders and employers begin to make decisions regarding the new change. This is often a stressful period. People may engage in approach-avoidance behavior—they may recognize and even wish to embrace change, but fear the negative consequences of giving up their old way of working. Morale and productivity dip, but will soon rebound.

3. Adoption. In this phase, employee skepticism turns to hope, energy, and enthusiasm, and morale and productivity are restored. Leaders should help employees explore their new work behaviors, commit to a new way of working, and institutionalize the new ways by ensuring that the company’s mission, leadership alignment, and goals support the desired changes.

By focusing on trends in technology, the workplace and business processes, leaders can adapt to the new future of work and enjoy market success.