Hi David (Mr. Crane),
I remember reading your article in the Ottawa Business Journal several
weeks back and initially undecided as whether to comment on it or NOT.
You seem to claim that the Net is NOT a significant turning point and you
do this by citing stats to conclude with the assertion that it is ONLY a
complementary ADJUNCT to the "old" economy -- albeit an adjunct that is
expected to grow in importance.
For me, I see the NEW ECONOMY as an ABRUPT CHANGE with the past
in HOW business deals with the future. Basically, I view it as a moderism
versus post-modernism phenomenon.
For me, modernism started around the 1500s with the introduction of Roman
law + classicism and lasted until the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
The period was one where hierarchy, authority, individual competition,
+ ideology (religion + politics being used ideological in nature) were the
"underpinning constructs" of society.
People "at the bottom" were oppressed by people "at the top". The American
Revolution followed by the French Revolution (in which the Americans played
a very important part behind the scenes as far as I'm concerned) tried to
reverse the "established order" in the name of Protestant equality in the former
and "Égalité, Fraternité et Liberté" in the later. The intention was to put THE
POWER in the HANDS OF THE PEOPLE. The American Constitution is
emblematic of this ideal.
Post-modernism on the other hand is a PARADYGM SHIFT. The accent is on
co-operation, collaboration, + partnership in order to create SYNERGY.
It is the FULL RECOGNITION of the importance of the non-magerial work
force + the need to treat them very well so that they do NOT slow down
the business, so that they do NOT sabotage the business, so that the
business can GO AS FAST AS IT CAN.
It is also the FULL RECOGNITION that THE POWER TODAY is in the HANDS
OF THE PEOPLE.
It is to President Clinton's great credit that he talked up this NEW ECONOMY
in running for the Office of President in 1991. And incidentally, it was his Vice
President, Al Gore, who was a KEY PROMOTER of the Internet in the 70's +
80's. Add to that the fact that the Net has only really taken off as of 1997 as
a potential customer-business interface. And look where we are at today!
Today, a business, like Amazon, can be a going concern without bricks +
motor. Musicians can find a niche online BEFORE marketing their CDs
through regular marketing channels.
The Net has allowed for direct access to customers around the world and
is a the most complete expression of the 1980's organizational trend of
DISINTERMEDIATION.
(But after all is said + done, the KEY QUESTION is this: what happens to
the "traditional corporate veil" behind which "graft" was "a given"?) :o)
What is important to understand from my stand point is that everyone in
dot.coms is highly valued, highly paid, their is NO corporate veil, + NO
need to practice graft to get business. This NEW WAY of doing business
is in itself a PARADIGM SHIFT.
In the past the notion that business HAD TO BE "DIRTY" to be successful in
business was omnipresent.
Today, THE NEW, YOUNGER PLAYERS on the block don't believe in being
"dirty": a marked change with their parents/predecessors + truly a SOCIAL-
ECONOMIC PARADIGM SHIFT as they believe everything CAN BE DESIGNED
to facilitate a WIN-WIN scenario in STARK CONTRAST to their parents/
predecessors who believed that they were winners + losers and to the
winner goes the spoils, too bad so sad but that's the law of the Darwinian
jungle.
Thank goodness today we live in a completely NEW WORLD, that of the
dot-coms. The old economy businesses -- even with a Web interface --
are FAT DINOSAURS in my view. The sooner they disappear the better.
And personally speaking, I have no respect for their kow-tow, demeaning
dynamics.
I strongly believe we are NOW finally in a NEW WORLD that of GENTILEZZA
(Italian: gentleness) + FAIRNESS/EQUITY.
In light of this new forgiving, understanding society the judicial system
has to be revamp + government bureaucracy has to be made criminally
responsible to the people that they serve rather than an inherently
corrupt oligarichal group that run the System.
Today, we have the ways + means to CLEAN UP the System + make Canada
truly a BILINGUAL contry so that it can "really" play a leading role both in the
Commonwealth and in the francophone world. Finally, French Canada can be
recognized to be ON PAR with English Canada.
In conclusion, I agree with the title of your article, "E-business threat to 'old
economy' overblown'.
However, I'm just suggesting that e-Business today is NOT a threat to the
'old economy' but a DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING BUSINESS with RADICALLY
DIFFERENT MENTAL CONSTUCTS that have their origin in the American/
French Revolution + the Protestant Reformation.
An aside
=======
I believe French Canada can NOW assert its right to be treated as an equal
with English Canada in accordance with the promise made by the Bristish to
the Canayiens in the war of 1812 + RENEWED at the time of Confederation of
being EQUAL PARTNERS.
So I have to smile when I think Mike Harris can make an issue of Montfort
hospital in Ottawa: he's living in the past.
Here's a guy that takes money out of education + health care system only
to put it back when he should be CLEANING HOUSE by instituting a body of
3rd party auditors to do spot auditing of public institutions in order to WEED
OUT the CROOKS + he should be ensuring that provincial public books are
put on the Net for PUBLIC REVIEW.
With Mike Harris, I feel, we have nothing but phoney government, but NOT
for long.
He could find himself behind bars in jail down the road along with his other
cronies with the public laughing and you can count on me to be grinning as
he was NOT smart enough to see it coming having failed to recognize the
fact that the REAL POWER is with THE PEOPLE and the people want clean,
fair, open government in a FULLY BILINGUAL Canada. Maybe he could
spend the time in jail learning some French. Ha! Ha!
I really believe Canada as a FULLY BILINGUAL country will be the number
one country in the world -- economically speaking -- if we revamp the criminal
code to keep as few people in jail as possible for as little time as possible, weed
the Government of the crooks, + put the public books on the Net for public
review.
Best wishes,
Ken
K+ President