TWC Lesson 7: BioBusiness Revolution - Agriculture and the Environment

Brief Overview/Summary

Given the projected rise in global populations in the years to come and the accompanying strain this unrelenting growth phenomenon would place on Earth’s limited natural resources, the need for humankind to raise productivity of its use of these resources is gaining extreme urgency.

 We can no longer afford to remain ignorant of the destructive nature of our historical exploitation of Earth’s resources. As Mahatma Gandhi puts it succinctly: “There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.” The impetus for mankind today is to pursue sustainability with coherence, commitment and ingenuity. As Prof Shahi observes, “when we are able to grow the resources we need, we will finally be on the road to sustainability.”

The lesson touched on the particular relevancy of BioBusiness innovation in the environmental and industrial sector where it presents great potential to raising resource productivity. For instance, farmed fishing as an example of innovative biotechnology in boosting the supply of seafood and meeting growing demand, has contributed to mitigating the adverse consequences of over-fishing and marine ecological damage. Growing consumer demand for organic produce has also encouraged increasing use and development of innovative, environmentally-friendly farming technologies, which opens the door to alternative sources of sustainable food supply. Not only would it contribute to greater food security in the face of growing demand, but it also promises sustainability.

Another important application of biotechnology is in the production of Genetically Modified food (GM food). The World Health Organisation defines GM food to be food derived from organisms whose genetic material has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally (e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism). Most existing GM crops have been developed to improve yield, through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance of herbicides. The WHO posits that in future, genetic modification could be aimed at altering the nutrient content of food, reducing its allergenic potential or improving the efficiency of food production systems.

There is no lack of controversies surrounding GM food, with some countries demanding for greater consumer awareness to be enabled through the labelling of GM food. In some countries like the United States, such discriminate labelling is subjected to an outright ban. In the discussion in class, Prof opined that there is no reason why labelling of GM food should be banned, given that there is little reason to assume people are all adverse to consuming such foods. It is only reasonable that consumers should be aware of their choices. At the very least, accurate attribution of causation may be made in an event that there are negative consequences from the consumption of such foods and precaution may be subsequently taken.

As with all other innovation, it is important to bear in mind the need to identify and exploit ‘summit’ opportunities and to invest in research and development of ‘cloud’ opportunities.

Interesting Observations and Ideas

Reading 1 provided an overview of agrobiology and environmental sciences – taken from the draft manuscript of BioBusiness in Aisa.

Some of the key points I got out of the reading are summarised as follows:

Chapter 8

1. Agribiotech promises to greatly accelerate economic growth and wealth generation for farming communities and societies that see its potential and choose to apply it wisely.

2. New developments in agribiology and agribiotech promise the potential of newer and better ways to feed the world’s population, and to provide farmers with the knowledge and skills they need to substantially increase the value of agricultural output. This will only have its maximum impact through enlightened efforts by governments to achieve agricultural sector reform, and to ensure greater productivity while enabling the creation of newer and more viable options for farmers and farming communities.

ª      Application of new tools and technologies and the identification of high value-added agricultural produce in response to market interest and demand

ª      E.g. selective breeding introduces drought-resistant, faster growing and higher yielding crops

ª      Combining classical and modern biotech à potential to contribute to substantial value creation in terms of crops that will yield substantially greater output for less input; are more environmentally friendly (requiring reduced/no pesticides or tillage); more beneficial to consumers in terms of greater nutrition and longer shelf-life

ª      Recent advances offer powerful tools for the sustainable development of agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food BioBusiness industry sectors

ª      Potential biotech benefits:

› Higher yields on marginal lands

› Improvement in food quality and consistency

› Approaches provide new research methods that can assist in the conservation and characterization of biodiversity – enable greater efficiency in conducting selective breeding

› Reduced dependency on the need for chemical insecticides and herbicides that can be toxic and hazardous to human and animal health and the environment

ª      Potential biotech risks:

› Possible effects on human and animal health

› Potential environmental consequence

ª      Article’s response to the identified potential risks and resistance shown by consumers towards GM foods:

› Reality is that modern approaches to biotech are little different from traditional approaches for selective breeding and cross-breeding of species that have been used for hundreds of years

› Need to adopt a cautious case-by-case approach to addressing legitimate concerns

3. The application of new technologies and approaches to agriculture will enable innovators and entrepreneurs to identify and create new product and service opportunities, as well as find newer and better ways to reach their markets.

ª      Need to enable developing countries to benefit from new tech and capabilities

› Current investment in biotech research tends to be concentrated in private sector and oriented towards agriculture in higher-income countries where there is purchasing power for end-products

› Growing consensus that efforts should be made to ensure developing countries and resource-poor farmers benefit more from biotech research

› International agencies striving to address this need through encouraging increased public funding and promoting dialogue between public and private sectors – development of a “Code of Conduct on Biotech” aimed at maximising the benefits of modern biotech and minimising the risks; to be based on scientific considerations and weighs environmental, socio-economic and ethical implications of the biotech

ª      Need to prepare farmers for the future

› Real value may be obtained from identifying niche opportunities to provide markets and consumers with produce high in market demand

› Cultivating popular, traditionally hard-to-obtain products; breeding highly desirable livestock, fish and other produce in response to market demand

› As trends and market demand will change with time, farmers need to be innovative and responsive to develop  new products and applications which retaining popular, high income generating products

› Increasing size of farm holdings through agriculture and land reforms and establishment of farming cooperatives à allow economics of scale, mechanization and new technologies to be introduced (e.g. farmer cooperatives which facilitate direct partnership between farmers and end-consumers according to quality and standards sought by the consumer)

› Focus on moving up the value chain by producing in response to consumer and market demand and interest

› Proactive collaboration is key

ª      Responding to changing consumer perceptions and preferences to organic produce (new market opportunities)

ª      Biopharming

› Using plant and animal systems to express vaccines, biopharmaceuticals and antibiotics while still largely experimental à prospect for substantially higher income for farmers

4. Even as we work to introduce and expand the role of innovations and new technologies in agriculture to create products in response to market demand, we need to be ever vigilant about the need to protect the safety of consumers and safeguard the environment.

Chapter 9

1. Investment in environmental and industrial biotechnology and BioBusiness are likely to bring very substantial returns on investment. Such investment can potentially contribute in large measure to converting garbage into valuable resources; cleaning up the environment; and identifying new species for wealth generation.

2. Substantial opportunities exist for industrial application of life science and biotechnology products and technologies for use as industrial enzymes, biofuels, biomaterials, and in application for a range of industrial processes including mining.

3. We have only begun to start capturing the opportunity and potential of “Summit” environmental and industrial BioBusiness opportunities the Asia-Pacific region. This area of focus offers tremendous scope to fuel the growth and development of entirely new technologies, entrepreneurial opportunities, and even new industry sectors

Reading 5 discusses the potential of environmental and industrial biotechnology in developing countries:

Development of modern biotechnology (defined as the application of biological organisms, systems and processes to the provision of goods and services):

ª      Advances mainly in the medical field

ª      Second-largest application: agriculture

ª      Third broad sector of application: in industry and to environmental problems (receives the least attention)

Agenda of paper: overview of the opportunities and barriers to the industrial and environmental application of biotech in developing countries.

Industrial biotech’s application (3 main areas): industrial supplies, environmental, energy.

Assessment of the potential of industrial and environmental biotech in developing countries:

ª      Expected economic benefits of this sector of biotech are much less significant than those found in pharmaceuticals and agriculture – hence development of this sector will be restricted to niche markets

ª      Capital outlays required to use bio-based industrial processes are presently higher than those of traditional mechanical or chemical processes – hence may be difficult to justify starting industries based on biotech, which leaves innovations to existing facilities

ª      Only intermediate developing countries – those with existing industries and some scientific capacity – can realistically consider applying biotech to industrial processes

Opportunities presented by industrial and environ biotech:

ª      Economic: potential for reduction of operating and energy costs through replacing chemical-based production methods

ª      From standpoint of companies: Economic advantage gained from entering or creating a particular niche market

ª      From the standpoint of developing countries: possibility of reducing pollutant emissions at the source – enhance the public image and generally improve environmental conditions of the workforce

ª      Environmental: consistent reduction in hazardous waste products

Potential negative consequences:

ª      Schumpterian concept of innovation: recognises that a new innovation can render its predecessor obsolete while creating new opportunities

Barriers to incorporation of biotech into industrial settings in intermediate developing countries

ª      Financial: bank financing is not an option in developing countries; important viable alternative is private (domestic/foreign) investment à but these face the obstacles of domestic institutional gaps and missing public capital investment resulting from economic stagnation and falling commodity prices.

ª      BUT, less expensive to overhaul an obsolete factory in an intermediate developing country + many industrial tech are scale-neutral, allowing even small businesses to take advantage of them

ª      Structural resistance: lack of biological training or knowledge of potential benefits of biology in the trade amongst the workforce à solution: creation of a local pool of scientists knowledgeable about biotech in the manufacturing process

ª      Structural resistance: nature and context of the targeted industry – whether the absorption capacity wrt fundamental research breakthroughs is sufficient à e.g. investments in order for processes involving biotech to be used effectively, there is a need for certain production standards – impt to bring such industrial processes up to international standards from the beginning to allow for the option of exporting products and to avoid incurring future additional capital outlays from changes in legislation (accommodation of international standards)

Cleaner production processes

ª      Most likely form of industrial biotech that can be introduced in the near future

ª      Need only affect specific parts of a given production process- no need for major overhaul

ª      Potential to show quick economic benefits

ª      Assist companies to conform to environmental obligations

ª      Action plan: need for foreign-owned firms to be convinced of the value of cleaner production given that they are the main perpetrators of ‘dirty’ industrial processes (engage in ventures with high ST yields in order to avoid economic and political volatility within the country)

Policy directions:

1.      Success should be demonstrated by targeting projects to appropriate regions and existing industries

2.      Relating capacity building exercises to international environmental agreements

3.      International agencies can promote private sector involvement by helping mitigate risk through the establishment of mechanisms to identify promising technologies

4.      Microfinancing options for small company owners

Strong local government involvement by publicly displaying a positive attitude to both biotech and entrepreneurship

Reading 7 is a paper presented at a global conference organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and examines the issue of food security – how to feed the world in 2050.

Issue: rapidly expanding world population presents the incumbent need to increase food production in order to meet future demand.

Stand: report argues that the required increase in food production can be achieved if the necessary investment is undertaken and policies conducive to agricultural production are in place. Increasing production also has to be accompanied by complementary policies to enhance access by fighting poverty, especially in rural areas, as well as establishing effective safety net programmes.

Key points (from executive summary):

ª      There is a need to increase total annual net investment in developing country agriculture by 50% in order to achieve the necessary production increases. This would require major reallocation in developing country budgets as well as in donor programmes + policies that support farmers in developing countries – encourage them and other private participants in agriculture to increase their investment

ª      Agricultural R&D to reverse the global decline in rate of growth in yields of major cereal crops – Investment in agricultural R&D neglected in most low income countries. Action plan: Currently, R&D in developing countries is dominated by public sector à additional investment to come from government budgets; Encourage increase in private sector investment by addressing issues of intellectual property rights while ensuring a balance is struck so that access of smallholder farmers to new technologies is not reduced

ª      A lack of income opportunities for the poor and the absence of effective social safety nets contribute to the persistence of hunger in the midst of adequate food supplies (economic growth of the country in general does not necessarily successfully reduce hunger; source of growth matters). Action plan: need to focus on growth in the agricultural sector – this sector contributes to the greatest to the poor’s incomes (75% of the poor in developing countries live in rural areas and their incomes are directly or indirectly linked to agriculture); need to implement comprehensive social services (e.g. food assistance, health, sanitation, education and training, with a focus on the most vulnerable)

ª      Dependence on international trade for food security. Action plan: need to move towards a global trading system that is fair and competitive and contributes to a dependable market for food (e.g. measure such as reform of farm support policies); need to provide support and greater access to developing country farmers so they can compete on a more equal footing; countries to establish joint measures to be better prepared for future shocks to the global system through coordinated action in cases of food crisis, etc.

ª      Climate change and increased biofuel production represent major risks for long-term food security à declining yields of food crops. Action plan: need to re-evaluate policies promoting the use of food-based biofuels to reduce the competition this use poses to food production.

Concluding remarks: need to mobilize political will and build the necessary institutions to ensure key decisions on investment and policies to eradicate hunger are taken and implemented effectively. The time to act is now.

Issues for Further Discussion

I felt that the topic of GM food – the impetus, benefits, examples and controversies surrounding the technology could have been more extensively discussed and debated upon. Personally I feel that GM food has a lot of potential, especially where food may be enhanced nutritionally and distributed in places suffering from acute poverty where malnutrition is rampant.

Personal Ratings for Session

I would rate this lesson 8/10

TWC Lesson 6: BioBusiness Revolution - Healthcare and Biomedical Sciences

Brief Overview/Summary 

The lesson started out with the interpretation of a quote by Albert Einstein – “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”.

The idea which this quote conveys is that one may choose either one of two approaches to living – either go through life jaded and uninterested, or living with curiosity and fascination about all that is happening around one. The latter envisages one being open to change, being capable of and receptive to learning. Whereas the former depicts a falling star mindset, the latter is illustrative of a rising star mindset.

Another Greek proverb aptly sums up an underlying philosophy of the present topic on BioBusiness Revolution – that of having a future-oriented mindset – to be forward thinking in planning ahead to ensure the sustainable growth of society, and not merely be concerned with reaping the gains from current development.

Prof Shahi defines BioBusiness to mean any commercial activity that is based on an understanding of life sciences and life science processes. Relevant areas include the biomedical sector, agri-veterinary biosciences as well as environmental and industrial biosciences. Through a research designed to investigate the extent of industry dominance of BioBusiness, it was discovered that BioBusiness constituted an astounding 25% of global GDP and employs some 40% of the world’s labour force.

Prof then went on to note that healthcare as an aspect of global BioBusiness is the most prominent, in that it represents an area with great growth potential. This is as worldwide incomes are rising and with greater affluence, there will be increasing demand for greater access to and more sophisticated healthcare. The growth in global market size of healthcare is going to outstrip the growth of the same sector in the United States, which in 2001, constituted 52% of global market size.

The lesson then proceeded on a discussion of the major opportunity areas of BioBusiness. An underlying imperative was the need to capitalize on Summit Opportunities, to find a way to make Cloud Opportunities feasible and a reality and to shift away/reduce reliance on Valley Opportunities.

The various key areas of the BioBusiness industry highlighted were those of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, beimedical biotechnology, herbal and traditional medicine (e.g. neutraceuticals), medical devices and the process of diagnosis. Some of the notable trends in BioBusiness-related innovation include the exponential increase in the number of new patents being generated (from 660 drugs approved in 1977 to 3372 potential drug candidates in1997, according to a 2000 report by the US Patent Office) as well as rise in Multicellular Organism innovation (e.g. in the area of cloning) and Recombinants innovation. It is envisaged that new emerging innovations in the life sciences and biotechnology will revolutionize the BioBusiness landscape, which currently accounts for less than 0.5% of global BioBusiness. The promising possibilities in outcomes of such innovation were aptly captured in a video titled “The Future of Healthcare”. As Prof accurately sums up the BioBusiness industry’s outlook: “We are living in exciting times!” Indeed.

Interesting Observations and Ideas 

Reading 1 provided an overview of technology-related opportunities in healthcare and the biomedical sciences and I note some of the key points addressed in the paper:

1. There is substantial opportunity and potential to develop and apply innovative and entrepreneurial solutions in response to changing public health and healthcare service realities in the region.

2. New paradigms in healthcare and wellness have created new opportunities and growing interest in such areas as alternative and complementary medicine, and in nutraceuticals and functional foods.

3. New developments in information and communication technology and in medical devices for disease and wellness monitoring, create the opportunity to establish innovative service delivery approaches that are more cost-effective and can result in great improvements in health outcomes.

4. Advances in biotech-based drug design and development technology in the post-genome era promise to lead to increased success and efficiency, as well as lower development cost for new drugs. The increasing availability of novel technologies developed by biotech players is helping to drive collaboration and strategic alliances between big pharma and biotech players internationally and in the region.

5. The Asia-Pacific region promises to be a major growth market for diagnostics over the next several decades. Also, a growing base of world-class diagnostic companies in the region is working to develop innovative and promising new diagnostic products and technologies.

6. The biopharmaceuticals sector is generating growing interest in the development, testing and manufacturing of vaccines, recombinant protein drugs and monoclonal antibodies.

7. New opportunities are also being created in the outsourcing sector – especially in relation to contract research and contract manufacturing services. Asia-Pacific players stand to capture a significant piece of the out-sourcing pie.

Reading 2 was a report on biotechnology, innovation and intellectual property prepared by a team of international experts on the subject. The paper identified the need to transition away from the old model of IP (“Old IP”) towards a “New IP” era. What this posits is a greater focus on collaboration and cooperation among the various brokers and stakeholders, instead of increased protection, leading not only to greater levels of innovation, but better access to new products and services. The paper postulates that the best innovative activity occurs when everyone – researchers, companies, government and NGOs – works together to ensure that new ideas reach the public, but are appropriately regulated and efficiently delivered to those who need them.

The report then goes on to identify what actions are needed to make this transition: greater trust between industry, government, researchers and NGOs; more and better communication over IP and science and technology policy, and the crucial role the media has to play in this respect; new models which provide better ways to develop and deliver biotechnology products; enhancing science, technology and engineering, especially in low and middle income countries, to enable them to profit from innovation efforts; cross-cutting thinking – the need to work across discipline and bring together the various actors to generate mutual understanding of how IP actually works in context; having a fundamental grasp over what we want from innovation and devising an accurate measure of it.

Reading 3 presents UK’s strategic vision for its bioscience industry in 2015. It identifies various challenges currently facing the industry and recommends solutions to tackle these challenges.

Specific recommendations provided to tackle the critical challenges, in order for UK to achieve its vision of being a global leader in bioscience by the year 2015 (currently, the US takes the lead), are as follows:

1. Build mutually advantageous collaboration between the NHS and industry to maximise patient benefit.

2. Create a public and regulatory environment that is supportive of innovation.

3. Ensure sufficient and appropriate funding is available to fund the long and costly process of technology and drug development at all stages.

4. Build a strong bioprocessing sub-sector within UK bioscience to act as an enabler to bioscience innovation, and to anchor the bioscience sector.

5. Develop, attract, and retain a high quality scientific and managerial talent base with appropriate technological expertise.

6. Create the Bioscience Leadership Council to oversee implementation and continue sector-wide dialogues.

The report proposes that in making this vision a reality, the UK will be able to realise two significant benefits: Improved national health, through improved clinical performance and early access to innovative medicine; and increased national wealth, where Gross Domestic Product will be enhanced by maintaining and supporting a high growth, high margin, high value-added, knowledge-based industry.

Reading 4 emphasises the need for disruptive innovation in healthcare in the United States, which he opines is the most entrenched, change-adverse industry in the country. The author’s main contention is that the current healthcare system is convoluted, expensive and often deeply dissatisfying to consumers and that there is a need to allow the natural process of disruption to proceed to enable to emergence of a new system that is characterised by lower costs, higher quality, and greater convenience than could ever be achieved under the old system.

Disruptive innovations essentially work by enabling a larger population of less-skilled people to do in a more convenient, less expensive setting things that historically could be performed only by expensive specialists in centralized, inconvenient locations.

The progress of disruptive innovation is described as follows: while dominant players in most markets focus on sustaining innovations – on improving their products and services to meet the needs of the profitable high-end customers – those improvements soon overshoot the needs of the vast majority of customers. This then makes the market ripe for upstart companies seeking to introduce disruptive innovations – cheaper, simpler, more convenient products or services aimed at the lower end of the market. Over time, those products improve to meet the needs of most of the market, a phenomenon that has caused many of history’s best companies to plunge into crisis.

An apposite example of a disruptive innovation healthcare identified by the report was that of an English entrepreneur who has developed a system for customizing eyeglasses quickly and efficiently – it is a disruptive technology as it enables patients to do for themselves something that historically required the skill of professionals.

However, the author notes that oftentimes, established institutions/professions are quick to discredit these disruptive innovations for fear that these alternatives threaten their livelihoods. Further, regulators, afraid of putting patients at risk by adopting these nascent technologies, are likely to delay/withhold approvals of these innovations.

In response to the healthcare predicament, the author proposes several solutions:

1. Create – then embrace – a system where the clinician’s skill level is matched to the difficulty of the medical problem.

2. Invest less money in high-end, complex technologies and more in technologies that simplify complex problems.

3. Create new organisations to do the disrupting.

4. Overcome the inertia of regulation.

5. The need for collaboration in leadership at regional and national levels, not to regulate the existing system, but to coordinate the removal of barriers that have prevented disruptions from happening.

Rebekah Chua’s presentation on ‘Sci-Fi to Reality’

Rebekah posed the question of whether or not as a parent, we would want to employ the technology the advanced future technology envisaged to become aware of our unborn children’s predisposition to diseases.

It was discussed that should parents acquire knowledge of such predictions, they would conduct themselves vis-à-vis their child in such a way as to limit the child’s potential, out of fear that their child would fall prey to said diseases. However, a counter argument which Prof raised was that for certain diseases, should two parties have a predisposition to the said disease, the lifespan of their child would be greatly reduced. In these circumstances, it is difficult to argue against awareness. Notwithstanding the possibility of such occurrences, however rare the chances are, there remains the predominant and controversial concern over how such knowledge would drive parents to opt for adoption. The ethical and social consequences are significant.

I personally do not think that abortion would be that pressing an issue, at least not in Singapore. There are exigent and strict laws in place which makes abortion of unborn children a criminal offence if abortion is undertaken past a certain stage of development of the foetus. As such technologies to test DNA of the child to predict its predisposition to diseases are likely only to be employed when the foetus has matured beyond a certain stage (i.e. when essential organs are at least formed and functional I would presume), such a provision would apply to safeguard against frivolous acts of abortion.

Luo Xindi’s presentation on ‘Veti Gel’, which provides for the sealing of open wounds (clotting of blood) and may be self-administered, raised the question whether we would be prepared to use the gel should it be made available on the market. The consensus reached by majority of the class was that, given the relative ambiguity as to the long-term side-effects of application of the gel, it would be wiser to employ its use only as a last resort while under normal circumstances, especially when faced with small wounds, it would be safer to stick with traditional remedial methods. I agree that given it is uncertain what, if any, adverse long-term side effects may arise from continuous usage of the gel, until further research and tests have been conducted on the medication to ensure that it is as safe for use as possible, I would not want to use the gel unless there are no other viable alternatives available.

Irfan Nusrulhaq’s presentation on ‘Elixir of Youth: Telomerase’ posed the question whether the class would subscribe to telomerase and to the concept of immortality. Personally, I would not want to be immortal. I believe that what makes life exciting and fulfilling is in part because we are aware that it is limited. We only have a certain amount of time alive and that drives us to make the most of it; to seek meaning in what we do and to experience contentment and satisfaction when we realize various milestones/achievements. I think that if I knew it is possible for me to live forever, I would be very much less productive of my time. Ambition and dreams would fade as one expects to be able to experience/achieve anything one fancies to at some point in time, given that we have forever. Hence, personally, I would not approve of the introduction of any sort of technology that would deliver immortality to the human race.

Key Take Away Points 

1. There is great promise in the current BioBusiness and Biomedical sector revolution. One particular area of innovation that is particularly noteworthy is the potential of tele-consultation. As shown in the video on the Future of Healthcare, I note that the advent of tele-consultation envisages extensive patient benefits, among these: the saving patients’ waiting time and costs of transportation (which could be an onerous burden for those living in rural areas) in consulting a doctor; lesser patients suffering from detrimental consequences of missing their medication with the wireless ‘reminder’ system; patients being able to track their own progress and with greater information of their own condition, would be more motivated to take responsibility/play their own part in caring for their own health.

2. The video on childhood obesity is particularly striking. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2015, 2.3 billion people will be overweight, with 700 million obese. The situation of childhood obesity is also on the rise, with an estimate of 22 million overweight children in 2010. Particularly shocking is the example of Mexico, where the obesity index has risen by 300% in the last 30 years from 2010 and 70% of adults and 30% of children aged between 5-11 years are overweight as of 2010. Several reasons are identified in the clip for the prevalent global obesity trend. The growing affluence of low and middle income countries coupled with globalization resulted in an adoption of Western lifestyles and eating habits. Fastfood is becoming the diet of choice in many countries such as India and China and is often marketed as good food. Since fastfood is relatively affordable to the masses, the problem of obesity afflicts all levels of society and is does not just affect the wealthy. Another reason postulated is the changing concept of play – which increasingly contemplates very little physical activity and more electronic gadgets. This reinforces the idea of how the forces of globalization and technological advances in the various sectors which have a direct impact on our lives, may produce adverse consequences if not properly understood and managed.

Personal Ratings for Session

I would rate this lesson a 8 out of 10.

TWC Lesson 5: ICT and World Change

Brief Overview/Summary of the themes/topics addressed during the session

The topic covered this week was on Information Communications Technology and its relevance to World Change – its uses, impacts and potential.

Prof Shahi started out the lesson in his usual way by introducing to us two apposite quotes which captured some of the key ideas relevant to the topic. A quote by Arthur C. Clarke is a pertinent observation of how any one thing which is advanced enough and so far ahead of our time/existing mass-marketed technologies, would be “indistinguishable from magic” to us. To me, the quote conveyed the idea about how vast the frontiers of technologies are, that something we cannot begin to comprehend today can nevertheless culminate in something functional in time.

The second quote was by John Naisbitt and it basically poses the fundamental questions of what it means to be a human being – whether it merely constituted the concept of our physical being and whether this perspective has undergone any extension in light of the technological pervasiveness and breakthroughs of the 21^st century. Prof Shahi opines that, with the rise of the internet and our ability to reach out and communicate with the greater part of the world, our concept of ourselves as individuals has expanded – there is a rise of a new consciousness among individuals, the idea that everyone is part of a new global community and that we all have a responsibility in the wider context of global issues.

The lesson then proceeded on a review of some of the key components of ICT in the 21^st century. Significantly, there appears to be preparation for a move towards Web 3.0 from Web 2.0 which we currently experience. The implication of this is the advent of an internet that is not only interactive, but exists invisibly and is all-pervasive and omnipresent in our lives.

Another key observation was how the advent of mass media has changed the way we communicate and our expectations as global consumers. In the past, the media was mainly utilised for the one-way dissemination of ideas by a single entity to the masses. Today, individuals around the globe are able to engage in interactive, two-way conversations. The demand for information has increased and mass media has facilitated the greater sharing of ideas and knowledge. The enabling of feedback and communication between the population and the governing authorities of a country also allows for the fine-tuning of policies and approaches, making the government of the day more relevant in the eyes of its people and enabling the fostering of a more cohesive society.

Other promising ICT technologies discussed were that of gaming – how it holds great potential when used in education and in helping soldiers coming out of brutal war to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as its invaluableness in providing a platform for the training of doctors; wireless technologies – the possibility of wireless energies; cloud computing – its utility to pave the way forward for IT in allowing the creation of capacity and addition of capabilities on the fly without the need to invest in new physical infrastructure, training of personnel or licensing of new software; and knowledge management – the concept of synthesizing data to information to relevant knowledge and ultimately to beget wisdom in its user.

Readings

In reading one, it was highlighted that one of the misconceptions of how computers can help learning stems from an insistence that the same skills that we have been taught for the past century remain the most important and relevant in today’s networked world. It was observed that there is a need for radically different learning systems that tap into the potential that computers offer. In his projects, Mitchel Resnik of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab showed how computer-enhanced learning can create meaningful change in the lives of children, and points to the importance of the underlying philosophy of learning as key to instituting reform.

It was also recognised that although the internet can help to create true excellence in business practices, technology alone will achieve nothing if the appropriate managerial and organizational infrastructure and knowledge are not present. Soumitra Dutta of INSEAD writes on how leadership and organisational excellence can have a tremendous impact in creating business success using ICTs in the developing world. Hence, it is important to keep in mind that managerial innovation is essential to creating environments where ICT-enabled business models can thrive.

In reading 2, John Gage reflects on how ICTs could have a profound influence on World Change. He notes that there are three fundamental technical changes in ICTs which are responsible for the explosion in their use to promote economic development – plummeting costs, expanding access to the network, and more powerful human-to-machine interfaces. These developments are allowing for the expansion in use of applications and devices as well as increased access to network systems by those previously deprived of such. Instructive interface metaphors also allows for new users to understand how to use these services independently. 

He further envisaged how four technical advances, in particular, hold much promise to aid development – peer-to-peer networks, precise local spatial data systems, sensor fusion, and unique identity systems. Although the foundations of these technologies stemmed from the innovations of the past, they nevertheless provide new tools for change in the 21^st century. At the conclusion of his article, Gage emphasises the need to match educational reform to the complex systems that have arisen through ICTs and suggests several immediate, measurable actions to bring this to fruition (1. Completing the job of ubiquitous connectivity and access; 2. Ask each linked location to describe their local world; 3.form a local microcredit organization at the linked location).

The third reading considered how ICTs may be utilised to enable the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The article posits that effective incorporation of ICTs into development should be founded on six axes: strategy, regulatory framework, implementation, capacity development, partnerships, and measurement.

Governments need to develop a clear and coherent national ICT strategy document which acknowledges the relevance of ICT to its citizens. There also needs to be a regulatory framework which supports the implementation of the strategy and ICT development-oriented policies should be specifically addressed. A multitaskholder framework is also critical for the successful implementation of ICT policies and three principles govern this framework – coordination to avoid duplication and to ensure coherence of different policies), Integration (whether one policy is in line with existing general development policies) and alignment (to ensure that implementation follows the originally established objectives. As ICTs become more accessible, the need for a pool of skilled technical individuals increases – governments should play a cognisant role to facilitate such capacity development through the provision of educational programmes and curricula. All relevant stakeholders, apart from the government should also be actively involved in the implementation of the country’s ICT strategy. Hence there is the need to provide for appropriate mechanisms to facilitate the forming of such partnerships. Finally, it is essential that progress may be traced in a very clear, concise and quantifiable manner, so that projects can be fine-tuned and actions adjusted to facilitate the accomplishment of original development goals.

The fourth reading contemplates the development of a European green knowledge society through a balanced application of ICT in the long term. Three key themes underlie the paper:

First, ICT is bringing about a fundamental shift in our economic and social lives – there is a need to be ever more aware of human and social aspects as they relate to ICT.

Second, Europe has reached a tipping point in the transition to a knowledge economy and moving forward, change has to be revolutionary, no longer evolutionary.

Third, the issue of climate change is the most important challenge of our time and ICT occupies a leading role in the fight against climate change, contributing to a sustainable low-carbon economy.

Presentations (take-aways)

Daniel Sim – What if the Internet crashed

Should the internet crash, we would definitely still be able to survive in the literal sense of staying alive. However we would certainly not be able to function as per how we are used to – our way of live will be rather disruptively affected.

Katty Lim – The role of ICT in sustainable development

The increasing interaction between people of less developed countries and the developed world will not necessarily lead to Westernization of cultures in the less developed world. Interaction is inherently a two-way process, what is facilitated is a mingling and exchange of information and knowledge of one another’s culture. This could lead towards the formation of a more unified global culture. However, someone pointed out that this ‘global culture’ which emerges might ultimately be ‘western culture’ after all, given the pervasiveness of Western cultures in the world today.

Olanda Cherie Low – What augmented reality means for retailers

With the widespread adoption of augmented reality technologies in online shopping platforms, there will be huge savings in cost for brands as they are able to dispense with the need to maintain rental/overhead/staff costs. However, one negative implication of such a trend is that consumers may be encouraged to do more of their shopping online and this could promote consumerism and the consequential risk of credit card debts, given the ease with which one is able to make purchases online. Also, the issue of cyber security and credit card frauds becomes pertinent.  

Personal Ratings for Session

I would rate this class a 9/10 for the breadth of coverage and the informative discussions which Prof Shahi got the class engaged in.