Sunday, October 16, 2011

Be Open, Be Bold...


Where shall we live? 

Many factors matter in this issue where we shall live and the authority defines the meaning of “most liveable city” as Economist.com has suggested. A great area, whatever you call it a city, or even a village, does not rely on its size. However, we can broaden the category of “most liveable city” of using examining whether or not a city can help people to fulfill their dreams, or potential. If a city having clean environment, peaceful atmosphere would mostly be suitable for elder people instead of providing opportunity to young workers, to what group of audience it means “most liveable”? 

Let us look at some cities such as Adelaide, how many of us have been used to accept such stereotype that this city is best for retired people? How many of us will agree if you, as a young graduate or any aspiring workers, the best way to pursue your career, particularly in the field of multimedia/animation/game/film, is to move to other metropolitan area or even overseas? Very often these stereotypes have been fixed in people’s mind as common sense, but isn’t there any potential or possibilities to alter the image? 



Or take Perth as another example, even spreading the benefits of mining boom in the fast lane around Perth, can such natural resource driven economy be sustainable? Australia is not the only fortunate country given the resources that it has for Asian Century, what if China’s economy slows down and what is the price to trade the benefits in the long run with the immediate boom in today’s economy? 
Both Adelaide and Perth are on the list of “most liveable city”, what could be the most suitable economic backbone for such cities? Asking this question firstly involves identifying what unlimited resources might be and how the government can help to maximize the value of “unlimited resources”.  

How to unleash potential ---- Bureaucracy & Entrepreneurship?

Today the unlimited resources are people. Vital to an understanding of this issue is idea that the prosperity of industrialized society is based on the civilization of oil, described by Japanese author Taichi Sakaiya in his renowned book “The knowledge-value revolution”, in a knowledge-based economy, human’s intelligence itself is the resources which is undoubtedly sustainable. Any policy maker having such clear vision in mind will definitely see the potential for long term development.

There are only two types of government: Bureaucracy-oriented or Entrepreneur-oriented. In contrast to America’s culture of boosting entrepreneurship, Australia’s culture can be seen with more bureaucratic style….. Although today any talk about America’s advantage might arouse complicated feeling, a Chinese might say, “Look, sooner or later, we will be the number one!”; an Australian will think, “Well, we are the only lucky bird to avoid the financial crisis!”. 

Joseph Schumpeter has considered the entrepreneur as innovators with the behavior of creative destruction which usually brings radical change to the business norms. Taichi Sakaiya, in his book “The Knowledge-value Revolution”, has also suggested that entrepreneurial traits will be much more needed in a society driven by the knowledge-value rather than that in the old industrialized society. 
However, we should add that entrepreneurship is not just a matter of technology breakthrough or creating blockbuster. In a world where the digital generation has been fascinated by creative industry, entrepreneurship could be still a thing of everyday life, of individual contribution, and it is exercised in the home, in the workplace and, of course, in any place you intend to make it as your “creative centre”. It could also mean turning a dead corner of our city into an amazing cafeteria with refreshing interior design…Walking around the city, how many dead corners we can find? And how would we assess its potential as a lovely shop? 

What could be argued here is what kind of environmental influences on entrepreneurship can be reinforced? According to psychologist’s viewpoint, our behaviour is based on learning. In a relative conservative and closed environment, people rely on the system or the procedure rather than initiative; as a result, a rigid system of bureaucracy is produced. 

How a municipal government boosts the entrepreneurial culture then spurs more small business in order to bring the vibrancy into local economy? Particularly in such a gloomy depression, entrepreneurship in small business has its fatal meaning. One can argue that purchasing power might not be strong enough, but this is a question about how to provide consumer with engaging products or services, not a question about whether or not the consumerism is dead.  The marketer or the producer will always be in such a challenge of how to create needs to satisfy human’s desire. 

You belong to me? Or I belong to you?

To facilitate entrepreneurship, embracing competition will need to be stressed instead of protectionism. Someone may argue that during such tough period, certain kind of protectionism is necessary to prevent people from unemployment. Nowadays, even America such an avant-garde has chosen to be introverted, no wonder other countries are not open. However, this is a world of globalization, which means buyers have wider choices to pay for the best and the resources will be allocated to the place where the best support can be offered.  Both protectionism and patriotism will not be able to stimulate economy in the long run. 

Speaking of competition, let us take international student as an example. The conservative may have a couple of reasons to defend that the strength of international student simply means the weakness of local people. However, a fair go given in the competition will only stimulate everyone’s potential, not the opposite. No matter how hard the situation is, it will always be a life that all of us need to live for potential. 

So, firstly, if the cake is too small, get more people to make a bigger cake.  Given the higher education and life experience, or perhaps plus previous working experience, international student is supposed to be the asset of any country which aims at building knowledge-based society. Unlike those entrepreneurs in the industrialized world, today’s students graduate with certain skills which could be suitable for establishing own business starting from a relative low cost. They might not be the ideal candidates for medium or large size company; however, with certain preparation they can have their own business. An entrepreneurship-oriented government is expected to support them by issuing them temporary visa for creating their own business. A positive vision would be that they will be able to contribute to the GDP of the country they are currently studying and living…

Secondly, if no fresh idea rooted in a city, the city will always be stuffy. Ancestor’s creativity had been best demonstrated in relation to heritage and traditional culture, but if going along this track, people will naturally think in quite similar way. The Zeitgeist requires the development which includes the metabolism of ideas, concepts and different perspective. These are sitting in the very core of the creative impulse and a city with tolerant and open attitude will reinforce such creative impulse. 

Transforming a bureaucratic society into a vivid school, not the opposite…

We are very easy to be bureaucratic rather than to be creative as long as no sufficient stimulation offered. That is not the fault of any individual yet the only thing we can blame is the system, the system of our office, city or even our country. Not too long ago, American is well known for its culture of “melting pot”, even in the period of austerity today, we can still hear from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who emphasizes the relations between the vitality of economy and the opening immigration policy. 

As human being living on the earth, we are lucky to see that so many countries are selling their dreams nowadays; we have American dream, Chinese dream, Australian dream, etc. Whatever the dream is all about, we assume it must be supported by a strong and sustainable economy, at least by a strong confidence. 

After reading the complicated Australian policy about student visa, one can’t help to imagine what if the government hires a group of venture capitalists to evaluate international student’s business plan rather than a group of policy makers to turn away the graduate, who might be the tycoon in the future in the land of Australia?

Australia is not the only country to promote its education to people from emerging economy. But if the credits of an architectural undergraduate from most of Australian Universities could not be recognized by American Universities, what would be the applicant’s choice for their long term study plan if they want to further study in North America?  In a transparent and open global society, competition will be fiercer than ever in every field.

Also, does the current booming of education industry affect the society in positive way in the long run? A money-oriented university could be also a giant bureaucratic organization. Schooling is just a pathway to a career whatever we will be hired or be self-employed or even hire someone else. It is definitely not the only way to develop oneself considering there are so many options such as self-teaching, online study, etc. If the policy makers are dedicated to build up a society as an open learning environment, encouraging people to be self-motivated, there will be more opportunities created.

With so many young accounting overseas students unemployed but probably holding a PR, one may query if the economic backbone of Australia is selling PR in addition to selling iron ore and degrees? But the imagination and the ambition of a country is supposed to be far beyond that, the new challenge for a government would be how to adopt a more open policy to turn overseas graduates into local entrepreneurs who can create wealth for the whole society in which the only unlimited resources are just human being. 

(END)

Reference:
Mr. Bloomberg: U.S. immigration policy is national suicide.