Technology and ethics: in search of a vision

An attempt to discern through the research where we need to head in a technology-dominated future and what role does ethics have in guiding this future?

MNCs and developing countries

Multinational corporations (MNCs) play perhaps the most significant role in the global economy. Similarly, their positive and negative impact on developing nations can be considerable and dominating. There are examples of nations that have been major beneficiaries of MNC involvement in their economies such that they have been lifted from the status of developing country to developed nation. Yet, there are many more countries where this economic uplift has been evasive. The musings explored here take a negative view of MNCs, although given Neral’s more recent adventures over the past decade it is in need of revision with a more balanced perspective applied.

Hypothesis on why some nations should not have WMD

Many of today’s powerful nations have been through enough strife to know the pain conflict inflicts upon their own people, let alone the enemy. Yet, this does not stop them from waging war. But with WMD technologies no longer the domain of rich nations, what does this mean for future war?

Education's role in creating geography

Here, I'm contesting that education is responsible for the creation of the human geography we encounter and interact with daily from a critical viewpoint. Join this with the political motivation for requiring education of a nation's citizens and we start to think...what really is the outcome and is it desirable?

Unity and Diversity in the Third World

A possibly idealistic attempt to understand the challenges of creating economic prosperity in the third world (now that term seems a bit off now!) focusing on the East African littoral countries. The argument follows the thought that Western-style development was not an appropriate model. However, since writing this in 1997 (but stemming from an interest in the region that went back to 1995) it is notable that not a great deal of progress has happened. Indeed, old cycles seem to re-emerge and some countries civil societies have caved in despite a more enlightened ‘Western’ development model.

Saudi Stability: Origins, Factors and Impact

A reasonable attempt to discern from the literature the factors at play in the future stability of Saudi Arabia. Written in 1997, but given the intervening decade and a bit I wonder how much of it still rings true today?

Consumer rant

Just a rant on how consumers get totally ripped off or 'owned' by modern marketing practices.

The Sustainability Advantage: Corporate Environmental Strategy and Responses

When I originally authored this piece in 1998, I was concerned that businesses (particularly multinationals) were not taking the environment, and for that matter sustainability, seriously. So I contacted and surveyed a number of firms to see where business was at. I ended up being somewhat satisfied that at least some large businesses were starting to get on the right track. But if undertook a similar comparison today, given the years that have passed and my little bit of experience in international business, I think I would come to a similar conclusion—big business does try to do the right thing, albeit for a range of reasons and not just to be altruistic or a good corporate citizen. And while I don’t think business has moved in leaps and bounds over the past decade or so, the gradual generational change that can help to push business towards a more socially relevant (and acceptable) operational platform is happening. It’s nice, that in a very small way, I'm also helping this push. 

Making ‘environmental concern’ good for business

During the course of my analysis of firm's responses to sustainability above, I used a document produced by Philip Morris to do a deeper analysis of what they were communicating. Of course if I had time I’d compare Philip Morris then with now to see if anything has changed!

Eco-labels: a way forward

This is a brief overview of what I concluded would be good for government and industry to do in terms of using/promoting eco-labelling. It is based on a range of research I conducted in the late 1990s that culminated in a thesis on the issue. As per usual, if I only had the time these days to revisit and renew this research then maybe we'd be in for an interesting conclusion!

Energy Sources in the Indian Ocean Rim

Energy sources across the Indian Ocean Rim are distributed in various quantities and are concentrated in various nations. Pressure on conventional energy sources to fuel industrial growth and modernisation are in finite supply and as such provide an unsustainable source of energy. Likewise, many traditional energy sources in less developed countries are coming under increasing pressure, threatening their sustainability. Advanced energy sources may provide some salvation, but have significant problems in terms of the environment and security. Alternative renewable sources will be the salvation of energy shortages in other areas, however, the development of such means has so far been limited to small scale and intermittent applications. If such sources are to be used in the future, as they will need to be, appropriate technology transfer will need to be engaged upon with a regional focus if energy insecurity issues are to be prevented in the future.

Warp formula?

For some obscure reason, we made this on an old Sun system, using heaps of computing power. It looked cool (at the time), using warp formula z=n-re or something. Go to hyperdrive, warp or whatever!