ADEREMI'S NOTEBOOK

Tubetrack (0)

I found this handy utility called Tubetrack which “sits on your desktop, periodically updating its dot matrix indicator display with the next set of trains due to arrive or depart via the following services London Tube ETA (currently just the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines), London DLR, UK National Rail and Dublin DART . [via London Underground’s comments]

Home sweet Home (0)

Some of my best moments growing up were also the years I spent in boarding house during my secondary school days at FGGC, Abuloma, Port Harcourt. Boarding school was a life changing experience and the friends I had there will always be in my heart.

I also spent some time studying at the Federal University of Tech Owerri. The community life on Campus was very refreshing. We had Christian fellowships, common rooms for relaxation, bukas (food joints) and there were so many activities going on campus.

I thought it would be the same atmosphere when I got to England but I was in for a rude awakening. I had to fill up my emotional vacuum by keeping in touch with friends back home and reading letters from my family over and over again.

Source

I thought I was the only who did such things when I first came to England (reading letters from my friends over and over again to keep me going).

Outsourcing Skilled Work (0)

An article on outsourcing from The Times stated:

Up to 15,000 well-paid City jobs could be lost to India over the next five years, according to research that gives warning of a willingness by firms to outsource complex roles to low-cost economies. The displacement of between 10,000 and 15,000 financial services jobs by the end of the decade would add to the flood of low-skill call centre and back office administration jobs that have already been shifted abroad.

If all the jobs eventually go to India (any low-cost economy), UK will begin to have an increased unemployment rate - this in turn will mean that there is less money in the system for financial institution to manage as more people will barely have enough to survive, talk less of investing. This is slightly extreme as most City firms will have a good spread of business around the world and may not experience this.

I think it is more interesting to think about the implication for the low-cost economy (ies). The theory of supply and demand suggests that in the long run, as the demand for skilled workers increases, their pay demands (including benefits) will also rise and after a period it is possible that this will match the expected salary level of a UK/US-based financial analyst.

The reason for this is that as all this job transfer/outsourcing occurs, these low-cost economies will develop further and government (well, politicians) will try to gain supporters by offering incentives such introducing increased pension benefits, minimum pay, and special insurance to ensure healthcare is available etc. This will be achieved through taxes or passing a bill enforcing certain employment laws.

I can go a step further and say “the company will move such jobs to other low-cost economies when the associated cost saving disappears” - I am not sure this will be economical. Is outsourcing here to stay?

The Innovator’s Dilemma (0)

I did the Innovation Managment elective this year which I am finding slightly difficult to revise for as I approach my finals. Nevertheless it seems there is a great wealth of resource on the topic online. One particular area/concept that intrigues me is “The Innovator’s Dilemma” which was coined by Clayton M. Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School when he wrote his first national bestseller (The Innovator’s Dilemma, When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, 1997).

The book is about the failure of well-managed companies to maintain their positions as market leaders in their industries when they are confronted with certain types of market and technological changes (particularly radical or disruptive technologies). He concluded that “managing better, working harder, and avoiding dumb mistakes” was the reason why well-managed (established) companies have the consistent ability to sustain technological innovations, as you would expect. The same reason explained their inability to cope with disruptive technologies. (disclaimer: I have not read it). The first chapter of the book can be found online at Business week.

You might also find the links below interesting:
1. Capturing the Upside and The Innovation Economy: How Technology Is Transforming Existing Industries and Creating New Ones by Clayton M. Christensen.
2. The Innovator’s Dilemma and the Future of Silicon Valley by Junfu Zhang.
3. Interestingly Albert Tanutama has some thought on why he thinks blogging is a disruptive technology. Worth checking out.

— Timbuktu Chronicles by Emeka Okafor; a view of Africa and Africans with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and technology #

— Jonathan J. Harris’ 10×10; 100 words and pictures that define the Time #

Owners of Nigeria (2)

As I tried to catch up on the state of affairs in the blog world, I across Seyi Oduyela’s blog. From what I gathered, he is a journalist based in Washington D.C who once worked at Nigeriaworld. Seyi complied a report titled “Owners of Nigeria” (10 part series) which can be read online at Africananews. It is interesting in that he tries to explain the various political links from 1980 to the present day. One of the articles which focused on Atiku attracted a long response from Atiku’s spokesperson, Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo.

I am alive (0)

The last couple of months has been exciting for various reasons. I practically lived in here for the last 12weeks. I got on this program and will be working here for the summer. I have been busy building up this society alongside a couple of talented individuals to become one of the biggest societies at Imperial College (I think we did). I also built the site sometime last year in case you were wondering.

Also Imperial College has a new homepage design.

Happy Easter!

— Warwick Blogs; How cool is that! I wish Imperial College would do the same. #