A rant about the semantics and meaning

A little different today, but bear with me as I climb on to my soapbox to rant about Digital Transformation. 😉

Upfront, I apologise, I’m sorry.

On to the update/rant.

The phrase Digital Transformation, and why it is misused

I understand the lure; honestly, I do. It’s a snappy phrase and something that evokes moving forward and resolving problems, but boy do I dislike the phrase Digital Transformation! Odd indeed for a consultant that has created a business solely to help companies with their Digital Transformations!

Orange, Canal+ and Netflix going toe to toe

Sometimes these newsletters virtually write themselves. Other times it’s a struggle because the topic is so big or so complicated that I can only hope to scratch at the surface, doing a poor job at that.

I’ll let you guess which type this one is 😢

On to the update.

China, Venezuela and The Cloud

With the recent kerfuffle between China and the NBA, China and the Trump administration and then Apple (or more precisely the App Store and China), I thought it would be interesting to analyse a little of what is happening and how companies are starting to do rewind years of work entering China.

WeWork’s gaff and the opportunity for LinkedIn

Just released: I was a honoured to be a guest on Kadia Francis’ podcast, The Digital Jamaica Podcast. You can get more details on Kadia’s blog here.

Digitalising meetings and conferences is something that is becoming evermore useful for businesses and individuals alike, I explore a couple of examples here.

Libra ite domum

I recently attended the OECS’s Virtual Island Summit. I’m currently ploughing my way through the sessions and will be writing about that in the short term. There were a lot of fascinating presentations over the few days, and much is of direct use to us in the Caribbean.

On to the update.

Buses, Data and the Value of Data

The 1st of October witnessed the introduction of a structured and timetabled bus service in the north of the Island of Martinique. The project had been long discussed but had had plenty of difficulties along the way due to structural and operational challenges - read, people!

Why we’re unlikely to see it in the Caribbean anytime soon

I’ve had a bit of eye strain recently, and decided to rest my eyes a little which is why this email comes out only now. Appointment with eye doctor duly booked!

On to the article.

As the victim of a pretty violent road traffic accident earlier this year — one that could easily have killed us — I am very attentive to road security and the way that technology improves it. The world of autonomous vehicles fits squarely with that and the theme of this newsletter: digital technologies and their impact on lives and business.

What is a Digital-Native Company and Netflix & Canal+ Follow-up

In a rare and record-breaking event, Hurricane Lorenzo is the first Hurricane in recorded history to be as strong at such a Northern Latitude. Threatening parts of Ireland, the UK and possibly even mainland Europe, Lorenzo is not likely to remain a hurricane, but it is to bring much disruption to those areas in the next few days. Think The Great Storm of 1987. Stay safe.

For now at least.

Calm, hot, humid days here in the Caribbean. The air seems to have been sucked-out by the recent storms.

Continuing the woes of old-world companies fighting the Goliath of the Internet, I look at the Canal+ ❤️ Netflix bromance and the competition not far behind.

Enjoy this one.

Canal+ bundles Netflix

In a surprise move and not widely reported, Netflix and Canal+ have signed a deal to allow Canal+ to distribute Netflix content through their TV subscription package for an additional cost. I’ll come back to pricing further down.

Disruption Theory is not just theory

The Atlantic Hurricane Season is in full swing, with the African tropical wave generator running at full power firing off potential hurricane storms every couple of days. Stay vigilant and stay informed.

Today, a tale of missed opportunity through short-sightedness and a story of a late starter on the digital journey which is most likely too little too late.

Read on.

Thomas Cook and the impact of not transforming

Climate Change and Digital Transformation

Good afternoon,

I was about to continue the series on the Digital Transformation methodology for change in organisations, but developments in the France-Antilles situation and the hurricane season led me on a different path. I’ll come back to the methodology in a new email.

On to the update.

Follow-up: France-Antilles

A third proposition has surfaced in the last couple of days to take over the failing old-media organisation, as reported by RCI. The proposal is apparently unpopular as it appears to implement radical reductions in labour costs by reducing staff numbers from around 270 to just 40. The Unions are, understandably, unhappy, and there is a strong chance nothing will come from this offer that is trying to stem 400K€ per month in extra debt. The other option is complete failure with a loss of 270 jobs and, more importantly, the loss of the only daily newspaper in the French West Indies.

Don’t bet against the Smartphone

You may have noticed that a couple of things have changed since I started this newsletter in early February. I’m very happy with the way it is progressing. I have kept my promise to provide some news, opinion and help on the subject of digitalisation. 

Firstly, I’ve increased the cadence and I am now writing around two times a week rather than once, with a slightly changed format. I’ve removed the Reading List as it didn’t really bring any value-add to the content, and the newsletter is slightly shorter, with more words per week.