“You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be” – Deuteronomy 15:8 Each country in the world strives for sustainable development. One element of sustainable development is sustainable economic growth. Sustainable economic growth in any given country can only take place, one successful enterprise after another. Each …
“Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good” – Genesis 50:20 On my return from my first focused visit to Singapore in 1993, I wrote an article to the press entitled “Barbados the Singapore of the Caribbean”. This interest signalled the advent of a hobby to develop an innovative …
“Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path” – Psalm 27:11 The Brundtland Commission’s report (1987) defined sustainable development as: “Development which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The principles of sustainable development are not only associated with …
“My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance” – James 1:2-3 “Patience is a Virtue” is a proverbial phrase that has withstood the test of time. Difficult times in one’s life might be induced by economic …
“This is my comfort in my distress, that your promise gives me life” – Psalm 119:50 We all have moments of distress but God’s ever present love should be our greatest comfort. This was manifested this week by a scenario which occurred at a bank. I have a relationship with the tellers at this bank …
So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas,a]”> and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ Luke 19:13 I met a Caribbean colleague for the first time at Compete Caribbean’s strategic regional dialogue on private sector development in the Caribbean and the Compete Caribbean regional consultative forum two weeks ago. …
“Peace be within you” – Psalm 122:8 One way to establish peace and harmony both within ourselves and in the world is to create smart partnerships. A partnership is entered into because of the synergy which one expects to gain from the relationship. The twain or many shall become one and the benefits are expected …
“Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation” – Psalm 25:5 The Caribbean Centre for Organizational Excellence (CCOE) presented their inaugural Conference in Barbados on March 12, 2013. This year’s conference, hosted under the theme “Achieving Excellence in Caribbean Organizations”, examined how organisational excellence contributes to organisational …
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” – John 8:12 As the light of life falls on our children, shadows are cast. It is in the comfort of these shadows that parents reflect on their stewardship as parents. A …
“With us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles” – 2 Chronicles 32:8 Let us borrow from the concept of “persistency” usually associated with an insurance company. “Persistency is the percentage of the company’s already written policies remaining in force, without lapsing, year after year. Since persistency is a …
“You will be protected and take your rest in safety”– Job 11:18 With the aftermath of the general elections and looking to the future, the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants (CICMC) – Barbados Chapter will be hosting its inaugural, fund raising lecture and panel discussion under the theme “Strategies for accelerating growth in the …
“Love one another deeply from the heart” – 1 Peter 1:22 It is my belief that we human beings, especially those who have passed “middle age”, often reflect on the purpose of life and become concerned about our rating if we were to be objectively assessed by the Supreme Being regarding our stewardship here on …
“David said to the Philistine, You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” – 1 Samuel 17:45 The government and opposition parliamentary representatives have been elected. The Prime Minister has now selected government senators and announced his cabinet members to …
“My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely” – Job 33:3 The Barbados election is now over. Congratulations to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart on leading the DLP to victory. Through his calm, cool, patient and affable personality and brilliant intellect he has confounded the critics and analysts. …
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” – Psalm 32:8 Last week we introduced the combination of spiritual awareness and logical reasoning in the context of relative right- and left-brain strengths; this week we shall seamlessly review the power of the …
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me … Where can I go from your spirit?” – Psalm 139:1, 7 When my next column is published (D.V.) on Monday Feb 25th, whichever party wins the general election called for Thu 21 Feb, the Barbados Prime Minister will probably have chosen, if not announced, his …
“Let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever” – Psalm 40:11 On February 21st in Barbados we shall elect 30 members, primarily from the two major political parties, to the House of Assembly which is the third oldest Parliament in the Commonwealth. The members of the House should work together to govern …
“Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 18:3 Helen and I have just completed the first week in our lives without the living reality of our mother Rita. This heralds a change in our lives. We have confidence in our capacity to show our resilience …
“Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.” – 1 Samuel 25:6 I was in the throes of writing my weekly column on Saturday grappling with a “Strictly Business” topic, around the issue of innovation policy as a driver for sustainable business growth, when I …
He will wipe every tear from their eyes … for the first things have passed away. … See, I am making all things new.—Revelation 21:4, 5 Today, this country celebrates “Errol Barrow” day in Barbados. It is the anniversary birth date of one of its most illustrious sons, National Hero the Right Excellent Errol Walton …
“Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace” – Proverbs 3:17 The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has a stated role to influence the social, economic and business environment of Barbados in order to create sustainable economic progress and quality of life for all residents of this island. It …
“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” – Isaiah 43:19 We have just concluded the end of calendar year 2012 and many of us have transitioned seamlessly into 2013. Last week we discussed taking action in 2013 and recognised the richness of the resource of …
“Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me” – Psalm 139:4-5 Christmastide is a joyous occasion and opportunities for social interaction abound. As this season ends we are thrust seamlessly into thoughts of the New Year. …
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed” – Jeremiah 17:14 Traditionally, the twelve days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide which is the season of the celebration of the birth of Christ; it is the season which feeds on the spirit …
“With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skilful hand” – Psalm 78:72 The new book “SUPER BRAIN – Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-Being” authored by Deepak Chopra and Rudolph E. Tanzi was recently reviewed by Kirkus Reviews , an American book review magazine …
“The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord, searching every innermost part” – Proverbs 20:27” We have been lurking in the dark in the quest for sustainable economic growth in the emerging small state economies in the Caribbean. We recognise that economic growth can only take place one successful enterprise after another. We have …
“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” – Psalm 32:8 The phrase “Clarity of Vision” would normally be used metaphorically, rather than as a description of a person whose eyes are working well. To have clarity of vision is to understand …
“The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head”- Mark 4:28 The Daily Word website reminds us that Divine Order underlies creation in all its forms. When the seed is planted, we imagine the harvest to come. Then, as we gather the harvest, we remember the …
“I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing” – Ezekiel 34:26 Last Tuesday, The University of the West Indies (St Augustine, Trinidad) hosted a Distinguished Lecture by leading UK entrepreneur and business guru Alex Pratt, titled “Innovation and Enterprise in a Small Island Developing Economy”. He began the …
“You shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers” – Jeremiah 31:4 There has been much discussion this week about the IMF’s advice to Barbados and other small economies, which includes the devaluation of its currency, and reports that the Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. DeLisle Worrell, …
“Those who are wise understand these things; those who are discerning know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them” – Hosea 14:9 The Mission of the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) is “To work in partnership with government towards the development of the international business sector in …
“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart” – Psalm 86:12 In the United States there are 19 special annual occasions only ten of which are Federal holidays. Last Thursday was a Federal holiday “Thanksgiving Day” when families and friends gather to give thanks for the year’s blessings. In many …
“So we can say with confidence: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” – Hebrews 13:6 Last week there was a vibrant email exchange on the subject “Immigrant entrepreneurs: The Chilecon Valley challenge” an article in The Economist magazine drawn to our attention by Peter Boos. …
“As a spiritual being, I draw upon divine strength to do all I need to do, to be all I can be, to achieve my heart’s desires. What an inspiring truth! The joy of the Lord is your strength” – Nehemiah 8:10 First of all let me congratulate Darren Sammy and his team for bringing …
“God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me” -Genesis 21:6 As I was practising my early morning Internet surfing routine, I came across a blog by Kelly. The caption was “Laughter, Strength and Food – the Philosophy for a Good Life”. Then there were other quotes with which I empathised: …
“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets… For there is still a vision for the appointed time” – Habakkuk 2:2,3 The phrase “taking stock of the future” conjures up in my mind visions of “sustainable development”. As we are often reminded the term sustainable development was used by the Brundtland Commission which coined what …
“When the grass is gone, and new growth appears… there will be enough” – Proverbs 27:25, 27 In any country, sustainable economic development and growth must be driven by the productive sectors. Within each productive sector the growth is induced by one successful enterprise after another. This can only happen if we embrace change and …
“Have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” – 1 Peter 3:8 My first recollection of the concept of Harmony was as a teenager at music lessons. Harmony was detectable for me more in the breach than in the observance (Shakespeare) but I soon learned that Harmony …
“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honour.” – Psalm 73:24 Fourteen years ago I was given a mandate as a consultant at the Caribbean Development Bank to establish an initiative to diversify the economies in the Caribbean by developing what are now called ‘sunrise’ enterprises to replace the …
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts” – Zechariah 4:6 Again, I have occasion to quote the opening stanza of the song “The Greatest Love of All” written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed, originally recorded by George Benson and later popularised by the late Whitney Houston: …
These are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold – Mark 4:20 In the world of enterprise development and in life generally we are perpetually reminded that the one thing constant in life is change. Sometimes we need to …
Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light – Luke 11:34 Flashing back to the 1950s, I recall the chorus of a very popular song of the time: “Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be. The future’s not ours, to see; Que …
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” – Mark 11:24 Emergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organisational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organisation from hazard risks that can …
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!” – Psalm 108:1 My immediate family, with twin grandchildren much to their grandmother’s delight, and some extended family, assembled in Barbados for a week in July. Missing was my sister Helen who was at home in …
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” – Galatians 6:9 In the Wall Street Journal of July 25 2012, a political diary opinion was expressed by James Freeman entitled “Mitt Romney: World’s Greatest Investor?” Freeman compared Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital with Warren …
Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.”—Mark 9:23 Every country in the world is interested in the growth of its economy which is necessary for sustainable development. It is not sufficient, however, because there are also spiritual, physical, cultural and social factors that are very …
“Jesus said to him: If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes” – Mark 9:23 The month of July always heralds the advent of two personal anniversaries first the anniversary of my birth in 1941and the anniversary of the advent of this weekly column in 1993. It also heralds …
“Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love” – 1 Corinthians 13:13 The Malaysian Government introduced a policy labelled “Malaysia Incorporated” in 1981 when Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister. Malaysia Incorporated is about managing the country as an entity in which there is a willingness …
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; …For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again”—Luke 6:38 Last week we developed the theme generosity and entrepreneurship and concluded that “We need more investors to be involved in the venture capital investment process. Initially, the investor will see …
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again”—Luke 6:38 We human beings are blessed with many divine powers of spiritual strength including the …
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may discern what is the will of God” – Romans 12:2 I was trained in Mathematics, Statistical Science and then Operational Research (OR) (or Operations Research), depending on which side of the Atlantic you were trained. …
“Serve the Lord with a zealous spirit; let the Spirit excite you as you serve the Lord”- Romans 12:11 Last Wednesday, at the one-day National Consultation on “Repositioning the Agricultural Sector”, “enthusiasm” was the name of the game. The Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Dr. the Hon. David Estwick, before a …