Mauritius and its future: revitalising its position in the global world

In this changing world, Mauritius must be vigilant, resilient, flexible and be able to adapt to the business world of today but more so in tuning with the emerging world of tomorrow. It is imperative that we position Mauritius rightly in the global world. As such, we need to revisit the concept of “Made in Mauritius” or the “Mauritius Brand”. It is an instance of positioning the Mauritius package as a holistic undertaking beyond the product or service on offer.

In the business world, we use the adage “Think Local and Act Global”, but I think that we should now use the slogan “Think and Act Global”. Therefore, it is more in line to “think laterally, holistically and act in an integrated manner”. We are truly part of one global world. Our success should occur irrespective of the size of the country or its physical location.

What is true and workable today may be out of tune tomorrow. Indeed, today we foster the way that we will live out tomorrow: we belong to the future. One example is Intel who employs “Futurist” who looks at the world in the next 15 years at least. This is to focus on what to come rather than meet and drive customer expectations. The way ahead is to take the calculated risk. There are failures and successes in the process, but then we adjust continuously.

We must also learn from the world, such as Japan, China, India, Korea, etc. Culture and traditions are an important element. The Japanese used to say: “We take the best of the world and make it our own”.

In defining the imperatives, below is a summary of the essentials as relevant to a paradigm shift.

1.We are in a global world, we must be part of it, find the best/optimal mix and our rightful place.

2.The concept of supply chain management (SCM) is where we streamline, minimise wastages, improve efficiencies along the chain both inside and outside. Now it is more an integrated/holistic approach that encompasses the concept of value chain. Given the reality of the global world, we enter the phase of “Global value chain”. Certainly the concept of Made in Mauritius is the past. It is the universal Mauritius Brand that should take the lead.

3.Technology and communication with social media have reshaped the world big time, the disparity of the big business and small business is meaningless. A small florist in Mauritius may link with a counterpart in another country, and deliver flowers locally from that foreign base. This puts us in good position and where size does not really matter anymore.

4.It may well be about ideas as the key and how we foster our thinking into action. This is how the like of Facebook, Google have revolutionised the world, and we can now transact business using the Facebook platform for instance. In this instance, education, training,
and critical thinking, creative problems solving, relationship, technology verse, etc. should prompt to rethink on our undertaking/approach to our education/training scheme in creating a learning environment that empo-wers people rather than the traditional directive teaching scheme.

5.The next phase of Mauritius is the service sector and a revised manufacturing structure more in alignment with the imperatives of the global world, i.e. beyond the manufacturing era. And this is where we can excel in the global given our diversity and ability to speak more than one language. To align with point 1 and 4 above, we may like to encourage our children to learn other languages such as Mandarin so that we can transact with China, for instance.

6.The imperative of the global enterprise supersedes the national phase by far, and seemingly it is about the transnational, and also to recognise the importance and opportunities that lie in the renationalisation of our activities within the global world. We can seek multiple opportunities on the African continent, and maybe the concept of Mauritius as a “Service Hub” of the region to tap into the global world/business in which change is the major constant.

7. Therefore, we need the flexibility to think, to adapt and to put things together in an integrated and holistic manner with value chain/lean sigma concept (the logistics). It is for us to recognise that “Good people make good business”. The people dimension is the key success factor and also the most important anchor is leadership as the leverage of the whole.

This is a challenging time and an exciting world to live in. I wish that Mauritius is a valuable part of this world in a meaningful manner in
finding the right and best fit.