ECOmmerce: Leveraging Electronic Commerce for Global Ecological Benefit
What Are You Carrying In Your Briefcase?
The feature article in the Technology section of the Wall Street Journal – www.wsj.com - dated Monday, October 27, 2008, pointed to a growing trend in mobile commerce. The focus of the article was, “Why It May Be Time To - Leave the Laptop Behind." Since many of us have been shouldering or rolling one of these five pounds devices around for many years now, it is a welcome evolution in the technology. So, with the emerging functionality and usability, smart phones are beginning to replace laptops for mobile workers much as laptops replaced desktop computers.
What Is Hype and What Is Real?
Let us start with a definition of what is a smart phone, and then look at a few numbers to get us grounded in where people and companies are putting their money. Basically, smart phones are the next generation of the cell phones that many folks use today. These new, sophisticated wireless devices offer increased portability, have Internet functions including e-mail, and operate on new wireless 3G networks that offer faster Internet connections. Now, what about the actual migration to the new smart phones? Following is a limited set of data on the number of units shipped (in millions) on a global basis over the past three years:
Year Smart Phones Laptop Computers
2006 ~ 80M ~ 78M
2007 ~ 120M ~ 100M
2008 ~ 160M ~ 135M
One can quickly see a growing trend in wanting to travel light while still being able to conduct business and communicate as needed using wireless technology.
Who Is Producing These Products and Applications?
A few of the companies and products in this space are: Apple, Inc.’s iPhone, Research In Motion Ltd.’s Blackberry, and Palm, Inc. who pioneered the market with Treo. One of the innovations that helped accelerate the smart phone market is “software as a service.” This service allows smart phone users to access software via the Internet using a smart phone interface. A couple of companies with good application success in this arena are Netsuite and Salesforce.com, Inc. These companies store sensitive business information, such as, inventory and accounting data and make it accessible over the Internet.
So, Is This The End Of the Laptop?
This is the beginning of a trend, not the end of the laptop. Although smart phones are making inroads into the mobile market, all is not lost for laptops. For example, PowerPoint presentations for client meetings are still best delivered via a laptop, smart phone keyboards are not easy for all to use, and data on spreadsheets can easily be misread on those small screens. Yes, definitely a trend and, yes, definitely a merging of the medium is in progress. Laptops are getting smaller and smart phone are getting larger. Get connected and stay tuned.
Going Forward
Once again, I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4w
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
ECOmmerce
ECOmmerce: Leveraging Electronic Commerce for Global Ecological Benefit
Archaeology via Google Earth
Yet another very interesting article in The Economist, dated September 6th – 12th, 2008 - Technology Quarterly section on page eighteen: Armchair Archaeology. This article illustrates another example of how the fusion of e-commerce and the environment – speaking in broad terms - can come together in unique ways. The article describes how archaeology is benefiting from the use of Google Earth http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl to further archaeological research in remote and, some times, very dangerous parts of the world. The Economist can be found online at http://www.economist.com/.
Although archaeologists have used satellite imagery for decades, the technology was out of reach for most researchers due to prohibitive cost and the need for highly specialized skill to working with raw satellite images. Now, fast forward to today’s use of free satellite imagery from Google Earth and imagine – no pun intended - the potential. A digital door has been thrown wide open to explore sites by amateur armchair archaeologists, archaeological expeditions previously restricted due to war torn areas, and archaeologists wanting to reduce planning time and costs for the preparation of future field work.
What Is Already Underway?
A planned Afghanistan survey near the Minaret of JAM had to be abandoned due to continuing conflict in the region. Although initially thwarted, David Thomas, a graduate student at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and the project team called Archaeological Sites of Afghanistan in Google Earth (ASAGE) decided to use computer mice, rather than shovels and trowels to do the work. This was a wise choice if the project team wanted to complete work any time soon. Listen to what Mr. Thomas had to say: “Realistically it is not possible for a Western field archaeologist to work in that area, and I can’t imagine it will be for the next 20 years.” Thanks to Google Earth the ASAGE project team did not have to wait for 20 years to begin their work. This approach offers a way to immediately move forward with their work, provides a safe environment to conduct their study, and significantly reduces costs.
Here is somewhat of an aside to the main message of this article, yet well worth your precious time. Imagines of Afghan archaeological sites can be viewed at
http://images.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi. Enjoy!
But, Does This Really Work?
So, without boots on the ground – as they say – does this type of archaeological work really work? Mr. Thomas’s team, at the World Archaeological Congress in Dublin last July, produced detailed plan of the surrounding sites that revealed the positions of residences, canals, and walled gardens. The bottom-line of this work is that the project team hopes to hand off their work to Afghan archaeologists to enable them to protect some of the sites. Indeed, this is a nice achievement for the team, especially considering their high in the sky work.
Here is one last perspective. This perspective is offered by Dr. Ur, an anthropologist at Harvard University, on using Google Earth in his investigation of Tell Brak, a site in north-east Syria. He states it this way, “If you were to press your nose against an Impressionist painting, you would see color and maybe elements of form, but it’s not until you pull back that these would turn into a bridge or water lilies.
Going Forward
Once again, I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4w
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
ECOmmerce
ECOmmerce: Leveraging Electronic Commerce for Global Ecological Benefit
Crowdsourcing: Some Background
A very interesting article in, The Economist, dated September 6th – 12th, 2008 - Technology Quarterly section on pages ten and eleven - provides a historical perspective and current background on crowdsourcing, how it is being used, and what seems to work and not work. The Economist can be found online at http://www.economist.com/.
First, let us take a look at where the term – crowdsourcing – originated. Jeff Howe, coined the term of crowdsourcing in an article in Wired in 2006, he defined it as “the act of taking the job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.” Now, let us get a bit of historical perspective on an early application of this approach. The Brits were at it early, in 1714 the British government established the Longitude prize - a cash prize - for a simple and practical way to determine the position of ships at sea. Instead of funding a single research scientist to solve the problem, it essentially outsourced the job to the public. Britain was definitely waaay ahead of its time.
Fast Forward: How Is Crowdsourcing Being Used In The Age of the Internet?
With the power of the Internet, crowdsourcing can be a cheap and easy approach to explore all sorts of unexpected areas. For starters, probably the best-known example out there is Wikipedia. As most everyone knows, at least those reading this blog, Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written and edited by users and is purported to have 80% quality of content. Another interesting example is how the Library of Congress asked users of Flickr, a popular photo-sharing site, to identify unknown people in its old photo collections. A final example shows the power of crowdsourcing and the exposure that can be brought to bear in unexpected ways. “Wanted for War Crimes,” a website put together by Aegis Trust, an anti-genocide campaign group, lets users report sightings of war criminals implicated in the Darfur conflict and mark them on Google Maps.
How about uses for commercial application? A survey of marketing bosses conducted by the Marketing Executives Networking Group found that 62% have used crowdsourcing in some source. Makes good sense, asking the public for ideas is much cheaper than hiring consultants or doing market research. In addition, churches and governments are using this approach to stay connected with members as a way of showing that they are listening and gaining their involvement in current issues.
Wow, Is There No End to the Use of Crowdsourcing?
With the power and potential highlighted in the examples described in this blog, is there no end to the use of crowdsourcing? Well, not so fast, limitations are beginning to surface as the idea spreads. Companies that have sought to use this approach for product design are now beginning to be concerned about copyright infringement and ideas that might have been stolen from elsewhere. Sounds like cost reduction and creativity might not be as easy as it appears on the surface. Also, crowdsourcing seems to work best for volunteer efforts. People do not seem willing to contribute their volunteer effort for someone else’s profit. Hence, Wikipedia’s non-profit organization may be a key to its success.
Let the Mind Wander
This story is from the Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/09/1194329456167.html. This effort and story began when Amazon.com made available its Amazon Mechanical Turks site for investigating high resolution photographs to help in the search for the adventurer, Steve Fossett. This experimental online investigation covered 44,000 kilometers where the search had been taking place on the ground. During a two month period this site drew 50,000 volunteers from around the world that pored over photos to help aide in the recovery effort. Best efforts not withstanding, the online search proved fruitless and Amazon abruptly ended the exercise with little notice and only brief commentary.
Although this experiment did not provide the hoped for results, it clearly highlights the potential of how similar efforts might be conducted in the future. Let the mind wander and think of how crowdsourcing might be used in the future to serve the environment. One can readily think of supporting aid to areas struck by natural disaster, investigating cases of callous environmental degradation, and of applying ideas from around the globe to develop solutions and foster community.
Going Forward
Once again, I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4w
Crowdsourcing: Some Background
A very interesting article in, The Economist, dated September 6th – 12th, 2008 - Technology Quarterly section on pages ten and eleven - provides a historical perspective and current background on crowdsourcing, how it is being used, and what seems to work and not work. The Economist can be found online at http://www.economist.com/.
First, let us take a look at where the term – crowdsourcing – originated. Jeff Howe, coined the term of crowdsourcing in an article in Wired in 2006, he defined it as “the act of taking the job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.” Now, let us get a bit of historical perspective on an early application of this approach. The Brits were at it early, in 1714 the British government established the Longitude prize - a cash prize - for a simple and practical way to determine the position of ships at sea. Instead of funding a single research scientist to solve the problem, it essentially outsourced the job to the public. Britain was definitely waaay ahead of its time.
Fast Forward: How Is Crowdsourcing Being Used In The Age of the Internet?
With the power of the Internet, crowdsourcing can be a cheap and easy approach to explore all sorts of unexpected areas. For starters, probably the best-known example out there is Wikipedia. As most everyone knows, at least those reading this blog, Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written and edited by users and is purported to have 80% quality of content. Another interesting example is how the Library of Congress asked users of Flickr, a popular photo-sharing site, to identify unknown people in its old photo collections. A final example shows the power of crowdsourcing and the exposure that can be brought to bear in unexpected ways. “Wanted for War Crimes,” a website put together by Aegis Trust, an anti-genocide campaign group, lets users report sightings of war criminals implicated in the Darfur conflict and mark them on Google Maps.
How about uses for commercial application? A survey of marketing bosses conducted by the Marketing Executives Networking Group found that 62% have used crowdsourcing in some source. Makes good sense, asking the public for ideas is much cheaper than hiring consultants or doing market research. In addition, churches and governments are using this approach to stay connected with members as a way of showing that they are listening and gaining their involvement in current issues.
Wow, Is There No End to the Use of Crowdsourcing?
With the power and potential highlighted in the examples described in this blog, is there no end to the use of crowdsourcing? Well, not so fast, limitations are beginning to surface as the idea spreads. Companies that have sought to use this approach for product design are now beginning to be concerned about copyright infringement and ideas that might have been stolen from elsewhere. Sounds like cost reduction and creativity might not be as easy as it appears on the surface. Also, crowdsourcing seems to work best for volunteer efforts. People do not seem willing to contribute their volunteer effort for someone else’s profit. Hence, Wikipedia’s non-profit organization may be a key to its success.
Let the Mind Wander
This story is from the Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/09/1194329456167.html. This effort and story began when Amazon.com made available its Amazon Mechanical Turks site for investigating high resolution photographs to help in the search for the adventurer, Steve Fossett. This experimental online investigation covered 44,000 kilometers where the search had been taking place on the ground. During a two month period this site drew 50,000 volunteers from around the world that pored over photos to help aide in the recovery effort. Best efforts not withstanding, the online search proved fruitless and Amazon abruptly ended the exercise with little notice and only brief commentary.
Although this experiment did not provide the hoped for results, it clearly highlights the potential of how similar efforts might be conducted in the future. Let the mind wander and think of how crowdsourcing might be used in the future to serve the environment. One can readily think of supporting aid to areas struck by natural disaster, investigating cases of callous environmental degradation, and of applying ideas from around the globe to develop solutions and foster community.
Going Forward
Once again, I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4w
Saturday, September 27, 2008
ECOmmerce
ECOmmerce: Leveraging Electronic Commerce for Global Ecological Benefit
Leveraging the “Tools” of Technology
The foundation for leveraging e-commerce is today’s technology infrastructure. This infrastructure is in place, to different levels of sophistication worldwide, and continues to evolve at warp speed [Scotty is a busy guy these days – maybe a bit of dated humor here]. To get a sense of this rapid development, one might ask the question: “Today, is the computer the computer or is the network the computer and all you need is access?”
With today’s foundation infrastructure in place, what might be a high growth technology of global proportion and how might this technology be used to enable communication and e-commerce in the near future?
So, let us take a look at what is in place, explore what is rapidly emerging, and consider how this will make a difference for the benefit of e-commerce and a more sustainable environment.
Today’s Technology Infrastructure
Let me start by describing the core components of the technology infrastructure for e-commerce. These core components are: hardware - servers, workstations, printers, and routers to name a few, software applications - database, web server, operating system, and browser to name a few, and communication network(s) - telecommunication companies, private corporations, wireless, and satellite - that serve as the backbone of the internet. These core components form the foundation of the technology infrastructure that serves as the vehicle for driving e-commerce.
To facilitate e-commerce, and drive efficiency and effectiveness, business, industry, and governments have embraced the use of the internet and web technologies for enterprise wide information system application – from Elisa M. Awad in Electronic Commerce: From Vision to Fulfillment. Now familiar uses include the internet, intranet, and extranet. The bottom-line of the deployment of these technologies is, simply put, better, faster, and cheaper. I would also like to add, with a positive impact on minimizing the impact of our eco footprint.
Moving forward, let us now explore a more interesting and timely aspect of how technology is evolving in the marketplace. I will also touch on how this evolution will benefit e-commerce, and how this shift has the potential to make a hugely positive impact on the environment.
Leveraging Wireless Technology for Tomorrow’s Mobile Commerce
While wireless technology has been with us for quite some time now, the potential benefit for mobile commerce is first beginning to be fully realized, particularly on a global scale. The internet has given us anytime availability of information and wireless technology gives us anywhere access.
The anywhere access of mobile commerce now further extends the functionality of e-commerce, and further enhances the business benefits of better, faster, and cheaper. A personal example of the power of mobile commerce is in business travel. I find it relatively easy to travel to most places in the world, until you have to navigate the last mile.
Utilizing a mobile phone to obtain final, detailed local directions for the last mile provides a huge benefit in saving time, minimizing frustration, and adding a degree of safety for traveling in today’s world.
Now, let us take a look at what is already happening in mobile commerce and, also, take a peek over the horizon to get a glimpse of what potential lies ahead. Much of this information is featured in a recent issue of the magazine, The Economist, dated September 6th – 12th, 2008, and can be found in the Technology Quarterly section on pages three and four. The Economist can be found online at http://www.economist.com/.
To help set the context, here are a few eye opening facts with respect to the current trend in mobile commerce: China currently has some 600m mobile phone subscribers with 73m using their mobile phone to get online. China now has over 250m internet users and, this year, has now overtaken America as the country with the largest number of internet users. These numbers work out to 29% of all internet users in China connecting to the internet via their mobile phone. Although this is a substantial percentage, it still offers a huge opportunity for people in China and elsewhere around the world to join the worldwide community online via mobile access. This phenomenon is not only occurring in China, rapid growth is also expanding in Russia, Indonesia, India, and South Africa. One last bit of information. Opera Software – a firm that makes web-browser software for mobile phones - reports rapid growth in mobile-web browsing in developing countries. The number of web pages viewed in June, by the 14m users of its software, was over 3 billion, a 300% increase from a year ago. Wow!
For business, this offers enormous potential to reach a worldwide market that does not have personal computers. Yes, many companies recognize this opportunity and are working diligently to meet the technical challenges of bringing the internet to the small screen – the mobile phone of course.
This type of mobile access on the internet can also have an enormous impact on the environment. Of course, one can quickly think of many examples of minimizing our eco footprint through engaging in mobile commerce. One example might be the energy saved by researching products online for people living in remote areas. Another example might be more expansive in scope, and more beneficial for the environment. Mobile access to the internet can now give voice to millions of people around the world who have been, in reality, talking to themselves and shouting in silence. With respect to the environment, people will be able to create awareness of environmental abuses, conduct research, reach out to a broader community, gain support, and help raise funds where needed. Soon, the earth can grumble, the rivers can whisper, and the trees can speak through an expanding community of advocates. As Supreme Court Justice Brandeis sagely said, “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
Going Forward
Once again, I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4w
Leveraging the “Tools” of Technology
The foundation for leveraging e-commerce is today’s technology infrastructure. This infrastructure is in place, to different levels of sophistication worldwide, and continues to evolve at warp speed [Scotty is a busy guy these days – maybe a bit of dated humor here]. To get a sense of this rapid development, one might ask the question: “Today, is the computer the computer or is the network the computer and all you need is access?”
With today’s foundation infrastructure in place, what might be a high growth technology of global proportion and how might this technology be used to enable communication and e-commerce in the near future?
So, let us take a look at what is in place, explore what is rapidly emerging, and consider how this will make a difference for the benefit of e-commerce and a more sustainable environment.
Today’s Technology Infrastructure
Let me start by describing the core components of the technology infrastructure for e-commerce. These core components are: hardware - servers, workstations, printers, and routers to name a few, software applications - database, web server, operating system, and browser to name a few, and communication network(s) - telecommunication companies, private corporations, wireless, and satellite - that serve as the backbone of the internet. These core components form the foundation of the technology infrastructure that serves as the vehicle for driving e-commerce.
To facilitate e-commerce, and drive efficiency and effectiveness, business, industry, and governments have embraced the use of the internet and web technologies for enterprise wide information system application – from Elisa M. Awad in Electronic Commerce: From Vision to Fulfillment. Now familiar uses include the internet, intranet, and extranet. The bottom-line of the deployment of these technologies is, simply put, better, faster, and cheaper. I would also like to add, with a positive impact on minimizing the impact of our eco footprint.
Moving forward, let us now explore a more interesting and timely aspect of how technology is evolving in the marketplace. I will also touch on how this evolution will benefit e-commerce, and how this shift has the potential to make a hugely positive impact on the environment.
Leveraging Wireless Technology for Tomorrow’s Mobile Commerce
While wireless technology has been with us for quite some time now, the potential benefit for mobile commerce is first beginning to be fully realized, particularly on a global scale. The internet has given us anytime availability of information and wireless technology gives us anywhere access.
The anywhere access of mobile commerce now further extends the functionality of e-commerce, and further enhances the business benefits of better, faster, and cheaper. A personal example of the power of mobile commerce is in business travel. I find it relatively easy to travel to most places in the world, until you have to navigate the last mile.
Utilizing a mobile phone to obtain final, detailed local directions for the last mile provides a huge benefit in saving time, minimizing frustration, and adding a degree of safety for traveling in today’s world.
Now, let us take a look at what is already happening in mobile commerce and, also, take a peek over the horizon to get a glimpse of what potential lies ahead. Much of this information is featured in a recent issue of the magazine, The Economist, dated September 6th – 12th, 2008, and can be found in the Technology Quarterly section on pages three and four. The Economist can be found online at http://www.economist.com/.
To help set the context, here are a few eye opening facts with respect to the current trend in mobile commerce: China currently has some 600m mobile phone subscribers with 73m using their mobile phone to get online. China now has over 250m internet users and, this year, has now overtaken America as the country with the largest number of internet users. These numbers work out to 29% of all internet users in China connecting to the internet via their mobile phone. Although this is a substantial percentage, it still offers a huge opportunity for people in China and elsewhere around the world to join the worldwide community online via mobile access. This phenomenon is not only occurring in China, rapid growth is also expanding in Russia, Indonesia, India, and South Africa. One last bit of information. Opera Software – a firm that makes web-browser software for mobile phones - reports rapid growth in mobile-web browsing in developing countries. The number of web pages viewed in June, by the 14m users of its software, was over 3 billion, a 300% increase from a year ago. Wow!
For business, this offers enormous potential to reach a worldwide market that does not have personal computers. Yes, many companies recognize this opportunity and are working diligently to meet the technical challenges of bringing the internet to the small screen – the mobile phone of course.
This type of mobile access on the internet can also have an enormous impact on the environment. Of course, one can quickly think of many examples of minimizing our eco footprint through engaging in mobile commerce. One example might be the energy saved by researching products online for people living in remote areas. Another example might be more expansive in scope, and more beneficial for the environment. Mobile access to the internet can now give voice to millions of people around the world who have been, in reality, talking to themselves and shouting in silence. With respect to the environment, people will be able to create awareness of environmental abuses, conduct research, reach out to a broader community, gain support, and help raise funds where needed. Soon, the earth can grumble, the rivers can whisper, and the trees can speak through an expanding community of advocates. As Supreme Court Justice Brandeis sagely said, “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
Going Forward
Once again, I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4w
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
ECOmmerce
ECOmmerce: Leveraging Electronic Commerce for Global Ecological Benefit
So, what exactly is ECOmmerce?
Let me begin by offering what I mean by ECOmmerce. ECOmmerce is about leveraging the power of electronic commerce (e-commerce) to drive business in a global, virtual marketplace while minimizing our footprint for ecological benefit.
For the most part, the technology is available and evolving, the technical infrastructure is in place and building out, the bottom-line impact is proven and growing, and the environmental awareness is expanding and, most importantly, leading to action.
Setting the Context
Let’s start with a bit of the wit and wisdom from Yogi Berra, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you probably won’t get there”.
I believe that setting the overall context for ECOmmerce is fundamental in framing the opportunity to leverage the synergies of e-commerce with the goals of a sustainable environment. Of course, the context will be further enriched and refined through the collective wisdom of the global community, experience through application, and ongoing improvements through lessons learned.
Key components necessary to build the context include: an inspiring and compelling vision, the underpinning values that provide guidance for operating in this new world, and the urgency to ignite movement in a new direction. Once the “easy” work of getting started is completed, the difficult work, over a long time horizon, will be to sustain the momentum in a world that is faced with, seemingly, overwhelming daily challenges and often operates on narrow goals, self interest, quarterly results, and sound bites.
Pioneering Thought
Fortunately, a sound base of pioneering work has been compiled to build upon going forward. As a starter set, some of the pioneering thought on the future of business and ECOmmerce has been written about by Paul Hawken in The Ecology of Commerce; Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins in Natural Capitalism; Peter Barnes in Capitalism 3.0; and Tachi Kiuchi and Bill Shireman in What We Learned in the Rainforest.
For example, in The Ecology of Commerce, Hawken’s provides an urgent vision of redesigning today’s business model for environmental sustainability. As he states early on in the book, “The promise of business is to increase the general well-being of humankind through service, a creative invention and ethical philosophy”. High ideals and lofty goals for the most worthy of endeavors.
With respect to values, Kiuchi and Shireman speak to cultural values and how these values transform over time. The transformation begins with the old and new values, seemingly, being polar opposite; as change occurs the values begin to overlap; and finally, a new set of values that have been extended and built upon the old emerge and are embraced.
Lastly, to instill a sense of urgency for each and every one of us, these four books certainly lay out the data to get your attention. At times, the information and data border on overwhelming with respect to the environment, and the immense global challenges that are rushing towards us with each passing day.
Going Forward
I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4W (ECOmmerce for world)
So, what exactly is ECOmmerce?
Let me begin by offering what I mean by ECOmmerce. ECOmmerce is about leveraging the power of electronic commerce (e-commerce) to drive business in a global, virtual marketplace while minimizing our footprint for ecological benefit.
For the most part, the technology is available and evolving, the technical infrastructure is in place and building out, the bottom-line impact is proven and growing, and the environmental awareness is expanding and, most importantly, leading to action.
Setting the Context
Let’s start with a bit of the wit and wisdom from Yogi Berra, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you probably won’t get there”.
I believe that setting the overall context for ECOmmerce is fundamental in framing the opportunity to leverage the synergies of e-commerce with the goals of a sustainable environment. Of course, the context will be further enriched and refined through the collective wisdom of the global community, experience through application, and ongoing improvements through lessons learned.
Key components necessary to build the context include: an inspiring and compelling vision, the underpinning values that provide guidance for operating in this new world, and the urgency to ignite movement in a new direction. Once the “easy” work of getting started is completed, the difficult work, over a long time horizon, will be to sustain the momentum in a world that is faced with, seemingly, overwhelming daily challenges and often operates on narrow goals, self interest, quarterly results, and sound bites.
Pioneering Thought
Fortunately, a sound base of pioneering work has been compiled to build upon going forward. As a starter set, some of the pioneering thought on the future of business and ECOmmerce has been written about by Paul Hawken in The Ecology of Commerce; Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins in Natural Capitalism; Peter Barnes in Capitalism 3.0; and Tachi Kiuchi and Bill Shireman in What We Learned in the Rainforest.
For example, in The Ecology of Commerce, Hawken’s provides an urgent vision of redesigning today’s business model for environmental sustainability. As he states early on in the book, “The promise of business is to increase the general well-being of humankind through service, a creative invention and ethical philosophy”. High ideals and lofty goals for the most worthy of endeavors.
With respect to values, Kiuchi and Shireman speak to cultural values and how these values transform over time. The transformation begins with the old and new values, seemingly, being polar opposite; as change occurs the values begin to overlap; and finally, a new set of values that have been extended and built upon the old emerge and are embraced.
Lastly, to instill a sense of urgency for each and every one of us, these four books certainly lay out the data to get your attention. At times, the information and data border on overwhelming with respect to the environment, and the immense global challenges that are rushing towards us with each passing day.
Going Forward
I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on how we can create a future that furthers commerce in innovative ways and is environmentally sustainable.
ECOmmerce4W (ECOmmerce for world)
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