Digital Oman and creative use of technology
Last Friday, I took a break from honing the final details of the Young Musicians of Muscat website, to take a short trip down the motorway to attend a conference to announce the East Midlands NTI (New Technology Initiative) Creative Industries Centre for Knowledge Exchange, a partnership between De Montfort University in Leicester and the University of Derby.
I think you deserve a two paragraph break for reading that.
You see, we also have well-intentioned projects with long names in UK.
The East Midlands NTI has been established to confront the problems of a lack of awareness of the impact of creative use of new technology in our region, and a lack of facilities to promote the growth of small businesses wanting to initiate creative technological ideas.
I was intrigued to learn that I am a micro-SME, being the sole employee.
Why is this relevant to Oman? Well, a keynote speaker from Knowledge Oasis Muscat was welcomed in the introductory session of the conference, which aimed to introduce the audience to what is happening in respect of new technology initiatives overseas.
The speaker, Mr David Pender, described himself as a senior government advisor, reporting directly to the Minister for Commerce and Industry. Strictly speaking, he is the marketing manager for PEIE, the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates, which includes Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), reporting to the executive president of PEIE, Mr. Sultan Al Habsi, Executive President, and a Board of Directors chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
Similarly, burger restaurants in the USA are fast giving way to Starbucks outlets, as people become more conscious of the effect of fast food on their figures. Coffee drinking does not put on weight, unless you eat the pastries too!
New technologies evolve to meet perceived needs, and the best way to promote a new technology is to make it possible to play with it.
In response to Professor Bolman's address, Mr Pender said that all businesses and industries on the PEIE estates SHOULD think creatively about future directions for their businesses and their marketing. Creative thinking was not an add-on but essential for businesses to survive.
I think you deserve a two paragraph break for reading that.
You see, we also have well-intentioned projects with long names in UK.
The East Midlands NTI has been established to confront the problems of a lack of awareness of the impact of creative use of new technology in our region, and a lack of facilities to promote the growth of small businesses wanting to initiate creative technological ideas.
I was intrigued to learn that I am a micro-SME, being the sole employee.
Why is this relevant to Oman? Well, a keynote speaker from Knowledge Oasis Muscat was welcomed in the introductory session of the conference, which aimed to introduce the audience to what is happening in respect of new technology initiatives overseas.
The speaker, Mr David Pender, described himself as a senior government advisor, reporting directly to the Minister for Commerce and Industry. Strictly speaking, he is the marketing manager for PEIE, the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates, which includes Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), reporting to the executive president of PEIE, Mr. Sultan Al Habsi, Executive President, and a Board of Directors chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
[ed. Mr Pender has written on 1st November 2007 urging me to change details of the previous paragraph, as follows: "I'mThe tone of the conference was set by Professor David Bolman of the University of Advancing Technology, Arizona, USA. Professor Bolman asserted that emerging technologies equate to future change. The rules are changing for supplying goods to meet demand and businesses need to be aware of the impact on their profitability and function. As just one illustration of this, he pointed out that many people in the West download the music that they want to their computers. They no longer buy CDs.
not Marketing Manager at PEIE, I'm a Government Advisor at PEIE and direct all marketing and communication activities related to PEIE and KOM. I do report to HE Minister Maqbool. In addition to this, I advise and report to KOM's Director General and PEIE's CEO."
I did get it right about Mr Pender reporting to the PEIE CEO. The present incumbent (at November 2007) is Mr Hilal al Ahsani, who has replaced Mr Sultan al Habsi. Mr Pender is based at KOM.
When KOM was set up in 2002-2003, the director of KOM was named in the Times of Oman (April 2003) as Eng Mohammed Al Ghassani, who has also subsequently been named in reports as deputy CEO of PEIE. KOM now has a DG - Mr Mohammed al Maskari - rather than a director, a recent promotion, since Mr Maskari was named as director of KOM just a year ago in 2006. The most recently named director of The Knowledge Mine, which aims to promote ICT start-ups within KOM, is named as Abdullah Al Jufaili, quoted on the Big Business Blogspot in July 2007.
Mr Pender was Business Development Director of Intevents until he moved to KOM as marketing advisor to PEIE late in 2002. Middle East Executive Retreat, University of Cambridge.
Mr Pender was cited as Managing Editor of Digital Oman on a programme for the East Midlands Digital event, and also at the website for Digital Oman, a quarterly ICT magazine. Mr Pender has asked me to point out that he has resigned from this latter post since the conference in Leicester.]
Similarly, burger restaurants in the USA are fast giving way to Starbucks outlets, as people become more conscious of the effect of fast food on their figures. Coffee drinking does not put on weight, unless you eat the pastries too!
New technologies evolve to meet perceived needs, and the best way to promote a new technology is to make it possible to play with it.
In response to Professor Bolman's address, Mr Pender said that all businesses and industries on the PEIE estates SHOULD think creatively about future directions for their businesses and their marketing. Creative thinking was not an add-on but essential for businesses to survive.
