When I read the books I love and enjoy the life I have created for myself, it’s hard not to be grateful for life. Goals are achieved and you’re living the life you only once dreamed of.  We marvel upon the most remarkable events of life in how we can create anything we put our minds to.  Our ability to think about something and develop it into such masterful arts of work beyond admiration in no matter what field of study, life, or work. It is sometimes so beautiful, that we catch ourselves between gasps of air and widened eyes, mesmerized by its exquisiteness. The mark of beauty is in its simplicity, though behind the scene we find its most remarkable feat of architecture that human kind has ever seen. Crafted from such thoughts, creativity and imagination like no other we stand before it  feeling our unworthiness against its wonder. As we feel its strength, determination, and aspiration to challenge nature that screams out, “I can discover you. I can make you better. I will create a world of my own. I will make my mark.” Triumph in adversity – we find hope.

The ability to capture a moment of appreciation makes life truly worth living.  We appreciate life, because life changes. Life is beautiful, because once a moment has passed by it can never be captured again.  And to remember its beauty, we try to re-create these moments by creating statues and literature, remembering those moments that tell us that life was once pure, noble, and good.  It is gone, never to be experienced again.  The fondest events in the history of mankind, that gives us strength to move forward and fight to make this world a better place, against the greatest of odds.  Life tells us to move on and search for such marvelous moments again. It will be more beautiful because it is none other that you every experienced. It will be different. It will be beautiful because you won’t expect it. You can’t expect it. It will happen when you least expect it.

“The higher reason of living.” Keeping ourselves in check is knowing that we have served our fellow human beings through our own endeavors. Though we search for meaning for ourselves throughout life, taking a closer look we will discover that we are searching for how best we can serve our fellow human beings with the talents we nurture. If we find peace in serving others we find peace in what we do. We find true meaning because as we serve our purpose, we serve others. In this, we find the purest of human endeavors, the most noble of acts, the goodness of life, simply the best of life.

It is hard for me to imagine how beautiful life truly is. I find myself closing my eyes, when I catch a glimpse of its beauty with the attempt to make it last just a little bit longer. I try to capture those beautiful moments in my mind, those moments that were once so real.  These moments are sometimes so beautiful, that it’s hard for me to move on as I catch a glimpse of its beauty in the corner of my mind making the present irrelevant. I just want to go back in time and experience those days once more. Those moments that remind us that life is worth living and life is worth fighting for. So through the maze of life in the questions we face, the failures, pains and struggles we feel… life is good not because it’s perfect. Life is good, because it can never be perfect. We can simply attempt to capture a moment of its perfection and make that moment last forever.

“Remembering the past to pave the way for the future. Finding clues to where I will be tomorrow.” - the misconception of determinism

If most of you out there who dream about one day publishing a paper (or book!) here’s a stint on how I was able to accomplish this feat. Nothing short of endless determination and hard work. This entry is an important part of my life which concluded my coursework study in the Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) program. Without the hardship of going through this program I would not be where I am today: published author and MBA degree holder.

As I look into this entry, it made me realize what it took for me to  be able to publish my first paper. One failed attempt and countless research practice and industry experience… collectively an estimated 4 years of work and study. While I was applying my knowledge in Headstrong Inc. as a consultant focused on e-Learning development and account management, I was completing my coursework study in De La Salle University Manila in the MSIT program. This entry is about the culminating event of lifeworks, as I highlight my coursework accomplishments, which lead me to successfully publish my first paper.

Each research course took an estimated three to four months of pure research.

1. e-Learning – this research paper began my thoughts on reflecting upon all my e-Learning experiences. This provides a study which attempts to categorize all existing e-Learning developments and applications in existence. Quite a feat which paved the road for my first publication.     
   
2. IT Strategic Management – this research led me to my first attempt on publishing. Though I failed at my first attempt to get this published, the tremendous research work I did for IT Strategic Management and Knowledge Management led me to my passion today on Business Strategy and Information Management. This, along with my experience in Headstrong lead me to pursue my MBA degree.    
   
3. IT Portfolio Management – an in-depth analysis on managing your information system portfolio.     
   
4. Distributed Database Management Systems – I did a research paper on the Extensible Markup Language.

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e-Learning:  document |  presentation
IT Strategic Management:  document |  presentation
IT Portfolio Management: document |  presentation
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I enjoyed my journey through the Sustainability Revolution, allowing myself to dig deep into this evolutionary concept. In my opinion, it is a rising trend where its success or failure is yet to be determined.  Like most popular trends, this is no different.

This paper puts together all my thoughts on sustainability, building on my own reflection and thoughts into how the sustainability revolution can affect us in the short-run and what it can mean in the long-run. It provides a thorough analysis of the government, corporations and individuals in what roles they play in this new economy. It provides a vision on what this can all mean. More importantly, how do we get to this vision provided with our current political environment and the issues we need to tackle as a global economy.

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“Travel is evolving as a lifestyle, not just a mode of transport. In an industrial economy, wealth is the accumulation of goods. In an information economy, wealth is the accumulation of experiences.” - Cree Lawson, Founder of Travel Ad Network

You can tell a lot about a generation by their habits. The world gets smaller and smaller everyday, as communication and technology brings us further and further into the future. Social community networks has surpassed pornography as the most visited websites in the world today. What is linked with social community is a global economy. What is linked with a global economy is traveling. Since it is so easy to keep in touch today with the advent of Facebook, Skype, and Twitter saying hello to a friend from across the globe is not such a marvel. Being able to see each other and talk via a live-chat; being able to see their desktop and controlling it; following everything your friend is doing from across the globe from their work, vacation, past time, to the very little things they do everyday – all without physical contact from anywhere in the world. Welcome to our “virtual-reality”.

Keeping in touch is one thing, but it can never compare to physical contact. No matter how much you keep in touch virtually, when you see an old friend through physical contact it’s just not comparable. As humans, we will always yearn for real physical contact. But because of such web technology developments as Travel Ad Network, Kayak and Mobissimo, getting the most affordable flights in record time is no difficult task. Staying in touch with friends from across the globe is made easy by the likes of social communities. Hence the concept of coach surfing evolves… “visit my country and you can sleep in my couch, so when I come to visit your country I can sleep in your couch.” Credibility and reputation of course is built through reputation which is closely monitored in these sites. With affordable and easy to schedule flights, you can be talking to a friend or a stranger one day and the see that person the next.

We get so caught up with our fast life, with information, media and things we forget how far we have truly gone with the way we do things. In our houses today, most of us don’t bother with cable. We find a  fast internet connection much, much more relevant. With the advent of NetFlix and Hulu who needs cable? Where the vast choices of movies from across the globe are but a click away. All for a monthly fee of $8.99 for unlimited viewing. Music? Pandora is our new radio. Communication, entertainment, traveling is all within our reach all rolled up in affordable prices. With products so affordable and within reach, you can’t help but think who is making money? A new business model evolves.. not focused on the physical form of the product, but in the form of providing the service in which we can attain our material fix. Those who can provide the fastest, most efficient and convenient means to distribute these products, wins in this evolving economy. In business strategy, this was coined by John Seely Brown and John Hagel III as product friction and dynamic specialization – the only sustainable edge.

We are indeed in a global economy where traveling brings a whole new meaning to how we live our so-called life.

Redesigning the Workplace: Applying a BPM Framework to Process Reengineering
by Jinno Ordonez, MBA

Abstract

The discussion on process reengineering is timely. What is observed in process reengineering can be likely a catalyst in how we can address today’s precarious and unpredictable market – we need something totally different. Only looking at the underlying process can reveal the truth about the critical actions organizations need to face.

Change has been one of the most talked about topics in the economy and organizations today. In the beginning of the 21st century, the world has been struck with a growth that has never been experienced before; from the industrial age to the information age grew a plethora of unprecedented growth where most of us are left still coping to understand. This growth has brought drastic change in how we work, learn and live. The conventional way of building core competencies and residing upon a system that is both predictable and controllable is a thing of the past. Organizations now face a world where nothing is constant and predictable. Those who can respond most quickly to this new market will win.

The competition intensifies as we face a global economy. Losing a customer today, does not guarantee a new one tomorrow, as consumer goods shortage no longer exists. A new system where task-based approach, known as the concept of Adam Smith’s division of labor has been radically changed into what we now know as a process-based approach. This new approach allows organizations to manage and change their existing process continually and responsively to the needs of the customers and the organization. In looking at the process lies the key of how we get things done – the rationale in justifying how we can improve customer service, improve efficiency, increase productivity and increase financial stability. In providing a framework for change, we are able to create a model that is flexible, responsive and adept in facing the market of today.

Background of Study

The research is a case study analysis on one company‟s attempt to apply the strategy of business process reengineering (BPR). In examining the steps carried out by the company, the study aimed to create a framework around the design of process reengineering. The framework is known in the industry as business process management (BPM). The framework provides a structured approach to the complex and difficult task of process reengineering where a drastic, dramatic and fundamental change in the organization‟s process is the objective.

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This is a challenge question or issue I’ve crafted for everyone out there who is asking the question: what is the role of sustainability as response to our economic crisis? With the evident role of corporations, what kind of change can we see and how is it related to concepts such as Corporate Social Responsibility?

The current economic crisis has triggered a ripple effect that has shaken the whole world with unprecedented change that can lead to nothing less than the survival of our species and the world we live in. Without world unity we will not survive the future. Now more than ever is the time to act. We can state that at the root of this delicate balance lies our ability to take control and responsibility for education, technology, governance and the capital market. Take into consideration the following current economic pillars:

GLOBAL

• Environmental crises such as climate change and water shortages continue to evolve.
• Megaforces such as technology-driven transparency.
• The rise of middle class in India and China, following the price of oil and other resources up over time (think standards of living in U.S. expanding to two of the most populated countries in the world).

LOCAL

• Key stakeholders demanding more of companies than ever, especially corporate customers greening their supply chains.
• Employees and consumers, both of whom are under extreme financial pressure, wanting some measure of environmental performance and social responsibility in the companies they work for and buy from. At the same time, they cannot afford to lose their jobs.

What key role do business ethics, sustainability and code of conduct play in the current economic crisis? How will this affect the way we do business in facing the current economic pillars?

“A happy man is too content with the present to think much about the future. Young people on the other hand like to occupy themselves with bold plans. Furthermore, it is natural for a young man to gain as precise an idea as possible about their desired aims.” – Einstein, 16

If there is one truth that sets one apart from the crowd it is their ability to gain insights into their future from their early beginnings – and stick with it. Provided with this belief, it should come of no surprise why the quote mentioned above by Einstein is my all-time favorite. It comes to no surprise as well, that Einstein is my all-time inspirational icon. The reasons are evident, as solemnized in the title of this blog. But what strikes this as the perfect life-changing statement that sets it apart from every other statement made by anyone (living or dead), is how it challenges you to find your purpose. How it challenges you to take control of your destiny.

What is the reason for life? Ahh.. the ultimate question. The ultimate challenge.. the primary reason why we are here in this world. It is the ultimate destiny. My two cents on the two types of people in this world: ones who take this with a grain of salt; and ones who don’t care. I am the former; as you probably have guessed. The latter are those who like to take life as it is without worries, without planning.

As I update my blog after 1 year of absence, this has dramatically changed for me. As I update my blog today, I can see how much my views, perspectives, and experiences has changed. My perspective is wider, more mature.. more human. What is most important, as I reach my goals in life, I become stronger. I see more doors being opened, I see more possibilities; and how my potential to reach further and further into the stars are more likely to happen than ever. A step at a time, “gaining a more precise an idea as possible of my desired aims.” That is what I think is the excitement of chasing destiny! You surprise yourself on what you discover. It gives determinism a whole new deeper meaning; the problem is a narrow point of view. I believe in determinism, as you look at your past life and connect this to where you are today; but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your future is determined. I have been in my profession since college; before college computers was already my passion. And today, it still is. But that’s not the point. The level of thinking, my perspective, the way I see the world is not comparable at all! From the first time I laid eyes on a computer, to the days of development, to the days of theoretical application.. the change is deep within you, rooted down to your perspective and being able to see how you can dramatically bring change – it is your ability to bring change that makes you. In the beginning, I was just a kid who loves playing MUDD on cache BBS. I remember the days of playing Doom with my friend through modem connections. Today, I have published a paper on e-Learning. How far and wide our passions can become – this I believe is the misconception of determinism. If we look deeper into its concept, it simply finds patterns into what you can become, but the decision is still yours to find the path you take.

I am still in my profession today from whence I started in my early childhood. And I have marveled and surprised myself every step of the way on how much I have grown from each period of my life. Life is truly amazing, life is truly a gift, life is truly an amazing creature to discover. Endless mysteries, endless possibilities. No matter how much you think you’ve discovered the meaning of life, a new discovery is just right around the corner… and it will never cease to surprise.

“The idea of ethical globalization can’t remain a dream because it has to be an imperative. The truth is that everything falls apart the more inequality we have.”  – Sustainability Revolution

This quote sums up my stand on Community Economy / Finance. I’d like to focus on the big picture – the global economy which I think is what America is about: and that is about leading the world. There’s a clash it seems between global versus local with concepts of local food, local community, and local money…should we ask ourselves are we taking a step back? My question is how will the rest of the world made up of a capital market react to this? America is all of a sudden closing its doors to the rest of the world? Is it feasible provided how international U.S. has become? How U.S. has set the trends for the rest of the world since the beginning of the industrial revolution.

The quote says, “Everything falls apart the more inequality we have…” I truly believe this. What might work for one culture, may not work for another. The example of the city of Curitiba is remarkable. But the core that makes it work is deep within its culture: its values and virtues. With the culture we have in U.S. will this work? It is said, that we have everything to make sustainability work – but will our culture respond? There are wealthy countries like Curitiba, Brunei and Singapore. They all seem so self-sufficient and they seem to have figured out a way out of this crisis and the environmental issues and they don’t seem to need the rest of the world. What percentage of the world do these countries make up? When you have other nations like U.S., China, India, Europe and the rest of Asia whos economies rely on other countries and other nations – this is the global economy and this is the majority of the world which affects you and me. In a global economy, inequality is not an option – we embrace other cultures, we unite or else we fall together. This is the delicate balance the leaders of the world are combating right now to face the crisis and the environment. The point is not to step back, but instead to move forward.

The primary goal of the community economy or local money is to give back to the community. How will a global economy give back to the world? How will big corporations (which make up…America) do it? A concept developed by Bill Gates is called, Creative Capitalism. I’m going to quote Bill Gates on this, “what can we be doing for the poorest 2 billion? And that can either be taking more risk in terms of trying to develop markets there, which is C.K. Prahalad – type stuff, or just doing things like the Merck donation that are not profit seeking and yet not giving up huge percentage of profit.” Here’s a link for the full article: Creative Capitalism (this talks greatly also about Corporate Social Responsibility).

The key here is, “not profit seeking and yet not giving up a huge percentage of profit.” It’s still about sticking to the idea of maximizing profit but at the same time you are giving back to the community. My point is, we cannot push sustainability fully on the morals of a love economy. Why didn’t sustainability work for decades? Because it didn’t speak money. Why is it working now? Because it speaks money.

“When a local community can work to sustain itself, a global community can work to sustain the rest of the world.”

Chapter 3 and 7 on the book Natural Capitalism goes beyond “garbage” as it discusses waste on people, wealth and system. Chapter 7 delves deeper into this as it goes into the definition of muda. It is very interesting to me how the evolution of service in sustainability is so similar to the evolution of information technology. Here are some quotes from the book that caught my attention:

• “Removing inefficiencies like these through whole-system engineering of the firm is the next great frontier of business redesign.”
• “Please be warned that lean thinking requires a complete arrangement of your mental furniture.”
• “It takes 319 days in production to get to the customer’s hand, then minutes to reach the trash bins.”

The key word here is efficiency. Like sustainability, business redesign is a hot topic at the moment as well, as we are changing the way we think, the way we do things, and most importantly reforming our policies as brought upon by the current crisis. Business redesign, can be utilized by two concepts known as business process reengineering and business process management. As natural capitalism tells us that we no longer can rely on the philosophies of the industrial revolution, so does the concepts of business process reengineering. Adam Smith’s division of labor which is based upon a system of command and control can no longer apply to a world where change is constant and unpredictable. Business process management on the other hand, brings us to the next level of technology where our work and our process totally changes from manual work to knowledge work. Through this radical change, we can expect better ways of collaborating in work as is expected with a global economy.

Click on the image from Gartner in regards to Business Process Management and GDP. It provides information on how much GDP each country produces on average. But as compared to the other countries, Netherlands produces the same output in an hourly basis as every other country but with less effort than everyone else. Korea on the other hand, produces the least GDP and puts forth the most effort, where we can assume overworked employees working in conditions of inefficient processes. “The ultimate goal is to do more with less.” This is efficiency and this is how business process management can be utilized.

Just as we saw in the information revolution, technology and business is like a married concept where you cannot have one without the other. As we are learning about the next revolution, technology may take a step back and become a commodity (as described by Nicholas G. Carr, in his article in HBR: “IT doesn’t matter“), and the marriage between business and sustainability may possibly be the next big thing.

My goal is to ask myself why sustainability is the next big thing. As I post more and read more about sustainability it always drives down to my passion for change. This aspect lends to understanding revolution; why change is inevitable; and why we must act.

The most remarkable aspect of sustainability is the nature of its design. The concept of a computer is to imitate and perform mundane human tasks. The concept of sustainability is to imitate and perform Mother Nature. As we examine revolutionary states, we can’t help but compare one to the other; from the industrial revolution to the information/knowledge revolution to the sustainability revolution. As we search for the next successful revolution, we think about how we got here and find evidence in how to get there.

If we were to identify the success of the information revolution it would be: efficiency drives down costs. If we look back in the industrial revolution we can conclude with the same result. Dating back as far as Adam Smith to Henry Ford and Alfred Sloan, their concepts of division of labor, the moving assembly line and mass production all presented similar ambitions. We can also see that each revolution had a lending hand with technology. Industrial revolution had machineries and the train system. Information revolution had computers and the information system. This rapid radical change brought us from a national economy to a global economy almost overnight that some of us still have our head spinning.

What kind of revolution can we see with sustainability and why will it be the next successful revolution? The nature of its design, at the root of it, is its ability to imitate human tasks and perform Mother Nature; this is the root of its efficiency to drive down cost and this is its lending hand with technology. “Biomimicry can inform not just the design of specific manufacturing processes but also the structure and function of the entire economy. (Ch 04; Natural Capitalism)”

The significance of the industrial revolution was to create wealth hence, Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. The significance of the information revolution was to disperse unfathomable information to the world. The significance of sustainability is to create energy, renewable energy. ”Wealth for everyone, information for everyone, energy for everyone”; U.S. lead the innovation for the last 2 revolutions, is it ready to lead the next one?