Dailycsr.com – 03 May 2016 – Matt Berry from IBM thinks:
“Rather than marketing solutions to build the coolest and newest applications, we need to help the telecommunications providers build and manage reliable networks.”
In the year of 2013, as the then Marketing Director of “IBM Mobile First”, Berry spent three weeks time in Nigeria as part of “IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge”. During the course of the project Berry went through “a number of light bulb moments”, whereby he said:
“The company that can guarantee 24/7 coverage will blow away the competition.”
This flash in the pan idea came to Berry as he saw an individual carry “four mobile phones” connected to four different networks for Nigerian network was unreliable, reasoned the same individual. As a fall back option, he was carrying four different connections.
As Berry went along with his assignment, he began to identify “hidden opportunities” from what took place on a daily basis. It is these hands on experiences that open doors to innovation for sitting on his “New York office”, Berry would have never got the opportunity to witnessed the ground realities and their problems.
Prior to Nigerian visit, Berry also “learned about the realities facing businesses and communities in Tanzania” as he was assigned to participate in “a pro bono” project for a period of two years under “IBM’s Corporate Service Corps”. While, the New Global Citizen informs:
“These experiences led to a fundamental mindset shift and influenced Matt’s approach to doing business in Africa and other emerging geographies”.
References:
ethicalperformance.com
“Rather than marketing solutions to build the coolest and newest applications, we need to help the telecommunications providers build and manage reliable networks.”
In the year of 2013, as the then Marketing Director of “IBM Mobile First”, Berry spent three weeks time in Nigeria as part of “IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge”. During the course of the project Berry went through “a number of light bulb moments”, whereby he said:
“The company that can guarantee 24/7 coverage will blow away the competition.”
This flash in the pan idea came to Berry as he saw an individual carry “four mobile phones” connected to four different networks for Nigerian network was unreliable, reasoned the same individual. As a fall back option, he was carrying four different connections.
As Berry went along with his assignment, he began to identify “hidden opportunities” from what took place on a daily basis. It is these hands on experiences that open doors to innovation for sitting on his “New York office”, Berry would have never got the opportunity to witnessed the ground realities and their problems.
Prior to Nigerian visit, Berry also “learned about the realities facing businesses and communities in Tanzania” as he was assigned to participate in “a pro bono” project for a period of two years under “IBM’s Corporate Service Corps”. While, the New Global Citizen informs:
“These experiences led to a fundamental mindset shift and influenced Matt’s approach to doing business in Africa and other emerging geographies”.
References:
ethicalperformance.com