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Why Businesses Need to Adapt to New Technology and New Information, Not Get Stuck in the Stone Age

I could remember the problem of having to deal with the older generation that doesn't embrace change. It's often said that the older you get--the more resistant to change you become. I wanted to write this essay about why businesses need to keep up with technological advancement and new information. It's because much has changed from the 1980s to the present. I was born in 1985 which makes me a Generation Y. Generation X people are from 1965 to 1980. That means I've experienced a lot of stuff during the 1990s to the early 2000s which many of those born later wouldn't know.

Remembering the "luxury" of the 1990s that became business necessities today

I remembered how often I wanted a desktop back in the 1990s. Adjusting to change can be very difficult. I remembered how I wanted a desktop not because it was cool to own one. The typewriter was such a hassle, especially with how it was a waste of paper. I really hated using the typewriter because of how hard the keys were, it slowed down my work, one single mistake and I had to rewrite everything all over again. Yet, the old generation tends to say, "Back in your age, I used the typewriter and we made excellent book reports! A PC is more expensive than a typewriter!" Yet, a PC is a valuable investment because it allowed the editing of documents before printing. A paperless office may not be possible but you can think of time-saving it made. A PC made making my reports easier and one can write better reports. It's because stress is lessened, editing is possible, and paper wastage is minimized. I guess the Baby Boomers didn't want to admit that they could be wrong or that times have changed!

Back then, I remembered how we had to disconnect the Internet so the phone can be used. It was that really slow dial-up modem and I used dial-up cards. I could understand the boomer parents' concern about the Internet being used for the wrong reasons. However, the Internet started to become a necessity. Sure, parents can forbid their children from entering inappropriate websites or can forbid them from online gaming. However, they should allow their children to use the Internet with safety filters to at least do their homework. Parents could also start to accompany their children in using the Internet for research. The Internet slowly became a necessity because of school and business transactions. Internet today has become so necessary, especially during the pandemic. Online classes, work-from-home, and the like really need the Internet. 

Mobile phones were once viewed as luxuries. It wasn't really viewed as a necessity. I could agree children shouldn't own mobile phones and schools shouldn't allow them inside. However, mobile phones have become a necessity (and yes, better get an affordable phone like Samsung or Xiaomi over an iPhone) that college students and professionals need them. It was absolutely necessary for us to have balance in our cellphones (and I used some older Nokia phones, no smartphones by then) during the 2000s to communicate with my groupmates. Today, the smartphone may have become a necessity as communication with customers and financial managers is done by them, Mobile banking and GCash are now more necessary than ever, especially in paying people through other means. 

How some businesses are unfortunately stuck in the stone age

It's a problem when boomers have to encounter children born into Generation X, Y, or Z and they were born in the "simpler times". It's very common to say, "When I was just your age--I already was into business." when the child is still in college. A lot of stuff has changed over time such as life expectancy. I mean, some people even married as early as 16 or 18 before the Second World War! Some boomers established a highly successful business in the past but ended up crashing in the present. It's because of people who just refuse to keep up with technological advancement and new information. New information is generated every day even during the olden times. The era of the Greeks brought important contributions to applied mathematics such as trigonometry by Hipparchus, geometry by Euclid, and calculus by Archimedes. Later, Isaac Newton would add more information in the field of mathematics with Newtonian calculus and his further discovery in physics. All the new information allowed new technology to be born throughout the ages.

I remembered seeing some businesses that just refused to evolve. I could name some instances such as the following which I've observed for some time:
  1. Selling stuff that won't be used anymore. It's like you're still selling typewriters when desktops and laptops are now used in office work. Who really wants to use the paper-eating monster called the typewriter these days?
  2. Refusing to upgrade its PC from the 1990s. PCs will get obsolete over time. I think some boomers failed to understand that concept. You can't be using Windows 95 when it's already 2022. Yet, some businessmen were still stuck using Windows 95 for some time because they were so used to it. Maybe, some are still using floppy disks when USBs are now the thing used in storing portable data. Maybe, some of them are using obsolete programming languages which won't work well if you're in an Information Technology firm!
  3. Asking applicants to pass a negative of their photos when digital cameras are the norm. Go to a photo studio and you can expect your photos to be printed in the queue than having to wait for an hour or two to develop them. Yet, some may still be looking for negatives. I'd be telling them that the photo studios like Kodak will be laughing at them!
  4. Using an old cash register which frequently gets stuck up when there are newer cash registers. Besides, I don't think the revenue office is ever going to honor broken cash registers as a basis for collecting income tax either! Sure, I could understand why credit cards aren't always used (due to the fees involved and the minimum sales needed) but it's stupid to keep the old cash register. 
  5. Asking for documents to pass through the fax machine when you can't fax a book. 
The consequences can be very dire. The barriotic mentality is prone to say that easy equals lazy. Not always. Sometimes, you just want to make things easier so you can do more work. Instead, by not embracing technological advancements and  new information--these things can happen:
  1. If you're going to insist on selling typewriters instead of up-to-date laptops and desktops--you can expect to close down your store soon. You might as well have your space leased out then!
  2. Having obsolete equipment will mean more breakdowns, getting more virus attacks, and lower-performing software to do the job. I can't imagine an accounting firm being unable to do its job right because they're using obsolete accounting software.
  3. If you're still asking for a negative then forget it. Let's face it that going to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) now uses a digital camera to renew one's license. If you're afraid of tampering--why not take the photos yourself?
  4. The old cash register may soon be the reason why you can't entertain other customers. The new cash register would allow an instant printed receipt which can keep customer lines shorter. If the cash register breaks--you need to get a new one. Fixing it constantly will just add up to the expenses sooner or later. I wouldn't honor it as an operational expense if I were a revenue officer!
When work becomes "easier" to a certain extent then more work can be accomplished. One can only work harder if one has the right equipment. I was thinking about repairs during Odette. It was important to make sure that the workers had the right tools and equipment to work with. Restoring power lines meant having the right utility vehicles and equipment. Repairing houses meant having the right materials and right tools to work with. It would be stupid to let repairs happen with faulty tools. It would be no different than the Boeing incident featured in the Netflix documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing which showed the fallacy of that thinking. If you give the wrong tools then even the best workforce will fail. Any good worker will know that the tools matter a lot. 

Why do we need to keep having new information?

Today's current events are tomorrow's history. I remembered how I once badmouthed a history teacher because she made us gather news every week. However, education shouldn't be focused too much on what's written in the book. A history class is not a history class if current events aren't discussed. Some important news such as politics, geography, economics, and the like will fill up the history books sooner or later. The history book of the 1990s is obsolete. We need new history books with new information. Publishers should release newer editions for a newer generation of students. Just think that the late Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was very much alive in the 1990s had died later in August 1, 2009. Cory's death became a new page in history. The presidency of Joseph Marcelo Ejercito-Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the late Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuanco-Aquino III, and outgoing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte are all written as of the present. In short, new information is generated every day for history textbooks.

New information has been gathered even during the olden times. Technology in itself is a result of new information. The evolution of vaccines is a result of new information. Louis Pasteur's discovery of the attenuated vaccine made Edward Jenner's use of cowpox pustules to combat smallpox obsolete. The Institut Pasteur managed to improve Pasteur's discoveries throughout the centuries. Even the dial-up Internet and floppy disks were the results of new information back then. Having new information allowed us to evolve from the dial-up Internet, the VHS, the VCD, and other obsolete technologies to fiber optics, DVD technology, USB technology, and many more. The use of solar generators is a result of new information. Science doesn't stick to just the information of the past--it seeks to discover. 

That's why I felt that lessons are getting harder. I remember complaining about how high school was so difficult. Well, it was that difficult high school that got people ready for life. However, the Philippines was long stuck with the K+10. The result was that important subjects such as mathematics, science, history, and economics get rushed. I still find it stupid that economics was only introduced in fourth-year high school when it's a very important subject. K+12 would have elementary, middle school, and high school. It would allow the processing of new information to be processed. Now, economics can be spread in middle school and high school instead of a subject that's just taught in fourth-year high school under the old curriculum. Spreading out knowledge of maths and sciences too would be more beneficial than just cramming them in all that once. Math and science in real life can't be rushed in their application either. Wrong computation, wrong science, wrong input means wrong results. 

How opening up to 100% shares ownership of foreign direct investment will help the Philippines reach that goal

I'm amazed that some people decide to condemn the Public Services Act of 2022 as an act of exploitation. It can only be an act of exploitation if foreign investors aren't required to register. However, in trade, where you do business, you register. Jollibee is getting branches around the world via franchise. Taiwanese milk tea establishments are getting around the world via franchises. Foreign investors are still required to register with the country they do business in. In short, any foreign investor is required to get registered with the appropriate government institutions, they need to pay rentals (since land ownership isn't in the question) if they want to continue doing business, they need to treat their workforce right, any foreign employee they bring is still subject to Filipino laws, and they need to pay income taxes every month. The 100% ownership is all about shares meaning their net income. Net income is the income left after all expenses such as rent (which goes to the local landowners) and taxes. The Philippine government already had its share when foreign investors pay their taxes. If they make millions of PHP per month--they have to pay the Value Added Tax (VAT), quarterly, and the Annual Income Tax based on that figure. Failure to do so can result in legal action. If tenants that don't pay get kicked out then foreign investors that don't pay taxes can expect a similar fate.

Instead, the Public Services Act of 2022 will be beneficial in this way. If there are more foreign investors then the businesses in the Philippines will have the chance to grow. That's what the late Lee Kuan Yew emphasized in From Third World to First. Vietnam and China, both communist countries, became progressive as a result of inviting foreign investments. I can see how the Philippines can rise up based on inviting more FDIs. The late Noynoy invested in scientific and technical activities through public services that weren't tackled. I feel that the Duterte Administration should've prioritized the Public Services Act of 2022 as well. Now, the Public Services Act would include telecommunications and transportation. This would mean there's no excuse not to keep up with technological advancement and new information.

The benefits that Filipino businesses will have can be tremendous. It would mean better transportation would mean more work accomplished. Better Internet means that Filipino businesses can improve all online transactions. It would also mean getting more new information. Filipino businesses would be forced by circumstances to upgrade or perish. The only local businesses that will perish if you let foreign investors do business here are those that refuse to evolve. Either you innovate (make sure that changes will deliver results) or perish. Having competition also fills in the supply and demand gap. More affordable public services for better quality will be available as a result of letting foreign investors own 100% shares with public utilities. 

References

Books

"From Third World to First--The Singapore Story: 1965-2000) by Lee Kuan Yew
Harpers Collins Publishers

Websites

"Duterte signs law amending Public Service Act" by Azer Parrocha (March 21, 2022)

"The legacy of Philippines President Benigno Aquino" by Laura Southgate (August 25, 2015)
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