Dear GKD Members, I too will keep this short. But first, per instructions, a brief introduction:
I am currently in Mali working on sustainable (from a profit-seeking standpoint) business models for Internet access in some of the poorest regions of the world. Not only is the profit motive an essential focusing element in the work I do, but it is a fun challenge. And, I am happy to report, it is possible to make a profit providing Internet access here. One List member quoted an email I had sent to him on a different discussion thread, so I figured if I was going to be quoted here, I might as well have some control over what was being quoted! (humor implied, if not achieved) Peter Burgess said essentially all that need be said with regard to the need for profit as a necessary condition for sustainability: "nothing survives in the long run unless its value creation is greater than its cost." If this isn't intuitively obvious, you need think only of the opportunity cost of money-losing projects. If a project is not creating value, then it is destroying value and resources that could be put to better use elsewhere. Such a situation will not long endure; anyone reading this has an interest in value-creation (or they wouldn't subscribe to this List) and must surely take offense at the squandering of finite resources. Peter Baldwin [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.anapurnawebdesign.com ------------ This DOT-COM Discussion is funded by USAID's dot-ORG Cooperative Agreement with AED, in partnership with World Resources Institute's Digital Dividend Project, and hosted by GKD. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org and http://www.digitaldividend.org provide more information. To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/archive.html>
