When effectiveness and efficiency go bad
This is a nice story of living in a networked world -- where a nodal efficiency can lead to the downfall of the entire network.
Singapore is well-known for its strict anti-piracy laws and its allegiance to upholding intellectual property rights.
A study by research consultancy firm Spire of some 40 global companies operating out of Asia concluded that when it came to producing pirated goods, Singapore was a distant last.
The International Chamber of Commerce had earlier given it high marks for protecting IP -- ranking it ninth out of 82 countries.
If you were a customs officer and saw a shipment from Singapore and if you were aware of its envious standing, what would you do?
You would let it pass, right?
Pirates are using the same strategy to sneak goods to other countries via Singapore and that too in an efficient and effective manner.
In 2004, more than 300,000 pirated DVDs seized by British customs had come on ships from Singapore.
These numbers ranked Singapore in the top three countries -- with Malaysia and Pakistan -- in terms of the number of pirated DVDs seized at points of entry (in the UK).
And the irony of it all is that Singapore's efficiency is proving to be one of the bottlenecks in stopping these shipments.
And, in the buzz of activity at the Singapore port, which prides itself on its quick turnaround times, some point to the obvious dilemma: It would be virtually impossible — and extremely disruptive — for the authorities to go around examining every consignment that is being transhipped.
This story goes to show how having a systems viewpoint is so important in our age -- we need to be looking at the forests more often.
Permalink | Monday, March 26, 2007
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