Without Draper IOB would be nothing
THE EDITOR: In 1989, wearing the hat of "Tobacco Spokesperson" I attended a breakfast meeting to launch this new cooperative venture between Business, Academia and Government. It was the birth of the Institute of Business (IOB) and the captains of industry gathered to witness and therefore provide funding. This breakfast meeting was the culmination of months perhaps years of visioning and hard work. The man who lived with this vision was the late Gordon Draper. Without him the Institute of Business would not have been a reality. Having experienced academia and corporate life, he understood the need for meaningful collaboration between these two worlds. He created opportunities for business people to be immersed in theory and has therefore changed the business landscape of this society and the region. No name change can erase this fact. What the name change can do is provide a reality check for the many persons who toil to create something out of nothing. The name change reinforces the notion in our society that money can buy anything. Why would a University with the rich heritage of UWI sell a recently introduced prestige brand? Maybe I just don’t understand the value of twenty million dollars. Would "Ate Logo" sell her brand? Would H?agen Dazs" sell their brand? Despite negative connotations, Kentucky Fried Chicken was able to change their brand to KFC and is now positioning itself as a real meal option. In the world of marketing building a brand takes time and brand IOB had arrived at a place of recognition, recall and acceptance. Apart from money what value will this new name bring to the institution? I could understand a Hall, a Wing, but the entire institution! We shall continue to reap the whirlwind of disaffection of our people because we continue to plant these seeds of discontent. Here was an opportunity to recognise the life and work of a common man with an uncommon vision! Here was an opportunity to position a true role model for a significant portion of our society and instead we attempt to wipe away history for a "mess of pottage." Are our decision makers suggesting that with enough money you can purchase anything? I beg to disagree. Respect, credibility and admiration have to be earned. DENISE DEMMING EMBA Institute of Business University of the West Indies
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"Without Draper IOB would be nothing"