If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? This is an old philosophical question, and naturally, the scientists had to weigh in. Scientific American, in the late 1800s, effectively concluded that if there are no ears in the vicinity to sense the vibrations that is sound, then no, the falling tree does not make a sound.
Why is this relevant? Let’s rethink this in our context – if technology innovation doesn’t benefit the end-user, is it really innovation?
Now this is a far more difficult question to answer, but I believe that as an organisation and industry we are moving towards the thinking that technology innovation, in the absence of benefit to end-users, remains just an advance in technology and cannot be classified as innovation.
Think about it. Innovation is not only about doing different things or inventing the latest and greatest, but it is equally about doing things differently.
As technology suppliers at the cutting edge of enabling digital transformation for our community – people, customers, and partners – we realise the value of “thinking innovation through”. Company X may have 50 per cent more technology patents than company Y, but if 50 per cent more people are using company Y’s products, then it is clear who is more successful. To apply the ultimate benchmark of success, if users and customers are “happy”, then the solution is a success.
Technology firms often get so caught up in the excitement of technology advancement that the technology itself becomes the star.
There can be a disconnect between what solution the technology provides and what challenges the market is actually facing at that particular point in time. This is not to say that businesses should not innovate ahead of the market curve, but if this is the result, then there should be a concerted effort to educate the market about the benefits.
Which brings us to what we like to call our Innovation Community – Avaya believes that innovation is not restricted to our R&D labs, but calls for a mechanism for proper feedback from end-users. Our customers and partners are our primary source of this feedback. As the customer adage goes – if they are happy they tell us, and if they are unhappy, they tell everyone.
This feedback is essential for us to be able to communicate to our technical teams and work with them to innovate solutions with clear end-user happiness metrics in mind. If a customer has a challenge with ensuring secure mobility for their vastly dispersed workforce, they won’t want to hear about the latest fixed-line solution.
This cycle of information, feedback, development and advancement is ultimately the cycle of innovation.
The Innovation Community is not an Avaya-specific term or phenomenon – we experience it every day in Dubai, one of the prime examples of a vision-based approach to a Smart City that involves a community. The beauty of this communal effort is that there is no single owner. It is fallacious for companies to believe that they are irreplaceable in a Smart City environment. Technology today has proven that man-made borders, trade agreements and physical location are all irrelevant. If an organisation anywhere has a piece of the puzzle that can benefit Dubai’s Smart City vision, then they can be a part of this from where they are.
Dubai’s Innovation Week is a celebration of not just the spirit of innovation but also of the community.
Organisations from various sectors, of different sizes, and at various levels in their own technology adoption curve, are committed to the vision, and are doing all they can to live up to it.
We live in a unique city where the government is often the driver of innovation. Whether in terms of service delivery, operational efficiency, interdepartmental communication, or revenue realisation, government departments in the UAE have taken on the task of digitally transforming themselves with one agenda – the happiness of the citizen, resident and visitor.
And that again brings us back to the individual. According to most estimates, the UAE already leads the world in terms of smartphone adoption. As you can see from this, whether government, private enterprise or individuals, the stage is set for the next act in the Smart City vision.
The only difference in this act is that there are many more “performers” who are part of the show than there are those watching from the sidelines. And this is how a community innovates – bringing out and together the best from each stakeholder for the greater common good. Dubai’s Smart City vision will be a resounding success, as the Innovation Community is active, engaged and raring to go.
Nidal Abou-ltaif is Avaya’s president for Amea and Europe.
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Sri Lanka Test squad:
Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.
Company%20Profile
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Company%20Profile
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