friend a to Letter Letter to a friend Devos JeanDevos from Jean
My Dear Friend
My Dear Friend
My dear friend,
My glass is small... “Botany Bay” an interesting Thisa is vs. Global: Regional title whoseLike novel,subject. modest recently I published village; small a in childhood my spent I us of many is Botany Bay. It is the place in Australia where in my case a French Flemish village near the border Alcatel was part of a regionestablished between France and Belgium. This submarine under facFrenchcable the Low Netherlands before becoming to leave forced Louis the XIV. Many people were part of as their in 1989 tory bethem of many places for reasons of religion and its contract for the came the first “Dutch” immigrants in America, moving Tasman 2 link. In this brutally from “Regional” to “Global”? I have myself two bay, where same concentric waves, discovered the world through several Literature. through thebefore not forgetting all the discoveries the centuries already was I when My very first trip to Paris happened French expedition 18!! And it is in the 70 ies only, through my Market“La Pérouse” made of ing activities that I became sort of “Global”. During two ships, La Boussole
25 years I have enjoyed this “global” life where you measure everything; you evaluate everything in comparison with what you see elsewhere. Very often I had difficulty to understand the people who had a “regionselfish! looked Theyto perception. a regional culture, al” that discover in 1788 landed l’Astrolabe, and
west the Atlanticmemory. Nostrum) (Mare terranean It everyone’s still inand was event WarriorSea Japanese, the in walk to ambition no had We coast. is for these reasons among others that STC (UK) or the British or the American garden. In our home to come Alcatel‘s the rejected andwith a trust, relationship, based onsuggestion were things market, solution. a “European” jointI bid, project involved. A small the people all offer knew to culture. activity. year of was a fullOne the winning factors has been the Port-Botany cable factory. Such a factory was a (now Telstra) OTC“Global”; from strong the fulland became the sudden things all of requirement And Government. Australian thebecame Great opportunity! A project accessible. world not live withOne could size!most by itsthe onlywas was of interest Such a motivated. Alcatel contemnot could One (Oxygen!!). projectexpand a globalcould outfactory its influence in the Pacific plate a crossing which would be not Global (Global where the three other players were historically Crossing).The only loop which would make sense was represents which region, this established Jules Verne Even (Flag)). the world”inone “around an well predicted hada not of their market. They saw this part this! large factory as a risk for their existing facilities! at the came in Versailles ‘87wave we alltime. andright down, has now come this tsunami ButSubOptic where the Australian It is rediscovering individual the our owndiscovered the merit of teams retired, you can go much you livea “regional”, When garden. between close cooperation model, French Problems important. and useful feel can you deeper; Alcatel and FT, exactly what they wanted to escan be apprehended and resolved. You can commutablish in their country. nicate with your neighbours, speaking the same lanchanged since, but are culture. My friend, habits and the samethings guage, sharing one thing stays true: When you offer something, the reader can see between the lines if you are “My glass is small … but it is mine” or not genuinely motivated and sincere. Then Devos Jean offer becomes really attractive and this your opens the route to “Botany Bay.”
Captain Cook was already around bearing the me the Bay is So Botany British returning circle,for thenow I am closing am retired, that Iflag. Now I live; where town small the rediscover I being local! tosymbol of a dream which becomes a reality! local events, around, people the local I rediscover chapter another yet the been 2 has Tasman the local habits, the local problems. And it seems to this innow you to go deeperThe “regional” allowscompetition! beingAnglo-French thatlong me surprise a big outitsasfood came Alcatel tooak award and to deeper search that roots a large like you are was broader you live the land. When in including deeper Everybody Alcatel. inside many, The superficial. stay to condemned somewhat that batnaturally expecting the British to winchoice is between knowing everything on a small, restricted thatontime atlittle was an expectation such tle, and very and knowing a specialist, being subject, very logical. you soon. See in other word, being a generalist. everything; consulting Submarcom There were so many difficulties and Member of Don Quixote misunderstanding between Australia and Director Axiom The same applies to our business. From the 60’s to the presence French the being one main the France, Submarcom Consulting 80’s, I have enjoyed a “regional” professional life. We nuclear the area, in Pacific thehome in our Mediwas thethe case itbeing myworse business; had bomb experiment in Tahiti! The sad Rainbow
Jean Devos
Jean Devos
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