“a carnival of markets”
Konstantinos Konstantinidis, M.D., Ph.D.
Director - ExCtu - addressing the Health Tourism Sector "Builder Class" (a.k.a. the "growth makers" and “developers”) by providing the infrastructure supporting economic activity and enabling the system to function
…which operate as a single organism
The background image used to illustrate this article depicts the “Dump Truck” - with an explanation of how to make one using paper, tape, a round head fastener and glue (with due attribution to Super Simple - a place to learn and play -?https://supersimple.com/article/dump-truck-craft/?).
The point being made in this article is that, with Contemporary Health Tourism replacing Conventional Health Tourism, it is time to forget “clusters” and start thinking and doing “Integrated Economic Ecosystems” - and provides the rationale and justification for this.
It starts with a brief introduction to clusters and then goes on to the subject of Integrated Economic Ecosystems.
Clusters - a brief intro
...Clusters vs a clutch of “same service” Providers
For quite some time, there has been a trend to label a collection of providers, at an established, nascent, emerging, potential or prospective Health Tourism Destination, as a Cluster.
Obviously, those behind the labeling and promotion had not taken the time to read up on Industry Clusters (as expound by Michael Porter).
Over time, I acquired a, demonstrably, good understanding of the meaning of the term Porterian or Industry Cluster (or simply, cluster, if you prefer).
Starting in 2006, I became an ardent student of Clusters and Michael Porter, and ever since, I have been speaking, writing and doing on the subject of clusters in the context of Health Tourism.
The concept of industry clusters, or Porterian clusters, was introduced and popularized by Michael Porter in “The Competitive Advantage of Nations” (1990) – and has to do with “geographical economics”.
The importance of geographical economics, was also brought to our attention by Paul Krugman in “Geography and Trade” (1991).
And this is where, in the case of Health Tourism, “Destinations” and “Clusters” come into the picture.
Put in another way, an industry cluster is a geographical location – or destination - where enough “resources” and “competencies” reach a critical threshold, giving it an advantageous position in a given Economic Sector over other places (Hollywood and Silicon Valley are good examples of a Porterian cluster).
In other words, an industry or Porterian cluster is a “place” and not a group of “same businesses”.
And as such, by definition, a collection of, for example, Hospitals or Dental Clinics, is not an Industry Cluster.
the reason to now, “think and do” Integrated Economic Ecosystems
领英推荐
…and their clear advantage over the “Cluster”
Anyway, and regardless, the cluster “has had its day” - and it’s time to hand over to the Integrated Economic Ecosystem.
The clear advantage (over the “Cluster”) of the Integrated Economic Ecosystem “model” is that it is a system of markets (which John G. Singer - ?https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/johngsinger/?- refers to as a “a carnival of markets”) which operate as a single organism - within a Blue Ocean - an uncontested marketspace environment.
Incidentally, John is the Executive Director of Blue Spoon Consulting (the global leader in Strategy and Innovation at System Level). Blue Spoon ( ?https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/blue-spoon-consulting/ ?) specializes in constructing new industry ecosystems - and its mission is to lead the next cycle of evolution in healthcare.
BTW, a system is a set of connected things that operate together (Cambridge Dictionary).
As John has pointed out, the Integrated Economic Ecosystem solves the Market Fragmentation Problem (which is responsible for inefficiency) through Integration.
With regards to Integrated Economic Ecosystems, and as an example, it is pointed out that Blue Spoon Consulting (led by John) is establishing the Integrated Economic Ecosystem for the Diabetes market.
Correspondingly, ExCtu (the fledgling Health Tourism Policy and Strategy consultancy I direct) had already established the Health Tourism Integrated Economic Ecosystem, through the ht8 Strategy - which integrates the health-related services providers in 8 Industry Segments, enabling them to address the corresponding 8 Market Segments, in a “shared marketspace”.
More specifically, Contemporary Health Tourism embraces and integrates 8 health-related segments:
According to Blue Spoon Consulting, whoever is better at combining market fragments to operate as a single organism is better positioned to set the conditions by which others have to play
ExCtu, which has already combined the 8 market fragments to operate as a single organism, is obviously the best-positioned to set the conditions by which those addressed will want to play.
Singer, in his written word has pointed out “ecosystem genesis” starts with “new system vision”.
Contemporary Health Tourism is an envisioned “new system” put into practice - in fact, a new model that makes the old model obsolete (see, if you want: the Buckminster Fuller method for bringing about Change - introduce a new model that makes the existing model obsolete - ?https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/constantine-constantinides-m-d-ph-d-a22912197_healthtourism-ht8-contemporaryhealthtourism-activity-6999784416839393280-R-wH/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop?).
In conclusion, and again, according to John Singer, an "ecosystem" is an economic system around and through which a set of markets cohere to produce products and services and technologies in an organized way.
Furthermore, as John tells it, “ecosystems" are economic systems with the gravitational pull to reset how a marketspace / marketplace works, and which have the power to enable new categories of products and services, in a combination that is native to the new system.
Being in accord with this, it is pointed out that Contemporary Health Tourism, not least because it is associated with an “architecture and operating system” (arcHTos), is an integrated economic ecosystem of stakeholders and sector-specific legal entities, through which health-related services (in a combination of 8 segments - ht8) are provided and consumed (at a destination) in an organized way.
For those seriously interested in the subject, see: ht8 - the Ecosystem-Centered Market Strategy for Health Tourism - solving the Market Fragmentation Problem through Integration -?https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/ecosystem-centered-market-strategy-health-tourism-constantine/?).