Knowledge will lead you to wealth and wisdom at the same time. I think this is my own quote that I just made myself or I may use it as my philosophy. Hmmm that sounds great! Thanks to British Council who firstly introduced me with the phrase “Knowledge Economy”.
I just put that phrase in my beloved search engine, Google, where I can find anything even the strangest word ever (Free Advertisment for Google). Then, BAM! Here are some of the results I found (just a very few from 14,400,000 hit! Google found. WOW!):
“The knowledge economy is a vague term that refers either to an economy of knowledge focused on the production and management of knowledge in the frame of economy constrains, or to a knowledge-based economy. In the second meaning, more frequently used, it refers to the use of knowledge technologies (such as knowledge engineering and knowledge management ) to produce economic benefits” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_economy
“What is the knowledge economy? "A knowledge-driven economy is one in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge play the predominant part in the creation of wealth" (United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry, 1998). In the industrial era, wealth was created by using machines to replace human labour. Many people associate the knowledge economy with high-technology industries such as telecommunications and financial services”. -http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentPage____17263.aspx
[We] are living through a period of profound change and transformation of the shape of society and its underlying economic base ... The nature of production, trade, employment and work in the coming decades will be very different from what it is today.1 - http://www.cfses.com/documents/knowledgeeconprimer.pdf
Actually I don’t want to get deeper with the phrase even more. Coz, I think it will just get me confused. Let me just share about what I have in mind about that phrase, maybe it will help you or anyone to understand the phrase easier. I think I can say that I am the sample of Knowledge Economy itself. Sound funny?
Let’s hear more: I am a mother of two sons who works in a law firm as a librarian. My husband works as data member admin in one of the biggest fitness centre in Jakarta. But somehow, we often run out of money before we have our next paycheck. Maybe if we just deal with our own needs we don’t have to find ways to add our income, but we, Indonesians, also have parents and family to help with. Every month, there may be a birthday to celebrate, a wedding, arisan party (this will help me save some money), a far relatives visiting, etc. There’s just always something come up that make us think how to spare our money. Nevertheless, we have the price of our regular need products rising up! Way to go to Our Government’s Policy on BBM! (Yeah, Rite!)
What can I do then? I should find a way or two to do get some more money. I already join multiply, but as far as I can think at that time was to have a place to put all of my family documentations. But hey, maybe I can put pictures of my Tupperware products in Photos Album and sell them via multiply. That’s sound an idea. Then I did it. Hmm.. but the sell is not quite successful. What more can I do? Maybe I should join some groups? Yeah, that’s also a good plan. So I search through Multiply Search Engine for the group. Wallaa: Shopaholic! I join this group too. But, still I don’t get more customers. Duh! I must add more groups and find new friends to pursue as my costumer.
Maybe that sound complicated, what those things got to do with the Knowledge Economy. Now, how many mother in Indonesia, who works as an employee, still have time to do other thing just to have some more money? How many mother in Indonesia, think to use Internet to sell products? How many mother in Indonesia, know multiply? A Mother who know that they can have website without purchasing it. Even a mother who already have Internet in their home don’t always know about blog, multiply, and how to make them. I think if many people notice about this and learn more about this, they can use it to improve their economic problem/financial problem. They can advertise their product without spending any money on it. They can have more friends. Maybe business friends?
“There are two important types of knowledge industries to consider: First, there are those industries whose major product is knowledge itself; then there are industries that manage or convey information”.- http://www.neweconomyindex.org/knowledge.html
This is also the meaning of the knowledge economy. Maybe, I am not the person who really wants to be the real seller. I may just want to get what I want without spending my money. As I join Tupperware member, I don’t have to buy them to get the products. Because when I sell the products and I got the profit, I use the profit to buy the products I want. Sound clever? Hmm. I did the same when I join Oriflame. I got their products for free when I sell some of their products. I don’t have much time, that’s why I can’t do more to get more profit in those two MLM I joined. Anyhow, I got what I want rite? Free Tupperware and Cosmetics.
Knowledge really can make you get what you want. And, in the future, in Indonesia, parents should be cleverer to overcome every obstacle that comes up in their lives. When the School fee getting higher, when the daily products prices are crawling up, the paycheck just stay still.
How about the wisdom that comes along with the wealth? Maybe many corruptors don’t get the wisdom of their wealth for the wealth itself didn’t come from their knowledge. Knowledge is something that we found ourselves. When we eager to get that, our life will be better. Better in quality and quantity (means your savings!). Because we will find ways to get what you want. If you want more money, then you will get it. If you want more friends, then you will get them. If you want your new car, new house, new clothes, new jewellery, then you will get them. You will get them by your knowledge. Economy Knowledge. Got it? Hope you get what I mean! Coz, hey! We experience it ourselves.
… one in which the generation and the exploitation of knowledge has come to play the predominant part in the creation of wealth. It is not simply about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge; it is also about the more effective use and exploitation of all types of knowledge in all manner of economic activity.- http://www.cfses.com/documents/knowledgeeconprimer.pdf
