Private sector mergers

IT IS most welcome news that the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Exporters Association are to merge their Secretariats.

The idea of the merging and consolidating of the secretariats of the many private sector associations has been around since at least the mid-1980s. There is a lot to recommend it.

In the first place there has been considerable overlapping of functions, which would be rationalised in a merged entity. Then there is the matter of cost. Most of the private sector associations draw on basically the same pool of companies for their funding. Paying the dues of each association has become increasingly difficult in the context of a contracting economy.

As we said at the outset the idea is not new, but it received a fillip three years ago as a result of a study conducted by a group of students in the Executive Masters of Business Administration programme at the University of the West Indies. As a class exercise the group examined the merger of the secretariats of all of the major private sector associations and produced a project document outlining a strategy of implementation.

That implementation is now under way. A joint release from the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Exporters Association says that as of July 1 Miss Greta Bogues will assume the position of Chief Executive Officer of both associations as a first step in the long-term programme of consolidation among the various private sector associations.

While the associations will maintain their independent focus the membership will benefit from having to pay their dues to one combined organisation.

We wish the concept well and hope that before too long other private sector associations will become a part of the merger.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.

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