Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Dead while Working
The Continental Airlines pilot died on a trans-Atlantic flight from Brussels to Newark. The fellow crew members had initially thought he fell asleep. Craig Lenell, 60, had no known heart condition and underwent twice-a-year physicals. Lenell died of a suspected heart attack midway through Continental Airlines Flight 61 on Thursday. Pilots must pass an extensive physical every six months to remain qualified to fly. The exam includes an electrocardiogram, blood pressure check and a vision test. Two co-pilots took over the controls. Amazingly, the Passengers didn't know anything until they landed. I remember a similar incident when an employee was found dead after 3 days in office. Working too hard!
Mike - the MBA blogger
Mike - the MBA blogger
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
From Cost-cuts to Salary-Cuts
British Airways has asked its 40,000 staff to work without pay for up to a month as the ailing airline seeks to cut costs. BA made a record £401 million loss in 2008 due to surging fuel prices and collapsing premium-fare passengers. The move is to reduce costs dramatically and BA has already offered staff unpaid leave or a reduction in hours. BA’s chief executive,Mr Walsh, has now gone a step further by asking staff to volunteer for between one and four weeks of unpaid work in what was dubbed as “fight for survival.”
Mr Walsh, last week said he would work for free in July, and has set a deadline of June 24 for employees to volunteer for unpaid work. Salary deductions are expected to be spread over three to six months wherever possible.
Mike - the MBA blogger
Mr Walsh, last week said he would work for free in July, and has set a deadline of June 24 for employees to volunteer for unpaid work. Salary deductions are expected to be spread over three to six months wherever possible.
Mike - the MBA blogger
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Asian Oil Pipeline
A major natural gas pipeline that would stretch from the fields of southern Iran to Pakistan and India — itself a remarkable prospect — is being planned. But it faces serious hurdles, not least the fierce opposition of the U.S. government.
The history of relations between Persia and the Indian subcontinent is more than 2000 years old. Until 200 years ago, Persian was the language of literature and government in India. After separation of Pakistan from India, Iran faced a dilemma of its relations with these two new states. During the Shah's era, Iran preferred to have close relations with Pakistan, although economic ties with India were not ignored. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Pakistan's support of hardliners in Afghanistan, Iran found India as a new partner in Asia. India has been slowly but surely forging a comprehensive relationship with Iran on energy and commerce, infrastructure development, and military ties. Iran looks to India as a developed, democratic, and politically lucrative country for cooperation. For instance, some 8,000 Iranian students are studying in India, compared with 2,000 in the United States.
A big market for India, Iran has the world's second largest oil and gas proven reserves, and acts as an important access route for India to Central Asia and Afghanistan. Case in point: India is seeking new routes to reach to Central Asia. One of them is the North-South Corridor, which links India to Russia and all of the former Soviet Union via the Persian Gulf, Iran and Caspian Sea. Iran's considerations are boosting trade, having secure borders, and avoiding "encirclement" by American proxies. At the same time, Iran is opposed to the hegemonic presence of the United States and its troops in the Indian Ocean. India has not been hesitant to play the Iran card to draw concessions from the United States on other matters of bilateral concern. So the pipeline is freighted with more significance than merely the delivery of natural gas. Not much has been heard about the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline for some time, but that all changed on the sidelines of a regional summit that brought together Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Tehran on May 24.
But there are some major obstacles to overcome before any Iranian gas actually crosses the border into Pakistan -- and even more before that gas can be routed to India.
The first major question is where the money will come from.
The first leg of the plan is to build a 2,100-kilometer long pipeline from Iran's South Pars gas field into Pakistan -- at an estimated $7.5 billion. The next step would be to build a 600-kilometer extension that would go on to India.
But while a rival gas-pipeline project -- the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) -- is supported by the Asian Development Bank, the IPI does not have any backing from international financial institutions. Furthermore, TAPI is not as vulnerable to the financial or political opposition that IPI could experience due to the involvement of Iran, whose nuclear program has made it a pariah in the international community.
Complicating matters for both projects is that they are to be routed through Baluchistan. Considering that Baluch nationalists have already blown up domestic gas pipelines on the Pakistani side of the border in their fight for greater autonomy from Islamabad, their stance on a new pipeline from Iran (or Afghanistan) could be easily guessed.
As Ahmadinejad and Zardari watched representatives of their respective countries' gas companies ink the deal, the two presidents managed to avoid addressing such difficult questions. Ahmadinejad and Zardari hailed the plan to build a "pipeline of peace," with Zardari pointing to the significance of the signing of the agreement after some 10 years of talks.
Pakistani adviser on petroleum and natural resources Asim Hussain said Pakistan and Iran would sign a formal agreement on the pipeline project within 15 days in a third country. Hussain did not say which country, but given India's longtime interest in the project, it is assumed that it is the "third country."
That leads to more uncertainty, considering New Delhi's difficult relations with Islamabad. Pakistan, however, has made clear it would build the pipeline with Iran even if India opts out of the project. Iranian and Pakistani officials have said construction of the new pipeline could start within three to four years and be finished some five years later.
Mike - the MBA blogger
The history of relations between Persia and the Indian subcontinent is more than 2000 years old. Until 200 years ago, Persian was the language of literature and government in India. After separation of Pakistan from India, Iran faced a dilemma of its relations with these two new states. During the Shah's era, Iran preferred to have close relations with Pakistan, although economic ties with India were not ignored. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Pakistan's support of hardliners in Afghanistan, Iran found India as a new partner in Asia. India has been slowly but surely forging a comprehensive relationship with Iran on energy and commerce, infrastructure development, and military ties. Iran looks to India as a developed, democratic, and politically lucrative country for cooperation. For instance, some 8,000 Iranian students are studying in India, compared with 2,000 in the United States.
A big market for India, Iran has the world's second largest oil and gas proven reserves, and acts as an important access route for India to Central Asia and Afghanistan. Case in point: India is seeking new routes to reach to Central Asia. One of them is the North-South Corridor, which links India to Russia and all of the former Soviet Union via the Persian Gulf, Iran and Caspian Sea. Iran's considerations are boosting trade, having secure borders, and avoiding "encirclement" by American proxies. At the same time, Iran is opposed to the hegemonic presence of the United States and its troops in the Indian Ocean. India has not been hesitant to play the Iran card to draw concessions from the United States on other matters of bilateral concern. So the pipeline is freighted with more significance than merely the delivery of natural gas. Not much has been heard about the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline for some time, but that all changed on the sidelines of a regional summit that brought together Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Tehran on May 24.
But there are some major obstacles to overcome before any Iranian gas actually crosses the border into Pakistan -- and even more before that gas can be routed to India.
The first major question is where the money will come from.
The first leg of the plan is to build a 2,100-kilometer long pipeline from Iran's South Pars gas field into Pakistan -- at an estimated $7.5 billion. The next step would be to build a 600-kilometer extension that would go on to India.
But while a rival gas-pipeline project -- the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) -- is supported by the Asian Development Bank, the IPI does not have any backing from international financial institutions. Furthermore, TAPI is not as vulnerable to the financial or political opposition that IPI could experience due to the involvement of Iran, whose nuclear program has made it a pariah in the international community.
Complicating matters for both projects is that they are to be routed through Baluchistan. Considering that Baluch nationalists have already blown up domestic gas pipelines on the Pakistani side of the border in their fight for greater autonomy from Islamabad, their stance on a new pipeline from Iran (or Afghanistan) could be easily guessed.
As Ahmadinejad and Zardari watched representatives of their respective countries' gas companies ink the deal, the two presidents managed to avoid addressing such difficult questions. Ahmadinejad and Zardari hailed the plan to build a "pipeline of peace," with Zardari pointing to the significance of the signing of the agreement after some 10 years of talks.
Pakistani adviser on petroleum and natural resources Asim Hussain said Pakistan and Iran would sign a formal agreement on the pipeline project within 15 days in a third country. Hussain did not say which country, but given India's longtime interest in the project, it is assumed that it is the "third country."
That leads to more uncertainty, considering New Delhi's difficult relations with Islamabad. Pakistan, however, has made clear it would build the pipeline with Iran even if India opts out of the project. Iranian and Pakistani officials have said construction of the new pipeline could start within three to four years and be finished some five years later.
Mike - the MBA blogger
The Dilbert Principle
I must confess, I read Scott Adams' Dilbert Principle a little too early. At that time, I could not appreciate the humor as much as I do now :)But now that I have a job (don't know for how long) I am beginning to see what Scott envisioned.
'Work' equates to conference calls and more conference calls discussing what went wrong with what was planned during the previous conference call. The rest of the time, you are free to do whatever you want to as long as you show that you add value to the company. Often, this involves remaining silent on most conference calls and saying something vague (read corporate mambo-jambo) when asked for an opinion. An exception to this rule is the last minute work that gets shoved onto your desk by your boss. These require some scurrying around and usually result in frantic emails/calls. An eternal optimist will capitalize on these rare occasions to wash away any guilt that he/she is being compensated for just being physically present at work. The rest of time can be spent on facebook, chat windows or other tools that have a proven track record of keeping boredom at bay.
At the end of the day, as long as you remain in control of your emotions and think, speak and act logically, you can lay claim to have all that it takes to succeed in pretty much any job. Good communication skills, PowerPoint and Excel skills, and the ability to manage relationships well help you take the elevator on your way up instead of the escalator. Specific to the US, additional skills required to be on the fast track to success include the ability to drink for a long time without getting inebriated and being up to date with what is happening on the sports scene.
My Dad once told me that in order to succeed at the workplace, you must realize that people that work above you are fools and you must either be one or learn to act like one. I am still trying to figure out whether I am acting or just being myself!
If you spent the last few minutes reading this drivel, I apologize - my entire post can be summarized by Dilbert.
Disclaimer: This was not posted while I was at work. The post was not inspired by, or have any relation to my job. Besides, I am currently a student :)
Mike - the MBA blogger
'Work' equates to conference calls and more conference calls discussing what went wrong with what was planned during the previous conference call. The rest of the time, you are free to do whatever you want to as long as you show that you add value to the company. Often, this involves remaining silent on most conference calls and saying something vague (read corporate mambo-jambo) when asked for an opinion. An exception to this rule is the last minute work that gets shoved onto your desk by your boss. These require some scurrying around and usually result in frantic emails/calls. An eternal optimist will capitalize on these rare occasions to wash away any guilt that he/she is being compensated for just being physically present at work. The rest of time can be spent on facebook, chat windows or other tools that have a proven track record of keeping boredom at bay.
At the end of the day, as long as you remain in control of your emotions and think, speak and act logically, you can lay claim to have all that it takes to succeed in pretty much any job. Good communication skills, PowerPoint and Excel skills, and the ability to manage relationships well help you take the elevator on your way up instead of the escalator. Specific to the US, additional skills required to be on the fast track to success include the ability to drink for a long time without getting inebriated and being up to date with what is happening on the sports scene.
My Dad once told me that in order to succeed at the workplace, you must realize that people that work above you are fools and you must either be one or learn to act like one. I am still trying to figure out whether I am acting or just being myself!
If you spent the last few minutes reading this drivel, I apologize - my entire post can be summarized by Dilbert.
Disclaimer: This was not posted while I was at work. The post was not inspired by, or have any relation to my job. Besides, I am currently a student :)
Mike - the MBA blogger
Monday, June 1, 2009
Boyle's Mumai Obsession!
While Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire was inspired by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's book 'Q&A', the forthcoming thriller will be based on the novel 'Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found' by Suketu Mehta, an Indian-born journalist and author based in New York. Boyle has reportedly bought the rights of the critically acclaimed novel, which was first published in 2004. Partly a travelogue and partly an autobiography, the book delves into the interconnected worlds of Mumbai's slum-dwellers, dancing girls, underworld dons and Hindu radicals.
The non-fiction work has been likened to everything from Balzac's descriptions of Paris to The Arabian Nights. Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars and grossed over 220 million pounds at the box office. So is it going to be another film that showcases India's sharp and contrasting realities?
Mike - the MBA blogger
The non-fiction work has been likened to everything from Balzac's descriptions of Paris to The Arabian Nights. Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars and grossed over 220 million pounds at the box office. So is it going to be another film that showcases India's sharp and contrasting realities?
Mike - the MBA blogger
Friday, May 29, 2009
North Korea's Nuclear Moves
North Korea again conducted its Nuclear Tests on May 25 2009. The tests signaled Pyongyang's growing disillusionment over the U.S. refusal to conduct bilateral talks. North Korea, facing international censure for the nuclear test, threatened on again to attack the South after it joined a U.S.-led plan to check vessels suspected of carrying equipment for weapons of mass destruction.
"Last year, a lot of people from Seoul and Washington visited Pyongyang telling Kim and his people that once Obama was in the White House, the U.S. was going to be a totally different entity to deal with," said Lee Dong-bok, a senior associate in Seoul for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
But it's not working out that way. That's the reason North Korea is acting in such an erratic manner."
When North Korea first conducted Nuclear tests on Oct 9 2006, it said it carried out in defiance of international warnings. It was a success and had not resulted in any leak of radiation. The US said the reported test was a "provocative act", while China denounced it as "brazen". China expressed its "resolute opposition" to the claimed test and said it "defied the universal opposition of international society".
A Russian news agency reported that an official in North Korea's embassy in Moscow warned that new tests would take place "if the United States and its allies continue the policy of intimidation against North Korea," Tass reported.
Mike - the MBA blogger
"Last year, a lot of people from Seoul and Washington visited Pyongyang telling Kim and his people that once Obama was in the White House, the U.S. was going to be a totally different entity to deal with," said Lee Dong-bok, a senior associate in Seoul for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
But it's not working out that way. That's the reason North Korea is acting in such an erratic manner."
When North Korea first conducted Nuclear tests on Oct 9 2006, it said it carried out in defiance of international warnings. It was a success and had not resulted in any leak of radiation. The US said the reported test was a "provocative act", while China denounced it as "brazen". China expressed its "resolute opposition" to the claimed test and said it "defied the universal opposition of international society".
A Russian news agency reported that an official in North Korea's embassy in Moscow warned that new tests would take place "if the United States and its allies continue the policy of intimidation against North Korea," Tass reported.
Mike - the MBA blogger
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Politics of Power and the Power of Politics
My course Global Political Economy and Regional Business Environment has really opened my eyes and ears to Political behaviors and International relations.
US: US has been in a mess caught between India and Pakistan. India obviously is at the wrong ends with respect to Kashmir but India has a sound excuse - Terrorism and the violent effects of an untrusty neighbour, Pakistan. US has been losing its face in the muslim world and Pakistan is now the center of the world's attention. Pakistan's co-operation to destroy the Taliban setup is vital for US. At the same time, US's involvement in the Pakistan affairs, such as with India on Kashmir, spoils its reputation. Pakistan public is convinced now than ever that India, US and the West are forces of oppresion, Anti-Pakistan. So US reacts mildly to the release of India's most wanted terrorist,Jamaat -ud-Dawa's chief Hafiz Saeed, while India is unhappy at the release of from house arrest. Pakistan has no plans to go back to the Lahore court with more evidence against Hafeez. US's war on terror has also become more famous or infamous as a war on Islam. So US wants Pakistan to do the dirty so that the religius view is ruled out.
China: Chinese are really everywhere. So are the Indians but then China is than India the leader in East-Asia and China's closeness to Pakistan equals if not is stronger in the muslim world. With active help from China and North Korea, Pakistan has surged well ahead of India in the missile arena. The only nuclear-capable ballistic missile in India’s arsenal which can be said to be 100% operational as of now is the short-range Prithvi missile. China has been supporting naxals in East India and Pakistan to weaken India.
China has naval bases in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmmar. China is coming closer and closer to India's border and in many cases has infringed beyond!
Pakistan: The country is in a mess. LeT, State-backed terror network is now stabbing the state. LeT and Al Quaida came closer and did carry out Anti-Indian activities for decades. However, with Pakistan co-operating (?) with US to vanquish the terror networks (really? yeah, whatever, that's the latest from Pakistan), LeT has had to fight with Pak to help Al Qaida. Pakistan has been lying to its people for long long time. Pakistan has blamed India forever and sucessfully fed the Pakistani minds with seeds of Anti-India. Now, even a cleaning job is seen by the public as an act of compulsion towards US and other so called, Anti-Pakistan forces. Pakistan knows the terror networks it has setup, which operates behind the scenes, but dismantling it
would lose the government, not only its face but lead to public outcry. Again, Pakistan which has about 60 nuclear warheads, primarily targeted towards India, is continuing production of fissile material for weapons and adding to its production facilities and delivery vehicles, a US Congressional report has said.
India: India has been under-playing the Chinese threat for a long time. SM. Krishna's appointment, immediately saw increased troops in the Indo-Chinese border. India is realizing China is day-by-day moving towards a regional hegemon. India really needs to get on the act and face up to China's threat. US has been asking India to take an active role in Pakistan because US thinks India should join the party if it wants to hear the music. India is worried as it feels, it would lead to increased attacks in India. It may also antagonize the muslims in India. Will India ever join Pakistan for help. Never! I would say its right thing to do too, you never know when Pakistan will turn against India! Sometimes standing still may be, the best move you ever made! India has been purchasing defense weapons from Israel and Pakistan has hence pinned India-Israel nexus as Anti-Pakistan!
Mike - the MBA blogger
US: US has been in a mess caught between India and Pakistan. India obviously is at the wrong ends with respect to Kashmir but India has a sound excuse - Terrorism and the violent effects of an untrusty neighbour, Pakistan. US has been losing its face in the muslim world and Pakistan is now the center of the world's attention. Pakistan's co-operation to destroy the Taliban setup is vital for US. At the same time, US's involvement in the Pakistan affairs, such as with India on Kashmir, spoils its reputation. Pakistan public is convinced now than ever that India, US and the West are forces of oppresion, Anti-Pakistan. So US reacts mildly to the release of India's most wanted terrorist,Jamaat -ud-Dawa's chief Hafiz Saeed, while India is unhappy at the release of from house arrest. Pakistan has no plans to go back to the Lahore court with more evidence against Hafeez. US's war on terror has also become more famous or infamous as a war on Islam. So US wants Pakistan to do the dirty so that the religius view is ruled out.
China: Chinese are really everywhere. So are the Indians but then China is than India the leader in East-Asia and China's closeness to Pakistan equals if not is stronger in the muslim world. With active help from China and North Korea, Pakistan has surged well ahead of India in the missile arena. The only nuclear-capable ballistic missile in India’s arsenal which can be said to be 100% operational as of now is the short-range Prithvi missile. China has been supporting naxals in East India and Pakistan to weaken India.
China has naval bases in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmmar. China is coming closer and closer to India's border and in many cases has infringed beyond!
Pakistan: The country is in a mess. LeT, State-backed terror network is now stabbing the state. LeT and Al Quaida came closer and did carry out Anti-Indian activities for decades. However, with Pakistan co-operating (?) with US to vanquish the terror networks (really? yeah, whatever, that's the latest from Pakistan), LeT has had to fight with Pak to help Al Qaida. Pakistan has been lying to its people for long long time. Pakistan has blamed India forever and sucessfully fed the Pakistani minds with seeds of Anti-India. Now, even a cleaning job is seen by the public as an act of compulsion towards US and other so called, Anti-Pakistan forces. Pakistan knows the terror networks it has setup, which operates behind the scenes, but dismantling it
would lose the government, not only its face but lead to public outcry. Again, Pakistan which has about 60 nuclear warheads, primarily targeted towards India, is continuing production of fissile material for weapons and adding to its production facilities and delivery vehicles, a US Congressional report has said.
India: India has been under-playing the Chinese threat for a long time. SM. Krishna's appointment, immediately saw increased troops in the Indo-Chinese border. India is realizing China is day-by-day moving towards a regional hegemon. India really needs to get on the act and face up to China's threat. US has been asking India to take an active role in Pakistan because US thinks India should join the party if it wants to hear the music. India is worried as it feels, it would lead to increased attacks in India. It may also antagonize the muslims in India. Will India ever join Pakistan for help. Never! I would say its right thing to do too, you never know when Pakistan will turn against India! Sometimes standing still may be, the best move you ever made! India has been purchasing defense weapons from Israel and Pakistan has hence pinned India-Israel nexus as Anti-Pakistan!
Mike - the MBA blogger
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The story of Gastarbeiters
While the Oil Boom has yet to make Siberia a magnet for Russia's knowledge class, it is attracting many other newcomers: impoverished immigrants from beyond Russia's borders. Every morning, in a vacant lot just off the highway to Filipenko's showcase capital, it is common for a group of shabbily dressed men ranging in age from their 20s to their 40s, waiting for offers of menial work. A car usually pulls up, and several of the men walk over to talk to the driver, who is looking for a few hands to dig potatoes. But his offering price, just under ten dollars a day, isn't enough, and he drives away without any takers.
These men are what Russians, borrowing a German word, call gastarbeiters—guest workers. They are nearly everywhere in Khanty-Mansi. Most are Muslims from Tajikistan, the former Soviet republic in Central Asia whose economy was shattered by civil war in the mid-1990s. They come here in spring and return home before winter arrives. It's not every day they find a job, but when they do they can earn about $20 lugging bags of cement for a construction crew or doing household cleaning. They wire funds back to their families, and their employers avoid paying taxes on the wages.
The men are supposed to obtain registration papers certifying their place of residence, but, as they tell me, they have no authorized place to live, bunking instead in unheated garages illegally rented to them. A work boss—a kind of Mafia figure—obtains papers for them by bribing the registration office, but those documents, listing a false address, leave the gastarbeiters at the mercy of the police. When they are found out, they're sometimes forced to pay a spot "fine" (read "bribe"), and repeat offenders may face deportation. Russia's federal government recently put the burden on employers to register the workers and check their identifications, but such measures are unlikely to stem the tide so long as the oil boom continues.
A FLOOD OF RUSSIANS from economically depressed cities west of the Urals is also swelling the oil towns of western Siberia. Forty years ago Surgut was a collection of wooden hovels, in a place where temperatures can plunge to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit and midwinter darkness lasts for all but a few hours a day. Today Surgut is one of western Siberia's largest cities, with 300,000 people. The new arrivals are voting with their feet, a sign that Russia's new market economy is actually working.
Mike - the MBA blogger
These men are what Russians, borrowing a German word, call gastarbeiters—guest workers. They are nearly everywhere in Khanty-Mansi. Most are Muslims from Tajikistan, the former Soviet republic in Central Asia whose economy was shattered by civil war in the mid-1990s. They come here in spring and return home before winter arrives. It's not every day they find a job, but when they do they can earn about $20 lugging bags of cement for a construction crew or doing household cleaning. They wire funds back to their families, and their employers avoid paying taxes on the wages.
The men are supposed to obtain registration papers certifying their place of residence, but, as they tell me, they have no authorized place to live, bunking instead in unheated garages illegally rented to them. A work boss—a kind of Mafia figure—obtains papers for them by bribing the registration office, but those documents, listing a false address, leave the gastarbeiters at the mercy of the police. When they are found out, they're sometimes forced to pay a spot "fine" (read "bribe"), and repeat offenders may face deportation. Russia's federal government recently put the burden on employers to register the workers and check their identifications, but such measures are unlikely to stem the tide so long as the oil boom continues.
A FLOOD OF RUSSIANS from economically depressed cities west of the Urals is also swelling the oil towns of western Siberia. Forty years ago Surgut was a collection of wooden hovels, in a place where temperatures can plunge to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit and midwinter darkness lasts for all but a few hours a day. Today Surgut is one of western Siberia's largest cities, with 300,000 people. The new arrivals are voting with their feet, a sign that Russia's new market economy is actually working.
Mike - the MBA blogger
The Power of Dreams
There once was a sheikh who dreamed big. His realm, on the shores of the Persian Gulf, was a sleepy, sun-scorched village occupied by pearl divers, fishermen, and traders who docked their ramshackle dhows and fishing boats along a narrow creek that snaked through town. But where others saw only a brackish creek, this sheikh, Rashid bin Saeed al Maktoum, saw a highway to the world.
One day in 1959, he borrowed many millions of dollars from his oil-rich neighbor, Kuwait, to dredge the creek until it was wide and deep enough for ships. He built wharves and warehouses and planned for roads and schools and homes. Some thought he was mad, others just mistaken, but Sheikh Rashid believed in the power of new beginnings. Sometimes at dawn, with his young son, Mohammed, by his side, he’d walk the empty waterfront and paint his dream in the air with words and gestures. And it was, in the end, as he said. He built it, and they came.
His son, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, now rules Dubai, and around that creek has built towering dreams of his own, transforming the sunrise vision of his father into a floodlit, air-conditioned, skyscrapered fantasy world of a million people. With its Manhattan-style skyline, world-class port, and colossal, duty-free shopping malls, little Dubai now attracts more tourists than the whole of India, more shipping vessels than Singapore, and more foreign capital than many European countries. The people of 150 nations have moved here to live and work. Dubai has even built man-made islands—some in the shape of palm trees—to accommodate the wealthiest of them. Its economic growth rate, 16 percent, is nearly double that of China. Construction cranes punctuate the skyline like exclamation points. Welcome to Dubai!
Mike - the MBA blogger
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)