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Letters and Blogs
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-24 08:24 Mine owners in their own traps The government of Shanxi province is determined to merge all the small coal mines into larger corporations for the sake of production safety. When the small coal mines are meeting their ends, no one knows exactly where the exit is for the mammoth capital possessed by small mine owners, altogether amounting to about 300 billion yuan ($44 billion). Optimists may say the mine owners could easily divert the capital to other industries. I think, however, their mindsets have been forged over many years' in the management of small mines, and this lowers their chances of success in other businesses. First, few small mine owners can be called real entrepreneurs. The management of many small mines were rather primitive, and the owners did not make the effort to learn advanced management skills. Many mine owners are not educated and cannot grasp principles and practices of modern management, which would hamper their prospects once they enter other industries. Second, the personality of many mine owners is very bossy, since they have earned easy money for many years. Used to dominating the enterprises and hiring docile and submissive employees, they can hardly accept competent managers with strong personalities for administering their firms. Able managers, too, would not be willing to work for the mine owners. Third, because of the easy money, the mine owners usually have a nouveau riche mentality and are not good at managing finances. They often spend money lavishly to show off their wealth but do not invest the capital in the fields where it is needed. When they begin to run new businesses in other areas, it is doubtful whether they can make the right investment decisions. If the mine owners want to achieve business success after they quit the coal industry, they have to rid themselves of the mentality acquired over the years in the coal business. Diao Xin Liu Yun http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5f38e2de0100ehmj.html Officials' mark of distinction In recent years, it has been not unusual for officials with "striking personalities" to take office in governments. By telling the truth and making resolute decisions - different from traditional officials - these distinctive cadres have triggered huge public attention and revived people's confidence in politics. This is the result of an increasingly pluralistic society, stated Zhang Yunling, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Now with advanced media, officials are all the time subject to scrutiny in the limelight. Thus they adapted themselves bit by bit to public comments. However, Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University of China, expressed doubts on the tendency of some officials to seek popularity by making shocking statements. He contended that law and institutions are more essential for good governance than officials of distinction. Distinction doesn't necessarily make an official good. Extremely bossy or atrociously bad officials are people of distinction, too. Moreover, what people want is concrete action and not lip service. Performance for the good of the people should be the sole criterion for testing an official. Take Bo Xilai, Party secretary of Chongqing municipality who recently received a silk banner from 11 Wuhan residents, for example. These average citizens, including a 70-year-old, made a 1,200-km trip to Chongqing not to convey gratitude for the sake of a official's distinctive personality or distinctions, but to support Bo's down-to-earth fight against gangsters. Wu Yu Lao Zhu http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4daef5fb0100fvet.html (China Daily 09/24/2009 page8) |
