Lessons from Steve Jobs

Posted on January 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

The book referenced in this post.

One of my goals for the New Year is to read more. But before I dive into my next book (either Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics by Yasheng Huang or Lords of Strategy by Walter Kiechel in case you wanted to follow along), I wanted to do a final reflection on the last volume I read at the end of 2011: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Normally, I am skeptical about biographies published before or shortly after the subject has left us, as there will inevitably be a lot of spin and control done to ensure “accuracy” in the eyes of the source. You may as well call these biographies autobiographies, as the author must satisfy the subject in addition to his audience. With that said, I took away a few lessons from the novel which I’d like to share.

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Posted in Readings

2012

Posted on January 4, 2012 | 6 Comments

A new friend I made in Beijing!

I love New Year’s. While there is admittedly little literal significance between December 31st and January 1st, the symbolism it represents is quite momentous. New Year’s represents a unified moment in time when the entire world figuratively writes the concluding sentence on its most recent chapter, and together turns the page to begin scripting the next segment of history. And so, as we stand between the end of another chaotic holiday season and the resumption of our academic and professional careers, I’d like to spend time reflecting on three observations I made in 2011, and on professing three resolutions I have established for 2012 – in hopes that it may inspire you as much as I believe this will motivate me.

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Equality

Posted on October 25, 2011 | 2 Comments

Grabbing dinner in Shanghai.

Recently, I had a lecture on the economics of China’s evolving labor market. The lecture began by discussing the transition of China from a planned economy to a market economy. During the planned economy period, household roles were determined by the government, everyone was paid relatively equally and there was essentially no external market for labor. However, in the past couple decades, China has moved towards a capitalistic system with socialistic characteristics. This meant that households had the freedom to allocate their own time and employers were empowered with compensation and hiring decisions. On the other hand, unemployment would begin, job mobility will appear and inequality would arise. The class then began to focus on the inequality aspect of this transition, particularly the concept of inequality within the family. More specifically, an extensive discussion on the role of women within the household arose – a subject I would like to expand on.

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Posted in Thoughts