Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - 913 Words

Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography that describes the coming of age of a Southern black girl who overcomes society’s cruelty as she grows up. Taking place in Stamps, Kansas during the 1930s, the autobiography captures Marguerite Ann Johnson’s, or Maya’s, battle of finding herself and coming to terms with who she is while growing up in a time period comprised of oppression and discrimination. Furthermore, Maya endures many childhood hardships due to her race, and she defeats these obstacles with her intelligence and fortitude. Thus, Maya Angelou utilizes her vividly detailed experiences of racism’s impact on her and her resistance to racism to demonstrate the struggle of the Southern black girl who grows up in a society overwhelmed with white superiority. Initially, Maya is already consumed by the white standards of beauty when she is a child because of the white supremacy that surrounds her. Early in the novel, Maya is excited to wear a â€Å"special† Easter dress that would supposedly make her look like the perfect white girls. However, when Easter morning arrives, she realizes that the dress only makes her skin look dirty like mud.† She wishes that she had long, blonde hair, paired with light, blue eyes, instead of her black features. She feels that she is actually white, and a wicked magician suddenly turned her into an â€Å"ugly Negro† (Angelou 1-3). Evidently, the notion of white beauty is integrated into Maya’s mind, making her loathe herselfShow MoreRelatedMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1382 Words   |  6 PagesIn Maya Angelou’s novel I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings the main character Maya Angelou struggles with her identity through out the novel. She first started to questio n her identity after Mr. Freeman raped her. Another time in the novel she questioned her identity was during the barbeque at the bathroom because she did not know which bathroom to use. The last time that she questioned her identity in the novel was when she questioned her sexual identity because she did not know if she was heterosexualRead MorePrejudice in Maya Angelou ´s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings636 Words   |  3 Pagesin the poem, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the much loved poet Maya Angelou uses poetic devices like rhyme, alliteration, metaphors and imagery, to encourage African-Americans to find their voice and earn the respect that they deserved. Imagine reaching for the sky, and actually being able to touch it. In the first stanza in the poem, the author compares a free bird to the white population during times of discrimination. In the first two lines, the author says, The free bird leaps / on theRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1575 Words   |  7 Pagesto feel different, and wish they were someone or something â€Å"better†. In Maya Angelou’s autobiography she demonstrates what its like growing up in a racist community and how it feels to be the outcast. Angelou continuously speaks about being someone different her ideal self, something she is completely different from. She feels this way due to the racist society she lives in. In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou demonstrates in her autobiography in 1969 that even with love and affectionRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Essay1484 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.† By Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This is the quote my mom has been telling me every day since I was 13 and able to understand it. Maya Angelou wrote this poem in 1969 and it still speaks to millions of people today. Millions of people who have everything to say but never speak. This is just one example, my example on how relatable poems are even if they are hundreds of years old. Being able to relate to a poemRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1219 Words   |  5 PagesLike many African American writers in American history, migration is a defining part of Maya Angelou’s life and character. In her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya thoroughly discusses each of the moves that shape the person she becomes. From St. Louis at seven to a Southern California junkyard at fifteen, Maya’s life is filled with both voluntary and involuntary migrations. Some of these moves are intensely emotionally taxing, while others allow her to grow and flourish. Although herRead MoreMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings701 Words   |  3 PagesMaya Angelou: â€Å" I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings† In this poem Maya Angelou talks about the civil rights movement. She also express her personal life of what she went through such as being raped at the age of 6 by her mother’s boyfriend and also becoming mute for 5 years. She also states how she got pregnant and had to raise a child at 16. All these events led up to writing this poem from a caged bird that sings point of view. â€Å"Remembrance† In this poem Maya Angelou express how she was being rapedRead MoreMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1888 Words   |  8 Pages Maya Angelou once said â€Å"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated† and this phrase speaks volume in comparison to Angelou’s life story. She was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. The name Maya was given to her by her older brother, Bailey Jr. Maya Angelou is not only a sister, but also an inspirational role model, a mother, an author, a poet, a civil rights activist, and an actor. In 1969 Angelou’s world renowned book â€Å"I Know Why the Caged BirdRead MoreDisplacement, a Theme in Maya Angelou ´s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings1603 Words   |  6 Pagesdisplacement leaves a painful hole in ones heart. Whether a person is a male or female, white or black, lives in the North or South, or young or old, displacement takes a toll on their character and personality. M aya Angelou creates a theme of displacement in her novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelous novel has been critiqued by many notable scholars for being a classic autobiography. The critics note the importance of the setting to show universal displacement and the use of characterizationRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1036 Words   |  5 PagesFily Thiam English 002 Mrs. Vilato 9 April 2015 Rhetorical Analysis on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou In Graduation, a chapter in her autobiography â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, Maya Angelou talks vividly about her middle school graduation in the segregated South. Graduation is an important milestone in most people’s life, as they get a degree and move on to their next level, something better and more important, with the hope that they can use their new knowledge to achieve their life goals andRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1445 Words   |  6 PagesPresentation I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a self-portraying record of Maya Angelou that shows how cherish for writing and having a solid character can assume a huge part in conquering bigotry and misery. Throughout the story, it is clear that Maya changes from being a setback of bigotry to end up distinctly a young lady with self-nobility and character that helps her to conquer partiality. The setting of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings concentrates on the issues connected with bigotry that

Psychosocial Aspects of the Old Man and the Sea - 6923 Words

Psychosocially therapeutic aspects of The old Man and the Sea This exceptional story should be used as a therapeutic aid for hopeless and depressed people who needed a powerful force for continuing struggles of life against fate. They should say as the boy Manolin, Ill bring the luck by myself. In the story the old man tells us It is silly not to hope...besides I believe it is a sin. Hemingway draws a distinction between two different types of success: outer-material and inner-spiritual. While the old man lacks the former, the importance of this lack is eclipsed by his possession of the later. He teaches all people the triumph of indefatigable spirit over exhaustible resources. Hemingways hero as a perfectionist man tells us: To be†¦show more content†¦Manolin says, It was Papa made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him, to which Santiago replies, I know....It is quite normal. He hasnt much faith . Despite the clear hierarchy of this teacher/student relationship, Santiago does stress his equality with the boy. When Manolin asks to buy the old man a beer, Santiago replies, Why not?...Between fisherman. And when Manolin asks to help Santiago with his fishing, Santiago replies, You are already a man . By demonstrating that Santiago has little more to teach the boy, this equality foreshadows the impending separation of the two friends, and also indicates that this will not be a story about a young boy learning from an old man, but a story of an old man learning the unique lessons of the autumn of life. In fact unity us one of main themes of the story.Hemingway spends a good deal of time drawing connections between Santiago and his natural environment: the fish, birds, and stars are all his brothers or friends, he has the heart of a turtle, eats turtle eggs for strength, drinks shark liver oil for health, etc. Also, apparently contradictory elements are repeatedly shown as aspects of one unified whole: the sea is both kind and cruel, feminine and masculine, the Portuguese man of war is beautiful but deadly, the mako shark is noble but a cruel, etc. The novellas premise of unity helps succor Santiago in the midst of his greatShow MoreRelatedAutobiography of My Father5028 Words   |  21 PagesErnest was in his 30-an. He returned to his old position with Department of Fisheries in Malaysia and continues worked for the department for nine years until 1990. Later he joined Underwater World Singapore, Sentosa as an Assistant Curator cum Education Manager. Then, one day, on a church serv ice, he met Amy, a beautician. Her sincerity and optimistic complemented his quiet and conservative. Within two years they married and by the time, my dad was 35 years old. During the next four years, their twoRead MoreEffectiveness the Implementation of Peace and Order Ordinance at Barangayn7685 Words   |  31 Pagesand maximizing community participation? 2.) How do these academics perceive about the general image of the BPU in empowering the local people to propose and design program and projects for protection from potential risks or dangers during natural and man–made occurrences? 3.) How can we enhance local governance of the BPU in the Philippines by proposing PP?17 Masagca, J. T., Masagca, M. T. Chunxiang, M. (2009). Enhancing Governance of the Barangay: Reflections of Academics, JOAAG, Vol. 4. No.2 CertainRead MoreProceedings Of The Second Conference On Human Capital Development9482 Words   |  38 PagesKeynote Address Delivered at the opening session of the workshop organized by the Fortress Educational and Consultancy Services Ltd in collaboration with the Rivers State College of Arts and Science. Abstract The paper looks at the philosophical and psychosocial concepts of ‘self’ and how these concepts and definitions enable individual set developmental goals for organizational effectiveness. The main thrust is to create confidence in the organizational staff and to make them aware that their careerRead MoreA Project on Industrial Relations and Labour Welfare16776 Words   |  68 Pagespromotion of a systematic exchange of information and good practices with regard to specific national/regional approaches, moreover stimulating mutual learning processes on strategies and contents of the programmes, which may include a broad range of aspects. Special attention will be paid to the societal context of work life development policies. It is also necessary to identify current RD-cultures and climates of innovative initiatives and policies. Considering this background, the Stockholm workshopsRead MoreMetz Film Language a Semiotics of the Cinema PDF100902 Words   |  316 Pagesin stances of language system (langue): French, English, Urdu, but in addition, those other languages of chess, of heraldry, of computers, etc. Speech (parole) is the antithesis, or, rather, correlative, of language system: language system is the social aspect of language, whereas speech is the utterance, the actual practice, of a lan ´ xiii xiv A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY guage system. (See de Saussure, Course, pp. 7-17.) De Saussure saw the linguistic sign as a unit of relation between a signifier (signifiant)Read MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 Pages The other course that piqued my interest is an interdisciplinary course called Environmental Impact Analysis in which we, as a group, created matrix and flow diagrams discussing the economic and environmental impact of logging and preservation of old growth forests. I was able to use tools that I acquired in my economics and environmental studies classes. In general, logging creates economic benefits at the local level. It increases employment in the timber industry and subsequently in related non-timberRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesCommunist Prison Camp 84 Computerized Exam 85 Decision Dilemmas 86 SKILL PRACTICE 89 Exercises for Improving Self-Awareness Through Self-Disclosure 89 Through the Looking Glass 89 Diagnosing Managerial Characteristics 90 An Exercise for Identifying Aspects of Personal Culture: A Learnin g Plan and Autobiography 92 SKILL APPLICATION 95 Activities for Developing Self-Awareness 95 Suggested Assignments 95 Application Plan and Evaluation 95 SCORING KEYS AND COMPARISON DATA 97 Self-Awareness Assessment 97Read More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagesbetween iron deï ¬ ciency and the length of time that a child is bottle-fed. They found that children who were bottle-fed between the ages of 2 and 4 were three times more likely to be iron deï ¬ cient than those who stopped by the time they were 1 year old. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and San Luis Obispo Tribune, November 26, 2005) Parental involvement in schools is often regarded as an important factor in student achievement. However, data from a study of low-income public schools in California led researchersRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. 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Implement Marketing Strategies Free Essays

BSBMKG514A Implement and monitor marketing activities [ Revision Number: 1 ] BSBMKG514A Implement and monitor marketing activities Modification History Not applicable. Unit Descriptor Unit descriptor| This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to implement marketing activities described in a marketing plan, to monitor their effectiveness in meeting organisational marketing objectives, and take actions to improve marketing performance. No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement. We will write a custom essay sample on Implement Marketing Strategies or any similar topic only for you Order Now | Application of the Unit Application of the unit| This unit applies to individuals working in marketing management positions who are responsible for implementing and monitoring organisational marketing strategies. In this role they would usually lead and coordinate a marketing team, implement the marketing plan, monitor the performance of marketing strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. They also involve team members in identifying improvements to marketing strategies and formulating recommendations for future marketing activities. | Licensing/Regulatory Information Not applicable. Pre-Requisites Prerequisite units| | | | | | | | Employability Skills Information Employability skills| This unit contains employability skills. | Elements and Performance Criteria Pre-Content Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide. | Elements and Performance Criteria ELEMENT| PERFORMANCE CRITERIA| 1. Implement marketing strategies and tactics| 1. 1. Brief stakeholders who participated in the marketing planning process on their implementation roles and responsibilities 1. 2. Identify and brief marketing and non-marketing personnel critical to the success of the marketing plan, on the objectives of the plan, performance measures, and their roles and responsibilities1. 3. Prioritise marketing strategies and identify resources for their implementation, in accordance with organisational requirements1. 4. Implement communication and team building strategies to ensure that personnel responsible for each element of the marketing mix work together to meet the organisation’s marketing objectives1. . Implement strategies for monitoring marketing activities and analysing marketing performance, in accordance with the marketing plan| 2. Monitor marketing strategies and tactics| 2. 1. Monitor and implement promotional activity against communication objectives in the marketing plan2. 2. Monitor product, pricing and distribution decisions against organisational policy and the objectives of the marketing plan2. 3. Monitor marketing results against targets in the marketing plan2. 4. Monitor marketing revenue and costs against budget, and analyse record variations 2. . Prepare and present marketing reports that indicate ongoing progress towards marketing objectives| 3. Evaluate and improve marketing performance| 3. 1. Regularly assess marketing performance against objectives3. 2. Identify opportunities for improvement through discussion with customers and personnel responsible for each element of the marketing mix3. 3. Change business practices in line with changing customer requirements to maintain business relevance and viability3. 4. Document recommendations for improvement in accordance with organisational requirements3. 5. Communicate changes to marketing objectives and targets with relevant stakeholders, to facilitate implementation| Required Skills and Knowledge REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE| This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit. | Required skills| culturally appropriate communication skills to relate to people from diverse backgrounds and people with diverse abilitiesliteracy skills to prepare complex reports on marketing performance numeracy skills to analyse marketing performance, revenue and cost teamwork skills to manage a marketing team. | Required knowledge| rganisational strategic and marketing objectives, plans and performance measuresprinciples of the marketing mixkey provisions of relevant legislation from all forms of government, codes of practice and national standards that may affect aspects of business operations such as:anti-discrimination legislation and principles of equal opportunity, equity, and diversityethical principlesmarketing codes of practi ce and conduct such as the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) Direct Marketing Code of Practiceprivacy lawsTrade Practices Act. | Evidence Guide EVIDENCE GUIDE| The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | Overview of assessment| | Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit| Evidence of the following is essential:successfully implementing marketing strategies identified in an organisation’s marketing plancoordinating personnel involved in conducting marketing activitiesmonitoring, evaluating and reporting on marketing ctivities against defined objectivesmodifying marketing activities in line with new or emerging trends. | Context of and specific resources for assessment| Assessment must ensure:access to office equipment and resourcesaccess to organisational and marketing strategic plans. | Method of assessment| A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:analysis of responses to case studies and scenariosassessment of written reports on marketing performancedirect questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidateobservation of team management activitiesobservation of presentations on marketing performance reportsoral or written questioningreview of authenticated documents from the workplace or training environmentreview of testimony from team members, colleagues, supervisors or managers. Guidance information for assessment| Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:other marketing units. | Range Statement RANGE STATEMENT| The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. Stakeholders may include:| Board of directorsfinance staffhuman resources staffIT staffmanagersmarketing personnelownersproduction staffsupervisors| Marketing may include:| business-to-business marketingdirect marketingideas marketingmarketing of goodspublic sector marketingservices marketingtelemarketing| Non-marketing personnel may include:| advertising personnelmanagerspublic relations personnelsales managersales teamstaffsupervisors| Resources may include:| financialhumanITphysicaltechnical| Marketing mix may include:| distributionlevel of servicepricingproduct or service variables such as:designqualityrangesafety featurestechnical featurespromotion| Unit Sector(s) Unit secto r| | Competency field Competency field| Business Development – Marketing| Co-requisite units Co-requisite units| | | | | | | | How to cite Implement Marketing Strategies, Papers

Alibaba free essay sample

He and his team have achieved many firsts in the area of Chinese Internet Trade. He founded the first internet commercial website in China, and created a 82B marketplace platform to all small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia and around the world. He promoted the Trust Pass plan on the website, which created the worlds first on-line credit platform for companies. Under Jack Mas leadership, the Alibaba 82B websites have attracted more than 17 million registered members in 220 countries globally, with daily postings exceeding 35 million, making Alibaba. om the most active Internet market place and 82B community worldwide. Since the inception of the company, more than 400 media have reported about Alibaba and Jack Ma, in dozens of languages. In addition to numerous awards presented to Alibaba. com, Jack Ma was lso selected by the World Economic Forum as one of the 100 Young Global Leaders in 2001; was named Business Leader of 2001 by Asia Commerce Association of USA; and was featured on the covers of Forbes Magazine, Nikkei Magazine, and Fortune (China) Magazine. In 2004, Jack Ma was honored as one of the Top 10 Economic Personas of the Year by CCTV. In 2005, Fortune Magazine ranked him one of the 25 Most Powerful Businesspeople in Asia and this year Business 2. 0 ranked him 1 5th among 50 Who Matter Now and Silicon. com ranked him 1 lth among its top 50 Agenda Setters 2006. company, Alibaba. om builds its business success and rapid growth on entrepreneurship, innovation, and service. Says Jack Ma: The company will remain a start-up no matter how long it has been in existence. What ever has been stable, I will disrupt that stability. The company needs to continue to innovate and grow. I want the employees to believe that we are a small company, no matter how big we get. I believe we can create a system and culture to perpetuate this culture of entrepreneurial and start-up spirit. To fuel the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, along with a service attitude, Jack Ma is looking for people with the following characteristics: 1) People with a dream. Dont let your colleagues work for you. They need to work for their dreams! If people dont believe in the dream and Join the company purely for money, they wont stay long (refer to Appendix 2 for Alibabas vision, mission, and values). 2) People with shared values. The value system is very important at Alibaba. We are crazy for it! In China, we might be the only crazy company who so strongly maintains our value system. People who dont fit our values cannot survive in the company. (Alibabas six ore values are customer comes first, teamwork and cooperation, embracing change, integrity, passion, and honoring your Job). 3) People with a smile. When we hire people, we look for people who are naturally optimistic and happy. In the start-up process we will meet with difficulties and challenges. Optimistic and happy people can better deal with these challenges and succeed. Its hard to make a happy person unhappy, but its even harder to make an unhappy person happy. I am able to tell whether a person is on our staff by their smile. 4) People who enjoy work and can turn stress and challenges into innovation. Employees must be able to handle pressure and challenges, and turn them into positive energy for innovation, not negative energy for depression. 5) People who work together. We dont welcome people who think they are smart because they may think they are above others. This industry is so new that it really doesnt have any real talents. The people who are real talents probably dont know they are talents. Everyone has tremendous potential. We all use other peoples strengths to overcome our weaknesses We are all ordinary people, but our goals are extraordinary. While Alibaba seeks people with strong rofessional skills, these characteristics are even more important in deciding whether a person will Join, stay, and enjoy working in the company. 2 Alibabas Unique Value Proposition † a Smiling Community with a Dream While Alibaba is clear about what kind of talent they need for business success, the question is: how can the company attract, retain, and engage such talent, especially in the startup stage, when Alibaba had limited resources? The answer is a dream, a dream to make a difference in the way people do business, and a dream to create wealth together. During the start-up stage of Alibaba, Jack Ma often told those nterested in working for Alibaba, not of the great working conditions or the high pay, of what they could earn elsewhere. Alibaba also strives to provide a community, where employees can have fun to work together to pursue their dreams with minimal bureaucracy and politics. Ma recently painted a vivid image of his ideal work environment for his employees as follows: Blue Sky Processes, systems, and decisions need to be open and transparent. Theres nothing that should be hidden from employees. We should be transparent. Solid Ground Everything we do should be honest, ethical and contribute to the welfare of the ociety. The company should be on solid financial ground so employees wont worry about the financial future of the company. Free-flowing Ocean Talent must be allowed to rotate Jobs across subsidiaries and departments. Green Forest (R Conducive conditions for continued innovation. Harmonious Community Peers with shared values and simple interpersonal relationships. The ultimate objective of such a community is to offer employees a work environment to grow, contribute, and live out their dreams. Bureaucracy, secrecy, and stagnation are all attributes that inhibit employees, and the company must actively seek out these ehaviors and destroy them. Alibaba from the Eyes of Employees To what extent do employees at Alibaba experience what the company intends to offer? Why do they Join the company and how do they feel as employees working there? Our focus group discussion with employees in different functions and levels confirms that Alibaba is indeed a unique company to work with. The following themes and direct quotations capture their experiences and the feeling of working at Alibaba: A leader with charisma and credibility: Jack Ma is the magnet that draws people into the company and provides them with a credible dream. When I spoke with Jack Ma, I was impressed with his vision and business model. I had been in the internet business for a while but had not seen a successful model like the one Alibaba is employing. Tang Zhenrong, International Website Engineering Department, and one year with the company. Although the objectives for each year seem to be very high, somehow we have always managed to accomplish those objectives. With past success, we have built up confidence that were able to achieve the objectives no matter what they are. Lili Li, Sales Research Department, six years with the company. The passion of Alibaba is from within and radiates outward to others. We can see that they truly believe in the company and the culture of Alibaba is built from there, not by programs or processes. Echo Lu, Director of Organization and People Development. The company is true to its values at all levels. When Jack Ma talks to management about hiring, he told us that we must hire people With the same smell. Zhang Yu, Director of Marketing, Taobao. com Changes, challenges, and growth: People grow under tremendous pressure to change and grow. The speed of change is three to four times that of other organizations. The objectives are crazy, but when we reach and surpass the targets, we then have a profound sense of accomplishment. With the constant pressure and changes, were also forced to evaluate how we do our own Jobs and how we work as a team. Is it sufficient to accomplish the new objectives? Do we need to look at the challenge differently and try different things? Zhang Yu, Director of Marketing, Taobao. om 4 Communication and transparency Jack will meet with all new employees in a group setting, has meetings with management at least quarterly, and bi-annual staff meetings with all employees. On the intranet, theres a BBS that allows staff to post their thoughts and opinions. Jack often interacts with staff on the BBS in an open and casual way. Echo Lu, Director of Organization and People Development A company that cares about employees During the SARS crisis, because of one suspected case, Alibaba made the decision in one day to have all employees work from home and to pass the required isolation period. As a result of this quick action, we contained any possible outbreak, May. Employees continued to perform Jobs tremendously well at home. We encouraged each other through BBS, phone calls, and e-mails. Lili L, Sales Research Department The most positive thing to result from the SARS crisis was an enormous amount of pride for employees who went through this crisis together. They built a strong bond through experiencing this event together. Its still a much talked about event in the company. In fact, some employees have named the day that staff were sent home to contain the outbreak, Alibaba Day, to commemorate the event. The spirit of Alibaba came alive on that day. Echo Lu, Director of Organization and People Development Leadership and Management Practices that Create the Unique Value Proposition Leadership priority: As CEO, Jack Ma invests most of his time in three areas: vision/ mission/strategy, customers, and employees. By clearly articulating and constantly communicating the vision and mission of the company, he creates the most important foundation in attracting outstanding talent. Dont let your colleague work for you, but work for their dreams! Also, it is important to deeply understand customer needs, not competitors actions. Understanding customer needs can help Alibaba develop concrete business plans and focus on realizing its dream. Finally, it is also critical to realistically assess the competencies of employees. It will decide how fast, how far, and how the company can execute its business strategy and targets in the coming year and next three years. His attentiveness to talent is ref lected in two management practices. First, in the monthly senior management meeting, the first question he always asked is How is your team doing? instead of How many sales has your team made? Second, he always spends a lot of time alking around different business units and departments to smell how the people are doing there. If he smells something wrong, he will immediately talk to the unit head to identify problems and improve the situation. As a matter of fact, all senior executives at VP level and above must develop such smelling skills at Alibaba, to make sure that people are being managed properly. Value alignment: Strong shared values are essential in building a harmonious community where people feel comfortable working together and in ensuring that decisions and behaviors are aligned with company direction. Alibaba has gone the extra mile to make sure that people share the same values. When Alibaba hires people, they look for people with the same smell†people who are optimistic, happy, team oriented, ha rd working, and willing to invest their lives to achieve an ideal. When employees Join the company, they attend at least 10 days of orientation, focusing primarily on the companys vision, mission, and values. When the company assesses the performance of employees, 50% is tied to values and 50% is tied to business results. When employees demonstrate behaviors contrary to company core alues, they are asked to leave no matter how strong their business results are, or very important at Alibaba. People who dont fit into our values cannot survive in the company. Stretch opportunities and challenges: While Alibaba offers different training programs for different levels of employees in both technical and management areas, people grow rapidly by achieving impossible targets year after year. Although the objectives for each year seem high and unreasonable, somehow, we have always managed to accomplish those objectives. With past success we have built up the onfidence that we are able to achieve the objectives, no matter what they are, says Lili Li, of the Sales Research Department. At Alibaba I have been stretched and challenged. I have seen myself grow more than in my previous Jobs, says Zhang Yu from Taobao. com. Indeed, Jack Ma believes that all people have potential that can be unleashed in the right environment, allowing them to stretch and challenge themselves. Ma quoted one of his favorite examples, Several years ago when I looked at the current COO Li Qi, there was no way he looked like a COO. Nowadays, from all different angles, he really looks like a COO. Talent has tremendous potential to grow. However, in order for people to grow under challenges, three elements are important. First is teamwork. Alibaba uses teamwork to complement individual strengths and weaknesses to achieve extraordinary goals. Second are the right people, who enjoy challenges and have fun working. Third are line managers who are accountable for personal growth within their teams. Jack Ma remarked that all line managers at Alibaba are entrusted with two scarce resources (capital and talent) to create value for the company. In addition to ensuring good financial returns, they lso need to create value for their talent in terms of their growth and retention. Thats why Jack Ma also walks around the company to smell how people are being managed in different departments, and why he always asks business leaders how their teams are doing in the monthly CEO review. Wealth creation and sharing: All employees of Alibaba receive stock options, and in effect are owners of the organization. At Alibaba, stock options are not a tool for retention but for reward sharing. From five cents per share to five dollars per share in 6 years, many employees have not only shown tremendous pride in the company but also shared the fruits of their collective success for the well-being of both the society and themselves. Transparency and communication: Communication is an important practice within Alibaba that helps maintain a culture of transparency to all employees. Employees have easy access to all executives, including Jack Ma, through the use of email, BBS, and face-to-face meetings (monthly, quarterly or bi-annual staff meetings). Jack Ma sets a high standard for his executives to follow by regularly interacting with employees. All decisions are transparent, and people can see how they are made. This transparency is getting somewhat lost as we get bigger, but were still given a lot of information when possible. Our trust in the leaders has helped us to overcome this change in transparency. Communication is always good and strong from Sales Research Department. Advice to other CEOs When asked about what advice he would like to offer to other CEOs in China, Jack Ma suggested four: 1) Always believe people are the most important asset, and capital comes second. 2) It is not necessary to find the best talent but the talent that best fits your company. 3) Find and groom the talent inside our company rather than keep searching for talent from outside. The best talent is home-groomed people who fit our company culture. It always takes at least three years before people become fully immersed into our company culture 4) Believe in the potential of talent.