Articles written by Lao Ke

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About me - Lao Ke

A third of my adult life has been spent in Asia and that wonderful experience colors most of my perceptions and ideas.

Luck has been on my side. I have three wonderful daughters whom I love and cherish. My photo album is filled with memories from far away

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Business > Customer Management Dealing with difficult customers: 1 of 10

No matter what product or service today, the intensive competition for your and my dollar has driven the mantra that the "Customer is King" to sometimes absurd levels, if you have any doubts watch some of the wildly hilarious TV commercials out there today. Read the mission statement, value proposition or strategic plan of a...
Business > Business Strategy The most important aspects of a business: 1 of 9

Peter Drucker's insightful and timeless definition remains the only correct answer, and that is "the purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer". A business serves to do only one thing, and that is to provide a product or service that has sufficient value in fulfilling a need that the business can be sustained. T...
Politics, News & Issues > US Economy How the Iraq war has affected the quality of life in the US: 1 of 6

The current administration definitely struck a raw nerve recently with its misplaced and totally inappropriate statements that we could and would not abandon the Iraq people to the brutal legacy we left in Vietnam. Anyone with an inkling of Vietnam today finds this utterly preposterous. Perhaps there is some basis to link th...
Business > Project Management Presentation skills for effective project managers: 2 of 7

The innocent victim of hours of boredom induced by staring at a secession of MS Project progress charts, each competing with the other to see which could be most illegible, I find great solace in the chance to offer one manager's view of a "perfect' project management presentation. If this is a new project, then what I want ...
Business > International Business & Trade Will warnings about the safety of Chinese products reduce China's dominance in global manufacturing and trade?: 5 of 16

My goodness, what short memories we have! Firestone tires, e-coli tainted spinach, the Vioxx debacle; even "deadly" contact lens solution was a headline grabber for months! Did any of these products originate in China? Don't get me wrong; I am a staunch defender of the right of each and every consumer to expect a safe and we...
Jobs & Careers > Office Politics Ethics in the workplace: 6 of 18

What is ethical business? Many people consider this an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, in that business dealings are never truly ethical. Ethics is a topic that has been fiercely debated since the time of Socrates and the other great Greek philosophers. But what is meant by ethical anyway? The most common understanding i...
Business > Customer Management The art of negotiation: 6 of 18

The power to successfully negotiate comes early in life. Ask any parent whose argument against buying that particular toy has been mercilessly dissected by the patient, well-reasoned logic of their 6 year old child if you have any doubts. The practice of negotiation is older than Methuselah and is used consciously and uncons...
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Latin America What sanctions against Cuba mean to the average American: 2 of 6

My how time flies. Has it really been almost half a century since the US first imposed sanctions against Cuba, or more specifically, those heavy-handed left wing radicals mucking up the political landscape in Latin America who called Cuba home? It is hard to imagine what life was like when it was possible to find a hand roll...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Humorous stories of job loss & unemployment: 23 of 63

After graduation from high school, building washers, dryers and refrigerators was the dream "summer" job for many in my decidedly blue-collar hometown. There were two pretty good reasons for that. First, if you were one of the fortunate few with college on your horizon, shooting screws was a great way to fatten up the ole' s...
Entertainment > Music (Other) Why is karaoke so popular: 7 of 16

Karaoke, Khakis and the Art of the "Deal" A Beginner's Guide to Karaoke in Asia Imagine this. Two middle-aged executives, their inhibitions blissfully sleeping under the influence of way too much Chivas and green tea, throwing all decorum aside as their vocal chords strain to unleash a heretofore never achieved destruction o...