Organisational learning can be best implemented if the employees are being put into self directed learning. A company that introduces self directed learning for it’s employees will benefit in many ways. Firstly, the company is engaging in delegating the responsibility within the employees by which the learners will find responsibility with less bossing. Secondly, the learners will try to find their own way of learning since every learner does not have the same pace or style of learning. Finally, the learners can contextualise their learning effectively into their work if the learning has been done according to their own self-direction.

How would the European Union like this Greek Salad with debt dressing? The question now is what lies next for EU?

I say “Social media has made me more unsocial, lazy, dumb and useless fun frenzy”.

In Japan, they follow a ZERO defect formula (Theory Z) of operations management where every single product manufactured should be defect free. In reality it may look impossible by many but the Japanese management in major organizations has been following this strategy and they had been successful, whereas, organizations of other nations may not be able to achieve such an operations policy.

In Japan, they also believe in collectively achieving together. In fact, Gung Ho literally means “working together”. This not only signifies the collective work but also the degree of devotion of a worker towards his/her organization. If an employee is not being productive like a machine, it is a shame for the employee.

However, work and life is different in another part of the world which is called America. The film starts with the acquisition of an American automobile plant by a Japanese automobile company named Assan Motors. Most importantly, the movie depicts that if cultures are significantly different, you may not be successful if you are not tolerant and compromising regardless of how good you are as a manager.

Since cultures are different, so as the individual characteristics. Therefore we should try bending or tailoring or even adjusting our management techniques in order to conform according to the local culture where we are doing our business.

The film illustrates how tobacco manufacturers are exploiting the consumers by not letting them know what happens next after smoking. In this case an ethically driven generous executive, who belongs to the scientific know how of tobacco manufacturing has planned to raise his voice. He took help from a veteran CBS news reporter to help him file a lawsuit against his ex-employer. Nevertheless, whistle blowing is not that plain and simple especially if the employer is a giant tobacco manufacturer.

The movie also explores ethical issues that underlies within the tobacco industry in general. There are certain laws pertaining to the degrees of murder. Some critics might even believe that this is a planned assassination by the tobacco manufacturers. Anyway the arguments are left to the jurisdiction. Has anything sturdy been done till now to combat against smoking? However, we are aware of the numerous international litigation made against many tobacco companies, but these companies have always survived the great legal campaigns.

Obviously, questions may arise regarding the validity of the statements made by the tobacco executive in 60 minutes. Therefore, if we just look into an organizational perspective, what choices are left with the company? Would you want to feed a Frankenstein who wants to kill you?

Darwin’s Nightmare (2004) directed by Hubert Sauper, is the Oscar nominated documentary film which portrays the economic Darwinism in Tanzania and the other countries associated with the Lake Victoria. The film explains how the economically advantaged big fishes of the world are exploiting the underprivileged tiny fishes of Africa.

We are aware of barter systems where people used to exchange goods and services for other goods and services. In fact many nations still have barter exchanges. Such examples include Saudi Arabia/UAE exchanging food in return for oil and cash from Australia/US. But question always lie with the gains from trade. In most cases, it is not a win win situation in international business and trade. When we get greedy for business and trade, we ignore many other issues like the ecology, the business ethics, and the poverty. Rather we focus on exploitation, creating tension and enforced dumping.

The film depicts an in depth analysis of an extensive research (although it may look controversial and offensive to some groups). It gives a vivid description of the case of Lake Victoria of Tanzania and the inhabitants nearby the lake. A new breed of fish, which looked commercially successful, has eventually transformed some of the African economies into a bloody economic and politcal war. See it for yourself and find out what has changed the life in that region.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

If life is a waste of time and time is a waste of life, then let’s all get wasted and have the time of our lives.

I didn’t carefully judge the phrase at that time. After couple of years, while watching a winery in the National Geographic channel I suddenly heard that quote. Although humorous in nature, the quote looks pretty interesting. It raises an intrinsic query whether life or time or both is a waste of each other.