Witty Critiques of IT. Comic strip managing stories

Author: Xiao Fan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This book is a contribution from a market observer! Author Xiao Fan, with his sharp insights and cunning comedic style, brilliantly explores a biting yet sincere theme. If a survey were conducted on "the living conditions of Chinese people," the answers would surely make domestic farmers, merchants, and civil servants blush. In fact, the answers are not needed—the number of people who live in constant fear and tread on eggshells is already significant. Those considered to be in the best fields—business—and the best industries—IT—are also not immune. Liu Chuanzhi, a figure seen as thriving in the business world and the IT industry, compares the competition between Chinese and foreign companies to a tortoise and hare race: "In a tortoise and hare race, if the hare refuses to sleep, the tortoise must do two things. One is to learn from the hare and cultivate hare-like genes. The other is to use the race environment, such as racing in a swamp, to win. Our strategic planning starts from this point." In other words, when the tortoise cannot beat the hare, the goal is to change the playing field to a swamp, where the hare loses its advantage, and the tortoise gains the upper hand. Liu Chuanzhi's analogy inadvertently reveals his cards—originally, Lenovo won by leveraging the natural barriers of the swamp. The brilliance of Liu Chuanzhi's analogy lies not in the tortoise's petty calculations in the tortoise and hare race but in a seasoned business leader daring to point out the domestic business ecosystem: it's a swamp! The subtext of the "tortoise and hare race" is to portray the ecological environment of Chinese businesspeople! Before, no one had been as sharp in raising this issue. If even large companies are in this state, what about small companies and grassroots employees? What can they do? Xiao Fan's Wry Critiques of IT Comics and Management Stories vividly depicts the survival state of the IT industry and IT professionals, with various elites stepping onto the stage to maintain this state (even though they dream of escaping it). They engage in bare-knuckle competition, some scheming, others succeeding effortlessly. The process is full of slyness, ugliness, and darkness, but when viewed in the context of real business scenarios, none of it seems repulsive—it even has a few endearing qualities. How so? Xiao Fan has portrayed an "IT expose" and an "IT market map." From a religious perspective, it remains interesting; if it were boring, everything would lack vitality. We can despise evil, but not the world itself. Although the environment is a swamp, it is not the normal state of business. The outside world is not a swamp either. We are not satisfied with survival in the swamp, but the prerequisite for mastering the skills to escape the swamp and survive outside it is often to first pass this test. The IT elites, with their many "charms," and the market operators, with their "unique advantages," use their small cleverness and even small wisdom to make their final efforts. There is,, a give-and-take, full of flavor. The reason they are called "small" is that their tricks—following trends, exaggeration, narrow-mindedness, and fraud—are harmless and do not violate social norms. Because I prefer to believe that these are just small episodes in the growth of a company (or individual), like small ripples in the wake of a historical giant. The book combines comics and text to tell more than 20 humorous and thought-provoking stories within the IT industry, involving many "characters." In addition to the leading antagonists "Niu IT" and "Yangjingbang," characters like "Mading," "Mai Kneet Iron," and CFO also deliver outstanding performances. In fact, these characters must face different survival environments and shoulder different responsibilities, striving to achieve their goals while preserving their own strength in the face of real-world difficulties and challenges.