...Cheng Shih A Source of Autocratic Leadership in Piracy Cheng Shih A Source of Autocratic Leadership in Piracy Laura Hawkins Management 490 Laura Hawkins Management 490 Cheng Shih: Autocratic Pirate Queen Leadership is described as a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. A successful leader is one who can lead their followers to a predetermined goal. Cheng Shih was a very successful leader, who built up her followership and equity and even overpowered the Chinese Army. She was a ruthless leader who gained power though the fear of her followers. This kind of autocratic leadership was the reason that she was so successful. Her followers were pirates who, at any moment, could defy her authority and overpower her. Their fear of her authority was the reason that they followed her lead. Cheng Shih was born in 1775 in China (Ossian). All that much is known about her before she married Cheng I, a commander of a pirate fleet, was that she was a prostitute on a floating brothel. When she married Cheng I in 1801 the two of them began to build up their coalition of ships and sailors. The two of them adopted a son named Chang Pao. In 1807 her husband passed away, leaving her the sole leader of a pirate coalition of 400 ships and over 70,000 sailors (Harry, 2008). Cheng took the piracy and turned it into a business. She expected to gain from any venture that her followers attempted...
Words: 1786 - Pages: 8
...Nadine Couto LIT-211 03/03/2014 The book Tao Te Ching was originally called Laozi, the author’s name. When people mentioned Laozi, they were referring to the book as well as the man. The Tao Te Ching is translated as The Classic of the Way and Its Virtue, or simply The Way of Life. Laozi was a quiet and secluded person, and no one would have known him had he not written the Tao Te Ching. No details are known with certainty about his life. The introduction has the purpose to describe the concept and structure of Tao. Lao Tzu was trying to explain something that was inexpressible with language. According to the text Laozi (Lao Tzu) “One of the difficulties of the poems in the Dao De Jing is that they do not provide explanations or definitions, The Dao De Jing begins with what seems to be a series of conclusions about the dao, a word and concept for which we have no English equivalent. “ (Crawford et al. 1603) With that being said, Tao is something that is beyond whatever we could possible describe. The first two lines on the introduction “ The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao/ The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” can be described as the Tao that can be completely explained or expressed in words is not the constant, eternally unchanging and true Tao. The main idea here is that the Tao is a concept beyond reason and logic. If the name of this Tao can be defined with words, then it is not the constant, eternally unchanging name of the...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...Dao De Ching My first chapter of the Dao De Ching is chapter 2. The subject is the unity of the opposites in the world. The good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful, the poor and the rich. No pair can be separated or independent for without one the other could not shine. This is also the moral of the lesson. This chapter is meant for the ones who are not, or want to become, sage-like. Sage people are humble, with much common sense, who have achieved true wisdom. The second chapter I chose is chapter 7. The subject of the chapter is the achievement of eternal life and riches. It is directed towards the sage people. The lesson of the chapter is that to achieve immortality and riches is to become unselfish. To put others before...
Words: 264 - Pages: 2
...Tao Te Ching by Lao-tzu J. Legge, Translator (Sacred Books of the East, Vol 39) [1891] 1 The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things. Always without desire we must be found, If its deep mystery we would sound; But if desire always within us be, Its outer fringe is all that we shall see. Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful. 2 All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is. So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another. Therefore...
Words: 1368 - Pages: 6
...I Ching is an ancient Chinese text called The Book of changes or The Classic of changes. This book or classic of changes tells us about how Tao is always changing. The way to use I Ching is to throw coins. When the coin the thrown six times it gives a numerical value and gives a hexagram. The hexagram can be six straight lines, six broken lines or the combination. Then in the I Ching there is reading associated with the hexagram and this reading will answer the questions that are being asked. This reading is not only a destiny teller but it also guides people through their own awareness. I Ching is both Confucius and Taoist text. It is Taoist because they believe in letting things happen. For example, when the coin is thrown, we are letting...
Words: 417 - Pages: 2
...Compare/Contrast Essay When utilizing the rhetorical strategy of comparing and contrasting in relationship to literature, a number of pieces of can qualify. In particular, the idea of leadership is arguably one of the most written about topics with regard to comparing and contrasting. Throughout history, it can be argued that the majority of successful societies have been based upon effective divisions of leadership. Accordingly, in their pieces of literature, The Tao-te Ching and The Qualities of the Prince, Lao-tzu and Machiavelli have sought to convey a more complete and concrete understanding of their respective definitions and duties of a ruler (leadership). The theme of political leaders and their intricate relationship with society indeed validate itself within both texts. However, both Lao-tzu and Machiavelli approach this issue from almost entirely opposite positions, though sharing minute similarities. Lao-tzu appears to focus the majority of his attention on letting problems or situations take their course, and consequently good would prevail. On the contrary, Machiavelli advocates the necessity for a successful leader, or prince, to take control of his deeds, and the skills or qualities necessary to maintain power. Since both writers propose a question as to what is in essence the same dilemma, effective leadership, it becomes almost natural literary etiquette to contrast the two in an effort to better understand what qualities a prosperous leader must possess. Despite...
Words: 1499 - Pages: 6
...Ho Ching Leadership September 16, 2014 LDR 300 Mr. G Power, in the reading, described as the capacity to cause change and influence. Ho Ching’s has been recognized and ranked at 18 in Asia’s most powerful people. According to the reading and further research, Ching is an influential leader because she brought a company from failing. In this basis, the company is successful not only with the CEO but the workers he or she employ. In receiving awards, she must have influenced someone to receive recognition. When Temasek Holdings was losing revenue Ching step up to the challenge to bring the company back on their feet. She did not focus on the company but also expanding the company’s potential. She has the power to influence because she started from the bottom and rose to become the CEO. In her influential speech, she has disclosed the company’s annual report proving the employees and to the public that the company’s performance is changing for the better and the results from the worker's achievements. According to a previous class in Phoenix, Accounting, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) provides company annual reports to the public, but in some part of Asia these information are not public. Ching’s bold decision to make this public gave her employee a reason to trust her decision even more. When Ching took in the position as CEO she wants to make the company more diversified, with third invested in Singapore, third in Asia and some of the...
Words: 405 - Pages: 2
...Gabriel Roncal Dr. Reginald Abbott ENGL 1102-265 28 February 2013 The Southern Book of no changes: An Analysis of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” From Lao Tzu One of the five classics of Taoism, the I Ching or Book of Changes, states that the world and life are always changing, and that only the superior man is meant to overcome these special circumstances. In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the main character Miss Emily Grierson isolates herself from reality and makes the decision of defying the human necessity to adapt. In this way, Faulkner uses this story to illustrate the audience about the incapacity of the South to accept change after the Civil War. Once the North beat the South, many southerners did not accept the fact that their lives had changed. They clung to the past and rejected the new vision of America. Emily’s personality represents this last try to stand firm to the old traditions of the South. In the beginning of the story, the reader can observe that even her property is a holdout: "But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of the neighborhood; only now Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pump-a eyesore among eyesores" (Faulkner, 91)....
Words: 926 - Pages: 4
...17, 2014 Ken Renz Leadership and Power Paper The Prime Minister’s Powerful Better Half is an article about Ho Ching, the First Lady of Singapore. This paper will answer several question about Ho Ching’s influence based on the reading. It will answer whether or not Ho Ching is an influential leader and why or why not. It will answer what types of tactics she uses to influence others based on a portion of her speech. This paper will also provide answers about her sources of power and characterize her motives. Lastly this paper will answer whether or not managerial differences based on gender play a role in Ho Ching’s influence. Is Ho Ching an influential leader? Why or why not? Ho Ching is an influential leader based on the reading passage. She is influential because she is the wife of Singapore’s Prime minister. This means that she has the ear of one of the nation’s most powerful men on an almost daily basis. Ho Ching says that she and her husband engage in spirited debates because they do not always agree. By engaging in these debates, she attempts to influence her husband’s opinion. Ho Ching is also influential because of her position as the chief executive of Temasek Holdings where she manages a portfolio of $50 billion. She acquired this position through influence gained from education, experience and in part through family connections. Ho Ching has the power to influence many markets throughout Asia as the chief executive of a powerful holding firm. Based...
Words: 696 - Pages: 3
...brought bad luck to a ship, they were actually very good luck, and their loss to a ship often brought an end to that ships sailing days. The women that sailed the seas came from all walks of life; there were royals such as Queen Teuta of Illyria who sailed in the 200’s B.C., as well as the Irish seafaring clanswoman, Grace O’Malley, who was practically royalty in that culture in the 1500’s. There were also illegitimate daughters of maids and merchants such as Anne Bonny and Mary Read who sailed the Caribbean in the 1600’s, and finally a Chinese prostitute who controlled one of the most powerful pirate fleets the world has ever seen in the 1800’s. Female pirates were once again seen on the seas recently when a woman pirate named Sister Ping (Ching Chui Ping) smuggled Chinese immigrants to the United States and England was caught and imprisoned in 1990. The Pirate code forbade women from being on board a pirate ship, so women typically dressed and carried themselves as a man in order to become a pirate. These women pirates were truly exceptional in their determination and strength of character to seek their fortune in what was not only a dangerous way of life, but also a make dominated occupation. In order to succeed on a pirate ship these women has to have exceptional strength, agility, and physical stamina to endure life on a ship and get their fair share of the gold. Two of the most well-known women pirates to ever sail the seas were Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Mary Read was...
Words: 2906 - Pages: 12
...highest good in his Tao Te Ching: The highest good is like water. Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In business, be competent. In action, watch the timing. No fight; no blame." Write an essay of 750-1,000 words discussing this idea. 1. Think about his meaning and how it might be similar or different than key ideas in seeking the highest good in both Confucianism and Christianity. The philosopher, Lao-Tzu, wrote about the highest good in his Tao Te Ching. Lao-Tzu was known as the father of Taoism; a philosophical and religious tradition that origins from China by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu that emphasizes to live with the Tao in harmony (Taoism, n.d.). Taoism is known to go hand-in-hand with Confucianism which is a mainly characterized as Chinese philosophical and ethical system rather than a religion that was based on the teaching of the Chinese Philosopher known as Confucius (Berling, 1996). This is due to the fact that it was more of a common moral understanding and not having a separate church but rather is known through society, school, state, and family. Lao-Tzu wrote the small book Tao Te Ching which is known to be the most important book in Taoism, much like the Bible in Christianity and the I Ching of Confucianism. 2. What...
Words: 436 - Pages: 2
...Two-thousand-five-hundred years ago Lao Tzu, a famous Chinese philosopher, said that power is the essence of human nature, one translated version of his book which is called Tao Te Ching wrote “Lao Tzu believed that when people do not have a sense of power they become resentful and uncooperative. Individuals who do not feel personal power feel fear. They fear the unknown because they do not identify with the world outside of themselves; thus their psychic integration is severely damaged and they are a danger to their society. Tyrants do not feel power, they feel frustration and impotency. They wield force, but it is a form of aggression, not authority. On closer inspection, it becomes apparent that individuals who dominate others are, in fact, enslaved by insecurity and are slowly and mysteriously hurt by their own actions. "(Frederick Mann, 1993) Above all, personal power is the ability to achieve what you want in your life. There is a similar definition when it comes to the study of organizational behavior. When a leader is trying to influence others and gain social status, and his motivation towards the decision is that serve this own interest, this is called personalized power. For example, the leader of former Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, has manifested this by cult personality and dictatorship. Along with the socialism development in Soviet Union, the personal prestige of Stalin was enhancing sharply, he became arrogant and immodest. He encouraged and advocated a cult...
Words: 478 - Pages: 2
...The principle of Yin and Yang is a fundamental idea in Chinese philosophy and culture as a rule dating from the third century BCE or considerably prior. This guideline is that all things exist as inseparable and opposing alternate extremes, for instance female-male, dark- light and old-young. The two opposites are drawn toward each other and supplement one another and, as their symbol shows, every side has at its center a component of the other (represented by the little dots). Neither one of the poles is better than the other and, as an increment in one gets a comparing decline in the other, a right harmony between the two posts must be reached in order to accomplish congruity. 2. The main scripture in Daoism is the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching). What is the history and importance of this text for the tradition? The book has been linguistically dated to about 350 BCE, but it seems to have circulated in several earlier forms. In 1972, at the tombs of Mawangdui, archeologists discovered two ancient copies of the text that differ from the arrangement commonly used. Another shorter ancient version was found in a tomb at Guodian in 1993. It contains about one-third of the standard text.1 The version that is commonly known and used is from the third century CE. One theory holds that its overall purpose was political, that it was meant as a handbook for rulers; another sees it primarily as a religious guidebook, meant to lead adherents to spiritual insight; and still another views...
Words: 792 - Pages: 4
...always been seeking for a greater understanding of life and what our purpose is here on earth. Many have written books on how to find the meaning of life and how to focus on your purpose, or could we say, seeking a higher good. As we look at these three religions it is difficult to even begin to see how three religions that are so far apart can find common ground. Taking each one of them individually and trying to pinpoint their relationships can be very challenging. Lao-Tsu (570-490 B.C.) wrote the following on the highest good in his Tao Te Ching: "The highest good is like water. Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In business, be competent. In action, watch the timing. No fight; no blame." (Ching) Tao is defined as “the way” and is often compared to a body of water. Water is one of the strongest elements of the earth, it has been known to wash away building structures and wipe away cities because of floods. Water is the main source for all living...
Words: 1176 - Pages: 5
...THE SUPERIOR FORM OF GOVERNANCE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN THE VIEWS OF NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI AND LAO TZU Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science College of Arts and Sciences San Sebastian College- Recoletos, Manila August 2013 Vincent Roland R. Managuelod Ray Joshua B. Valdez INTRODUCTION In Politics there are many schools of thought that form the basis for the policies used in the operation of the government. These schools of thought vary greatly in purpose and belief, with many of these schools actively opposing one another. Ultimately, whatever beliefs these schools of thought may hold, and whatever actions these beliefs may lead them and the state their purpose is to shape the state into what they believe is ideal and beneficial for all. Of the many ideologies which are followed by statesmen, varied they may be, the ultimate goal is to create a society according to their ideals. In this study we will be discussing two thinkers whose schools of thought have had a significant impact on political philosophy today. The first is Niccolo Machiavelli. A philosopher, politician, diplomat and historian whose works have made his name a by-word for pragmatism and ruthlessness not just in politics but in everyday life. His most famous work, the Prince, advocated the separation of personal morals to that of one’s political morals, and the emphasis not on ideology but on what would be the most beneficial...
Words: 3850 - Pages: 16
