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A HUMBLE BEGINNING
LiKa-Shingwas born in 1928 inChaozhou,Gaungdong,China.During the Japanese invasion
of China in 1940, Li Ka-Shing and his familymoved to Hong Kong.When he was 15 years
old, he promised his dying father that he would take care of his family and become a big
businessman. He mopped factory floors during wartime to run his family and attended
evening classes to continue his schooling. One day, he left school to sell plastic watchstraps
and belts...
THE POWER OF GUANXI
Till the late 1970s, the British trading companies dominated the Hong Kongmarket selling
products manufactured in Western countries and Japan, Hong Kong and other Asian
countries. Hutchison, a British trading company that was started in the late 1800s and
operated in Hong Kong, got into trouble during the early 1970s. It went bankrupt in 1970
and was purchased by Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation, better known as HSBC...
A QUICK DECISIONMAKER – PERFECT TIMING
In the late 1980s, Li invested in theUKtelecomindustry by initiating the first early generation
cellular service inUK by financing a British startup, Rabbit. The business was unsuccessful
and the company lost around half a billion dollars and had to close it to avoid further
losses. But Li Ka-Shing, to the surprise of many, was able to readily accept his mistake in a
press conference in 1993 in Hong Kong. Many felt that, accepting failure was an unusual
behaviour, not expected fromany CEO of such a stature...
BUSINESS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY GO HAND-IN-HANDWITH LI
Li Ka-Shing, in addition to being a popular businessman, is also known for his philanthropic
activities. By 2000, he had contributed around $450 million for the cause of education and
healthcare in the country. Around one-third of this went into the construction of Shantou
University, near his hometown.According to Li Ka-Shing, “It ismy belief that the increasing
pressures tomaximize profit and efficiency should not compromise our respect for equality
and our determination to minimize misery...
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