The Great Empire--Bilingual Edition

by Joaquim Augusto Ferreira Barbosa De Melo

  The Dawn

  20th century

  In the hotel room on that ninth floor, overlooking the River Seine, the first signs of clarity were enough to awaken its occupant. After a quiet night, Lili felt she had restored her strength and spirit. The tiredness of the previous day had been left behind; after a long journey, she was now back to her eternal city. She got up and opened the curtains, letting in the rays of the sun and the gentle breeze of that spring morning. The horizon, with dazzling views, reminded her of nostalgic days spent there, years ago, with her parents. In the first moments she was clinging to the nostalgia of those images not very different from those of old times. The thought reminded her of happy days spent there. Curious “how certain cities have this capacity to leave marks of nostalgia, whether for historical or geographical reasons, or simply because they are the passage of people from all over the world and transmit this feeling of belonging, to those who pass through them!”, she thought. Paris is one of these cities. Maybe that is why Lili repeated to herself “again in my eternal city!” After a refreshing shower and dressing in light clothes, she went down to the restaurant for the first meal of the day. By the number of people there, she could foresee a full and intense day. Outside, she was dazzled by the latest news from the chic shops and, on a walk through Saint-German-des-Prés, she continued through the historical and geographical centre of the city amidst the frenzy of cars and people. When the morning finally ran out, she returned to the hotel for a well-deserved lunch, where she remembered with pleasure old flavors of traditional French cuisine. In the afternoon that followed, she dedicated herself to her business, visiting her companies, and scheduling several meetings for the following day. In the evening, when she was returning to the hotel, she had an unexpected encounter with an old friend, committing to have dinner that same day at his home, spending a few hours there reviving friendships and catching up on the latest news. In the course of this conversation, Lili became aware for the first time that her country of origin, after all a giant in geographical and population dimension, was very little known abroad, despite the communication channels that exist around the world. While in the past, travelling was almost the only link between peoples, today, the new technology opens more and more information and rapprochement highways, but even so, strong cultural and linguistic barriers remain difficult to overcome. Lili felt, however, privileged thanks to her parents who, in her youth, offered her a long stay in Paris. Her stay in the City of Light had worked real miracles, as her friend reminded her.

  - I am impressed how after all these years you still retain the joviality and elegance of other times! It seems that time passes you by without leaving marks!

  - Not quite! The difference must be in the clothes and accessories I wear, helping to keep a youthful look. As you know, I keep up with the best of what is done in Paris thanks to family business.

  - Is that it?!

  -Perchance it is more than that! The way I see the world has gained a lot from my time in Paris. That time allowed me, among other things, to learn languages and above all to look at the surrounding reality from different angles and perspectives. Thanks to this permanence, I have acquired an image of the world that is more current, comprehensive and plural.

  - I agree with you, Paris was and is an open door on other cultures, a true crossroads of civilizations. People from all over the world pass through here, so closer ties and mutual recognition are inevitable.

  - Yes! I really believe that, in a tomorrow not too distant, everywhere will have a unique crossroads of civilizations, thus materializing the much talked about global village.

  - I only hope that this will lead to greater tolerance and acceptance of the differences between peoples, so that we can finally build the much desired settlement between nations.

  When dinner finally ended, it was already late. It had been a long but very pleasant get-together for both of them. When Lili arrived at the hotel, she asked for a wake-up call at the reception for the next day – so not to be late for meetings. Lili always trusted her biological clock; however the jet-lag could play an untimely trick on her.

  The first meeting was scheduled for very early, precisely in the oldest company built by her grandmother. Among all of them it was the one that had distanced itself most in time and financial objectives. Lili quickly found that her facilities, although well maintained, were out of date. The whole organizational model of support was also obsolete, however, contrasting with this state of affairs, had a relatively young human resources team, thanks to the profile of its administrator. When Lili became aware of the details, it became clear that the drop in profitability and turnover was mainly due to outdated means. During the meeting, Lili noted that an overall restructuring plan was therefore urgently needed. It was then that the Director handed her a notebook of dozens of pages, proposing a restructuring. Surprised, Lili skimmed the manuscript she had just received with curiosity and without further comment, scheduled a next meeting for three days later.

  The impression Lili had got from the meeting gave her great personal satisfaction, as it confirmed how judicious she had been in admitting that manager. A few hundred meters ahead, in another Company of the group, the findings of the previous meeting were repeated. Here, too, the business had preserved but in obsolete facilities, the staff was even younger than in the previous one and the Director had recently been admitted. Although the products sold in the two stores were different (in the first one silks were sold and in the second one pearls) profitability and reduction in sales volume reached both businesses as well. The Director, in this second Company, warned her of the additional need to invest in advertising as a decisive factor for success. He also considered that the new marketing techniques (very in vogue at the time) could be an important lever, not only for the volume of sales, but also for the margins generated, to reach customers from other social strata. For Lili that proposal represented a significant embarrassment, as it was the first time she had heard of the term marketing with the extent of its effectiveness. At the meeting she simply took notes on the subject and scheduled another meeting in nine days’ time. In the other store the meeting was scheduled for after lunch.

  Lili still had some time for a quick visit to her Faculty of Economics, where she had completed her degree some years ago. She did not expect to find anyone known there, since her goal was only to review places from other times. To her surprise, in one of the corridors of the faculty, she met one of her former professors to whom she bowed and a few meters ahead met one of her colleagues from her last year of college.

  - Hi! I didn’t expect to find you here! - Said Lili, surprised.

  - I say the same! You see, it’s a small world! After my doctorate I stayed here to work.

  - Doctorate?! Impressive! You’re to be congratulated!

  - We haven’t seen each other since graduation, right?!

  - How time flies!

  - It’s true! I was convinced you’d returned to your home country.

  - That’s what happened at the time, but because of family business I’ve been back in Paris already for three days. But let’s talk about you!

  - I am an Assistant Professor, precisely to fill a vacancy, resulting from the departure of the current Rector, with whom you crossed paths a few moments ago.

  - That was our Professor, wasn’t it?! - Said Lili, even more surprised.

  - Yeah, but now he’s the Dean of the University. As you can see, there’s no shortage of news around here! Have you had lunch yet?!

  - Not yet!

  -I’m going to have to teach a class in the next hour. -I’m leaving for lunch at a restaurant nearby. If you’re available and you want, we’ll have lunch together. That way we always have a little more time to talk!

  - I accept, with pleasure!

  That occasional encounter represented for both of them more than just a curiosity between colleagues. For Lili it was a way of updating information of a social and academic nature, but also political and eco
nomic. For the former colleague it was an opportunity to confirm news that had come to him about Lili. The lunch time, although scarce, allowed them to share a lot of information. As Lili had a business meeting and the former colleague had a class to teach, the solution was to meet again at the end of the day in the same restaurant for dinner.

  In the afternoon meeting, Lili was once again confronted with the need to renovate commercial spaces as well as marketing methods - it was already a unanimous opinion of store directors. The new times required a different commercial approach, now with a particular focus on the customer. It was not enough to have quality products, facilities and attentive employees, it was also necessary to create an appetite for the product (hence the insistence on investing in advertising and marketing). The new commercial methods, if on the one hand brought increased costs, on the other hand stimulated new customers to want the product, thus generating an increase in sales and consequent improvement in results. At the meetings, Lili undertook to think about the matter and make a subsequent decision.

  That day, at dinner, with her former college colleague, Lili brought up the subject of marketing, as it had intrigued her so much during the meetings. She learned the basics of the subject and also an important note - that the college was going to hold a seminar on the subject. The relaxed and informal atmosphere of the dinner provided a pleasant meeting, allowing them to catch up on the conversation. In the end they promised to repeat it.

  The following day, Lili returned to the Faculty of Economics, this time to learn about the Seminar mentioned by her colleague and there she learned that they would soon open a post-graduate course in Marketing, which represented an opportunity not to be missed. Hours later, when reading the reports and investment proposals presented by the directors of her companies, she felt that her colleague’s explanations had been very useful. In such a way she had understood the essence of the issue, that she felt the need to ask the store managers for additional information, foreseeing three exercises of expected increases in sales and operating results. Some time later, in possession of the additional data requested and after detailed analysis, Lili began to have doubts about the quality of the investments proposed by the Directors, in Advertising and Marketing, when compared with the expected results without these investments. After considering the matter, she made the decision to proceed with the renovation of the facilities, leaving the investments in Advertising and Marketing for later. Not satisfied with the decision taken, she also enrolled in the aforementioned seminar and post-graduate course to be held at the Faculty.

  Sometime later...

  With the beginning of the post-graduate course at the Faculty of Economics, the news did not stop arriving for Lili. Along with the programmatic contents that showed a new approach and horizons for her business, other no less interesting ones emerged, among them, the participation in the course of former colleagues of the former degree, now in charge of departments in several companies. Among them, two stood out, one for being a fellow countryman and the other for being a long-standing friend. A brief exchange of words confirmed that it was a good decision to have chosen to attend that course. After all, she was going to have someone to share opinions about the business world on the commercial side. About those former colleagues, Lili recalled having represented for herself some moments of embarrassment in the past, today responsible professionals highlighted, however, once were considered “fables” and with great propensity for the bohemian. At that time, during the exams, they used Lili’s knowledge (instead of studying) and they did it in a brazen and relaxed way, either by pressing her to pass the answers to them or by taking the exam sheets themselves. Once they were caught by one of the teachers who ended up cancelling the test for all three with obvious prejudice to Lili. That time, now consigned to her memories, was no longer part of the present conversation.

  For Lili the marketing course was not only the encounter with her wishes, but, as she got answers to her questions, it allowed her to judge that the decisions taken in the recent past had been the most prudent. Business was now well underway and reflected the benefits corresponding to expectations.

  Months later...

  The course was nearing its end. For Lili the satisfaction of her attendance had increased and she was now in full, not only professional, because she found an answer to her doubts, but also because she had become affectionately involved with one of her former colleagues, thus starting a new cycle in her life.

  It all started with an “innocent” invitation among friends:

  - This weekend I’m going with my girlfriend to a show at the Red Mill. Do you want to come too?!

  Lili and her colleague looked at each other, surprised by that unexpected invitation.

  - Why not! - Said Lili, with a broad smile.

  - It’s a deal! - Confirmed the colleague - I’ll buy tickets for the four of us.

  That show allowed the beginning of a long friendship between Lili and her colleague. After the show they agreed to meet more often, now alone and with very different motives. With this they began to share memories and experiences that time intensified, to such an extent that Lili began to see in that affective relationship lasting and stable contours, acquiring more and more depth in their commitments. The relationship she had had with Song, in her country of origin, was now distant and gradually consigned to oblivion, representing nothing more than a time increasingly full of emptiness. In her conversations with the new “tenant of her heart,” not only did she not speak of this previous commitment, but her mind was increasingly free from all memory. Even when the conversations were about political matters and it was unavoidable to talk about the President, the matters were treated in an impersonal and distant manner. She had a similar attitude towards her political past as a former member of a government and as a former Minister of Education. Lili thought that with that attitude she was undermining the discomfort that resignation from office and all that controversy represented.

  The new affective time was now springtime and without the inconstancy of other times! As the months passed, the new relationship deepened and with it the decision of a serious commitment was more and more likely. Little by little, family members became aware of her intention of getting married in her native land. Thus, the decision to stay in Paris began to become more and more distant, so she gradually began to reorganize her business with a view to a future return.

  Two years later...

  Lili was back home with her husband, expecting a child. As the great day approached, they began to exchange opinions with family and friends about the choice of name for the expected offspring. If the parents’ decision about the choice of name is sometimes one among so many, for the child it can represent a gratifying satisfaction or a burden that he will have to bear for a whole life. That’s why the name given stirs the esteem of each one so much! Lili always liked hers, not only because it reminded her of the great woman her grandmother had been, but also because she felt good with it. Perhaps that’s why she paid particular attention to the name of her future son. Among the various options, they both ended up choosing the name “Sun”. One beautiful morning, weeks later, with the King Star resurgence on the horizon for another day, the little “Sun” woke up to life, claiming for himself the attention of all who were close. The birth of a being is always a special day, so Sun shouted loudly, as if to say that all honors were due him! His mother looked at the baby with enthusiasm, involving him with all her affection and comfort. A week later a party was held to celebrate the birth of the child. Family and friends were unanimous in agreeing that the name had been well chosen “how will he react when he grows up and becomes aware of his name?” - Lili wondered, in silence. But for the moment, the most important thing is that he was a healthy child. As for the name, she hoped it would be as pleasant for him as “Lili” is for her.

  The years went by and little Sun grew in vigor and knowledge, becoming, in the eyes of family and friends, a promising young man. Lili was now wondering a
bout her son’s future and how much he could do for his country. For her, it was crucial that Sun acquire university education and, if possible, abroad with a good command of languages - Lili was aware of the importance that Paris represented in her education and in the way she saw the world. Thanks to her stay in the City of Light, today she felt she was a woman of broad vision. Perhaps this is why she guided her son’s education from an early age in a comprehensive, continuous and safe way. The personality tests she had Sun perform revealed a strong, determined and fighting personality - which came as a surprise even to his mother. In his pre-university studies, Sun soon began to prove him to be a brilliant student, acquiring a good command of two foreign languages: French and English, as well as a particular taste for mathematics; which allowed him to develop a growing interest in economics, an academic area he would later embrace.

  The country was now experiencing a cultural revolution with a strong political matrix. With Lili’s departure from government, the President accumulated the education portfolio, having since developed an education programme strongly oriented to the Party’s interests. For Lili, however, that university education was of low quality. It did not, therefore, serve the objectives set for her son. Thus, when Sun finished pre-university education, it became imperative for Lili to return to Paris - which came with the awakening of spring. Soon after, the City of Light began to have new residents and the family business was going to get a new boost.

  Months later...

  Lili was back in Paris, this time with her family. The journey had been less tiring than in the past - air transport had improved significantly. She found a renewed city, full of novelties, though always the same as herself, bright and intense. The fashion stores, which represented a special attraction, this time met a few days of absence. The new family responsibilities imposed different priorities. It was only a few days later that she was able to let herself be enchanted by the motives of the shop windows. It was there that she realized a major turning point in the new trends for women’s clothing, both in shapes and materials used by dressmakers, with particular emphasis on accessories. That particularity allowed her to see this as a new opportunity - there was an important complement to her traditional business. After much thought and, remembering the knowledge in marketing acquired in the post-graduation course years ago, she decided to elaborate a project, which she shared with her husband and business administrators. Given the excellent receptivity to her ideas, she decided to create a new company dedicated to the creation and marketing of accessories. As the new models took advantage of the fabrics and materials imported by her other companies, she soon saw her initiative crowned with success. With the good receptivity achieved with dressmakers and the support achieved with designers, it was possible that in a short time fashion stores began to exhibit their creations. The great interest shown by the market for new accessories made her think of higher challenges. Listening to the opinion of the directors of her companies, she requested an economic feasibility study to open a chain of stores specialized in those products. Shortly after, she realized, through this study, that the new business required spending large sums of money on advertising, especially in the launch phase. In the first years, strong negative results were estimated, once again advertising conditioning profitability and representing a big share of the costs. After careful consideration, Lili decided to create a specialized section within an existing space. The silk shop had two large windows, both with great visibility for the public, so the decision to create such a small specialized and independent space was taken there. After the adaptation works in that store, the space achieved was harmonious and balanced, resulting from this sharing a rationalization of costs and a significant increase in product offer. Thus, sometime later, the results already reflected good indicators in this new business area. Lili then commented with her husband: