A few days ago myself and my colleagues went to the funeral of our long-time company administrator, Margaret Masson. She was known to many subscribers and other readers of Global Cement around the world. Margaret passed away after a valiant battle with cancer: her infectious laugh - more like a cheerful cackle - will be missed by us all.
At Margaret's funeral, one of the readings was 'Success' by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The poem gives a list of actions and reactions by which one might deem your life to have been a success, including to laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons; to earn the approbation of honest critics; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm; and to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived: 'This is to have succeeded' says the poem.
It's unrealistic to expect to do only good things - we all fall short sometimes. Being good on balance is perhaps a more realistic target to aim at throughout life.
Emerson's poem gives a list of means to succeed that are available to every person in the world whether they be rich or poor, old or young. However, we all have a different take on what is good in life. In the film of Conan the Barbarian, starring a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Mongol warrior is asked by his general, "What is best in life?" The warrior replies: "The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair." The general replies, "Wrong!" and asks Conan, "What is best in life?" Conan replies, "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentation of their women," to which the Mongol general replies, "That is good!" On the other hand, I recall asking my father what he felt was the meaning of life and he surprised me with a strongly religious answer. Each to their own.
The changes that we can make in the world are generally through the work we do. Those working in the cement and lime industry around the world can take numerous actions to live a 'good life.' For example, building a 'good' cement plant - an efficient, well-working, minimally polluting, cost efficient, low maintenance, clean, safe plant could been seen as constituting an action leading towards having lived a good life. On the other hand, building a plant that is inefficient (using more of the Earth's resources than necessary), that is prone to breaking down, that pollutes more than is reasonable, that cost too much to build and breaks down too often, that is dirty and unsafe, then that should be a black mark against your 'life-tally.'
Traders and sales people can bring honesty to deals (don't choke on your coffee) while executives, managers and every worker can do their utmost to ensure that everyone goes home at the end of their shift with the same number of fingers, toes and limbs that they arrived with.
After the funeral was over, we all asked ourselves, 'How will we be remembered?' I hope to be remembered as someone who was fair, who tried his best and made the most of his life. I expect that they will also remember me for my short hairy legs, bad temper when hungry, advancing baldness and bad jokes. As Woody Allen once said, "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying."
Letter to the editor
SIR - I read your editorial in Global Cement (November 2013 - on UK cement industry competition) with interest and would just like to clarify one or two points. I must first stress that the Competition Commission has yet to make a final decision in our investigation on either the findings or the remedies, which are subject to responses received since our provisional decisions.
I can understand that proposing further action in this market so soon after the (Lafarge/Tarmac) merger case might seem puzzling. The reason is that a merger inquiry is only empowered to maintain or preserve the preexisting level of competition in a given market. A market investigation has the job of increasing competition if possible - which is why this investigation is proposing further action. (Incidentally as to whether parties are unwilling to 'rile' us, I can only point out that they have been prepared to challenge us in the Competition Appeal Tribunal already in this investigation.)
The CC has looked at imports and given the higher costs involved, has provisionally concluded that actually they don't constrain price rises. Important to stress too that this is not a cartel investigation. Market investigations like this one allow problems in a market to be tackled without finding wrongdoing. Whilst cartel investigations are part of the competition regime, they are very different exercises and often lengthier in comparison with market investigations.
Finally nothing published so far indicates an issue against companies with two cement plants, it's just that in the case of Hope and in the measures provisionally proposed so far in this investigation, the CC has judged that any new player would need a cement plant to get a foothold in the market.
Rory Taylor - (UK) Competition Commission
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
You will see many changes in the content and style of Global Cement Magazine - the world's most widely read cement magazine - starting with the January 2014 issue.
Finally, I'd like to wish everyone a peaceful festive season and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014.