Borders BGP under CEO Mike Edwards
THE HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 09 – Hsiao Ch’u – The Taming Power of the Small
Above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND
Below CH’IEN THE CREATIVE. HEAVEN
This hexagram means the force of the small – the power of the shadowy – that restrains, tames, impedes. A weak line in the fourth place, that of the minister, 1 holds the five strong lines in check. In the Image it is the wind blowing across the sky. The wind restrains the clouds, the rising breath of the Creative, and makes them grow dense, but as yet is not strong enough to turn them to rain.
The hexagram presents a configuration of circumstances in which a strong element is temporarily held in leash by a weak element. It is only through gentleness that this can have a successful outcome.
THE JUDGMENT
THE TAMING POWER, OF THE SMALL
Has success.
Dense clouds, no rain from our western region.
This image refers to the state of affairs in China at the time when King Wen, who came originally from the west, was in the east at the court of the reigning tyrant Chou Hsin. The moment for action on a large scale has not yet arrived. King Wen could only keep the tyrant somewhat in check by friendly persuasion. Hence the image of many clouds, promising moisture and blessing to the land, although as yet no rain falls. The situation is not unfavorable; there is a prospect of ultimate success, but there are still obstacles in the way, and we can merely take preparatory measures.
Only through the small means of friendly persuasion can we exert any influence. The time has not yet come for sweeping measures. However, we may be able, to a limited extent, to act as a restraining and subduing influence. To carry out our purpose we need firm determination within and gentleness and adaptability in external relations.
THE IMAGE
The wind drives across heaven: The image of THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL.
Thus the superior man
Refines the outward aspect of his nature.
The wind can indeed drive the clouds together in the sky; yet, being nothing but air, without solid body, it does not produce great or lasting effects. So also an individual, in times when he can produce no great effect in the outer world, can do nothing except refine the expression of his nature in small ways.
NUCLEAR HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 38 – K’uei – Opposition
Above LI THE CLINGING, FLAME
Below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
This hexagram is composed of the trigram Li above, i.e., flame, which burns upward, and Tui below, i.e., the lake, which seeps downward. These two movements are in direct contrast. Furthermore, Li is the second daughter and Tui the youngest daughter, and although they live in the same house they belong, to different men; hence their wills are not the same but are divergently directed.
THE JUDGMENT
OPPOSITION.
In small matters, good fortune.
When people live in opposition and estrangement they cannot carry out a great undertaking in common; their points of view diverge too widely. In such circumstances one should above all not proceed brusquely, for that would only increase the existing opposition; instead, one should limit oneself to producing gradual effects in small matters. Here success can still be expected, because the situation is such that the opposition does not preclude all agreement.
In general, opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it has also its useful and important functions. The oppositions of heaven and earth, spirit and nature, man and woman, when reconciled, bring about the creation and reproduction of life. In the world of visible things, the principle of opposites makes possible the differentiation by categories through which order is brought into the world.
THE IMAGE
Above, fire, below, the lake: The image of OPPOSITION.
Thus amid all fellowship
The superior man retains his individuality.
The two elements, fire and water, never mingle but even when in contact retain their own natures. So the cultured man is never led into baseness or vulgarity through intercourse or community of interests with persons of another sort; regardless of all commingling, he will always preserve his individuality.
Borders Group, Inc.
100 Phoenix Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
United States – Map
Phone: 734-477-1100
Fax: 734-477-4538
Website: http://www.borders.com
Details
Index Membership: N/A
Sector: Services
Industry: Catalog & Mail Order Houses
Full Time Employees: 8,500
Mr. Michael J. Edwards , 50 Pres, Chief Exec. Officer of Borders Inc and Pres of Borders Inc
Business Summary
Borders Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of book, music, and movie superstores, as well as mall-based bookstores. The companys Borders Superstores segment operates book, music, and movie superstores in the United States. These stores offer books, music and movies, gifts, and stationery, as well as customer services. Its Waldenbooks Specialty Retail segment operates small format stores in malls, airports, and outlet malls. These stores provide a source for new releases, hardcover and paperback bestsellers, periodicals, and a selection of other titles. This segment operates stores under the Waldenbooks, Borders Express, and Borders Outlet names, as well as operates Borders-branded airport stores and its mall-based seasonal businesses. The company’s International Stores segment operates Borders superstores in Puerto Rico, as well as designs and retails stationery, cards, and gifts in the United Kingdom. As of January 30, 2010, Borders Group operated 511 superstores under the Borders name, including 508 in the United States and 3 in Puerto Rico. It also operated 175 mall-based and other small format bookstores, including stores operated under the Waldenbooks, Borders Express, and Borders Outlet names, as well as operated 29 Borders-branded airport stores. Borders Group also offers its products through Internet. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
