Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hanygeorge38]

Hello Teacher

could you please help me to understand the following jok i was
reading because it seem s a little bit complecated to understand
it and what is the moral of it ?



Once upon a time a shepherd was looking after his
sheep in a field when a brand new top of the range
BMW came speeding along the road and then
suddenly stopped by the gate to the field.

The driver, a young man dressed in a Versace suit and
wearing Ray Ban sunglasses, got out of the car and
asked the shepherd, "If I guess correctly how many sheep
you have, will you give me one of them?"

The shepherd looked at the young man, then looked at
the huge flock of sheep and said, "Okay."

The young man went into his car, got out a notebook
computer, connected it to a mobile phone, accessed
the NASA website, scanned the ground using a
handheld GPS unit, created a database, and then
printed out a 150 page report on his mini-printer.

He then turned to the shepherd and said,
"You have exactly 1586 sheep here."

The shepherd answered, "That's correct. You can
have any of my sheep."

The young man chose one and put it in the back of
his car. The shepherd then asked, "If I can guess
what job you do, will you give me my sheep back?"

The young man answered, "Yes, why not."

The shepherd said, "You are a consultant."

The young man was amazed. "You're right! That's
incredible! How did you know?"

The shepherd replied, "It was very simple, really.

First, you came here without being asked.

Second, you charged me a sheep to tell me something
that I already knew.

Third, you do not understand anything about what
I do."

The young man asked, "Why do you say that I
don't know anything about what you do?"

The shepherd smiled and replied, "Because the sheep
you've taken is actually my dog!"


thanks

Hany
_________________
hany

[lotus]

Hi hanygeorge38,

The joke is referring to Consultants who are hired by companies for their specialized knowledge or talent to do difficult tasks or projects which ordinary employees cannot do without great effort or time. These Consultants are generally hired by hi-tech companies and are very well paid for their short-term work.

The moral of the story is that no matter how much specialized knowledge a Consultant has, and no matter how many new ideas, designs or gadgets he may come up with to improve the company - he may very well miss the fundamental goal, mission or objective of the company and ultimately not benefit the company. The Consultant in the story didn't even know what a sheep looks like - and it is the product the company sells! Without understanding the product, it is unlikely that he can help make the company grow. His arrogance is matched by his ignorance. That is the irony of the story.

The story assumes that the consultant's micro contribution to the company will not benefit the company macroscopically. Some economists or managers may disagree with that.

This is an issue currently debated in the United States - mainly in hi-tech. Because of the poor economy, many think that foreign consultants should not be hired in preference to domestic workers. Basically, they resent the fact that foreign consultants/workers are taking up domestic jobs. In fact, the U.S. is now issuing less H-1 Visas than in previous years.

Ironically, many CEO's are fighting for more foreign consultants, because they believe that a "brain-drain" has happened in the U.S. That is - although we have plenty of workers, we are not intellectually superior. Their argument is that foreign talent is now not just work-force talent, they are also design and intellectual talent. Therefore, if we don't hire consultants to advance our companies here, other countries will simply surpass the U.S. in design and manufacturing.

Some people don't buy this argument. They think the big companies are just trying to buy "cheap" labor. Because with proper education, investment and patience, an intellectually well-rounded U.S. work force would be hard to beat. Almost all major research and innovations in technology already originate from the United States. There is no reason why the U.S. can't maintain that level on its own without foreign intervention.

Finally, some economists believe in the "Laissez-fair" policy - meaning that if we generally leave things alone, the economy will all work out on its own.


So... the long story get a looong explanation. At the very least, lotus gets to write... and the reader gets to read.

... zzzzzz

- lotus