閱讀暖身
《財富》雜誌「2015年度商業人物」的榜首是Nike執行長Mark Parker。他的名言：「我們最不願看到的事，就是成為臃腫龐大的公司，以為隨便弄點什麼消費者就會買單。」Nike不只是一個運動品牌，它更像一家另類的科技公司。這位設計師出身的執行長，如何帶領Nike持續站穩業界龍頭？進入本文前，先想想這幾個商業詞彙的英文怎麼說？ a) 市場區隔
b) 價位
c) 銷售敏銳度 Mark Parker has just been named Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year. Since he took over as CEO in 2006, annual revenue has doubled and the share price has risen six-fold.
帕克剛榮登《財富》「2015年度商業人物」榜首。自從他2006年接掌執行長後，公司年營收已經倍增，股票也漲了6倍。 Nike invests heavily in footwear technology, a point of pride for Parker. Because it can spend for the 1) long haul, new technologies represent a remarkable facet of it’s a) segmentation. As an example, it spent years developing Flyknit, a lightweight, seamless sneaker. Flyknit was priced high and was slow to get going. However, three years later, it’s a billion-dollar business with lower b) price points.
Nike大舉投資球鞋科技，是帕克最引以為傲的地方。Nike願意長期投資，讓新科技成為市場區隔一大亮點。以該公司長期研發的Flyknit為例，這是一種輕巧、無縫的編織鞋。Flyknit最初被歸類為高價商品，而且研發速度緩慢。然而3年後卻成為價值數十億美元的金雞母，而且價位也降低不少。 Nike’s success relies not only on better shoes, but also on Parker’s ability to build on a company tradition of being an excellent marketer of those shoes. There’s an old industry line about Nike’s c) selling acumen:
Question: What happens when you cut open a Nike shoe?
Answer: All the marketing falls out.
Nike的成功除了球鞋本身更好之外，還靠帕克建立的一項傳統：善用具備優異行銷技術的公司傳統。業界盛傳一則有關Nike高超銷售技巧的答客問。
問：將Nike球鞋剖開後，會發生什麼事？
答：所有行銷技巧一一掉出來。 Parker is on an endless quest for creative talent. “When I travel, I connect with creative people in all different fields and disciplines,” he says. “It’s sort of just to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on.”
帕克不斷搜尋有創意的人才。他表示：「旅行時，我會接觸各行各業有創意的人才，因為我想掌握最新脈動。」 Parker doesn’t 2) rest on his laurels. One of his inspiring management aphorisms, a sports metaphor, is that “at Nike, there is no finish line.” Perhaps not, but it would feel mighty sweet to break through the banner of his $50 billion revenue goal. Until then, there will be many miles to run before Parker can breathe a sigh of relief.
帕克並未沾沾自喜。他有一則發人深省的管理格言，以賽跑作為比喻：「在Nike，我們沒有終點線。」也許沒有，然而如能衝破他那500億美元營收目標，定能嚐到勝利的甜美果實。在此之前，帕克還會繼續衝刺，沒時間稍作喘息。 口語詞彙:
1 Long haul長期
a long haul原意為旅行的「一大段距離」，引申為做事所需的「長時間」。
Before investing in Internet stocks, Tom wants to be sure he can afford to invest for the long haul. 投資網際網路股票之前，湯姆想要確保自己能夠負擔長期投資。
2 Rest on one’s laurels沾沾自喜
laurel 是古希臘的「桂冠」，象徵「榮耀」，「在桂冠上休息」表示沾沾自喜、停止努力。
Helen has been resting on her laurels ever since she got promoted to financial manager. 自從擢升為財務經理以來，海倫便一直沾沾自喜，不再努力了。
| 
沒有留言:
張貼留言