BEC历年阅读真题详解(24)
1 This businessman has successfully targeted a differentgroup of consumers.
2 With careful forward planning, this businessman is helpingthe company survive a difficult period.
3 The company is now more open to change because ofthis businessman's way of thinking.
4 This businessman has made and implemented certaindecisions despite opposition to them.
5 This businessman has achieved some success by misleading people about his intentions.
6 The abilities of this businessman were previously doubted by the company that employshim.
7 This businessman is admired for his ability to manage a number of business interests.
'Businessman of the Year' Award
A James King: Chief Executive of Fentons Finance
King was nominated for the quality of his leadership, with the judges claiming that theFentons Finance boss is almost revered by his team. He is credited with reinventing FentonsFinance - revitalising its culture of inflexibility, removing outdated pre-merger barriers and playing abrilliant tactical game. He led everyone to believe he was opposed to large mergers and thenjumped on the Westcombe Bank opportunity at just the right moment. History will be the judge,but for now the markets consider King to be a star.
B Keith Nash: Chief Executive of Hamley's Supermarkets
Nash took over as CEO when Hamley's systems and distribution were out of date and thebrand badly needed freshening up. He began refocusing the brand at the higher quality end of thefood market and launched several own-brand initiatives for the health conscious. As a result, theshare price has gone up nearly 80 per cent. This should be extremely satisfying for Nash, who hadleft the retailer in 1986, disappointed after failing to secure the top job.
C Jorge Marquez: Chairman of the Kenwick Group
Marquez was a popular choice for his achievements at Kenwick. The judges say he hasbeen courageous in pushing through the appointment of controversial or inexperienced chiefexecutives to companies within the group, and then sponsoring them as they transformed theirbusinesses. He operates as a 'virtual' chairman, without a permanent office in any one company.He phones his CEOs regularly, and several of them have acknowledged the vital contribution hemakes to their effectiveness. Everyone is impressed at how he also finds the time to be chairman oftwo other large companies.
D Richard Jenkins: Finance Director of Centron Advertising
Labouring in the shadow of a high-profile boss can sometimes draw attention away fromthe finance director, and the judges considered it was high time Jenkins got that attention. TheCEO may be the public face of Centron, but Jenkins is the one who makes it run smoothly. Behindthe scenes, he is constantly demonstrating that budgets and forecasts are what is needed to makea company successful, particularly now that the advertising market has been hit by recession. It islargely thanks to him that Centron is in much better shape than its rivals.
