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  3. Once upon a time, innovation at Procter & Gamble flowed one way: from the Un

Once upon a time, innovation at Procter & Gamble flowed one way: from the Un

游客2023-10-31  32
问题     Once upon a time, innovation at Procter & Gamble flowed one way: from the United States outward. While the large Cincinnati-based Corporation was no stranger to foreign markets, it usually sold them products that were already familiar to most Americans. Many Japanese families, for instance, swaddle their babies in Pampers diapers, and lots of Venezuelans brush their teeth with Crest. And of course (company executives assumed) Americans at home wanted these same familiar, red-white-and-blue brands. We might buy foreign-made cars, or chocolates, or cameras-but not household cleaners and detergents.   
    Recently, however, P&G broke with this long-standing tradition. Ariel, a P&G laundry detergent, was born overseas, and is a familiar sight on store shelves in Europe and Latin America. Now bilingual packages of Ariel Ultra, a super concentrated cleaner, are appearing on supermarket shelves in Los Angeles.
    Ariel’s appearance in the United States reflects demographic changes making Hispanics the nation’s fastest growing ethnic group. Ariel is a hit with this population. In fact, many Mexican immigrants living in Southern California have been "importing" Ariel from Tijuana, Mexico. "Hispanics knew this product and wanted it," says P&G spokeswoman Marie Salvado. "We realized that we couldn’t convince them to buy our other laundry detergents." P&G hopes that non-Hispanic consumers will give Ariel a try too.
    Ariel’s already strong presence in Europe may provide a springboard for the company to expand into other markets as well. Recently, P&G bought Rakona, Czech’s top detergent maker. Ariel, currently a top seller in Germany, is likely to be one of the first new brands to appear in Czech supermarkets. And Ariel is not the only foreign idea that the company hopes to transplant back to its home territory. Cinch, an all-purpose spray cleaner similar to popular European products, is currently being test-marketed in California and Arizona. Traditionally Americans have used separate cleaners for different types of surfaces, but market research shows that American preferences are becoming more like those in other countries.
    Insiders note that this new reverse flow of innovation reflects more sweeping changes at Procter & Gamble. The firm has hired many new Japanese, German, and Mexican managers who view P&G’s business not as a one-way flow of American ideas, but a two-way exchange with other markets. Say Bonita Austin of the investment firm Wertheim Schroecler, "When you met with P&G’s top managers years ago, you wouldn’t have seen a single foreign face." Today, "they could even be in the majority."
    As Procter & Gamble has found, the United States is no longer an isolated market. Americans are more open than ever before to buying foreign-made products and to selling U.S.-made products overseas. [br] Changes are mentioned in the following aspects EXCEPT
选项 A、nationality constitution in P&G management.
B、the number of Mexican immigrants.
C、American preference toward merchandize.
D、the scope of Procter & Gamble.
答案 B
解析 根据题干及各选项内容定位到第4、5段。本题可用排除法，根据第4段的叙述可知，宝洁公司最近收购了捷克最大的洗涤剂公司，因而扩大了规模；美国人选用洗涤剂的品味与国外趋同，表明美国人对待商品的态度发生了变化；根据第5段可知，宝洁公司有许多来自不同国籍的高层人员。因此，A、C、D在文中皆有体现，B为本题答案。文中虽提过美国西班牙裔居民的人数增长很快，但这些人事实上已经是美国人，并不一定就是墨西哥移民；此外美国西班牙裔居民并不一定都来自墨西哥，因此，没有确切证据反映B这种变动。
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