首页
登录
职称英语
The sharks are circling. Having beaten off one private equity bid, the Sain
The sharks are circling. Having beaten off one private equity bid, the Sain
游客
2023-11-18
39
管理
问题
The sharks are circling. Having beaten off one private equity bid, the Sainsbury family is now wrestling with another takeover challenge, from the Qatari-backed investment fund Delta Two. According to Alistair Darling, such smash-and-grab raids on British corporations are to be encouraged. But firms such as Sainsbury’s have a history and meaning in our national life that goes beyond the balance sheet.
In the late 1980s, J. Sainsbury PLC. was feted across the business world as one of the great retailers. its chairman was knighted as the company posted record profits. Founded in London’s Drury Lane in 1869 by John James Sainsbury, it had started as a small dairy selling eggs, milk and "the best butter in London". As late Victorian family incomes rose, urban retailers expanded into the grocery and butchery business. And, in an era of adulterated foods and filthy shops, the Sainsbury ethic of cleanliness, quality and value marked it out.
As suburbia expanded, so did Sainsbury’s. John James always believed in buying freehold properties and his premier stores were located in the commuter belts of Croydon, Purley and Balham. Personalized service and an aspirational decor transformed neighborhood grocery shops into Edwardian food emporia. But, in language eerily familiar to modern ears, local shopkeepers soon complained about the unfair advantage of supermarkets with their distribution depots, bulk buying, vast advertising budgets and price cuts; 1900s retailers fought desperately against their expansion. Yet Sainsbury’s grew and there was nothing they could do.
The real revolution came in the post-war years when John James’s grandson, Alan Sainsbury, introduced serf-service at Croydon in 1950--much to the horror of some suburban grandees who threw their wire baskets at the Sainshury chairman. Characteristically, Harold Macmillan better judged the post-war materialist mood and praised the Harlow Sainsbury’s as "a very clean and most ingenious way of serving the public and doing business". Profits soared and Sainsbury’s was on the path to becoming a major influence on the British people’s cultural, commercial and social habits.
Behind the shop stood the family Titans--referred to by staff as "Mr. Alan", "Mr. JD", or "Mr. David". While retail was always detail at Sainsbury’s, the company bad a broader view of its public role. Early supporters of the Beveridge report, the firm inaugurated a comprehensive pension and sickness scheme. It had an equally keen sense of its history.
But during the 1990s, the Sainsbury’s supermarket crown was stolen by Ian MacLaurin’s Tesco. Every empire contains the seeds of its own downfall and Sainsbury’s centralized management structure failed to adapt fast enough to a shifting retail market. David Sainsbury was the last family member to sit as chairman and the fifth generation spurned careers in the firm. And now, despite a recent turn-around, the Sainsburys are under pressure to sell their remaining shares to private equity property speculators.
In the end, business is business and one can’t be too misty-eyed. But an implicit part of the Sainsbury’s brand has always been a connection to this dynastic tradition of retailing. It is a precious asset that will vanish the moment private equity spivs get their bands on John James’s legacy. [br] The author takes a(n) ______ stance of the development of Sainsbury.
选项
A、indifferent
B、sympathetic
C、sarcastic
D、optimistic
答案
B
解析
观点态度题。根据文章最后一段,第二句中的“…this dynastic tradition of retailing.”和第三句“It is a precious asset”的描述可知,作者认为虽然竞争残酷而不可避免,但对公司仍然是珍贵的财产。作者的态度是同情的。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3198732.html
相关试题推荐
Couldyoupleasepassthismessagetohimprivatelywithoutit______?A、knowB、be
Idon’tremember______anypresentformybirthday.A、havinggivenB、havingbeeng
______moreattention,thekidcouldhavedonebetter.A、TogiveB、HavinggivenC、
Anysteamenginegivesusanexampleof______intowork.A、heatshavingturnedB、h
Theboys______abasketballmatchnow.Let’s______and______.A、arehaving;go;
______agoodteacher,onemustfirstbeagoodpupil.A、BeingB、HavingbeenC、To
Thepolicy_____made,thenextproblemwashowtocarryitout.A、havingbeenB、
Johnsoncouldn’tbear______nonoticeofinhiscompany.A、havingtakenB、taking
______time,he’llmakeafirst-classtennisplayer.A、HavingB、GivenC、GivingD、
______,Johnhadtostayupforthenighttofinishhispaper.A、Havingnotgiven
随机试题
下列有关综述中应用参考文献的基本原则包括A.参考文献应该为30篇以上 B.必须
音程有和声音程和旋律音程之分。音数为1的二度音程,叫做大二度音程。音数为5的音程
附着式轮廓标用合成树脂类材料做支架或底板时,其抗弯强度应不低于()。A.30M
患者,男,65岁。皮肤、巩膜黄染进行性加重,大便持续变白,病后消瘦明显。应首先考
药师为患者提供胰岛素储存的用药咨询,不包括A.应保存在2~8℃的冰箱中,未开启的
变电运维管理中,熄灯巡视每月不少于()次1$;$2$;$3$;$4
女性,26岁,妊娠30周。3天来腰痛伴尿频、尿痛。两天来发热,体温最高达38.6
某国的货币量发行情况如下:现金货币5000亿元,活期存款500亿元,活期存款以
给水系统分区设置水箱和水泵,水泵分散布置,总管线较短,投资较省,能量消耗较小,
承包工程的结算双方实行()结算方式的,当年结算的工程款应与分年度的工作量一致
最新回复
(
0
)