20 classic business decision!
Business is war, it is well-mall who summed up works wonders. Decision makers size up the situation, decision making ability of different arts, so business will be led by their own ups and downs in Business Competition. “Fortune” magazine published an article cited the example of 20 decisions, some admire wise people, and some are stupid horrible decision, which not only shaped the modern business world, and profound enlightenment and lessons .
1876: Western Union Telegraph Company to the effect loss of Jingzhou
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and a few hours before 伊莱沙格雷 applied for a patent. However, it makes all the efforts made by Bell almost exhausting, so Gardiner Hubbard Bell’s father intends to sell the telephone patent. Of course, his goal is aimed at long-distance communications industry’s dominant Western Union Telegraph Company.
But Western Union president Wei Lianao Patton refused Hubbard’s request, he thought, “telephone” has too many shortcomings, it is not strictly as a means of communication, such devices have no value to them . Orton refused Hubbard not only because they already between the seasons, and he made that phone no matter how much success, his company has the strength to easily extract a Bell market.
Soon, company Western Union to pay for its short-sighted a great price. Customers gave up teletype instead rented from the new company set up by Bell Telephone. Western Union had to passive follow-up, using Gray’s patent and the design of Thomas Edison launched its own version of the telephone company. Then broke out between the two sides in a fierce legal battle, the final defeat of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and was forced to lease telephone equipment from the Bell companies.
1903: “Safety Razor King” King Gillette opened up a one-time items of the times the United States
Today, the United States is full of disposable diapers, disposable cameras can be discarded after use disposable products. But when King Gillette began selling in 1903, the safety razor with disposable blades, the Americans are not free to accept it, because it conflicts with the concept of American thrift.
At that time shaving is a difficult man to live, Gillette also often suffer, so he decided to invent the safety razor is simple. Gillette spent eight years studying how to become sufficiently thin blade, cheap enough to be used as blunt in his later can be thrown away without painfully. Hard work pays off, and finally in 1901, he invented the first razor with disposable blades, applied for a patent, and set up Gillette.
World War I, the Gillette Company is the U.S. military provided 3.5 million Gillette razors and 32 million blades go aboard American soldiers fighting the impact of the Gillette Safety Razor extended to the world.
1906: Giannini after the earthquake to open treasury loans to people who need
When the San Francisco earthquake Giannini, founder of the Italian banking thrown from his bed, his mind only one thing: his bank. He immediately along with two employees in time before the fire engulfed the bank to rescue the gold worth 80,000 U.S. dollars. Other bank vault for several weeks due to hot and can not be opened. And Giannini immediately afterwards, the people who need cash loans to help them rebuild their lives.
Giannini’s move earned him the honor. Giannini is the descendant of Italian immigrants, who in 1904 founded the Bank of Italy, the object of his services is not well-off minority, his work to anyone with 10 dollars to provide loans ranging from 300 dollars.
Is Giannini to residential mortgages, car loans and other consumer credit means further spread. Before 1945, his reputation has resounded everywhere. He also renamed the Italian bank, Bank of America, among the world’s largest listed bank.
1914: Ford 5 dollars a day to the workers compensation
In 1914, Henry Ford announced the working hours of workers reduced from 9 hours to 8 hours and 5 dollars per day to the workers compensation, which is 2.34 U.S. dollars prior to the wage level more than twice. The news hit like a bolt from the blue of the American people. For a time, tens of thousands of people gathered outside to seek work in factories, but also many of the media accused the Ford made a huge economic mistake. Since 1913 he has started automobile production line, he can not retain workers worry. 370% turnover rate of workers that he had to employ almost 5 million people each year to maintain the 1.4 million people in the labor force, so that production is not affected. Ford hopes the workers every day to 5 dollars in your pocket can get more return, that not only mass-produced car, you can also hold most of market share.
In a sense, the move paid 5 dollars a day seems to have changed everything. The first time a major industrial house made of contracts between employers and employees should not only include wages.
1925: Sears retail major expansion
金 斯罗伯特伍德 returned after World War I found that chain stores began to sweep the country, through mail order price Manual operations affected. 1921, Wood to his new employer Montgomery – Ward said the company has four distribution points, one organization and effective procurement system and good reputation, if the company can take advantage of these competitive advantages over other chains. But Wood’s views are not accepted by management, and in 1924 was dismissed. Wood then joined the Sears Roebuck company, and later became company president.
Wood aware of the importance of cities to retail stores, it took office, he began operations, including where to open new stores, who will manage them. Some of the early election Sears store near the highway outside the city, which seems funny, but later, as the city expanded, the shop was among the contents into the city.
3 years, the Sears retail store has expanded to more than 300. In Sears, Sears Wood revered as the father of the retail expansion.
1929: optimist before the onset of the Great Depression, Merrill sold stock on hand
Merrill Lynch, founder of the U.S. search 尔斯梅里尔 known as the optimist, though he grew up poor, but by personal struggle among Wall Street. Merrill on the stock investment has amazing insight, in 1929 the United States before the advent of the Great Depression he predicted the stock market will suffer heavy losses, as early as 1928, Merrill began to remind his customers to sell their shares, almost all of them His views are on the nose. But Merrill believe their own judgments, in a timely manner against the company’s majority shares into cash, so that Merrill Lynch escaped the great catastrophe, Merrill will also be a result of this wise and forever in the annals of American Finance . Merrill was also the first to propose not just stocks and bonds, speculative stocks palm plaything, they are an effective U.S. general population of making money. He tried to bring up the small investor base for the modern market in 1945, only 16% of U.S. households invest in stocks, but now the proportion has reached 50%.