快速注册

企业家必须是剥削者么？

MOI思想博物馆 2019-10-19 16:30:20

From rags to Richer

从贫穷到富裕

A success story built on treating people well

一个基于与人为善的成功故事

In some ways, Julian Richer is a typical market-trader-made-good. He was wheeling and dealing as a schoolboy, even selling candles during the miners’ strike of 1974. Then he discovered the market for hi-fi equipment, initially managing other people’s stores, before opening his own shop at the tender age of 19. He opted for the trappings of wealth, buying his first Rolls-Royce at 23. After a difficult period when he admits that he confused revenue growth for profit, he built up a successful highstreet chain of 52 stores, which he named Richer Sounds.

从某种程度上来讲，Julian Richer 是一个典型以（typical）市场为导向的商人（market-trader-made-good）。还是个小男孩的时候，他就开始骑自行车叫卖（wheeling and dealing），甚至在1974年的矿工罢工（miners’ strike）中卖蜡烛。紧接着他就发现了音响设备（hi-fi equipment）的商机，最初管理他人的商店，后来在稚嫩的（tender）19岁就开起了自己的商店。23岁时，他购买了自己人生第一辆象征财富的劳斯莱斯（Rolls-Royce）。经过一段艰难的时期，他承认自己把收益增长和利润混为一谈（confuse for）。后来，他建立了成功的商业街，有52个商店，命名为Richer Sounds.

If this tale seems all too familiar, in other ways the 60-year-old Mr Richer is an atypical entrepreneur. That became clear in May when he announced he was selling a majority stake in the company to a trust owned by the staff, and remitting around 40% of the proceeds in the form of a cash bonus to colleagues. For every year of service, they received £1,000 ($1,230). His gesture reflected the management philosophy he has developed over his 40-year business career.

如果这个神话（tale）看起来太熟悉，在另一些方面，这位60岁的Richer先生却是一个非典型的（atypical）企业家（entrepreneur）。当宣布他会将公司股票的大部分卖给员工拥有的一个信托基金（trust），并免除（remit）收益（proceeds）的40%，以现金（a cash bonus）返还给同事时，这个说法更是名副其实了。每服务一年，他们就获得1000英镑 (1230美元)。他的姿态反映了40年来商业生涯发展出来的管理哲学。

Mr Richer says that the penny initially dropped for him when he read “In Search of Excellence”, a business bestseller by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman which came out in 1982. The top-performing companies described in the book had two common features, Mr Richer noticed: they treated both customers and their employees well.

Richer先生说他曾经读汤姆·彼得斯和罗伯特·沃特曼1982年出版（come out）的商业畅销书（a business bestseller）《追求卓越》（In Search of Excellence）时，财富就注定落在他头上。他注意到书中描述的最顶尖的（top-performing）公司有两个共同的特征（two common features）：他们都善待（treat …well）自己的客户和员工。

In “The Ethical Capitalist”, one of his two books on management, Mr Richer writes that “organisations that create a culture based on fairness, honesty and respect reap the rewards.” They attract motivated staff “who are there for the long haul”. High staff turnover, he says, is a sign that something is fundamentally wrong. And he cites his firm’s turnover rate of 11% a year, compared with an industry average of 25%, as a sign of success. Richer Sounds also tries to promote from within. Each of the other nine board members has risen through the ranks.

在《道德的资本家》一书中，Richer先生写道：“基于公正（faireness）、诚实（honesty）、尊重（respect）而创立文化的组织能收获（reap）回报。”这是他写的关于管理的两本书中的一本。他们吸引了有动力的员工，为了长期的目标而留存。快速的员工流动（high staff turnover）证明哪个环节出了根本（fundamentally）性的问题。他引用自己公司每年11%的员工流动率与一个行业平均25%的比率相比，由此作为公司成功的一种标志。Richer Sounds也尝试从公司内部晋升人员（promote from within）。董事会（board members）中其他九个人都从公司内部一层一层晋升产生（through ranks）。

How does he keep staff loyal? One way is to survey morale every week. Employees rate it, anonymously, on a ten-point scale. Store managers report the average and the lowest score. If there is a two, the company will investigate. Mr Richer regularly visits his stores to talk to staff.

他怎样让员工忠诚？一种方式就是每周进行士气调查（survey morale）。员工匿名（anonymously）给10分（on a ten-point scale）的调查进行打分（rate）。商店经理汇报平均（average）和最低分数。如果有2分的情况，公司就会调查。Richer会进行常规的（regularly）商店巡视，并与员工谈话。

Another tactic is to ensure staff have the time to learn about the latest equipment in stock. The shops open at noon so that there is time for staff training without dragging people out of bed unreasonably early. Nor is Mr Richer a fan of the long hours culture; if an employee has to take a telephone call on their day off, they get a £20 hassle bonus.

另外一个策略（tactic）就是确保员工有时间熟悉现存（in stock）的最新设备（the latest equipment）。商店中午开门，这样员工培训（staff training）就有足够的时间，而不需要太早地（unreasonably early）把员工从床上拽起（drag out of bed）。Richer先生也不是一个长时文化（long hours culture）的粉丝，如果一个员工在休息日接到一个工作电话，他们能获得20英镑的困扰（hassle）费。

More generous perks are available. Workers can stay at one of the group’s holiday homes; over 70% make use of this perk once a year. The only charge they face is £10 per night per adult, and £5 per child. The British authorities treats such holidays as a taxable benefit but the company covers this cost as well.

除了工资，员工有更慷慨的待遇（generous perks）。员工可以待在集团的度假房之一度假。70%以上的人一年中会使用（make use of）一次这个待遇。他们面临的唯一费用是成人每人每晚交纳10磅，儿童每人每晚5磅。英国当局（The British authorities）认为这种假期是应纳税的福利（taxable benefit），而公司也覆盖了这部分费用（cover this cost）。

Mr Richer believes this cuddly approach results in happier customers. He does not like high-pressure sales tactics, preferring repeat buyers; bonuses are based on surveys of shoppers’ satisfaction as well as sales. On top of the bonus, workers get a monthly profit share, based on each store’s performance, and an annual share of the group profit.

Richer先生相信这种柔性方式（cuddly approach）能带来（result in）更快乐的顾客。他不喜欢高压的销售策略（high-pressure sales tactics），更喜欢回头客（repeat buyers）。基于顾客满意度（shoppers’ satisfaction）和销售量会有奖金（bonuses）。在奖金基础上，工人每月都能获得一定的利润分成（monthly profit share），数量取决于每个店的业绩（performance），每年还能获得整个集团利润的一定分成。

It is tempting to think that such benign ways can only work at a relatively small company (his sales were £157m in the year to April 2019). However, Mr Richer is a consultant to larger retailers and says that some of his suggestions worked well at Asda, a supermarket chain, in the 1990s. Last year he started advising Marks & Spencer, a British retail group, though its continued troubles suggest there is a lot more work to do.

人们可能会认为（It is tempting to think）这样仁慈的方式（benign ways）只能在相对较小的公司（at a relatively small company）中实行（其2019年到四月的销售额为1.57亿英镑）。然而，Richer也是更大零售商的顾问，他表示自己的一些建议在20世纪90年代有名的连锁超市（a supermarket chain）阿斯达（Asda）很有效果。去年他开始给英国零售集团玛莎百货（Marks & Spencer）做顾问，尽管其持续的麻烦（continued troubles）显示还有很多工作要做。

What prompted his decision to transfer the bulk of his stake to staff? Mr Richer says he was approaching the age when his father died and he did not want his wife to deal with the hassle caused by his own demise. As far as money was concerned, he says, “we have more than enough already”. His remaining 40% stake in the group will bring plenty of dividend income. Though he retains the role of managing director, he now takes the same salary as his personal assistant.

是什么让Richer先生决定（prompted his decision）将他的大部分股票（the bulk of his stake）都转给员工呢？他说自己父亲已经去世，不希望妻子来处理（deal with）这些因他而起的（by his own demise）麻烦事（hassle）。关于金钱（As far as money was concerned），他说，“我们已经有足够多了”。他在集团余留的40%股票已经能给他带来足够多的股利收益（dividend income）。尽管他仍然是（retain）总经理（managing director），却拿着和私人助理（personal assistant）一样的工资。

There is plenty in Mr Richer’s philosophy which Bartleby salutes. For example, he dislikes long meetings which waste everybody’s time; the typical board meeting lasts an hour. Best of all, however, he disproves the stereotype that entrepreneurs have to be ruthless in order to achieve success. Treating people well can work, too.

Richer先生的哲学（philosophy）让笔者敬重（salute）。比如，他不喜欢浪费大家时间（waste everybody’s time）的冗长会议，典型的董事会（board meeting）只持续一个小时。然而，最好的是（Best of all），他不支持企业家必须残忍（ruthless）才能获得成功的陈词滥调（stereotype）。与人为善（Treating people well）同样可以让人获得成功。