食品工业企管理材料.doc

Unit One Who Makes It to the Top What does it take to succeed in American business? Opinions vary widely. Given approximately equal qualifications and circumstances, some claim the success factor is largely a matter of luck - being in the right place at the right time. Others speak of utter devotion to work, combined with a degree of ruthlessness. Far-out theories abound. One expert maintains that its undoubtedly a matter of how much education your mother had. To get a better perspective* on who makes it to the top - and why – I interviewed four men who should know - management consultants and executive recruiters for some of the biggest corporations in the country. Here are their informed opinions. Thomas A. Buffum, bead of the executive recruiting firm of Thomas A. Buffum Associates in Boston: We hear about new technology making engineers obsolete. In the same way, new methods of management can make executive obsolete. The men who rise the highest and stay there are those who never stop growing and learning. These flexible Fellows seldom stall7 on the corporate ladder or get shaken off.” A key test of this flexibility comes at the time of a merger or acquisition. Can you adapt to the new management: framework - do things their way? or are you so used to your old methods that youll resent any changes?” The men who can truly answer ‘yes’ to the first question and no to the second are the ones who never find themselves between jobs. Charles Ferguson, another consultant, agrees: How to cope with change - thats the key to success or failure for many business men.” “Changes come in several forms. One is the constant flux of the job itself, because of shifting conditions in the company and the industry. The late 1960’s offered case after agonizing case of brash young go - go entrepreneurs who put together littering conglomerates that they had no idea how to manage. Once the requirements of the job changes from pyramiding to mature management of an existing entity, they c