经济学人278:雅芳把老板钟彬娴给炒了

 　　Avon boots out its boss

　　雅芳把老板给炒了

　　Andrea’s adieu

　　钟彬娴，再见！

　　An ugly mess at a beauty firm

　　化妆品公司的丑陋乱局

　　“YOU have got to go home tonight, Friday evening, and you have got to fire yourself,” a management coach once told Andrea Jung, the boss of Avon, an American beauty firm. The idea was for her to come back to work the following Monday as if starting her job anew. Alas¹, this brilliant tip was not enough. As Avon’s share price has wilted² like mascara under a sunlamp, Ms Jung is being pushed out for real. On December 13th the firm announced that she will be replaced as chief executive.

　　美国化妆品公司雅芳的一位经理曾对老板钟彬娴女士（Andrea Jung）说道：“你今晚必须回家，周五晚上，而且你必须辞职。”该想法是为了让她能在下周一犹如重新开始工作一样重返办公室上班。唉，这个聪明绝顶的小建议并不能起到明显作用。当雅芳公司股价像日光灯下的睫毛膏一样萎缩时，钟彬娴女士确实被推到风口浪尖。12月13日，公司宣布钟彬娴将只担任首席执行官一职。

　　The makeover will be gradual. Ms Jung, who has run Avon since 1999, will stay on as chairman and help the board find a new boss. It will be a tough job for anyone. Avon is the world’s biggest direct-seller: an army of cheery salesfolk hawk³ its products door-to-door. The 125-year-old New York-based company has an annual revenue of over $10 billion and operations in more than 100 countries. But it has stumbled badly of late. Its share price has fallen by 45% this year (see chart).

　　该变动将会是平缓的。钟彬娴自1999年来执掌雅芳，她将留着主席的位置上并帮助董事会找到新的主席。这对任何人来说都是棘手的。雅芳是世界上最大的直销公司：雅芳有一支热情洋溢的销售大军，挨家挨户的推销产品。总部坐落在纽约的雅芳已经有125年的历史，年收入超过100亿美元，经营范围超过100个国家。但是最近雅芳发展严重受阻，其股价今年已经下跌了45%。

　　Ms Jung had a glossy⁴ start at Avon, presiding over six consecutive⁵ years of double-digit growth. Yet she failed to use these fat years to invest in the business. By 2005 the firm was looking blemished⁶. Sales declined in major markets. The share price dropped. Ms Jung laid off 25% of senior staff and cut costs everywhere except for advertising⁷ and distribution.

　　钟彬娴女士在雅芳上任伊始非常顺利，代领雅芳连续六年创下增长率为两位数的记录。但是她并没有利用公司繁荣发展的这几年对业务进行投资。到2005年，公司发展出现问题，主要市场的销量下滑，公司股价下跌。钟彬娴解雇了25%的高级职员，并且全面消减除广告和配送方面的成本。

　　Avon never really recovered. In March 2009 Ms Jung launched the biggest hiring drive in the company’s history and nearly doubled the marketing⁸ budget. She saw in the global economic crisis a chance to overtake Avon’s rivals. It didn’t work.

　　雅芳从未真正恢复。2009年3月，钟彬娴开始公司成立以来最大的招聘活动并且将营销预算将近翻了一番。她在全球金融危机中看到打败竞争对手的商机，但是却失败了。

　　Moreover, the company has spent more than $150m on an internal investigation⁹ of alleged¹⁰ corruption¹¹ among sales representatives in China and Latin America. Several have been dismissed. America’s Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating, too. If Avon is found guilty of anything, the penalties could be steep.

　　而且，公司耗资1.5亿美元对中国和拉美的销售代表中所谓的贪污行为进行调查，一些销售代表被解雇。美国证券交易委员会也进行调查。如果雅芳被判定有罪的话，那么处罚将会非常严重。

1 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

2 wilted   

（使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The flowers wilted in the hot sun. 花在烈日下枯萎了。
• The romance blossomed for six or seven months, and then wilted. 那罗曼史持续六七个月之后就告吹了。

3 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

4 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

5 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

6 blemished   

v.有损…的完美，玷污( blemish的过去式 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by that article. 他的名声被那篇文章玷污了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The scandal has blemished her shining reputation. 这件丑闻损害了她辉煌的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。