parentshiftbook Chapter 331 Group Meeting
Chapter 331 Group Meeting
January 16, 1998, 9:00 AM.
Conference room of Xinghuo Group.
A dozen or so people sat around the long table: Ma Baoguo, Zhao Weiguo, Wang Jianguo, Ni Guangnan, Li Mo, and several branch managers. Chen Zhongming sat to Ling Yun's right, with a document spread out in front of him.
Ling Yun sat in the main seat.
"We're having this meeting today," he said, "for one thing only: group integration."
He gestured for Chen Zhongming to briefly explain the integration plan, which included unified finance, unified human resources, unified procurement, and unified branding. The heads of each division would concurrently serve as group vice presidents, with Chen Zhongming as executive vice president, responsible for daily operations. Chen Lingling would serve as assistant general manager, coordinating the various divisions.
After Chen Zhongming finished explaining the group's integration plan, Ling Yun looked at everyone and asked, "Does anyone here have any questions about implementing this plan?"
Ma Baoguo was the first to speak, "How will you coordinate the operations of the electronics factories, specifically the Jinan Plant 1 and the Shenzhen Plant 2?"
Chen Zhongming continued, "We will establish an electronics division, with you as the general manager. Both factories will be under unified management. You will be in charge of all aspects of procurement, production, and sales. Each factory will have a factory manager responsible for its specific affairs."
Ma Baoguo nodded.
Zhao Weiguo raised his hand. "The internet cafes," he said, "are currently a mix of directly operated and franchised businesses. How do we manage them?"
"We'll establish an internet cafe business unit," Chen Zhongming said. "You'll be the general manager. Directly operated stores will be under unified management, and franchised stores will operate in a standardized manner. From now on, the business unit will be responsible for the site selection, decoration, and training of new stores."
Zhao Weiguo thought for a moment and nodded.
Wang Jianguo also spoke up.
"At Spark Technology," he said, "it's mainly software development. How will the work be divided between us and the joint laboratory?"
Chen Zhongming turned to look at Wang Jianguo, "The joint laboratory is for cutting-edge research, while you are responsible for product development. We will hold regular meetings to share our findings. The research results will be transferred to you, and you will develop them into products. The joint laboratory will be handled by the group and will not be affiliated with any business unit."
Wang Jianguo nodded.
Li Mo remained silent. Ling Yun looked at him and asked, "Li Mo, is there a problem?"
Li Mo shook his head. "No."
Ling Yun then looked at the others, "Any more questions?"
No one spoke.
"Then it's settled. Chen Lingling, turn today's meeting resolutions into a document and distribute it to the entire group." He stood up. "Meeting adjourned."
As everyone left one after another, Chen Zhongming was the last to leave, pausing briefly at the door.
"President Ling," he said, "our team is indeed quite good."
Ling Yun looked at him and said, "We all started from scratch with you. We all have the same goal and there aren't many tricks around. In the future, you should also be straightforward in your work and not spend too much time studying interpersonal relationships. We are a company that gets things done."
Chen Zhongming nodded. "Okay, President Ling, I understand."
This was Chen Zhongming's first time attending a Xinghuo Group meeting, and also his first time meeting other senior executives. However, these executives were all easy to get along with, and none of them were sinister.
Chen Zhongming was still full of confidence about his future work. President Ling had a high reputation in the group, and as long as he got President Ling's approval, the promotion of his work would be a natural process. No one would try to sabotage him. As long as no one deliberately hindered him, Chen Zhongming believed that he would be able to give full play to his talents.
My departure from IBM was largely due to the frustration I felt. I was discriminated against by white people, and being denied promotions was the least of my worries. They would stop at nothing to sabotage the company, knowing full well that their actions would affect its development, just to oust those who weren't on their side.
At 2 PM, Lingyun went to the electronics factory.
The Jinan No. 1 Factory, located in the High-tech Zone, covers a large area and employs tens of thousands of workers. Inside the workshop, machines hum, and workers in blue overalls are busy on the assembly line. Keyboards, mice, and mousepads are produced one by one, packaged, boxed, and shipped to all parts of the country.
Ma Baoguo accompanied him, explaining things as they walked.
"Production capacity has increased again this month," he said. "After HP placed the order, we hired another 5,000 people."
Ling Yun nodded. "That's right. I'm very relieved to hand the factory over to you."
Walking into the finished goods warehouse, it was filled with cardboard boxes. The boxes were printed with the names of various brands—Dell, HP, Compaq, and Spark's own brand.
"What percentage of our products are currently exported?" Ling Yun asked.
"About 60 percent," Ma Baoguo said. "Demand is high in Europe and America, and orders are relatively stable. Our production capacity is mainly used to prioritize export orders. Also, export orders have better profit margins."
Ling Yun looked at the cardboard boxes and said, "Currently, the overseas economy is developed and the demand for computers is relatively large. The domestic market is still in its early stages. It is estimated that in two or three years, it will also enter a period of explosive growth. We should not neglect the domestic market."
"Okay, Mr. Ling, I will focus on studying the market data reported by the sales staff to ensure I have a clear understanding of the situation and prevent others from exploiting my weaknesses in the domestic market," Ma Baoguo assured him.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Lingyun went to an internet cafe. The one near the north gate of Shandong University was Xinghuo's first internet cafe. The decor was a bit old, but business was still booming. A row of bicycles was parked outside, and the cafe was full of people playing games.
Zhao Weiguo was waiting for him in his office on the second floor.
"Mr. Ling, please have a seat." Zhao Weiguo gestured to the sofa. "It's rare for Mr. Ling to come to the internet cafe and offer some guidance on our work."
Ling Yun sat down, and Zhao Weiguo poured him a glass of water.
"You still care about this?" Ling Yun asked.
"I don't really manage it anymore," Zhao Weiguo said. "I come here one or two days a week. Every store has a manager, and this store has a manager too, but I like to stay here when I have nothing else to do."
Ling Yun nodded. "Aren't the office buildings in the Software Park better than here?"
"It's comfortable here. The Software Park area is deserted and lifeless."
"Shall we have dinner together tonight?" Zhao Weiguo asked. "Let's invite Sun Peng and Li Mo. It's been a long time since we ate together. I wonder if Sun Peng managed to stay true to himself as a man in Thailand."
"Okay. Let's invite them to have some skewers together, and ask Sun Peng tonight if he still has any bottom line."
At six o'clock in the evening, the four of them met at a small restaurant.
Sun Peng has lost weight and gotten a bit darker. His father's real estate company has grown quite large now, and he's constantly on the go, visiting construction sites and frequently traveling to Thailand. He's very busy every day.
"I'm exhausted," he said as he sat down. "I've lost over ten pounds in the past few months."
Zhao Weiguo laughed at him. "It's good that you've lost weight. You used to be too fat, which made it harder for you to find a partner."
Li Mo was still the same as always, not saying much, sitting in the corner, quietly drinking tea.
The food arrived, and the group ate and chatted.
"When are you and Chen Lingling going to get married?" Ling Yun asked Zhao Weiguo.
Zhao Weiguo shrugged. "Why are you urging us to get married too? Chen Lingling doesn't have many relatives, and I don't have many either, so it'll be easy for us to get married. All that's missing is the villa you promised."
"Don't use that as an excuse. The villa is all ready for you, the decoration, furniture and appliances are all provided. You're just waiting to move in. Brother Yun paid for it, and I'll do the work for you," Sun Peng shouted from the side.
"...How come I'm the only one who didn't know about the villa that was prepared for me? Li Mo, you knew about it too?" Zhao Weiguo muttered.
"The four of us will each have an apartment in the same neighborhood. Brother Yun will pay for it, and Brother Peng will do the work," Li Mo said slowly.
"...So I'm the only one who didn't know!"
To change the subject, Zhao Weiguo quickly raised his glass, "Come on, let's have a drink, to celebrate Brother Yun being the first to get married and the first to have a child."
Several people clinked glasses.
Li Mo also raised his glass, nodded to Ling Yun, and drank it all in one gulp.
"The main reason we haven't gotten married is that Lingling hasn't found her younger brother yet, and when she doesn't want to get married, there's no one from her family," Zhao Weiguo sighed.
"Still haven't found it?" Ling Yun asked, somewhat puzzled.
"We've searched everywhere we could think of, but we just couldn't find him," Zhao Weiguo said helplessly.
"We can't keep dragging this on like this. When are we going to get married?" Sun Peng asked anxiously. "If we can't find anyone, are you going to stay single forever?"
"Chen Lingling is my assistant now, and she'll have many opportunities to appear on TV in the future. Her brother will come looking for her after he sees her." Lingyun was still very confident.
"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's drink!" Zhao Weiguo raised his glass.
The group clinked glasses, and Zhao Weiguo drank it all in one gulp.