Chapter 563 – Jiang Xianjun
The next day, when Li Na and the rest were in school, Feng Yu went to Beijing Quanjude Company. He had called the company, and Jiang Xianjun will be waiting for him in his office.
Of course, it was not just a phone call. Feng Yu had asked Shi Feng, the boss of Yadu to pass him a message. There was a difference when someone he knew introduced Feng Yu.
Yadu was China’s hi-tech company. Although Feng Yu had introduced the humidifier before Yadu, the Chinese government still supported it. The company had developed well, and in Beijing, Yadu had a higher standing than Quanjude.
However, Feng Yu felt that Quanjude was worth much more than Yadu because of its brand!
“Manager Jiang, a young man is looking for you. He says he had called you and his name is Feng Yu.” The secretary reported.
“Invite him in and prepare two cups of tea.”
Jiang Xianjjun was surprised when he saw Feng Yu. This was Feng Yu? The person introduced by Manager Shi? Jiang Xianjun was in his 40s, and he thought no matter how young Feng Yu was, he should be in his 30s. If it were not for Feng Yu’s mature dressing, he would believe Feng Yu was still a student.
“Hi, Manager Jiang. Tai Hua Trading’s Feng Yu.”
“Manager Feng, have a seat. Smoke?” Jiang Xianjun took out his cigarettes and offered to Feng Yu.
“No thanks.”
“I heard from Yadu’s Manager Shi that you want to talk business with me?” Jiang Xianjun asked. Was Manager Shi joking with him? How can this young man be a businessman?
“Manager Jiang, this Quanjude Company should just be set up not long ago? I wonder if the restructuring is completed?” Feng Yu smiled.
“It is still in progress. Thanks for asking.” No one wants to let an outsider knows what was happening in the company.
“Manager Jiang, it should not be easy for you to implement your ideas, right?”
Jiang Xianjun’s face changes. “Manager Feng, what do you mean?”
Jiang Xianjun had started his career as an ordinary worker and was promoted to a technician. After that, he worked his way up to a production manager and was then transferred to manage a factory before being transferred to Beijing as an F&B Deputy General Manager. This year, he was ordered to reorganize Quanjude and to set up a company. He needs to revamp Quanjude.
A few years ago, Jiang Xianjun had gone to further his studies in the US. In the US, he saw the franchise management model. It was still a new concept and could help the company expand quickly.
He starts to think about how he could apply this model in the F&B industry back in China. It should be as successful as those US fast food chains.
To implement this idea, he had submitted a few proposals to his leaders. But there were no replies. This year, his higher-up was changed, and his new leader had seen his proposals and called him over for a talk.
Jiang Xianjun managed to persuade his leader, and he was a task to choose an F&B state-owned restaurant for pilot testing. He picked Quanjude, 100 years’ old restaurant.
Although the leader had some hesitations initially, he gave in when Jiang Xianjun promised to resign if he could not achieve results within a year!
Jiang Xianjun was appointed as the Deputy General Manager of this new company by his leader, despite being tasked to restructure this company. He had to report to an “Experienced” leader. This leader created a lot of obstacles to prevent him from implementing all his ideas!
This was the issue with all state-owned enterprises. On the one hand, they wanted reform. But they still want those old leaders to lead.
These were all their internal issues. How come this manager Feng knew about this?
Feng Yu crossed his legs: “Manager Jiang, all my companies, were doing very well. I am more experience than you when it comes to reorganizing a state-owned enterprise.”
“Manager Feng, are you trying to teach me what to do?” Jiang Xianjun was slightly pissed. He was in his 40s and was used to lead others. He was not used to be taught by someone less than half his age! You are more experienced than me in reorganizing a state-owned enterprise? Young men nowadays were getting more and more arrogant!
Feng Yu smiled: “Have you heard of Songjiang Motors? I am the one who recreated this brand, including Songjiang cars. I am also the biggest shareholder in this company. After I restructured this company, this small factory which used to make a few million annually, had made more than 300 million last year! I think this will prove how experience I am when it comes to restructuring or reorganizing a company.”
Jiang Xianjun was shocked. That Songjiang cars and motorcycles which were advertised on TV every day, was created by Feng Yu? Manager Shi did not tell him about this!
Feng Yu saw Jiang Xianjun keeping quiet, and he continued: “Since Manager Jiang asked if I am going to teach you just now, then I will give you some pointers. You had made at least 3 mistakes when you are restructuring your company!”
This statement by Feng Yu was considered rude, and Jiang Xianjun was angry. “Really? 3 mistakes? I would like to hear from you!”
You might have successfully restructured the Machinery Company, but it’s different industry from Quanjude. I have been in the F&B industry for so many years, and you want to teach me?
“The first mistake is your position in the company. You are the Deputy Chairman and Deputy General Manager. You should have used lots of connections to be on the board of directors, right? If you had told them that you do not want to be the Deputy Chairman and only want to be the General Manager then, your work will be much easier now.”
Although the position of a Deputy Chairman was higher than the General Manager, their duties were different. A General Manager can control and manage the whole company, but a Deputy Chairman can’t.
During the start of this company’s restructuring, the leaders wanted to show their capabilities and immediately set up a board of directors. But it was the same state-owned enterprise's leaders on board and management style was still the same. The board of directors had a lot of power, and the General Manager was just a puppet.
If you have the capabilities, you should be the Chairman and also the General Manager. Being the deputies of both the Chairman and General Manager was not as powerful as a General Manager.
“The second mistake is you are trying to imitate those western companies by giving the top management staffs the shares of the company. You had forgotten that they are still government employees and cannot own shares. If they are going to take the shares, they need to leave their positions in the government. Are they willing to leave their positions in the government and forfeit their retirement benefits?”
Jiang Xianjun was thinking about what Feng Yu said. The Chairman of the board had not agreed to this suggestion, and he had wondered why.
“The third mistake was the shareholders of this company. Although this company was “privatized” and had become a shareholding, the shareholders were the government and the City’s F&B enterprise. These are all state-owned enterprises. What the point of having this restructuring?”
Converting to shareholding was for the shareholders to share the risk. At the same time, shareholders can share their views. But the shareholders of this Beijing Quanjude Company were only the 2 subsidiaries of the City Government. It was the same as before.
The titles of the leaders in the company were changed, but it was the same people running the company.
Jiang Xianjun lit a cigarette and took a big puff: “What is your suggestion?”