Chapter 2 1

The new job starts in chaos.Mary.Ai Xue arrived at Berlin Tegel Airport on time at 6:30, and the original carefully planned plan was completely ruined.System failure at Frankfurt Airport.The yellow-lit display boards at Tegel Airport are full of delays and cancellations.The aisles are crowded with business people wearing black suits and dragging luggage, who are at a loss in the aisles; or waiting in long lines at the information desk. If Mary hadn't had the knack for tackling difficult issues like this, she wouldn't be about to become Copeland's first female partner.She and the new client, Daniel, the chairman of the Oppenheim pharmaceutical company in Frankfurt.Berrand's first meeting didn't start until two o'clock in the afternoon.She has already considered these factors.

She went into the packed Lufthansa lounge to find out what was going on.The lady at the reception desk had the same dark hair as Mary, and the same shoulder-length hairstyle, but her skin was not as fair as Mary's.Mary was called Snow White because of this when she was a child.The lady smiled professionally and announced that the flight was about an hour late. Mary considered the remaining options.She knew about Lufthansa that one hour late could turn into two or three hours late, or even a flight cancellation.To be on the safe side, she decided to take the high-speed rail. Even the train was nearly an hour late.When she arrived in Frankfurt, it was almost time for the appointment.Constantine, a colleague of the task force.Stavla was waiting for her at the entrance to Oppenheim's main entrance!Constantine is tall and thin, with bushy eyebrows, protruding ears, and a warm and friendly smile.

Mary was very glad to see him.Although she never worked with him, Constantine was not only a distinguished analyst for the firm, but also a business consultant.He drove from Dusseldorf, except for the predicted one-hour traffic jam, the highway No. 3 was smooth all the way, so he became the only project member who arrived on time at ten o'clock this morning. Will couldn't make it, he said, and all flights from London to Frankfurt had been cancelled. Will.Bitner is a partner in charge of Oppenham Pharmaceuticals at Copeland International Business Consulting.On this project, he is Mary's supervisor.In other words, he communicated with Berrand.But for now Mary had to take over.Fortunately, she had predicted in advance and was ready on the train.

Li Ke.where is kembershe asked. His plane had just landed fifteen minutes ago, and he was still in the taxi.Should be there any minute. Konstantin led her into the company's administration building and into a tasteless meeting room for the board of directors on the fourth floor.Today, this room is dedicated to them.Looking out of the window, you can see many two-storey laboratory buildings, office buildings and two long buildings that should be workshops and warehouses for production equipment.Although there are a few trees and a little green space in between, it looks pale and flat on the whole.An indescribable, slightly uncomfortable smell drifted in from the window.Mary wasn't sure if it had come from the Oppenham Pharmaceuticals plant or from the neighboring industrial estate.

I ordered coffee.Constantine said, handing a cup of coffee to her.Mary nodded in thanks. At this time, Li Ke came in.He was tanned, clean-shaven, and even his nails were well-manicured.Mary had met him in a training class and had been annoyed by his easy-going arrogance.However, he has a good reputation in the company, has successfully completed two projects in succession, and will soon be promoted to project manager. He slammed the briefcase on the table.Sorry guys, I've never seen such chaos. I know.Mary said, I also only arrived fifteen minutes ago. Why are you here?Li Ke asked, I haven't had time to read the information yet.

Mary thought to herself, what was he doing while waiting at the airport?Maybe, just busy arguing with the incompetent lady of Lufthansa! Oppenheim, Inc. was in trouble.She said that the company's two most important product patents are about to expire, but the company has been neglecting to develop new products.They seem to have been living on their laurels and are now about to face a sharp drop in turnover.Of course, this cannot escape the stock market, and the stock price fell accordingly.Oppenheim has become the target of mergers and acquisitions. Aha, what a mess!Li Ke commented, now, we have so much to do!

Berlant used to be Copeland's case manager, really?Constantine asked. Mary nodded.I remember Will being around the same age as him.When Berlant went to Merck to work on a project, he was recruited as a marketing director and later promoted to a director.A few months ago, he was hired by Oppenham Pharmaceuticals to serve as the chairman of the board of directors, hoping that the pharmaceutical company will regain profits.But it's not that simple.She looked up at her watch, we gotta start! The three of them didn't take a few steps, and they arrived at Daniel.Bertrand's office.

Berlant had a broad smile, a firm handshake, short hair, and a slightly slanted nose, making him look reckless and friendly.His pale green eyes surveyed the three of them carefully. Will.Bitner was very sorry, Mary said, and all flights from London to Frankfurt had been cancelled. Yeah, I've also heard about the chaos at the airport.While speaking, Berrante invited the three of them into the spacious office surrounded by wood panels.Our computer also crashed this morning, probably another virus.Half of the Internet is down. Before the meeting, they briefly introduced themselves to each other.Berrand told them how he met Will.Mary nearly laughs when she hears Will make an embarrassing miscalculation in his first briefing, but doesn't realize it until the board meeting, when thanks to his charm and eloquence he avoids embarrassment.

It never occurred to me that he would one day be a partner.Brandt said, smiling slyly.Nothing, it was a long time ago.Now, we each do our part.I admit that Copeland's support has been very important to me.I think you've seen the information I provided Will. Mary nodded and briefly expressed her impressions. You are quick and get the big picture quickly.Berlant said Oppenheim is in a last-ditch situation.If we fail to stabilize the stock price in the next few months, the company will be swallowed up by other companies like ripe fruit falling to the ground.Our problem: corporate overhead is too high.But on the other hand, there is a strong union, which makes it difficult to lay off workers.

Can Optimizing Business Processes (OOP, Optimierung der Operativen Prozesse) be implemented?Mary asked.Optimizing business processes is a pretty synonym for cost reduction. Bertrand shook his head.no.We are also very aware that the company's management costs are too large.Measures must be taken in the short term to inject cash in order to smoothly promote the medium-term plan.We have a subsidiary company and it doesn't quite work for us.I want you to take a good look at this company and tell me what its future potential is and should we get rid of it? Which subsidiary are you referring to?Mary asked, is it Cromp Technology, Bio-based Technology, or Ofana?

Kronpu Technology is struggling in the chaotic market, but at least it can produce practical products and make profits.Bio-based resistance technology is our only star of hope.Sell ​​it, and no one will believe in the future of Oppenheim Corporation.I think the only one to get rid of is O'Fana. What does this company do?Li Ke asked. Use natural materials to control pests.Given today's global discussion on ecological issues, such products may be the market of the future.But the problem is that this company has no market-mature products so far, but spends a lot of money on research, resulting in serious overruns.I hope you find out how much potential it has in the future, and what is the more realistic current value of selling.I have notified Dr. Scoppa, General Manager of Ofana Corporation, about your coming here.He certainly doesn't like being investigated.Please be careful when dealing with him. We will.Mary answered. In about two weeks or so, we will submit an interim report to you.Li Ke said. Mary gave him a sullen look.As the director of the project, she decides the progress of the work, not him. Berlane nodded.OK, my assistant will make an appointment with you.I wish you all the best! Ofana's office building in Dreieich is about 20 minutes away from Oppenheim Co., Ltd.The gray two-story practical office building is in a quiet factory area.There is also a warehouse, a tire business, a building supplies market and several craft businesses.The sign of Ofana Company at the entrance is so small that it is almost imperceptible. General Manager Joss.Dr. Scoppa is elegantly dressed, about fifty-five years old, dark complexioned, smiling, and obviously wearing too much cologne.When facing Mary, he smiled even more charmingly.He greeted everyone briefly with a slightly Southern European accent. Compared with the lackluster office building, Scopa's office is unexpectedly elegant and modern.Several abstract oil paintings hang on the wall, and there are expensive and stylish computers on the exquisite desk.A pretty secretary steps up to ask what they would like to drink.Mary asked for a glass of mineral water, Li Ke for a latte macchiato, and Constantine for a Coke. You are here to assess our future potential, Mr. Berlant said.After everyone sat down at the large conference table, Skopa said straight to the point, looking at her with black eyes: What can I do for you? Could you first introduce to us, what exactly does Offana do?Before Mary could speak, Li Ke asked first.He crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. Develop methods for ecologically controlling pests. Oh yes.Which method to use? Use the smell.Animals have long been known to shy away from certain smells.You can think of mosquito repellent candles.Another example is that mice hate the smell of cat urine.That smell is also unbearable.What we're doing here is isolating odor molecules that are only felt by rodents but not by humans.In this way, human beings can completely abandon rodenticide poisons. Does it work?Li Ke asked, not hiding the suspicion on his face. Unfortunately, most people forget how important the olfactory nerve is to our lives.Scopa replied, with undisguised arrogance and a tone that bordered on sympathy.You may be aware that when a certain fragrance enters your nostrils, a clear picture will suddenly appear in front of your eyes, and the time may go back several years, or even decades ago.Our mind's memory of smell is far deeper and longer than any sensory memory.It affects us far more than we like to admit.There is a saying that is not unreasonable: I didn't smell it. What are the advantages of this approach?Mary asked. There are too many advantages.For example, these odorous raw materials do not pollute the environment or harm living things at all. Is the overhead too high to do so?Li Ke asked. Scooper shook his head.Not necessarily, the smell comes from a specific combination of molecules.Once we grasp its chemical molecular structure, the synthesis is relatively easy.But compared with poison, its disadvantage is: the time of staying is limited, and the effect on pests will gradually weaken.However, we are developing special carriers that dissolve odors. Why is your company losing money? Mary sighed secretly.If Li Ke had been a diplomat, there would probably have been World War III long ago. Scopa's face stiffened.I knew from the very beginning that you didn't come to understand the situation of Offana Company at all. He said bluntly, you just came to confirm your prejudices.You think we're throwing money at the development of pointless offbeat gadgets.You think there is no market for those things.Perhaps our chairman of the board wanted to shut O'Fana out of business long ago, just waiting for someone to back up his decision with data.He bent down and lowered his voice, but let me tell you one thing: I will fight for this company.If you cling to your own thoughts and think that Offana should close, well, I will continue to play with you and your client.Let's wait and see! Dr. Scopa, we didn't have Mary wanting to continue, but was interrupted by Li Ke again. We will be unmoved.He raised his voice more than necessary.Copeland and partners were commissioned to investigate your future potential.We will do it! Scopa folded his arms.What do you think the names of Copeland and partners mean to me?I know too well that consultants like you are living on other people's corpses, and you don't care about the fate of employees who are laid off due to rationalization reforms.No wonder my old friend from the union, FranzAs soon as Wu Lunbo heard that you were coming, his face fell immediately.We will not allow ourselves to be sacrificed to the altar of the stock market! Mary was taken aback.Wallenberg was the chairman of the Corporate Management Advisory Council, and it would be a headache if Scoppa provoked him.Dr. Scoppa, I beg your forgiveness if we have given you this impression.As she spoke, she gave Li Ke a hard look.This is of course not the case, we have been commissioned to evaluate the future potential of your company objectively. Well, go ahead.As Scopa said, he took out a folder from the filing cabinet and slapped it on the conference table.It's all here, look, here's the balance sheet and income statement for the past five years.Now, I need quiet and work.He opened the door and called his assistant, Judy, please show these guys a look at their offices. Mary flushed with anger.She thanked Scooper and followed the two colleagues out.