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{\field{*\fldinst {\lang4105 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1}}{\fldrslt }}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs16 \fs16 }{\plain \fs24 \f1 }{\plain \fs36 \b\f1\fs36 Six-Month Turnaround}{\plain \fs24 \f1
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 }{\plain \fs24 \b\f1 \'a9 1992, 1998, 2001 by Morgan. All rights reserved.}{\plain \fs24 \f1
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 }{\plain \fs28 \b\f1\fs28 Chapter 1}{\plain \fs24 \f1
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Clifford Fitzpatrick eased his car into the parking lot at the headquar-ters of Murphy \softline
Manufactur-ing Company in the outskirts of Milwaukee. He saw a parking place \softline
immediately adjacent to the building entrance with a newly-painted sign reading }{\plain \fs24 \scaps\f1 Presi-
dent}{\plain \fs24 \f1 and immediately below the title, }{\plain \fs24 \scaps\f1 C~J~Fitz-patrick}{\plain \fs24 \f1 . He pulled into the spot and \softline
parked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff Fitzpatrick was a trim six feet two with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. He \softline
looked like an athlete and moved like one. As he got out of the car, he looked down the \softline
row of what were obviously executive parking spaces, and saw that most were still \softline
empty. It was eight-fifteen on a Monday morning in early April but Cliff was not \softline
surprised. Although he had been told that working hours at Murphy Manufac-turing \softline
began at eight o\'92clock, the late arrival of executives was just one more sign of a general \softline
slackness in the operation.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Normal-ly an early start-er, Cliff had waited a few extra minutes this morning, his \softline
first at Murphy and his first as its president. He wanted to give the other people a \softline
chance to arrive before him. He noticed there was a row of signs similar to his own \softline
running down the line of preferred parking spaces. Clearly, the sequence of names was \softline
the corporate pecking order presented for all the world to see.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff entered the building and was greeted by name by the receptionist. Obviously, \softline
she had been told to expect him and had been watching for him. Going up to the second \softline
floor which served as the executive offices of the company he went around to the corner \softline
where he knew his new office was. He found his secretary, Sandra Donnell, sitting \softline
expectantly at her desk waiting for him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She rose from her chair and held out her hand. \'93Good morn-ing, Mr. Fitzpatrick. \softline
Welcome to Murphy Manufacturing!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was surprised at the firmness of her grip. \'93Good morning, Miss Donnell,\'94 he \softline
replied. \'93Could you arrange for someone else to cover our phones for a while? I want \softline
to talk with you and I don\'92t want us to be disturbed.\'94 While the girl made arrangements \softline
Cliff entered his office and sat down in the big chair behind the desk.
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff Fitzpatrick was thirty-two years old, five years out of Harvard Business School \softline
and two days out of Cumings & Company, one of the world\'92s preeminent management \softline
consulting firms. He had accepted the position of president of Murphy while recognizing \softline
the risks. He had agreed with Ezra Stiles, the trustee of the Murphy estate, on specific \softline
performance objectives to be achieved by September 30 \'97 just six months away. At the \softline
same time he recognized that, had he been unwilling to accept the very ambi-tious \softline
targets, he would not have been offered the position.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Cliff was relying on being able to make dramatic improvements in operations, even \softline
if not quite up to the objec-tives he had agreed to. Pri-vately, he believed them to be \softline
unreachable, but he thought he could get close enough to have his contract renewed \softline
anyway.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He thought about the decision he had made. Murphy was in the }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Fortune}{\plain \fs24 \f1 second 500 \softline
in size with sales of about $500 million a year. It was an old-line automotive supplier \softline
with a good reputation in the industry. However, Cliff\'92s investigation before taking the \softline
position showed conclusively \'97 to him at least \'97 that the company was in trouble. It \softline
was a victim of dry rot on the inside. The numbers were all trending in unpleasant \softline
direc-tions although the trends were not yet apparent to the outside.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He reminded himself that he had an appointment with a securities analyst from \softline
Chicago who was scheduled to visit him on Friday. Cliff sus-pected that the anal-yst who \softline
claimed to follow Murphy had noticed the trend in the numbers. He recognized it would \softline
take some fast talking to avoid a very negative report which would be followed by a sharp \softline
drop in Murphy\'92s stock price. Because of the ownership position of the Murphy estate \softline
\'97 about 65 percent of the shares \'97 the stock did not qualify for a listing on the New \softline
York Stock Ex-change and so was traded on the American Stock Exchange instead.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was a man in a hurry. He recognized that the odds against a successful \softline
turnaround \'97 achieving the promised operat-ing results in just six months \'97 were very \softline
high. Weighing against those odds, though, were two other factors. First, he had saved \softline
some money while he was with Cumings, and had received a big jump in salary \'97 to \softline
$200,000 a year \'97 when he joined Murphy. Second, there was Stephanie Simpson. \softline
Stephanie was the beautiful dark-haired daughter of George Simpson, Chairman, Chief \softline
Executive Officer and largest individual share-holder of Ajax Industries, Inc.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When they were together in bed Saturday night, she again tried to get him to refuse \softline
the Murphy position and join Ajax instead. He was madly in love with Stephanie so he \softline
could not really sort out his feelings. From the first time he mentioned to her that he \softline
was thinking of leaving Cumings and going into private industry, she had been after him \softline
to join Ajax as a staff vice presi-dent. He reflected that she had run through the full \softline
gamut of her emotions as she tried to persuade him, stopping just short of rage.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff examined the relation-ship he enjoyed with this beauti-ful girl who had a \softline
successful career of her own in public rela-tions. Although, he admitted, she was working \softline
on the Ajax account. She was five feet six inches tall with dark hair and a voluptuous \softline
figure. He reflected that she was soft all over. Occasionally, as a great favor she would \softline
permit him to share her bed as she had on Saturday night.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Thinking about the offer from Ajax, Cliff decided that it was more a gift to a \softline
prospective son-in-law than a real job. He didn\'92t like the idea of being a kept man, even \softline
though Stephanie had been introducing him to her friends as her fianc\'e9.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff wanted to make it on his own in a company he was running. He recognized that \softline
only the problems at Murphy, coupled with his performance objectives and the very short
time horizon to reach them, had made this opportunity possible. He was objective \softline
enough about his position to know that the situation he faced was the only one in which \softline
an ex-consul-tant with no direct management experi-ence would have possibly been \softline
considered. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Well,}{\plain \fs24 \f1 Cliff thought, }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 there was my time as Gunnery Officer on a destroyer. \softline
That was managing something.}{\plain \fs24 \f1 Murphy with its eight hundred employees was only his \softline
second shot.
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff looked at Sandra Donnell as she entered his office. She was a tall girl \'97 about \softline
five feet eight, he thought \'97 with a lovely face and a very trim figure. She was \softline
conservatively dressed in a tweed skirt and a loose fitting beige sweater worn with a \softline
single strand of pearls. The tan color set off her hair which was a lovely shade of auburn. \softline
He noticed that she did not have the very fair complexion that normally accompanied the \softline
hair color. In fact she had a tan suggesting she had vacationed in the sun recently. She \softline
had her stenographic notebook with her and took a seat next to his desk. Her pencil was \softline
poised for dictation.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do you go by Sandra, Sandy, or something else?\'94 Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Startled, she looked up and then smiled, \'93My friends call me Sandy,\'94 she answered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93May I call you Sandy, then? And I would appreciate it if you would call me Cliff. \softline
I\'92m used to informality even though I gather it\'92s not the style here at Murphy. In fact, \softline
I haven\'92t encountered such formality since I worked on a consulting assignment for an \softline
old-line insurance company.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Of course you may,\'94 she replied with a quick smile. \'93And you\'92re right. Things have \softline
become rather formal around here lately. I haven\'92t been here that long myself on a full-time basis, but I gather things were more informal when Mr. Murphy was still active in \softline
the company. I hope you don\'92t mind, but I scheduled a staff meeting for you at ten in \softline
the board room to meet the senior executives. Do you have some dictation for me?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, Sandy, I don\'92t. I want to level with you. This is going to sound strange since \softline
we only really met a few minutes ago...\'94 Then he remembered. \'93But you were present \softline
when I met with Mr. Stiles, weren\'92t you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled, and he noticed again how her smile lighted up her face. He also noticed \softline
laugh lines suggesting that she smiled often. \'93I was here hiding in the corner. I\'92m \softline
surprised you even noticed me. I never did learn why Mr. Stiles wanted me to be in the \softline
room, though.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff continued, \'93At any rate, I\'92m the stranger around here and I need all the help \softline
I can get. Sandy, let\'92s be honest. If you don\'92t like me, you can cut my throat... or rather, \softline
just watch as I cut my own. I have several changes in mind, beginning right now. I \softline
would like to sound you out first and get your thoughts on the probable company \softline
reaction. Would you mind?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy looked a bit skeptical. \'93That wouldn\'92t make me a spy, would it?\'94 she asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93I certainly hope not!\'94 he replied. \'93I just want your opin-ion. I have the feeling that \softline
you know a lot about this place. Am I right? After all, you have been the president\'92s \softline
secretary for quite a while, haven\'92t you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, sir. I worked for poor Mr. MacDougal for three years after I got out of school. \softline
Is the staff meeting at ten o\'92clock okay?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That\'92s fine. Now, some basics: First, where does a guy go for coffee around here?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy reddened, \'93I\'92m sorry, sir! I forgot to ask if you wanted any. Mr. MacDougal \softline
ended the coffee service on the executive floor over a year ago. I think someone spilled \softline
coffee on some business papers or some-thing. But I could get some for you from the \softline
cafete-ria if you would like?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why don\'92t we both just take a walk? I never did have much of a chance to look \softline
around. He smiled and added, \'93But you\'92re going to have to lead. I don\'92t have the \softline
foggiest idea where things are around here yet.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab As they walked through the building, Sandy pointed out the executive dining room. \softline
They stopped and he looked inside. It was really quite elegant, paneled floor to ceiling \softline
in oak. There were a number of tables and what was obviously a head table placed \softline
across the end of the room.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Your place is at the center of the head table as you probably guess-ed,\'94 she said \softline
blandly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Who operates the dining room? Company employees?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, sir. There\'92s an outside caterer who is supposed to be quite good. His people \softline
operate the whole thing. The company people who used to run it before the renovation \softline
\'97 the ones who are left from Mr. Murphy\'92s time \'97 are now down in the employees\'92 \softline
cafete-ria. That\'92s where we\'92re headed.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They entered the cafeteria which was off the factory floor. The first thing Cliff \softline
noticed was all the noise from the plant spilling through the paper-thin walls. The \softline
second was how rundown everything looked. Some of the people were valiant-ly trying \softline
to clean, but without great success. Sandy introduced him to Janet Simmons, the \softline
manager. Mrs. Simmons was a strikingly handsome woman who seemed out of place in \softline
the cafeteria. She shook hands and welcomed him to Murphy.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy seemed a bit embarrassed to have Cliff with her. \'93I\'92m sorry, Janet, but Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick in-sisted on coming with me. I didn\'92t have a chance to warn you we were on \softline
our way.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff didn\'92t say anything but was puzzled by the comment. He bought four coffees \softline
and insisted on carrying them back upstairs while Sandy opened doors. When they \softline
returned to his office and closed the door, he looked at the girl and said, \'93I did something \softline
wrong, didn\'92t I? I can see it in your eyes. What was it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, that wasn\'92t nice to Janet. You embar-rassed her.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sorry. But what did I do?\'94 he asked contritely.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Sandy smiled at him and grimaced. \'93You didn\'92t do anything. I did some-thing. I had \softline
promised that I would warn Janet if any executives headed towards the cafeteria. You \softline
see, she managed the executive dining room before the caterer came in. She\'92s still more \softline
than a little upset about meeting you under these condi-tions.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at him steadily and then continued, \'93While we\'92re on the subject, you have \softline
just seen a union grievance. The union doesn\'92t think it\'92s right for the executives to eat \softline
subsidized meals while the workers who make much less than they do have to pay full \softline
price.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I don\'92t think it\'92s right either. Is it true?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Her eyes were downcast, but he saw her head briefly nod. Her head came up, she \softline
looked up at him and replied, \'93Actually, its truer than they know. The executives pay \softline
one dollar for their lunch. I think the company\'92s direct subsidy is about ten dollars \softline
apiece, and that doesn\'92t cover the maintenance of the dining room itself.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff again noticed how tall she was. He was used to towering over women, but \softline
wearing her pumps she was only a few inches shorter than he was. \'93Sandy, I said at the \softline
beginning I wanted to use you as a sounding board. Here comes the first idea: This \softline
company is in tough shape. But working here, I\'92m sure you already know that.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy looked like she was about to protest, but then merely nodded. \'93Things are \softline
not too good,\'94 she agreed reluctant-ly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We\'92re agreed on that, anyway. Now, if we\'92re going to get this company turned \softline
around at all, let alone within the six-month period I agreed to in my contract, everybody \softline
has got to pull his weight. We can\'92t afford griev-ances, and frankly, I can\'92t afford prima \softline
donnas in the executive suite either. I gathered from your comment that executives are \softline
rare on the factory floor?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Rare!\'94 she exclaimed. \'93I\'92m not sure how many of them could }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 find}{\plain \fs24 \f1 the factory floor. \softline
As far as the cafeteria is concern-ed, forget it! That\'92s strictly for the peons.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do you eat there, Sandy?\'94 he asked quietly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Her chin came up and she looked right at him. \'93Yes, I do. I used to bring my lunch \softline
and most of the other secretaries on this floor still do. But when Janet was kicked out \softline
of the dining room and booted down-stairs, I started eating there. The food\'92s surprisingly \softline
good, by the way.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Great! Tell Mrs. Simmons I\'92ll be eating lunch there today.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You\'92re going to do }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 what?\'94}{\plain \fs24 \f1 she exclaimed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m eating in the cafeteria. What\'92s the big deal? Since we\'92re closing the execu-tive \softline
dining room as soon as the contract can be canceled, there\'92s no sense in getting used to \softline
the food. Who looks after the contract, by the way?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Mr. Purcell. That\'92s Charles Purcell, the treasurer,\'94 she replied, trying vainly to \softline
choke off a giggle.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93What\'92s so funny?\'94 he asked, puzzled.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I was just wondering what he is going to do all day without the dining room to fuss \softline
over. The secretaries joke about him living on the phone with the caterer planning \softline
menus. The joke among the girls is the reason we\'92re charged so much for the executive \softline
meals is Purcell takes so much of the caterer\'92s time, the poor man can\'92t get any other \softline
work done.\'94 She stopped giggl-ing, and tried to look repentant. \'93I\'92m sorry. That was \softline
a very nasty thing to say.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Probably true, though.\'94 He grinned at her and she smiled back. \'93Now, the second \softline
thing: Who takes care of the parking lot and space assignments?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Plant operations, I think.\'94 She suddenly looked horrified. \'93Is there a problem with \softline
your space? They didn\'92t misspell your name did they? I typed it in all capital letters so \softline
they would be sure to get it right!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93They got it absolutely right. That\'92s not the problem. I want you to write a memo \softline
for my signature. You can bring copies in to the staff meeting. Effective at midnight \softline
tonight, there will be no assigned spaces for anyone. I want all of the execu-tive signs \softline
removed by the end of the day today. There will be a number of handicapped spaces, but \softline
all the rest will be regular spaces. If an executive feels the need to have a space close to \softline
the entrance, he can arrive early enough to get one. It seems that the parking lot is far \softline
larger than the number of cars in it. There is no space shortage, is there?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at him quizzically. \'93You\'92re serious, aren\'92t you? You are really going to \softline
eliminate the reserved executive spaces? Except yours, of course.\'94 Sandy almost jumped \softline
at his reaction. She instantly saw steely over-tones in his blue eyes. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 He\'92s mad! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 she \softline
thought. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Oops, I put my foot in it.}{\plain \fs24 \f1
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There are }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 no}{\plain \fs24 \f1 exceptions! Particularly not me. Now, what do you think?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93How important are the executives to making your plans work?\'94 she asked, avoiding \softline
a direct answer to his question.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Very important. Vital, in fact! However, I\'92m assuming that the guys who are \softline
focused on making the business work don\'92t give a damn about parking spaces. The guys \softline
who do care have to be question marks.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He reflected for a moment and then continued, \'93I met the Chairman of a }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Fortune}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \softline
100 corporation at his headquar-ters in New York. His office was up high \'97 about the \softline
fortieth floor \'97 with a view across to New Jersey and up to the George Washington \softline
Bridge. He said his problem was \'91there are too damned many people in this organization \softline
looking inside, and not nearly enough looking outside.\'92
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93To him, the inside-outside metaphor was simple: \'91Outside\'92 included the customers, \softline
competitors, and markets. \'91In-side\'92 was the zingy memo, the pithy comment in the staff \softline
meeting... that sort of thing. Inside activities }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 cost}{\plain \fs24 \f1 money, they don\'92t make money. You \softline
don\'92t make money inside. Did I answer your ques-tion? The damned dining room and \softline
parking spaces are in-side activities at their worst.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab She smiled at him and pretended to size him up. Although she was playacting, she \softline
knew she liked what she saw and had from the first time she saw him. Finally she said, \softline
\'93I guess you\'92re strong enough. Do you want me to see if I can borrow a hard hat for you \softline
to wear? There are going to be a few guys coming in here screaming with blood in their \softline
eyes. Do you want me to get rid of them for you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Now it was his turn to regard her speculatively. \'93You would, wouldn\'92t you? You \softline
would take all that heat? What in hell for?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Because,\'94 she said quietly, \'93it\'92s my job. A good executive secretary is supposed to \softline
take heat off her boss, not add to it.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Thank you,\'94 he said, simply. \'93I\'92m sure you could and would, and I certainly \softline
appreciate the thought. This time, though, I want to see how the guys who scream \softline
operate. I\'92ll see them myself. One more thing: our working relationship. What time do \softline
you arrive and what time do you leave at night? I did hear \'91Miss Donnell\'92, didn\'92t I?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s Miss\'94 she confirmed. \'93I try to arrive before you do so I can get things \softline
organized, and I normally leave just a little after you. What hours do you plan on \softline
working, Mr. Fitzpatrick?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s Cliff, and now you\'92re creating a problem for me. I normal-ly get in early and \softline
stay until all hours. It\'92s my consult-ing back-ground, I guess. We used to say we were \softline
paid to work, not to sleep. Besides, the joke among the associates was that if you didn\'92t \softline
work at least eighty hours, the firm couldn\'92t make any money. You worked eighty, but \softline
only charged forty to clients. That was to ensure clients got their money\'92s worth.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He grinned and then continued, \'93Anyway, what are we going to do? Why don\'92t you \softline
plan on leaving no later than five-thirty? How\'92s that?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We\'92ll see,\'94 she answered, smiling enigmatically. \'93Is there anything else?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes. Your steno pad,\'94 he said.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at her pad, turned it over, looked puzzled and looked up at Cliff. \'93It\'92s an \softline
ordinary steno pad. What\'92s wrong with it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Nothing at all if you like taking notes in it. But I have a problem with my dicta-tion. \softline
Could we try some?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy\'92s pencil was poised over the pad as Cliff started to dictate a series of notes and \softline
short letters to friends telling them about his new job. He watched her pencil fly across \softline
the pad. Since one of his consulting skills was his ability to read upside-down, he could \softline
see that Sandy was using a form of self-developed speedwriting and was barely keeping \softline
up with him. When he stopped dictating abruptly, she blew a stray strand of hair out of \softline
her eye and looked at him. He could see a faint look of chagrin in her eyes \'97 and hurt.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I apologize, Sandy. That was cruel and unkind. I think you\'92re an outstanding \softline
secretary. How fast do you take shorthand? Honestly.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab She grinned. \'93An apology is uncalled for. You caught me out. I guess I can manage \softline
100 words a minute or so. I faked the test years ago at 140 or something stupid like \softline
that.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do you know why you function so brilliantly as a secre-tary?\'94 he asked. She just \softline
shook her head. \'93First, I\'92ll bet you handle the important parts of your job very well. As \softline
for dictation, it divides basically into three groups: letters that should never be dictated \softline
at all, those that can\'92t be dictated, and junk. I was just dictat-ing junk.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The first category are really form letters. The person dictating is saying essen-tially \softline
the same thing over and over. A smart secretary just notes down the variables and sticks \softline
them in her standard letter. If her words aren\'92t exactly what her boss dictated, he \softline
doesn\'92t know the difference. And hers are probably better, anyway.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The material that shouldn\'92t be dictated would be something like a plan docu-ment. \softline
Since so much thought is required, the biggest problem the secretary faces is trying to \softline
stay awake between words. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Short-hand?}{\plain \fs24 \f1 You could probab-ly write that stuff in \softline
calligraphy, com-plete with cur-licues. Do you, by the way?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Her head was down, but he saw her nod vigorously while she went back through the \softline
pages of her steno pad. With her head still down, she held up a page of beautiful \softline
calligraphy.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Finally, Sandy, there\'92s the junk I just gave you. If I ever do send out such drivel, \softline
we\'92ll either set up a form letter or I\'92ll just give you a list of names and addresses and ask \softline
you to compose one. Dictating is a colossal waste of time! Does what I\'92ve been saying \softline
make any sense to you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy raised her head, and Cliff laughed. It was obvious that she had been giggling \softline
and then laughing hard, while trying to control herself. \'93That was unfair!\'94 she said with \softline
a grin. \'93It\'92s abso-lute-ly true, but unfair. Bosses aren\'92t supposed to know things like \softline
that!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, there are two people I would like to see quickly. The first is whoever runs \softline
our systems unit. Who is he, and is he any good?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93His name is Kevin O\'92Rourke. He\'92s young, but I think he\'92s very good. He\'92s one of \softline
the guys who isn\'92t listened to much around here but I think he\'92s got a real contribution \softline
to make. Why?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Can you get him in here? Now?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Just a moment. I\'92m sure I can.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She picked up the phone on Cliff\'92s desk and dialed a number from memory. When \softline
it was answered, she told the other party that Mr. Fitzpatrick wanted to see Mr. \softline
O\'92Rourke in his office at once. A few moments later there was a knock on the door. \softline
Sandy opened it, intending to leave the two men alone, but Fitzpatrick called her back \softline
saying she was involved in the meeting.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Hi, Kevin, I\'92m Cliff Fitzpatrick. I\'92m delighted to meet another Irishman. But then \softline
the place seems to be lousy with them. On the other hand, with the name, Murphy \softline
Manufacturing, I guess it comes with the territory.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They shook hands, and Cliff told Kevin he wanted one per-sonal computer installed \softline
in his office and one for Sandy. If they shared a processor, it was okay, but not essential. \softline
He wanted a system in which they could each access and work on the same set of files.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I do my own correspondence in my own inimitable style. With this system, when \softline
Miss Donnell reads what I wrote and tries to translate it into English, I won\'92t have to \softline
listen to her laugh at me from across the desk. Can you get a big IBM system with lots \softline
of hard disk storage and RAM?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Kevin nodded. \'93Can do. They have several very good systems. I assume you know \softline
how to use it from consulting days. But what about software?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff told him what he wanted, and then asked Sandy, \'93Do you have experience with \softline
computers, Miss Donnell?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, and I need WordPerfect software for word processing, and I think we ought to \softline
have a laser printer if we\'92re going for a powerful system. Can we do that, Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The deal was set, and O\'92Rourke said he would try to have it installed in the \softline
afternoon. He would check with sup-pliers, but thought the units would be available \softline
from stock.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Now, who else did you want to see?\'94 Sandy asked. \'93You only have a few minutes \softline
until the staff meeting.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Murphy is a union company. Who\'92s the president of the union local, and how long \softline
would it take to get him up here? I would like to meet him before the staff meeting, if \softline
it\'92s possi-ble.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The union president, Max Kaufman, appeared within a few minutes, still wiping his \softline
hands with a rag after coming up from the shop floor. Cliff intro-duced himself and told \softline
Kaufman about closing the executive dining room and eliminating assigned parking \softline
spaces. Finally, he said that he hoped they would be able to work together.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab However, he indicated one concern: \'93Mr. Kaufman, the most important problem we \softline
may have to face is work rules. I don\'92t care very much about the hourly wage rate, or \softline
some other things like hours, vacations and so forth. But I care a great deal about work \softline
rules. I need the flexibility to reassign and realign jobs if we\'92re going to get this company \softline
moving again. I\'92ll want to meet with you and your people to discuss ideas before any \softline
changes are made, of course. And with your knowledge of what really happens on the \softline
shop floor, I\'92m sure you and your people can improve- on our ideas. Can we work \softline
together?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Kaufman, a burly man who appeared to be in his middle fifties, looked at Fitzpatrick \softline
carefully. \'93Mr. Fitzpatrick, I certainly hope so. We had great relations with Mr.
Murphy, but since he died things have really gone downhill.\'94 Then, changing the \softline
subject, he asked, \'93Do you have any plans for the cafeteria?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, I do, Mr. Kaufman. Renovations will begin as soon as possible, possibly as soon \softline
as this afternoon. The first thing to do is to put sound insulation in so we\'92re not eating \softline
in a machine shop. And could I meet you for lunch today, by the way? I can eat \softline
whenever it\'92s convenient for you.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Kaufman stuck out his hand. \'93You sure can, Mr. Fitzpatrick! I eat at one o\'92clock, \softline
if that\'92s okay with you?\'94 They agreed on the time, and Cliff looked at his watch. \softline
Kaufman went back to work, leaving Cliff and his secretary alone again.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, there\'92s one more thing. I hate to admit it, but I have the world\'92s lousiest \softline
memory for names. It\'92s a hell of a thing for an ex-consultant to say. I would like you to \softline
join me in the staff meeting and make a little chart for me with the names of the people \softline
matching where they\'92re seated. Also, I would like you to keep your eyes open for \softline
reactions. Will you do that?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She agreed with a little grin on her face and they walked together towards the board \softline
room.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 }\page
\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs28 \b\f1\fs28 Chapter 2}{\plain \fs24 \f1
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff Fitzpatrick moved around the room introducing himself and shaking hands \softline
with his senior executives. It was clear that each man had his own usual seat at the \softline
table and was prepared to take it. Cliff made his way to the end of the boardroom table \softline
and sat down. When he did, the rest of the executives took their seats.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Gentlemen, there\'92s a lot of work to be done. As I\'92m sure many of you know, I have \softline
made commitments to the Board of Direc-tors with respect to operating results I expect \softline
to achieve within the next six months. I believe you also know that the trends we are \softline
following now are not good: Murphy Manufacturing is going downhill. Does anyone care \softline
to comment on the present situa-tion?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Several executives started to speak at once. Cliff took control and let them speak \softline
one after the other. Although the words changed, each one\'92s message was the same: His \softline
unit was doing a fine job, but received no support from the others. Cliff noticed some of \softline
the executives had no comments to make.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When all who wanted to had had a chance to speak, Cliff made his announce-ment. \softline
\'93Gentlemen, effective tomorrow morning, there will no longer be reserved parking \softline
places. Except for the clearly marked handi-capped parking and visitors\'92 parking, every \softline
space will be avail-able on a first-come, first-served basis to all company person-nel. \softline
Secondly, the executive dining room will be closed as soon as the caterer\'92s contract can \softline
be canceled. Mr. Purcell, how soon can that be?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Purcell, an acerbic-looking gray-haired man who appeared to be close to retirement, \softline
was speechless. Finally, he managed to say that the contract had run long enough so \softline
that it could be canceled with a modest payment after just one week, provided contract \softline
termina-tion was to close the room rather than replace the present catering company.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff excused him from the meeting with instruc-tions to give notice of cancellation \softline
immed-iately. Purcell returned a few minutes later and said verbal notice had been given \softline
and a written confirma-tion had been dictated.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff then turned to the principal business of the meeting, the determination of \softline
Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and preparation for the planning sessions he was going \softline
to lead beginning the following week. \'93Gentlemen,\'94 he asked, \'93what business or \softline
businesses are we in?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab A quick answer came back from John Flood, the vice president of marketing, \'93We\'92re \softline
in the auto-parts business, obviously, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Is that a trick question, or \softline
something?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Not at all, John. We produce valves and piston rings. Another company produces \softline
sparkplugs. Are we both auto-parts suppliers?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Of course we are! It is a trick question, isn\'92t it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, it really isn\'92t. You said we\'92re both auto-parts suppli-ers. Do we compete with \softline
each other in any significant way?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Well... no,\'94 Flood replied. \'93I guess not.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We sure don\'92t. The point is, saying we\'92re auto-parts suppli-ers says absolutely \softline
nothing. We can look at a number of ele-ments: price, customers, and a number of other \softline
things. We would see that we sell to common customers, but that\'92s about it. We do not \softline
compete with sparkplug compa-nies.
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\keepn\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93However, we also operate a chain of auto-parts stores. Is this the same business as \softline
manufacturing valves and rings? I doubt it. There is a completely different set of \softline
competitors and a totally different set of customers. It\'92s a wholesale/retail business that \softline
happens to deal in auto parts, among other things.
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\keep\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93But we sell the parts we make in our own stores! It\'92s got to be the same business,\'94 \softline
Flood protested.
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93John, let me try it a different way: What percentage of our stores\'92 sales are sourced \softline
from us?\'94 Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93One-hundred percent!\'94 Flood answered proudly. \'93We buy for all the stores right \softline
here in Milwaukee.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, John, that\'92s not what I mean. What percentage of the products our stores sell \softline
do we make? And by the way, why do we centralize the store buying here in Milwaukee? \softline
I thought our stores are spread all over the country.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Well, I guess the percentage is small, but what difference does that make? And we \softline
buy for all the stores here in Milwaukee to make sure they buy the right things.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay,\'94 Cliff continued, barely able to control his exasperation. \'93Are there \softline
successful auto parts suppliers that }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 do not}{\plain \fs24 \f1 own parts stores? How about Racer Spark-
plug, the biggest in the business? Does it have parts stores?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Of course not, but so what?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Is Racer harmed by not having its own stores? We sell their spark-plugs in ours, \softline
don\'92t we?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I still don\'92t get it,\'94 Flood said. \'93What difference does it make?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The difference, John, is that they are different busi-nesses. We\'92ll get to the \softline
relevance in our meeting next week. We are going to start with a planning session on \softline
our manufac-tured parts beginning at eight o\'92clock next Monday. There will be a memo \softline
out later today with the details and the location. One more thing: Everyone named will \softline
be expected to attend unless personally excused by me. Any questions? No? This \softline
meeting is adjourned.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Mr. Purcell, could I see you in my office at two o\'92clock, please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When Cliff and Sandy returned to his office, they found two delivery men were just \softline
leaving. Entering they found a very modern-looking Eames chair sitting in his office. \softline
Although a beautiful example of modern design, the stainless steel and leather chair \softline
looked grotesquely inappropriate in an office which was fur-nished in 1950\'92s walnut.
Seeing a gift tag hanging from its back, Cliff took a look at it. It said, \'93Best of luck, good \softline
wishes, and love, Stephanie.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Who is Stephanie?\'94 Sandy asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Stephanie Simpson is my girlfriend in Chicago. What do you suppose I ought to do \softline
with it?\'94 Cliff replied.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Since she\'92s your girlfriend, I\'92m sure I don\'92t have the faintest idea. It is kind of big \softline
to be a paperweight, though,\'94 she answered while trying to control a grin.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At that point the telephone buzzed, and Sandy picked it up. It was Louise, the girl \softline
she had asked to cover the phones. \'93It\'92s a Miss Simpson, calling from Chicago. I told \softline
her Mr. Fitzpatrick was in a series of meetings, but she insisted I buzz. What should I \softline
tell her?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy put the call on hold, and looked at Cliff. \'93It\'92s Stephanie. She wants to talk \softline
to you. Do you want to take the call?\'94 When he nodded, she passed him the receiver and \softline
left the office.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Hi, Steph! I just received your gift. The chair is lovely.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Clifford, you know I detest being called Steph! Why do you keep doing it? I\'92m glad \softline
you like the chair. It\'92s exactly like one in Daddy\'92s office. How is your new job? Have \softline
you tired of Milwaukee yet? When are you going to come down to see me? Can you come \softline
down tonight?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff thought how typical the conversation was. Stephanie would ask a bunch of \softline
questions but seemed completely unconcerned about the answers, except insofar as an \softline
answer directly affected her. He replied, \'93The job\'92s fine, Hon. However, there\'92s a ton \softline
of work to do. I don\'92t know when I\'92ll be able to get down, but it won\'92t be tonight.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Oh, pooh! You\'92re no fun. The Graysons are giving a party for Conkie tonight. I \softline
told them I was sure you could come. Murphy is such a little company, dear. Surely, it \softline
can\'92t keep you that busy!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Steph,\'94 he said, ignoring her earlier protest, \'93$500 million may be small compared \softline
to Ajax\'92s billions, but it\'92s still a lot to handle. Give the Graysons my regrets, please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Clifford, you are terrible! I was feeling all romantic, too. I was even thinking of \softline
inviting you up to my apartment, later. Doesn\'92t that entice you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It certainly does, dear. It just shows how busy I am. I have an appointment right \softline
now. I\'92ll call you soon, okay? I love you, dear, and I\'92ll have a hard time sleeping tonight \softline
thinking of what I\'92m missing!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I love you, Cliff,\'94 she said and hung up.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He thought about Stephanie with a certain amount of irritation. What particularly \softline
annoyed him was her use of sex as both a reward and a weapon. However, she was \softline
certainly a beautiful girl. Then he real-ized that Sandy was no longer in his office. He \softline
buzzed her on the intercom and asked her to come back in.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab He looked at the girl when she entered and asked her with a smile, \'93Is that your no-comment face?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She pretended to be puzzled and said, \'93I don\'92t understand.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You understand perfectly! You don\'92t like Stephanie, do you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why should I not like her? I\'92ve never met her.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93But you }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 don\'92t}{\plain \fs24 \f1 like her, do you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She finally smiled and shook her head, \'93Since you insist: No, I don\'92t like her. She\'92s \softline
a rich bitch who cares only about herself. I\'92ll bet she looks at you in this job as a kid \softline
playing in his sandbox. Am I right? As far as being uncaring, did she ever ask to see \softline
your new office or ask how it was furnished? I\'92ll make another bet. I\'92ll bet the chair is \softline
\'91exactly like the one in Daddy\'92s office\'92, isn\'92t it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff started to laugh and held up his hands. \'93I give up! Not only did she say it, you \softline
sounded exactly like her saying it. But how did you know?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Because I went to school with some girls just like her. I didn\'92t like them and I don\'92t \softline
like her either. I\'92m sorry.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Don\'92t be sorry. Incidentally, what did you think of the meeting? Please be honest.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I think you\'92re going to be hearing from Purcell and Flood. Purcell is close to tears \softline
at the thought of losing the dining room. And I don\'92t think Flood liked the way you cut \softline
him up.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Those two were obvious. You didn\'92t answer the question, Sandy. I asked what }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 you}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \softline
thought.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It isn\'92t the place of a secretary to make comments on things like that,\'94 she replied.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Fair enough. We\'92ll change your title then, effective immedi-ately. How does \'91Assis-
tant to the President\'92 sound?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at him with a puzzled expression. \'93May I sit down?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He imme-diately indicated a side chair next to his desk and they both seated \softline
themselves.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Mr. Fitzpatrick, I only met you a few hours ago. I like this company and I like my \softline
job. I don\'92t want to hurt the one or lose the other. I don\'92t really know what you want \softline
me to say.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, it\'92s still Cliff. I want to know what you think. And I\'92m puzzled. You had \softline
no trouble telling me what you thought about my fianc\'e9e.\'94 He noticed that she looked \softline
startled at his use of the word. \'93At least, she refers to me that way to her friends, \softline
although I have never spoken to her about marriage. Any-way, that has to be higher risk \softline
to you than expressing your opinion about the meeting.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She grinned and held up her hands. \'93I surrender! I was out of line saying what I did \softline
about Stephanie. She made me mad, is all. As far as the reactions, if Purcell quits \'97
and he might \'97 it would be a small loss, although I really don\'92t know who else can do \softline
the job. I really don\'92t know about John Flood, either. He\'92s only been here a couple of \softline
years as you know. I don\'92t think he\'92s the kind of guy Mr. Murphy would have hired.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What about me?\'94 he asked, turning serious.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I think you\'92re the kind of guy Mr. Murphy would like to have running the place. \softline
That\'92s why you\'92re here.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Who made that decision, Sandy? I can\'92t believe it was Ezra Stiles. I don\'92t like him \softline
\'97 he\'92s a cold fish \'97 and I\'92m pretty sure he doesn\'92t like me, either. How did I get the \softline
job?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I think it was a family decision. As far as I know, the family still owns 65 percent \softline
of the stock. I think Stiles has input, but the decision was theirs. They decided they \softline
wanted you in the job... and you\'92re here. My guess is they hired you to exercise your \softline
judgment, and you\'92re doing it.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, we\'92ll see what happens next,\'94 he said. \'93Now, who has responsibility for the \softline
cafeteria? I want to see him right now.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s Bill Stevens, vice president of operations. Or at least it\'92s in his shop. I\'92ll get \softline
him up here.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She left the office to return to her desk. A few moments later she buzzed to say that \softline
Mr. Stevens was waiting.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stevens came in and Cliff shook hands. Bill Stevens impressed Cliff as another old-timer and he said as much.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stevens smiled and said, \'93I guess I started work here at Murphy when I was about \softline
sixteen. And that was almost forty years ago. I started working after school and \softline
summers. After the war, I went to school on the GI Bill, and kept on working here. Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick, except for the time in the Army, I\'92ve never worked anywhere else.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93In other words, Bill, you have been working here longer than I\'92ve been alive. What \softline
do you think of things around here now? The door\'92s closed and whatever you say is in \softline
confi-dence.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Well, sir, since you asked, the answer is... not much. Things have been allowed to \softline
run down and get out of hand. There\'92s no sense of direction anymore. Person-ally, I \softline
think we\'92re trying to do way too many things and doing most of them badly. There are \softline
too many people around here who are doing pretty well for themselves, but I\'92m not sure \softline
they\'92re doing much of anything for Murphy. Is that honest enough for you, Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s Cliff, Bill,\'94 he said with a smile. \'93And thanks for not calling me \'91son,\'92 even \softline
though you have every right to.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At that comment Stevens smiled. He decided this young man just might make a \softline
difference.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Cliff continued, \'93Bill, I want to fix up the cafeteria as nicely as we can and as fast as \softline
possible. Do you have any ideas?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, sir! I sure do. Sandy... Miss Donnell... told me you wanted to talk about it. \softline
Here are plans that are all set to go. We did them just before Mr. Murphy retired. Even \softline
though we had them all set, the executive committee decided to rebuild the executive \softline
dining room instead. We never had one of those when John Murphy was around either, \softline
and I don\'92t think we would have one now if he had had anything to say about it. I can \softline
get this all reviewed and estimated within a day or two. How fast do you want to move?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Is the cost going to be under $2.5 million?\'94 Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stevens whistled softly. \'93Good heavens! Where did you get that number from? Our \softline
estimate is }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 way}{\plain \fs24 \f1 under that.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff smiled at the older man, \'93It\'92s my personal approval authority. I can authorize \softline
spending up to $2.5 million without going to the Board. Bill, on your assurance that the \softline
project can be done for much less, I\'92m authorizing you to move ahead right now. You \softline
work out the details with your people. I would also like you to consult with Mrs. \softline
Simmons on colors and arrangements, as well as scheduling the work to minimize her \softline
disruptions. Finally, please check with Max Kaufman, too. It\'92s the workers\'92 room, \softline
basically. They\'92re only letting executives use it. And let me know what the timetable \softline
will be.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Bill got up to leave when Cliff remembered a point. \'93One more thing: Be sure to \softline
check the sound-deadening materials to be sure they\'92re ample. That damned place \softline
sounds louder than a machine shop, and it\'92s supposed to be a place where the workers \softline
can relax. Will that cause any problems?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stevens grinned and said it would be no problem. \'93Current plans called for a lot of \softline
sound insulation, but I\'92ll be sure it\'92s all rechecked.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Thanks for coming in,\'94 Cliff said. \'93I\'92m sure we\'92re going to be working closely \softline
together in the future.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stevens left and went back towards his own office after a few words with Sandy at \softline
her desk. When she came into his office, there was a warm smile on her face. \'93Thank \softline
you, Mr. Fitzpatrick,\'94 she said. \'93That was one of the nicest things anyone has done for \softline
Bill Stevens since Mr. Murphy left.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I don\'92t understand. What did I do?\'94 he asked. He noticed a real warmth in her \softline
emerald-green eyes.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Bill Stevens has been fighting for the cafeteria for years, and no one would even \softline
listen. He was accused of coddling the workers and toadying up to the union. He told \softline
me that you approved his plans without even looking at them or asking for a fixed-price \softline
bid. Why?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Two reasons,\'94 he replied. \'93First, I don\'92t trust myself to read blueprints and Bill \softline
indicated he and his people had spent a lot of time on them. Second, I\'92ve found that
people really respond if they feel you trust them. They do an extra-good job }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 because}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \softline
you\'92re not looking over their shoulders. Do I pass?
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93By the way, I want to commend someone for out-standing judgment in putting you \softline
in your job. It\'92s pretty obvious you\'92re known and trusted by the good people around \softline
here. It speaks very well for you.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy blushed. \'93I think it speaks well for the judgment of the people who hired you, \softline
but thank you for the compliment. It\'92s time for your lunch date, and please don\'92t forget \softline
Purcell at two o\'92clock.\'94
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{\plain \fs28 \b\f1\fs28 Chapter 3}{\plain \fs24 \f1
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff returned to his office at two o\'92clock to find Charles Purcell pacing the floor \softline
waiting for him. Sensing a confron-ta-tion, he asked Sandy to join them. Cliff was right: \softline
Purcell was loaded for bear. He immediately launched an attack on the decision to close \softline
the dining room and Cliff heard him out.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When he finally ran out of steam, Cliff said, \'93There are two reasons for closing the \softline
dining room. First, it is a luxury benefitting only the highest-paid people in the \softline
organization. As such, it\'92s a luxury we can\'92t afford. Second, it\'92s a source of antagonism \softline
to the workers. If they\'92re against us, this company is in deep trouble. The room is \softline
closed and so is the subject.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Now the real reason I wanted to see you was to inquire about our banking \softline
situation. How many banks do we use, and how many accounts do we have? What is our \softline
average book balance, bank balance and float?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Purcell looked at Cliff as if he were speaking Greek. \'93I don\'92t understand. I can get \softline
my assistant to give us our balance at our principal banks. That\'92s all we look at. The \softline
rest are nickels and dimes. But what do you mean by \'91bank balance\'92? That\'92s the banks\'92 \softline
business, I presume.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93How many principal banks do we have, Mr. Purcell? Which is our primary bank?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We don\'92t have a primary bank,\'94 Purcell replied proudly. \'93We spread our business \softline
around. It\'92s the smart thing to do!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sorry to disagree. It\'92s a dumb thing to do. We are not nearly large enough to \softline
be an impor-tant customer to a substan-tial number of banks. I want us to be important \softline
to a good bank and I expect you to take immediate steps to ensure that we become so,\'94 \softline
Cliff stated firmly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab For Purcell, this was the last straw. He liked having a number of bankers to call on \softline
and to call on him. Coming on the heels of the decision to close his dining room \'97 and \softline
he thought of it as his \'97 it was too much. \'93Mr. Fitzpatrick, I cannot honor your request. \softline
I am the treasurer! Bank relation-ships are my responsibility, not yours. I will do no \softline
such thing! If you persist in this... this invasion of my authority, I will be forced to \softline
resign!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff looked at him with a steady gaze. \'93Is that your last word on the subject, Mr. \softline
Purcell? You feel I am overstepping my authority to look into treasury matters?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Purcell smirked thinking that he had forced Fitzpatrick to back down. The sense of \softline
victory was in his voice as he said, \'93That\'92s absolutely right! It is none of your affair!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sorry to disagree again, Mr. Purcell. It }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 is}{\plain \fs24 \f1 my affair. This company operates on \softline
money. It\'92s our life\'92s blood. You control it. It was obvious to me by your reaction to my \softline
ques-tions that you know nothing about developments in corporate cash management \softline
over the last twenty years. Accordingly, I am accepting your resignation as treasurer,
effective immediately.\'94 Turning to Sandy he said, \'93In my letter be sure to say it is \softline
accepted with regret, Miss Donnell.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Purcell was stunned. \'93But... but... I didn\'92t resign!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy had been taking notes as they were speaking. Cliff looked at her, \'93Miss \softline
Donnell, is there something in your notes to the effect that I was overstepping my \softline
authority and if I per-sisted Mr. Purcell would be forced to resign?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy carefully reviewed her notes as she struggled to main-tain a straight face. \softline
Finally she said, \'93Yes, sir, it\'92s right here,\'94 and read the lines back.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93To save you the embarrassment, Mr. Purcell, Miss Donnell will type up your \softline
resignation. It appears that you have both the age and length of service to qualify for \softline
retirement. Wouldn\'92t early retirement within the terms of our retirement plan be a \softline
more appropriate way for you to leave?\'94 Cliff asked innocently. Purcell was beaten and \softline
knew it, so he just nodded. Cliff told him he could consider himself retired effective \softline
immediately.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Purcell left to clean out his desk and Cliff called Ezra Stiles. \'93Mr. Stiles, Cliff \softline
Fitzpatrick. Charles Purcell has asked to take early retirement, effective immediately \softline
and I have approved it. I am appointing my assistant, Sandra Donnell, acting trea-surer \softline
until the Board can act to make her appointment permanent. I would appreciate it if you \softline
would poll the Board by telephone. Then, of course, we will need Board resolutions to \softline
change the sig-natories on all of our bank accounts.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stiles was stunned. Purcell had been his ally, confidant, and one of his listening \softline
posts within the company. \'93Sandra Don-nell as treasurer!? Mr. Fitzpatrick, are you sure \softline
this is wise? I mean...\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do you object to Miss Donnell, Mr. Stiles?\'94 Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why, of course not! I mean...\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That\'92s great! Then I\'92ll tell her it\'92s all set. Thank you, sir, for your support!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff hung up the phone and put out his hand. \'93Congratulations! As the new \softline
treasurer, it ought to be worth another five dollars a week... maybe even ten!
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy had been stunned when she heard herself named as trea-surer. \'93You\'92re \softline
serious, aren\'92t you? Making me treasurer? But Cliff, I don\'92t know a thing about being \softline
treasurer!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He grinned at her. \'93I know you don\'92t. Almost no one does. The only corporate \softline
position that is less known than that of the treasurer is corporate secretary. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 No one \softline
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 knows what the secre-tary does. Actually, though, it\'92s easy. I\'92m serious when I say that \softline
after we get the system overhauled, I would be amazed if the job took you thirty minutes \softline
a day.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There\'92s one thing that surprises me, though. I expected more of an argument from \softline
Stiles about naming you Purcell\'92s replacement. Well, madam treasurer, let\'92s start by
listing the informa-tion you\'92re going to need to do the job. First, check and see if we have \softline
facsimile numbers for our major banks. We do have a fax machine, don\'92t we?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She shook her head and smiled. \'93I don\'92t think they were in general use when Mr. \softline
Murphy left, and nothing much has changed since.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Call Kevin right now. He can have one delivered along with the computers today. \softline
We do have a spare phone outlet, don\'92t we?\'94 Again, her head shook. \'93What\'92s Kevin\'92s \softline
extension?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She told him and he dialed the number. Kevin answered. \'93Kevin, this is Cliff \softline
Fitzpatrick. How long will it take you to have this office wired for a fax phone line and \softline
have a unit in here? Take all the time you need, as long as it\'92s working by five o\'92clock \softline
today. Can do?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Can do! My God, sir, you\'92re the first executive I\'92ve met around here who seems to \softline
know how to use a phone. It\'92ll be installed by five!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They hung up, and Cliff glared at Sandy. \'93Miss Donnell! You\'92ve been holding out \softline
on me,\'94 he said, accusingly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sorry, sir. I don\'92t know what you\'92re referring to,\'94 she said, trying to sound \softline
innocent.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Miss Donnell, this is a company that plays telephone tag, isn\'92t it? Where it\'92s a \softline
status thing to see who waits for whom? Let\'92s say I want to talk to Flood. You call him, \softline
and his secretary ans-wers. You tell her, \'91Mr. Fitzpatrick for Mr. Flood,\'92 or some such \softline
nonsense. Since I\'92m senior, he seethes but picks up his phone. You buzz me on the \softline
intercom and I pick up. Four people and I don\'92t know how much time to complete one \softline
lousy internal phone call. Am I right?\'94 he demanded.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She was giggling so hard, she couldn\'92t talk. She just nodded her head vigorously, \softline
doing very attractive things with her auburn hair. Finally she spoke. \'93Forget the money \softline
for acting as treasurer. I want hazardous-duty pay for being your assistant! You know \softline
too damn much about what we do. It\'92s just not fair!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He grinned, but ignored her comment. \'93How do we stop it? And I want it stopped \softline
now! If we have enough secretaries around here to play those kinds of games, we have \softline
too many with not nearly enough to do. Do you suppose you could quietly put that word \softline
out? Since my secretary \'97 excuse me: the assistant to the president \'97 is now doubling \softline
as treasurer, there\'92s not much they can say, is there?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Clifford Fitzpatrick, you are a piece of work,\'94 she said with a cute grin. \'93You have \softline
only been here about half a day, and already you\'92re shaking the place to its foundations. \softline
The next thing you know, you\'92ll be talking about typewriters and copying machines!\'94 \softline
she added shrewdly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m not as dumb as I look,\'94 he said with a smile. \'93I saw the typewriters. They look \softline
like refugees from IBM\'92s museum. The company is going to get word processing \softline
equipment, probably PCs similar to what we\'92re getting. I wasn\'92t kidding though. I
detest the idea of secretary-as-status-symbol and from what you tell me I\'92m sure many \softline
are. Who runs administra-tion, by the way?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Mr. Purcell did, to the extent anyone did. Do you want me to do that, too?\'94 she \softline
asked skeptically.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What about Kevin? Could he handle the additional work? It\'92s about to become a \softline
real job, though.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Just then there was a knock on the door. It was Kevin with some technicians to \softline
install the computers. They discussed where to place them, and Kevin called for a \softline
computer table for Cliff\'92s office. Another computer was going behind Sandy\'92s desk. \softline
When the men had started to work connecting up the equipment, Cliff asked Kevin to \softline
join them for some coffee. The threesome trooped down to the cafeteria. It was Cliff\'92s \softline
third visit of the day.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He was greeted by Janet Simmons who had tears in her eyes. \'93What\'92s wrong?\'94 Cliff \softline
asked anxiously. \'93I thought you would be pleased! Why the tears?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Mrs. Simmons tried to smile through the tears. \'93I\'92ll bet you\'92re here for coffee, aren\'92t \softline
you? Could I have it brought over and join you for a couple of minutes?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We would be happy to have you join us, but I can carry my own coffee,\'94 Cliff \softline
protested.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I know you can, sir,\'94 she insisted, \'93but not today!\'94 She motioned to one of the \softline
workers who brought over four cups of coffee and set them on a table in the far corner \softline
as far from the noise as possible.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When the four sat down, the older woman smiled warmly and said, \'93Mr. Fitzpatrick, \softline
this has been the best day I have had at this company in years! Bill Stevens came down \softline
here earlier and he couldn\'92t believe what you had said. You did say we can go ahead with \softline
the renovation, didn\'92t you?\'94 Anxiety was apparent in her voice as she spoke the last \softline
words.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Consistent with minimizing disruption to you and your people, Mrs. Simmons, I \softline
would like it completed as soon as possible. I also asked Bill to consult with you on the \softline
details and possible equipment updates. I gather the plans were prepared several years \softline
ago.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s truly a miracle! Thank you so much! I guarantee you\'92ll never regret it.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy spoke up quietly, \'93Janet, when are you and Bill Stevens going to get married? \softline
Isn\'92t it about time?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was surprised to see the older woman blush like a young girl \'97 a beautiful \softline
young girl, at that. \'93Sandra Don-nell, you stop that! It\'92s none of your business what Bill \softline
and I do on weekends.\'94 She blushed even deeper at her admission and hurried-ly excused \softline
herself.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy shrugged. \'93She\'92s a widow and Bill\'92s a widower. It\'92s funny, really, to see them \softline
together. They\'92re like a couple of kids. I guess it will happen one of these days.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Cliff turned to Kevin O\'92Rourke and explained the administra-tion situation. \'93Kevin, \softline
is this one of the places where the powers can tell to a hundredth-of-a-cent what it costs \softline
to make a copy of something, but totally ignore the cost of the people walking to and \softline
from the copi-ers, waiting in line and that sort of thing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You got that right!\'94 Kevin replied. \'93It\'92s even worse, though: To get the lowest \softline
possible cost per copy, you get successively higher-capacity machines. That means one \softline
big new one replaces two, three or even four small, older ones. Distances to walk \softline
increase, but that\'92s not all: Even the best are mechanical and they do break down \softline
sometimes. Only now a break-down \'97 even with quick-response service \'97 is a minor \softline
disaster. What do you want me to do?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Will you take over administration? I\'92m interested in lowest }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 total}{\plain \fs24 \f1 cost \'97 not per-copy cost. Interested?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, sir! When do I start?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Right now. However, I want to talk about word processors first.\'94 They continued \softline
the conversation, and Cliff said that it was unlikely the replacement would be one-for-one. He indicated his belief there were some secretaries as status symbols who would \softline
be leaving first. Kevin indicated he would look into additional computers as soon as \softline
possible.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When they returned to their offices, Cliff found a message saying that the Board had \softline
been polled by phone and elected Sandra Donnell the new treasurer.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He smiled, shook hands with Sandy and said, \'93Congratulations! That was one of the \softline
shortest acting ap-pointments on record. Now I want you to get a list of all of our banks, \softline
starting with the largest in importance to us. Send a copy of the Board resolution and \softline
indicate that a formal copy with the corporate seal will follow by mail. We want an \softline
activity analysis for every account as soon as possible.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He explained that an activity analysis was a bank\'92s way of keeping score. Although \softline
there are several ways of presenting it to customers, it basically shows the type and \softline
amount of different types of activity Murphy uses, and finally indicates the extent to \softline
which the relationship is considered profitable. He concluded by saying, \'93Given the kind \softline
of guy Purcell was, I\'92m sure Murphy Manufacturing will turn out to be }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 very}{\plain \fs24 \f1 profitable.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He then asked her to get copies of the bank book ledger sheets and bank statements. \softline
When she returned with a supply, he went to his new computer, brought up a \softline
spreadsheet program and showed her how to set it up. The columns going across were \softline
Date, Bank Balance, Book (or Murphy\'92s) Balance, and Dif-ference.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He pointed out that interest is earned on weekends and holidays, so he reminded her \softline
to be sure to record a Friday balance as the balance for Saturday and Sunday as well. \softline
\'93It\'92s remarkable how many people forget to do that. They take the bank balance \softline
numbers, add them up and then divide by the number of entries. Companies can lose \softline
a lot of money that way.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab After he made sure that the two computers were linked so data could be easily \softline
transferred between them, Sandy went back to her desk and went to work. Although she \softline
did not have Cliff\'92s famil-iarity with the spreadsheet software, she was much faster at \softline
data entry so their speeds were comparable.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Later, Cliff was pounding away on his keyboard, when there was a knock at his door. \softline
He said, \'93Come in!\'94 and continued to pound away.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He heard Sandy\'92s voice: \'93I need help! Could you open the door, please?\'94 He got up \softline
and went to the door. Sandy was standing there with a large pizza box and four bottles \softline
of beer.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I know you\'92re planning to work me all night,\'94 she said with a grin, \'93but there\'92s no \softline
need to starve, too.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked at his watch and was shocked to find it was eight forty-five and the office \softline
was completely dark. \'93My God! Why didn\'92t you tell me? Or better yet, why didn\'92t you \softline
just go home? If I\'92m too dumb to know what time it is, there\'92s no reason for you to be, \softline
too.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You were busy and I like pizza. I hope you like pepperoni and mushrooms? That\'92s \softline
what I bought, so let\'92s eat. I\'92m starving to death.\'94 She opened the box on his coffee \softline
table and pulled out a stack of napkins. \'93Thinking ahead, sir, I hope you noticed that \softline
the beer bottles have twist-off caps. Would you mind opening two, please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff quickly shut down his computer and opened the beer. He pulled his chair \softline
around to the front of his desk and put his feet up on the desk. Sandy put the pizza on \softline
his coffee table and they started munching in companionable silence.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93This is very good, Sandy. Thanks so much. I\'92ve nearly forgotten how good a pizza \softline
can be. Stephanie doesn\'92t like it. I guess she thinks it\'92s plebeian.\'94 He raised his beer \softline
bottle in a toast, \'93Cheers!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy raised her bottle to return the salute. \'93Please excuse me, Cliff. If there\'92s a \softline
dainty, ladylike way to eat pizza, I haven\'92t found it yet. I hope you\'92ll forgive me for \softline
looking like a slob.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, why do I think you\'92re fishing for a compliment? You are the most un-slobby \softline
individual I\'92ve met in years. Incident-ally, what did you do before you joined Murphy? \softline
As usual, I\'92m a day late and a dollar short. I should have read your personnel file before \softline
I came in today.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then he grinned and added, \'93While I\'92m on the subject, would you please enter your \softline
birthday on your calendar with a note to yourself a few days earlier to buy yourself a nice \softline
birth-day gift, and then wrap it nicely so I can present it to you? I read somewhere that \softline
top executive secretaries are great at that!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He grinned and ducked when she took a mock swing at him. \'93Assault! Sexual \softline
abuse! I\'92ve been threatened by a person of the opposite sex. I would take it up with
Personnel, except I have a funny feeling they\'92re in the same class with Purcell. Am I \softline
right?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Once more she grinned and nodded. \'93I\'92m afraid so. They\'92re really not much good. \softline
By the way, there\'92s a regular meeting of the Grievance Committee tomorrow. Purcell \softline
was chairman. Who do you want to take his place?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff looked puzzled. \'93I don\'92t understand the question. It\'92s the treasurer\'92s function. \softline
You\'92re the treasurer. Therefore, obviously, you\'92re the new chairman... chairwoman... \softline
chair... Whatever.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93According to the International Association of Parliamen-tarians or some such, the \softline
position is chairman. As a woman, I\'92m addressed as madam chairman. Do I get an extra \softline
dollar or two a month for the additional responsibility? My God! Two raises in a single \softline
day! I can\'92t stand it!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff tried to look pensive. \'93Well, let\'92s see. How often does the grievance committee \softline
meet?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There\'92s a regular meeting once a month, and often special meetings,\'94 she replied.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I don\'92t know, Miss Donnell. A whole dollar for only one meeting a month sounds \softline
excessive. How about twenty-five cents?\'94 he asked brightly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93And how about if I throw a shoe at you, sir?\'94 She grinned at him. \'93You sure know \softline
how to flatter a girl. You really do.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff reached into his pocket for his wallet. He took out a twenty-dollar bill and gave \softline
it to her. \'93Seriously, Sandy, this is the best dinner I\'92ve had in ages. Thank you for being \softline
so thoughtful. I don\'92t know what the company policy on supper money is, but it\'92s the \softline
least I can do. Okay?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Not okay. Do you have a five hiding in there? I\'92ll take that for your share, but \softline
that\'92s absolutely all. I had to eat anyway.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He took back the twenty and gave her a five, reluctantly. \'93You still haven\'92t told me \softline
about yourself. How old are you, and what did you do before you came to Murphy?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I thought I got you off that,\'94 she replied with a wry grin. \'93I\'92m twenty-six years old, \softline
my teeth are sound, I\'92m single \'97 as you know \'97 and I\'92ve been working here for years. \softline
I started working vacations and summers when I was sixteen, so depending on how you \softline
count, I\'92m getting as old as some of the office equipment.\'94 She looked at her rear end \softline
and gri-maced. \'93For that matter, if I don\'92t start getting some exer-cise, I\'92m going to be \softline
as broad as one of our ultra-high-cap-acity copiers!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There you go, fishing for compliments again. Except this time it won\'92t work.\'94 Cliff \softline
had already noticed that Sandy had very slim hips and lovely legs. Her rear end was not \softline
nearly as voluptuous as Stephanie\'92s. \'93Nevertheless,\'94 he continued, \'93You }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 are}{\plain \fs24 \f1 getting a \softline
bit broad in the beam. I think exercise }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 would}{\plain \fs24 \f1 help!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy stood up and twisted around. Her conservatively cut skirt was hanging the \softline
way it always did. There were no bulges or straining seams. She glared at Cliff. \'93I hate
you,\'94 she stated matter-of-factly. \'93You are a bastard. Your parents never married, I can \softline
tell! That was mean, nasty, unkind, and... and... untrue. I }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 am not}{\plain \fs24 \f1 broad in the beam!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I was just trying to be agreeable\'94 he said, holding up his hands. \'93And besides, my \softline
parents were too married. They told me so!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He smiled at her and added, \'93I think it\'92s about time to knock it off, don\'92t you? \softline
Sandy, seriously, I apologize for being so thoughtless. If there is a next time, just leave. \softline
And thanks so much for the pizza \'97 it was one of the nicest dinners I\'92ve had in months. \softline
Can we declare a truce and get out of here?\'94 He smiled and held out his hand.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled back and took his hand. \'93It\'92s a deal. I\'92ll see you tomorrow.\'94
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was at the office at seven-thirty the next morning. He was pleased to see that \softline
all the executive parking signs had been removed and there were a few cars that \softline
appeared to belong to workers in some of the former executive spaces. He went up to his \softline
office and found Sandy at her desk. Entering his office he wondered again what to do \softline
with Stephanie\'92s chair. Moments later Sandy came in with a large cup of coffee for him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked at her with bleary eyes. \'93Where\'92s yours?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She came back a few minutes later with her own cup and her notebook. He regarded \softline
her carefully and said with a grimace, \'93There ought to be a law... probably is, as a matter \softline
of fact. People shouldn\'92t be allowed to look as cheerful as you do so early in the morning, \softline
particularly before having coffee. How do you do it? And what time did you get in here, \softline
anyway? And where did the coffee come from?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy smiled brightly. \'93I got in a while ago and the coffee came from the machine \softline
Kevin\'92s people installed yesterday after-noon. I told him the very survival of the \softline
company depended on the availability of coffee. And it only takes me three hours at \softline
home in the morning to look cheerful by the time I get in.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He sipped his coffee in silence, finished the first cup, and then went looking for the \softline
coffee pot. He refilled his cup and Sandy\'92s and returned to the office. \'93In spite of \softline
rumors to the contrary, I }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 can}{\plain \fs24 \f1 function in the morning,\'94 he said. \'93Now we have to \softline
prepare for next week\'92s planning session. I got the impression yesterday that the \softline
members of the executive committee don\'92t expect to see nonmembers present. Am I \softline
right?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You\'92re absolutely right. They like to think they know all there is to know about the \softline
business. Are you suggesting we should have a larger group?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Much larger, and I\'92ll tell you why: I want more people from sales \'97 people who are \softline
in day-to-day contact with cus-tomers. I don\'92t know much about Flood, but he strikes me \softline
as one of those potentially dangerous guys who sees only what he wants to see. The type \softline
who, when he travels to visit customers, only sees the company\'92s friends: the guys who \softline
will say what a great job Murphy is doing. I have no problem with friends, but I want
to know how we\'92re }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 really}{\plain \fs24 \f1 doing. Particularly, I want to hear about problems. How \softline
wrong am I about Flood?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I don\'92t think you could be any \'91righter\'92,\'94 she replied. \'93I\'92ll give you a short list of \softline
people. Can women attend?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You are attending, and you appear to be female. Why?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I have an idea. There is a saleswoman, Jane Miller, who is a hot ticket.\'94 She \softline
giggled softly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What\'92s so funny about Jane Miller?\'94 Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Last year we had some Murphy Manufacturing T-shirts made. Although Jane only \softline
has small accounts, she really hustles. She went into one company and the purchasing \softline
manager said that if she would wear the T-shirt wet, he\'92d give her an order. She went \softline
out to her car, put on a T-shirt, stood in a sprinkler, then went back in and got the order. \softline
And she\'92s well built, too.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sounds like the kind of person we need in the meeting. Particularly with small-account experience. I would like to have someone who can talk about them from \softline
firsthand experience.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why am I attending the session, by the way? To take notes?\'94 she asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93As treasurer. We\'92re going to be talking about competitors, and I\'92ve found that \softline
banks know a lot about what\'92s going on. It\'92s not that you\'92ll have the answers, but I \softline
think you\'92ll put together a good set of questions. Similarly, we want someone \softline
knowledgeable from Purchasing. Often, the same salesmen who call on us call on some \softline
of our competitors. Moreover, salesmen love to talk. It\'92s amazing to me how much \softline
purchasing people know about what competitors are doing, but no one ever thinks to ask \softline
them.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They spent the next hour discussing people, and then moved on to discuss facilities. \softline
\'93It sounds like we\'92ll have a group of about twenty or so. We want a hotel facility that \softline
will take some work to get right. Sandy, I don\'92t mean to sound pompous, but too many \softline
hotels only hear \'91business meet-ing\'92 and \'91twenty people\'92. Regardless of what else you \softline
may have said, you find one of those tacky green-topped tables set for twenty in a \'91U\'92, \softline
a\'92 T\'92, or something similar. The chairs are those horrors beloved of hotel banquet \softline
depart-ments, primarily because they stack.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I want comfortable chairs and small tables \'97 only to hold coffee cups and that sort \softline
of thing. We need two easel pads and lots of wall space. By the time we finish the three-day session, there will be about forty pages of notes hung on the walls. Can you line \softline
something up?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sure I can. Now, were you serious last night when you said I was going to be \softline
on the Grievance Committee?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I didn\'92t say you were on the Grievance Committee. I said you were Chairman of \softline
the Grievance Committee! By the way, where and when does it meet?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93It meets in the board room in ten minutes. That\'92s why I asked,\'94 she said.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked like there was something else on her mind, and Cliff asked her about it. \softline
\'93It\'92s the matter of meeting in the board room. Purcell set it up there a year or so ago. \softline
I think he did it to put the union at a psycho-logical disadvantage. I was wondering... \softline
Could we move the meeting to the cafeteria after it\'92s fixed up? I would do it now, but it\'92s \softline
much too noisy.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It sounds good to me. Shall we go?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They entered the board room and Cliff was introduced by Max Kaufman to the other \softline
union members of the grievance committee. The union people looked uncomfortable \softline
wearing suits and ties. In addition to Cliff and Sandy, management was represented by \softline
Bill Stevens from operations and Clarence Budd, Director of Personnel.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff opened the meeting. \'93Gentlemen, I\'92m sure you know Sandra Donnell. She was \softline
elected treasurer by the Board of Directors yesterday, succeeding Charles Purcell who \softline
decided to take early retirement. I have appointed Miss Donnell to replace Mr. Purcell \softline
as chairman of this committee. Does anyone have any problems with her serving in this \softline
capacity?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff noticed that Sandy was warmly received by both the union and by Bill Stevens. \softline
The only one who looked uncomfortable was Budd. Since he reminded him of Purcell, \softline
Cliff wasn\'92t surprised.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They moved to the agenda. There was no old business so they immediately turned \softline
to new grievances. Max Kaufman spoke first. \'93Madam Chairman, welcome! On behalf \softline
of my associates and myself, I would like to say we\'92re looking forward to working with \softline
you.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Mr. Fitzpatrick,\'94 he said, addressing Cliff with a hint of a smile, \'93You\'92re a dirty \softline
guy! We spent most of the last week preparing for this meeting. Our primary grievance \softline
this morning is the condition of the employee cafeteria and the basic unfair-ness of a \softline
heavy subsidy to the executive dining room while the workers pay full price. Then you \softline
come in and double-cross us.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Before we even have this meeting, the word\'92s all over the plant that the dining \softline
room is closing and the cafeteria is being completely renovated. I ask you, Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick, how do you think it makes us feel? Like a bunch of horse\'92s asses, is how! \softline
We prepare all the facts and figures \'97 and we\'92re not used to doing that, you know \'97 \softline
and don\'92t even get a chance to use them. The members are going to start wondering \softline
what they need a union for if you just give them things before we get a chance to demand \softline
them.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93And then there\'92s that parking thing. That was }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 really}{\plain \fs24 \f1 nasty. We never even \softline
thought to ask about that one, and you just go and do it.\'94 Max\'92s smile was broad by \softline
now. \'93It\'92s obviously a vicious management plot to break the union! Right, boys?\'94 The \softline
other union members all loudly agreed with their presi-dent, with broad smiles on their \softline
faces.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Seriously, Mr. Fitzpatrick and Miss Donnell, thank you! I think it\'92s going to make \softline
a real difference. And I want you to know we appre-ciate Bill Stevens asking our opinion \softline
about the plans for the cafeteria. We know it isn\'92t required and damned seldom \softline
happens. I almost fell over when I asked him where the executive section was going to \softline
be and was told there won\'92t be one. He said you were adamant on the point, Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick. Is that true?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s true, Max. Look, this company is in trouble, and I think we all know it. We \softline
can\'92t afford any internal bickering because the problems we\'92re facing in the market are \softline
big enough. We spoke yesterday about changes in the plant. I don\'92t have a clue what \softline
they might be, but I\'92m certain there will be some.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I authorized Bill to get going on the cafeteria for two reasons. First, it was long \softline
overdue. It\'92s not a luxury. Second, I wanted to do something tangible to show that I\'92m \softline
not anti-worker. We\'92ll probably have some good fights in the future over work-rule \softline
changes. I can\'92t be sure. I can be sure that I\'92m going to want to do things that I believe \softline
to be in the best interest of this company and its workers. Let\'92s face facts: I haven\'92t \softline
bothered to look at the collec-tive bargaining agreement yet. They\'92re usually pretty fat \softline
documents written by lawyers. However, regardless of the agree-ment and what it may \softline
say about job security, the only security that really counts is the economic health of this \softline
company. If Murphy Manufacturing turns turtle, that contract will be worth its weight \softline
as scrap paper! He looked at Sandy. \'93Do we have anything else to discuss? Madam \softline
Chairman?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy spoke up in her capacity as chairman. \'93Is there any other new business? \softline
Hearing none, is there a motion to adjourn?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The motion was made, seconded and carried. The union men gathered around Sandy \softline
to shake her hand and wish her well while Max went over to Cliff.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Thanks, Mr. Fitzpatrick. I can\'92t make any promises about the changes you may \softline
have in mind, but I will promise we\'92ll give you a fair hearing, okay? You know, some of \softline
the guys were shook up when they heard the new president was a young ex-consultant. \softline
Frankly, some of them are scared. They }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 do}{\plain \fs24 \f1 see the troubles in the company. I can\'92t see \softline
how you could have got a better start with them. Even the chronic gripers aren\'92t saying \softline
much, and you know as well as I, those guys can }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 always}{\plain \fs24 \f1 find something to bitch about.\'94 \softline
He extend-ed his hand and said, \'93Good luck! We\'92re all pulling for you.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They shook hands and Cliff and Sandy returned to his office. Finding a message on \softline
his desk to call Stephanie he picked up his phone and dialed her number. Sandy sat \softline
down in a chair this time, with a quirky little smile on her face. He reached Stephanie\'92s \softline
office, then her secretary and finally Steph-anie.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, darling! I\'92m making plans for the weekend. You are coming down, aren\'92t \softline
you? I\'92ve organized a little dinner party Saturday night for just a few friends. And Cliff, \softline
if you\'92re real nice, you might not even have to rent a hotel room,\'94 she added coyly. \'93You
just might find yourself staying overnight! What do you think about that? Of course, \softline
it depends on how well you behave. You\'92ll be here at six, sweetness?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He agreed, made kissing sounds into the phone, and felt more than a little silly as \softline
he looked at Sandy who still had the same little smile on her face. He hung up the phone \softline
and looked at her.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, say it,\'94 he said to her.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Say what?\'94 Sandy asked innocently. \'93I wasn\'92t going to say anything.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Say what you\'92re thinking. There\'92s obviously something on that mind of yours \softline
besides very lovely hair.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay. But remember, you asked for it. There are two things: First, I notice that \softline
you haven\'92t made much progress with Stephanie on the secretary-as-status-symbol \softline
thing. Have you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff reddened. \'93It\'92s different for a woman. Steph says she has to have her secretary \softline
answer her phone in order for her to be taken seriously.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do you really believe that, Cliff? And I\'92ll bet you five dollars she hates being called \softline
\'91Steph,\'92 too.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, I guess I really don\'92t. As a matter of fact, Steph treats her secretary like dirt. \softline
It\'92s embarrassing, sometimes. I gather the girl is very well paid, but anything that ever \softline
goes wrong is the secretary\'92s fault. Steph doesn\'92t hesitate to blast her regardless of \softline
who\'92s around, either. I was in her office one day when she went off. She ripped that girl \softline
to shreds with me sitting there watching. That girl is brave. She just stood there and \softline
took it, even though I could see tears starting to flow. She just said, \'91I\'92m sorry, Miss \softline
Simpson.\'92 I wouldn\'92t have blamed her for throwing something.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He reached into his wallet and took out a five-dollar bill. \'93And she hates \'91Steph.\'92 \softline
But how did you know, and what\'92s the other thing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Call it a good guess. I\'92m sure I\'92m underrating the woman, but she seems to fall \softline
right into the pattern. As far as the other thing, I hate to see a man led around like he \softline
has a ring through his nose. Let me guess: There\'92s a cross between a hint and a promise \softline
that you\'92ll be spending Saturday night between her satin bed covers. Am I right? \softline
That\'92s, of course, assuming that you are good, whatever that translates into. I... I... I \softline
think I hate her!\'94 Sandy finished vehemently. She stormed out of the office before Cliff \softline
could respond.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He thought about what she had said, and realized, painfully, that she was right. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 In \softline
fact, }{\plain \fs24 \f1 he thought, }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 she\'92s more right than she could know}{\plain \fs24 \f1 . He thought back to the occasion \softline
he had described when Steph had been berating her secretary in his presence. It was \softline
almost as if the girl had been stripped naked in front of a stranger. Worst of all, it was \softline
obvious to Cliff that the fault was Stephanie\'92s, not the secretary\'92s.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab He wondered why the girl didn\'92t just tell Steph off and quit. Then he remembered \softline
a comment Steph had made about the money being very good, and that the girl couldn\'92t \softline
afford to quit.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He also thought about Sandy in juxtaposition with Stephanie. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Why is it that I think \softline
Sandy would spend the night with a man in a much more honest way, without using sex \softline
as some sort of reward for good behavior? }{\plain \fs24 \f1 he wondered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 }\page
\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs28 \b\f1\fs28 Chapter 4}{\plain \fs24 \f1
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff drove in to the plant on Saturday morning. He knew it wasn\'92t operating. The \softline
current volume of business was not nearly big enough to justify Satur-day operations. \softline
When he arrived, he was greeted by the gate guard and parked his car close to the plant \softline
entrance. Since it was a warm day in early April in Milwaukee, Cliff was wearing an old \softline
pair of Levi\'92s and a golf shirt. He left his wind-breaker in the car and walked into the \softline
plant, turning toward the factory floor. When he entered the plant he was surprised to \softline
see people working. Bill Stevens was there along with Janet Simmons and Sandy.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He joined them. \'93What brings you all in on Saturday? It\'92s such a beautiful day, I \softline
thought I would be the only one here.\'94 Turning to Bill, he said, \'93I guess you and Mrs. \softline
Simmons must be working on the cafeteria plans. But Sandy, what brings you in? Don\'92t \softline
you have a home?\'94 He noticed that Sandy had beautiful legs which were shown off by \softline
her tight-fitting Levi\'92s she was wearing along with a Univer-sity of Michigan sweat shirt.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She gave him a welcom-ing smile and said, \'93Force of habit, I guess. It\'92s been a long, \softline
cold winter with nothing better to do, so I guess I hung out at the plant.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff asked Bill if he would show him around. When they reached the shipping area, \softline
he noticed some particularly heavy packing crates that seemed to be ready for overseas \softline
shipment. They were an export shipment headed for South Ameri-ca.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Bill sounded puzzled when he said, \'93Cliff, I just make the parts, but this doesn\'92t \softline
make a lot of sense to me. Believe it or not, these parts are priced and sold FOB our \softline
shipping dock. The shipping people even bitch about the extra packing required for \softline
overseas shipment. I understand that we make good money on these orders but we \softline
make the buyer handle all the export paperwork. Does that make sense to you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, Bill, it sure doesn\'92t. Have you ever been to South Amer-ica?\'94 Stevens said he \softline
had not. \'93It\'92s the place old American cars seem to go to die. Particularly in countries \softline
like Venezuela, it\'92s like going back in a time warp to the 1960\'92s. You find all these huge \softline
American cars with their monstrous V-8 engines. With the country a major producer of \softline
crude oil and local fuel prices nationally subsidized, gasoline is still very cheap down \softline
there. Those engines were well-built, too.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It seems logical we would have a big export busi-ness, though. Those engines will \softline
run a couple of hundred thou-sand miles before they need engine work \'97 and that\'92s \softline
where a lot of them are when the odometer rolls over the second time. I guess we\'92ll find \softline
out more about our export business starting Monday morning.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93In the meantime, what\'92s all this other stuff?\'94 Cliff was pointing to lines of stacked \softline
pallets with product on them. Judging from the weathering and the accumu-lated dust, \softline
the crates appeared to have been there a long time.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Bill frowned and replied, \'93It\'92s quite a collection, isn\'92t it? It really drives my people \softline
crazy. Looking at it, some of it looks like it\'92s been here as long as we\'92ve been in the \softline
building. Honestly, Cliff, I would be afraid to ship any of this stuff without opening up \softline
the crates and inspect-ing it first. We\'92re not even sure any of these things are usable.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93What do the auditors say?\'94 Cliff asked. \'93They often get pretty tough on valuation \softline
of unsalable inventory for the balance sheet.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Frankly, I\'92m not sure they even notice it. Some of these crates are like the plant \softline
walls. They\'92re just here. Every time I raise a question, though, the finance types go \softline
through the ceiling \'97 something about an inventory write-down. Frankly, I think we\'92ve \softline
got a product line that\'92s much too broad. If the 80-20 rule generally holds \'97 80 percent \softline
of the sales come from 20 percent of the products \'97 I\'92m not sure we don\'92t run at 90-10 \softline
or even 95-5!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff did not like much of what he saw during his inspec-tion. When they finished \softline
their tour, he noticed it was nearly one o\'92clock. Sandy was still out front talking with \softline
Janet Sim-mons. Bill and Janet went off together leaving Sandy alone with Cliff.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at him thoughtfully and said, \'93From the look on your face, you didn\'92t \softline
enjoy your tour with Bill, did you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, I didn\'92t. We\'92re going to have a lot to discuss start-ing Monday morning. Are the \softline
arrangements all in place?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She nodded. \'93I even went over to the hotel yesterday after-noon to be sure. So far, \softline
so good.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93How about having lunch with me? I haven\'92t eaten at all except for coffee. How \softline
about you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I would love to. There\'92s a place around the corner where a lot of the men eat. With \softline
the plant closed today, it should be pretty empty.\'94 They went around the corner and \softline
entered a small caf\'e9 where Sandy was greeted by name.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Does everybody know you around here, Sandy? I don\'92t think I\'92ve seen you fail to \softline
be greeted by name yet.\'94 She just smiled and they ordered hamburgers with everything \softline
and Cokes.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m surprised you\'92re still here,\'94 she said. \'93I thought this was the big night with \softline
Stephanie. You should be down in Chicago panting at her doorstep. And remember, if \softline
you\'92re very, very good, she may even allow you to share her bed.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff just looked at the girl across the table. Finally, he said, \'93I apologize for what \softline
I said last week.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What did you say last week?\'94 she asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I seem to recall saying you were getting broad in the beam. I apologize. You\'92re not. \softline
Seeing you in those jeans convinced me.\'94 He continued to study the girl. He realized \softline
she was wearing no makeup at all. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing \softline
an oversized sweatshirt, she appeared to be about sixteen.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He told her so, and she stuck out her tongue at him. \'93That\'92s the story of my life!\'94 \softline
she said sadly. \'93I always remind guys of their best friend\'92s kid sister. If I tried to act \softline
seduc-tive, the guy would laugh and think I\'92m going to trip him or something. Please,
Cliff, let me take back everything I said about Stepha-nie. It\'92s just my jealousy showing, \softline
and I have absolutely nothing to be jealous about. She certainly got to you before I did.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff just looked at her, realizing what a beautiful girl she was. \'93Would it have made \softline
a difference if you had seen me first?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Her eyes flashed with green fire. \'93It certainly... No, it wouldn\'92t,\'94 she finished \softline
quietly. \'93Remember me? Everyone\'92s kid sister? No, I\'92m afraid not. I apologize again. \softline
I guess I\'92m just overmatched and I know it.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They finished their meal in silence and then Sandy quickly excused herself. Cliff was \softline
thoughtful as he drank his second cup of coffee alone.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He went back to the plant, got his car and drove back to his apartment. After he \softline
showered and shaved, he put on his best suit. Packing some things in his overnight bag, \softline
he left the apartment and headed south for Chicago. Stephanie\'92s posh apartment \softline
building was on the near North Side, overlooking Lake Michigan. After parking in the \softline
garage he went up to her apartment, arriving a little before five.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stephanie greeted him at the door, still in the process of dressing for dinner. As he \softline
went to kiss her she turned her face away saying he would smear her lipstick. He kissed \softline
her on the cheek and lightly caress-ed her voluptuous body. He noticed that she resisted \softline
for an instant but then allowed her body to melt under his hands. It was a reminder that \softline
she didn\'92t seem to really enjoy close physi-cal contact. Rather, she seemed to tolerate it, \softline
but only under certain conditions, -conditions inevita-bly of her own choosing. Her \softline
unthinking reaction was typically one of resis-tance.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Since there was nothing for him to do, he just wandered around the apartment while \softline
she finished getting dressed. The dinner was being catered and the caterer was present \softline
with his staff. He thought of getting a drink for himself but decided against it. It \softline
amused him that to Stephanie more than a single drink was a clear sign of early-stage \softline
alcoholism. Since it was early evening, he enjoyed the view of Lake Michigan from the \softline
apartment. Although it was still early in the season he could see people working on their \softline
boats down in a marina below.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Steph rejoined him and began telling him about her activi-ties at the public relations \softline
agency. He never ceased to be amazed that she never made a connection between her \softline
job at the agency and the fact that Ajax Industries was the agency\'92s prin-cipal client. \softline
Since her salary and expenses were billed to Ajax, she was really on daddy\'92s payroll one \softline
step remov-ed. She filled him in on the evening\'92s guest list: it was a Who\'92s Who of \softline
Chicago\'92s yuppiedom.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff did not like the term, yuppie, but had to admit it fit. He }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 was}{\plain \fs24 \f1 a young urban \softline
professional whether he liked it or not. As he reflected on the term, he realized it wasn\'92t \softline
the acronym itself that bothered him as much as what was so often inferred from it: \softline
young people who were acquisitive, self-centered airheads. Unfortunately, he had to \softline
admit, there was all too much truth in the characterization and most of the people \softline
coming to dinner personified that subspecies.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Guests began arriving and Stephanie began running off to greet them and allow \softline
herself to be kissed. Cliff allowed himself to be drawn into a conversation on the relative \softline
merits of a BMW com-pared to a Porsche. While listening to the talk, he quickly realized \softline
that he didn\'92t give a damn. As a supplier to the U.S. auto industry, he noted that \softline
American-built cars simply did not enter into the conversa-tion. It wasn\'92t that they were \softline
rejected or even dis-missed out of hand. Rather, they were not even considered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff confined his drinking to Perrier with a lime and a glass of wine with dinner. \softline
Stephanie didn\'92t like the smell of alcohol on his breath. Idly, he wondered what her \softline
reaction would have been had she come into his office Monday night and found him \softline
eating pizza and drinking beer. She detested beer \'97 any beer. Moreover, the idea of \softline
drinking it from a bottle would have been abhor-rent.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The dinner was good if one liked French nouvelle cuisine: very light, with different \softline
taste combinations. Cliff didn\'92t really care for it, preferring classic haute cuisine. \softline
Finally, about eleven the guests started to leave, and the last were gone by midnight. \softline
The caterer and his crew had already left leaving Cliff and Stephanie alone in the \softline
apartment.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When they went back toward Stephanie\'92s bedroom, Cliff reached for the girl, \softline
reflecting that this would be two weekends in a row. She turned away from him, saying \softline
he would ruin her dress, and asked him to wait a few minutes until she called him. This \softline
was an aspect of Stephanie that really annoyed Cliff. She wanted to set the stage. He \softline
knew that when she called she would be arranged in bed with a single soft light which \softline
she would extin-guish before things got too passionate. She didn\'92t like him to see her in \softline
the light, she said. Cliff idly wondered why his feelings towards her seemed to have \softline
changed so much in just the last seven days.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He heard her summons and went into the bedroom. She had a single bed light \softline
turned low. As he expected, she was wearing a very expensive black lace nightgown. \softline
Cliff had already loosened his tie; he was soon undressed and in bed beside her. He \softline
started running his hand over her body and again sensed rather than felt a momentary \softline
resistance on her part. He moved his hand under her night dress and ran it up her soft \softline
inner thigh. He had moved close to her, took her into his arms and kissed her on the \softline
lips.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She moved closer and he slipped off her nightgown. As he ran his hand over her soft \softline
full breasts, he could feel her nipples begin to harden. Then he returned his hand to \softline
between her full thighs and felt her spread her legs slightly to provide him easier access \softline
to her moistness. She caressed him and he could hear her sounds of rising passion. \softline
Finally he entered her and heard an intake of breath as she felt him pene-trate. He \softline
started moving inside her, and in a few minutes he achieved release. He could feel her \softline
passion ebb, as she came down from whatever peak she had reached. Soon they were \softline
both asleep.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff awakened early on Sunday morning. For reasons he did not fully understand, \softline
he quietly dressed and left her in bed, still sleeping. He knew that she didn\'92t like him
to see her awaken. As he looked at her in the early-morning light, her face appeared pale \softline
and puffy.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He went down to the garage, retrieved his car and headed north towards Milwaukee. \softline
As he drove, he thought about the night and his relationship with the beautiful \softline
Stephanie. While he had been making love to her, instead of her large brown eyes, he \softline
kept seeing brilliant green ones looking at him reproachfully. It was only a week ago \softline
that he thought Stephanie was the epitome of young womanhood. Now he wasn\'92t so \softline
sure.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then he focused his thoughts on Sandra Donnell. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 She is so different from Steph. \softline
She seems to be involved in problems of other people, while Steph is wrapped up in \softline
herself}{\plain \fs24 \f1 .}{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 That\'92s it! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 he thought. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 She is wrapped up with her own inter-ests and is only \softline
interested in others to the extent they interact with her}{\plain \fs24 \f1 .
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He compared the girls in his mind and began to realize the extent to which he was \softline
involved with \'97 in love with? \'97 Sandy. She was trim while Stephanie was voluptuous. \softline
Why was it that he felt that Sandy\'92s lovemaking would be more full of giving? He had \softline
the feeling that with her it would be joyous, not some reward for good behavior or some \softline
kind of bribe. He continued to think about Sandy until he reached his apartment in \softline
Milwaukee.
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff entered the hotel room at seven-fifteen Monday morning. The meeting was \softline
scheduled to begin at eight. Sandy was in the room waiting for him and looked him over \softline
carefully when he came in. \'93You didn\'92t have a good time Saturday night, did you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why do you say that?\'94 he asked, puzzled.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s obvious looking at your face. You don\'92t glow. You don\'92t have that cat-that-swallowed-the-canary look,\'94 she replied calmly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93And do you moonlight as }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Dear Abby?\'94 }{\plain \fs24 \f1 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled, \'93No, I flunked out. To write an advice column, the writer has to have \softline
her own life squared away. We talked about me on Saturday. My love life is hope-less!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Changing the subject she asked, \'93Are the arrangements okay?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93They\'92re fine. We\'92ll have coffee here before eight, won\'92t we? This business of the \softline
first coffee being served at the ten o\'92clock break is for the birds. There are normally far \softline
too many guys who don\'92t wake up until the third cup.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It was promised for seven forty-five,\'94 she said.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93How about joining me for coffee downstairs? There\'92s nothing for us to do here for \softline
a while.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They found a booth in the coffee shop and ordered two coffees. Sandy looked at him \softline
and asked, \'93What\'92s going to happen this morning? Should I expect fireworks and a \softline
whole new strategy for our automotive-parts business?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Far from it. You\'92ll see two reactions: The first is, \'91When do we get to the strategy \softline
stuff?\'92, and the second is, \'91Why didn\'92t we have all this information ahead of the meeting \softline
and save time?\'92 But I think some surprises will emerge by the end of the day, anyway.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When they returned to the room, it was obvious that some of the senior executives \softline
were uncomfortable with juniors present. Cliff was wearing a sport shirt and slacks. \softline
Although casual dress had been stressed in the meeting an-nounce-ment, it was obvious \softline
that several senior people didn\'92t believe it. They were wearing their normal business \softline
suits and ties.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff started promptly at eight noting that John Flood had not yet arrived. The first \softline
thing he did was record the vital statistics of the valve and ring business: sales, assets \softline
employed, and profits. He then began work on a product-competitor matrix, with \softline
products listed down the side and competitors listed across the top. He recorded sales \softline
by product type by competitor.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Before he had gone very far it was clear that Ajax Industries was the leader in the \softline
business: It had the largest share of market of any competitor, and its share was \softline
increasing. Murphy Manufactur-ing ranked a rather weak third. If trends continued, \softline
Murphy would be overtak-en by the fourth-place company, Precision Parts, within twelve \softline
months.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He turned to factors affecting growth in the industry. Except for Sandy and a few \softline
others, there was a baffled silence. \'93Come on, folks! Factors affecting growth, up or \softline
down? How about number of motor vehicles manufactured in a year? Could that relate \softline
to the number of valves and ring sets sold?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab John Flood, who had finally arrived, spoke up. \'93Of course not! It has to do with \softline
position with the various companies. You have to get in with them first.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93John, we\'92re talking about the }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 industry,}{\plain \fs24 \f1 not about Murphy. We\'92re talking about \softline
how much the entire industry will provide. And that includes all suppliers, most \softline
particularly including Japanese com-panies supplying the U.S. plants of Japanese car \softline
com-panies.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Flood protested, \'93That\'92s ridiculous, Cliff! That business isn\'92t available to us. The \softline
next thing you know you\'92re going to include captive parts suppliers: the ones owned by \softline
the automo-bile manufactur-ers.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff smiled. \'93You\'92re right, John. I sure am. We are }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 all}{\plain \fs24 \f1 in the same industry. Keep \softline
in mind, nothing is forever. A company may source captive today and go outside \softline
tomorrow. More-over, we need to look at captive business to find out why a com-pany \softline
does it that way. How many of you think a company would source every-thing from \softline
captive sources if it could? Raise your hands.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab A large number of hands went up, not including Bill Stevens\'92, Jane Miller\'92s, or \softline
Sandy\'92s.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane, why do you disagree? Why wouldn\'92t a company source everything inside if \softline
it could?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab He noticed that Jane looked in John Flood\'92s direction before answering. Flood \softline
glared at the girl, but she spoke up anyway. \'93There\'92s no percentage in it: In the first \softline
place, it\'92s very hard to exactly match the capacity of a component plant to the engine \softline
plant it feeds. Second, if production at the engine plant scales down, the company has \softline
excess capacity in two places, not just one. Third, the smart companies that do source \softline
internally try to do it by scaling component manufacture to a level they\'92re confi-dent they \softline
can maintain... say 60 percent of their requirements. Then they hope to run the \softline
component plant steadily and make up the balance of their requirements through \softline
outside sourcing.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do you think it works, Jane?\'94 Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sort of, sir. I get the feeling sometimes they would do better with more outside \softline
sourcing. What kind of a price are we going to quote knowing we\'92re just getting surge \softline
orders \'97 the stuff their captive plant can\'92t handle? Their engine line slows, and our \softline
orders are canceled. Not cut back: canceled.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab John had been glaring at Jane while she was speaking. \'93Cliff, I want to take a \softline
recess. I have to talk to a few peo-ple,\'94 he said.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Fine, John. Folks, we\'92re taking a ten-minute break. But, John, I want to talk to \softline
you first.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff moved over to a vacant corner, and Flood joined him. \'93John, there are two \softline
things: First, when I call a meeting for eight o\'92clock, I mean eight o\'92clock. Where were \softline
you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Flood was taken aback. \'93I... I... I had to check the office first. Surely, you didn\'92t \softline
mean that to apply to senior execu-tives! We set our own hours!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Not any more, Flood. I\'92ve noticed your \'91own hours\'92 start late and end early. I don\'92t \softline
give a shit what hours you work if the work\'92s done. I don\'92t think yours is. Furthermore, \softline
it\'92s obvious you intend to present a departmental party line in this planning session. I \softline
saw you glaring at Jane Miller. I won\'92t allow it! Under-stand?
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Let me make myself absolutely clear: If, after this talk, you say one derogatory \softline
word to Jane Miller it will be considered an act of willful insubordination. That is \softline
grounds for immediate termination }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 for cause! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 Clear? And frankly, Flood, I really hope \softline
you do! I think Jane Miller would be an outstand-ing manager, don\'92t you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Flood had turned pale listening to Cliff\'92s words. \'93Surely you can\'92t be serious?\'94 he \softline
protested. \'93Of course we discussed this in advance. I want to be sure that there is a \softline
coherent story told.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93John, I don\'92t give a damn about coherence. That\'92s my job. I just want people to \softline
give me their honest answers to whatever question is asked or subject is being discussed. \softline
Understood?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy had been standing just out of earshot. She joined him and they went to get \softline
coffee which had been brought into the room. Returning to where Cliff had been
standing with Flood he asked, \'93Sandy, do me a favor? At lunch, go in to the dining room \softline
with Jane Miller. I\'92ll lag a bit. I would like to sit next to her, so could you just get up \softline
and move when I come in?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She pretended to frown. \'93Is that a not-very-subtle hint that I shouldn\'92t eat lunch? \softline
\'91Broad in the beam,\'92 I think you said?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He grinned at her. \'93I thought we settled that on Saturday? Seriously, though, it is \softline
sort of a dumb idea. I want to sit next to her without it being too obvious. Why don\'92t \softline
you arrange to sit next to Bill Stevens? Ask him to save you a place. Then just hang \softline
over the place next to Jane\'92s so no one else will take it. When I come in, you join Bill. \softline
Better?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 \'93Much better!\'94 }{\plain \fs24 \f1 she replied with a grin. \'93This way, I get to eat, too. May I say \softline
something that\'92s probably as out of line as what I usually say? I get the strong \softline
impression that Mr. Flood is not long for our little world. Am I wrong?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Would you \'97 or the other people who make things work around here \'97 care if he \softline
disappeared? Would the company be hurt?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, if I remember correctly, in the }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Mikado}{\plain \fs24 \f1 the Lord High Executioner \'91had a little \softline
list; t\'92will none of them be missed\'92. I think it\'92s safe to say that Flood is on the little list. \softline
Personally, I think he\'92s a disgusting pig!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was surprised at the vehemence with which she made the last statement, but \softline
did not com-ment. Instead, he went back to the easel pads to resume the session. \'93When \softline
we took our break, we were talking about key factors affecting industry growth. What \softline
are some of them? Anyone?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane Miller spoke up again. \'93The number of motor vehicles built each year?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That\'92s good,\'94 Cliff responded. \'93What about the number, Jane? Is it growing, \softline
shrinking, or staying about the same?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I think it\'92s cyclical, but fairly level here in the States.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At this point John Flood jumped in, again. \'93That\'92s bullshit! It\'92s growing. The \softline
market for Murphy Manufacturing is unlimited for anyone who\'92ll get off her dead ass. \softline
Jane, take that back!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93John,\'94 Cliff said quietly, \'93Jane\'92s absolutely right. Unless you have seen data \softline
different from what comes out of the Department of Commerce, production of motor \softline
vehicles is cyclical with the economy but fairly flat.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked out at the group and said, \'93Okay, other factors? Folks, this is a game any \softline
number can play. I hope Jane isn\'92t the only one in this room who\'92s ever given any \softline
thought to our market potential. Sandy?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy had her hand up: \'93Scrap rate: the number of cars broken up each year; the \softline
average age of the automotive fleet. Those are two more factors affecting replacement \softline
parts sales.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab John Flood was enraged. His rage was overcoming his natural caution and was \softline
coupled with a gross underestimation of Cliff who was younger than he was by fifteen \softline
years. \'93This is the most ridiculous waste of time I\'92ve ever sat through in my entire life! \softline
I thought we were here to discuss strategy. All I hear are a couple of dumb broads who \softline
shouldn\'92t be here in the first place. That\'92s the stupidest thing I\'92ve ever heard. There\'92s \softline
only one thing that counts: new production. Period!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93John, this is getting boring. You\'92re wrong... again! And that\'92s twice you have \softline
abused Miss Miller, and now you have added Miss Donnell. I ignored it the first time, \softline
but I can\'92t ignore it any longer. An apology is indicated. Now!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m damned if I\'92ll apologize to a couple of dumb broads! This is a disgrace!\'94 Flood \softline
said in an outburst of uncontrolled rage.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93People, I suggest we break for lunch now.\'94 Focusing on Flood he added, \'93It\'92s clear \softline
that your usefulness to the session is over. I will see you back in my office at two-thirty. \softline
Ladies and gentlemen, I\'92m sorry. Lunch will be served in the room next door in a few \softline
minutes. We\'92ll reconvene at eight o\'92clock tomorrow. I\'92m sorry for the delay.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff excused himself, went down the hall and came back to the room a few minutes \softline
later. As he expected, Sandy was talking to Jane Miller. When he came in, Sandy waited \softline
until he was almost upon them before she left to take a seat next to Bill Stevens.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane, we\'92ve never formally met, but I\'92ve heard a lot about you. May I join you?\'94 \softline
Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Of course, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Please do. Sandy has told me so much about you.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff shook hands with the other people sitting around the table. The meal was a \softline
cold buffet served with soup. He had found that it was the ideal meal for these \softline
occasions, although the hotel banquet departments always tried to load up the menu \softline
with more elaborate dishes.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He addressed himself to Jane speaking in low tones. \'93Why is it I get the feeling that \softline
you\'92re not John Flood\'92s favorite salesper-son? I could be wrong, of course, but I }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 do}{\plain \fs24 \f1 get \softline
that impression.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane Miller was a very attractive dark-haired girl who appeared to be about the same \softline
age as Sandy. He noticed she was very well built. \'93I\'92m not John\'92s favorite person,\'94 she \softline
said quietly. \'93Least favor-ite, perhaps, but certainly not most favorite.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why are you still here then? Jane, on behalf of Murphy Manufac-turing, I would \softline
like to offer you an apology. Flood\'92s behavior was uncall-ed for and unnecessary. There\'92s \softline
no need for you ever to take such abuse. And you shouldn\'92t. Why do you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Because of Sandy. She said it would get better. She was one of my best friends in \softline
graduate school and....\'94 Jane\'92s eyes suddenly flared and she said, \'93Forget I said that Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick. Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Cliff looked the girl right in the eyes. She could feel his blue eyes boring right \softline
through her lovely brown ones. \'93Jane,\'94 he said softly, \'93you were talking about graduate \softline
school. What graduate school?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The poor girl looked flustered and, Cliff noted, very pretty. \'93Please, Mr. Fitzpatrick, \softline
I can\'92t. I promised.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane, it\'92s Cliff, not Mr. Fitzpatrick. Young lady, we are very much of the same \softline
generation. And John Flood is really much too crude. I don\'92t yell and scream, but I was \softline
thinking how beautiful that picture of you wearing the wet T-shirt would look in our \softline
company magazine. You know \'97 as part of a story on the dedication of our hardworking \softline
sales force?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane turned bright red. \'93You wouldn\'92t! Cliff, it shows }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 everything}{\plain \fs24 \f1 . My God, I would \softline
be mortified. You couldn\'92t be so cruel!?... Could you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane Miller, I have given you a perfect out for Sandy. You were blackmailed with \softline
that picture. You do have a beautiful figure, by the way! No wonder the buyer wanted \softline
to see you with a wet T-shirt! And you got the order.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, I know when I\'92m licked. What do you want to know?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Tell me about Sandy.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Well, she and I roomed together at Michigan. I was major-ing in marketing, and she \softline
had a combined finance and manufacturing major. Cliff, why in hell is the girl who \softline
graduated number one from University of Michigan Graduate School of Business \softline
working as a secretary \'97 in a company she }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 owns}{\plain \fs24 \f1 , for chrissakes!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was dumbstruck at the revelation but his consulting experi-ence stood him in \softline
good stead: He was able to keep his face impassive as he absorbed the stunning news. \softline
Jane continued. \'93Anyway, she said there would be opportu-nities here at Murphy. She \softline
said there was a lot of dead wood. All we needed was a guy to take charge \'97 that\'92s you \softline
\'97 to get the place going again. It\'92s a funny deal that I think relates to her age. I think \softline
she officially takes control of all of the stock on October 1, or something like that.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff appeared to ignore the revelation about Sandy\'92s ownership of the company. \softline
Instead he asked, \'93Jane, what happened between you and Flood? What did he think of \softline
the wet T-shirt idea? Incidentally, I think it\'92s great, even though I wouldn\'92t ever think \softline
to ask, and I would expect to get my head handed to me if I ever did. Thanks for the \softline
dedication. But what did Flood say?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at him speculatively, as if considering some-thing. It was obvious that she \softline
gave herself an affirmative answer to her unspoken question, and then answered Cliff\'92s. \softline
\'93He was appalled,\'94 she said in a very flat voice.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 \'93Flood}{\plain \fs24 \f1 was appalled? I find that hard to believe,\'94 he said.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She gave him a wry smile. \'93Not for the reasons you\'92re think-ing. He said I should \softline
have taken him to a motel somewhere and laid him. The T-shirt was bad for the \softline
company image, but working between the sheets is not only fine, he said he expects it.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93I guess one of the reasons I never got a raise is because he keeps wanting to try out \softline
the mer-chandise, and I keep telling him where to head in. He\'92s tried to fire me a couple \softline
of times, but Sandy has always managed to get him overruled by somebody.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She grinned, \'93Any-way, I\'92m still here... and I like what you were doing this morning. \softline
It\'92s the first time since business school that I have ever actually seen these concepts \softline
applied. Thanks, Cliff.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane, I have a favor to ask: Will you please come over to the office and be there \softline
ahead of my two-thirty meeting with Flood? I have an idea I want to work out with \softline
Sandy. Are you willing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She gave him a very warm smile. \'93Of course! But will you do me a favor, though, \softline
Cliff? Will you promise to put some ointment on my body after Sandy skins me alive? \softline
I can handle Flood, but I can\'92t handle her. Promise?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked up at the ceiling, and then back at her eyes. He looked very serious as he \softline
said, \'93Well, okay. I guess I can do that, but on one condition.\'94 The serious look gave \softline
way to a quick grin. \'93I get to watch!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Clifford Fitzpatrick, you\'92re }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 terrible! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 But if you insist, it\'92s a deal!\'94 She grinned, \softline
stuck out her hand, and he gripped it.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy approached their table. Most of the people had finished and had left to return \softline
to the office after the truncated meeting. Jane looked very sheepish as Sandy sat down \softline
on a now-vacant chair.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy looked at Jane closely and demanded, \'93Jane Miller, what have you been \softline
telling Cliff?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93All of it,\'94 the dark-haired girl responded in a very low voice. \'93But I had to, Sandy. \softline
He black-mailed me!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93He did }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 what?\'94}{\plain \fs24 \f1 Sandy exclaimed. \'93How?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93He threatened to publish that picture of me wearing the wet T-shirt! And it shows \softline
everything!\'94 she wailed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff found a very interesting pattern in the wallpaper to study. Sandy glared at him \softline
and then back at her ex-roommate. \'93What picture? There }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 is}{\plain \fs24 \f1 no picture!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The two girls turned on Cliff who was still studying the wallpaper design. In unison \softline
they said, \'93Clifford Fitzpatrick!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff grinned at the two girls. \'93It would have been a great picture for the company \softline
magazine, don\'92t you think? Our dedicated sales force and all that stuff? Jane certainly \softline
thought so.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He turned and glared at Sandy, \'93And as for you Miss Donnell, no wonder the Board \softline
so quickly approved you as treasurer. Two-thirds of the money is yours! What am I \softline
doing here, anyway? Coaching you to take over my job?\'94 Cliff had gotten over the initial
shock and was waiting for an explana-tion. He was glad he had heard it first from Jane: \softline
It had given him the opportunity to get used to the idea before confronting Sandy.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, Cliff,\'94 she answered quietly. \'93I never lied to you, but I certainly didn\'92t tell you \softline
the whole truth. I\'92m sorry if you feel deceived. I was instrumental in getting you in at \softline
Murphy. I was certain you were the guy I was looking for. Over the last week, I became \softline
99 percent certain, and after this morning I\'92m 110 percent sure.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, I have a great favor to ask: Please, can I continue to work as your assistant? \softline
I had to lean on Stiles to get you in. He controls the stock as trustee until October 1, my \softline
birth-day. Then I turn twenty-six and take over the stock. You see, a little more than \softline
65 percent of the stock is owned by the Murphy family. In spite of the more usual \softline
situation among the Irish \'97 large families, I mean \'97 the Murphy family is now just me.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The company was founded by my grandfather. When he died, his stock was divided \softline
between my mother and Uncle John. Then my par-ents were killed in an automobile \softline
accident when I was twelve. I guess the arrangement with me is similar to the one my \softline
parents had. If grandfather had died earlier, they would have been unable to vote the \softline
stock until they reached the age of twenty-six.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Any-way, Uncle John, who was a bachelor, adopted me as his daugh-ter but I didn\'92t \softline
change my name. When he died, I was left all of his stock, too.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, only a handful of people in the company know who I am, and I would like to \softline
keep it that way. I would understand if you just told me to go to hell, jump in Lake \softline
Michigan, or do some-thing even more extreme, but I hope you won\'92t. In return, I\'92ll do \softline
anything you ask, including telling you anything else about me and my background. No \softline
more secrets. Fair?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He studied the young girl and realized she had beautiful emerald-green eyes. They \softline
were looking into his intently. When he suddenly smiled at her, he saw her relax.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He put out his hand and she took it in her firm grip. \'93It\'92s a deal, Sandra Donnell. \softline
I always like to be in a position where I can keep a close eye on the controlling \softline
shareholder.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Now, Sandy, your \'91little list\'92 is about to get shorter. We\'92re never going to get \softline
through even the first planning session at this rate. Flood will be numbered among the \softline
missing this afternoon. Unlike Purcell, he\'92s not nearly close to retirement. I\'92m firing \softline
him for cause: sex discrimination and sexual abuse. Did you know about it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy shook her head, looking puzzled. They both looked at Jane who looked down \softline
at the table. Sandy said, \'93Jane Miller! What haven\'92t you told me!? I am about to skin \softline
you alive!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane looked at Cliff. \'93I told you she would skin me alive. Don\'92t forget your \softline
promise!\'94 She then quickly told Sandy what she had earlier told Cliff.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That snake!\'94 Sandy exclaimed. \'93Now I see... I think... Cliff, I\'92m almost certain he\'92s \softline
been bedding his secretary! And I\'92ll lay money he has made it a condition of her
employment.\'94 She looked up at Cliff and Jane, \'93Now, what\'92s this promise you extorted \softline
from Cliff, Jane Miller? Out with it!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane looked and sounded very innocent as she spoke. \'93It\'92s very simple: I asked Cliff \softline
to put some ointment on my body after you skinned me alive. I told him you would. He \softline
promised, too!\'94 she said, making a face, \'93But only on the condition he could watch you \softline
do it. I think you\'92re both sadists! That\'92s what I think.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, Jane. I\'92m sorry. You\'92re a masochist. You would enjoy it too much, so I won\'92t.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was delighted to see the extent to which the threesome had now relaxed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He continued, \'93Sandy, here\'92s what I want to do. Can you call Kevin, fast? There is \softline
a squawk-box-type intercom on the desk. It looks like an antique. Does it work, and is \softline
there one on your desk? I would like you to have Kevin wire it to the next office... No! \softline
To Purcell\'92s old office that you\'92re using, Sandy. I want the two of you there. I\'92ll leave \softline
the intercom on. If it works like all the ones I\'92ve seen, you\'92ll be able to hear every word. \softline
Okay?
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Oh, one more thing: I think I know what I\'92ll see, but I want to look at Jane\'92s \softline
personnel file and the relevant sales performance reports. And I need the material fast!\'94
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At two-thirty, John Flood entered Cliff\'92s office. All the arrange-ments had been \softline
made: It turned out that the intercom was in working order, and changing the location \softline
only took a few minutes.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Although Flood had cooled down from the morning, he was still in a belligerent \softline
mood. \'93What\'92s this all about, Fitzpatrick? Why did you break off the meeting this \softline
morning?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff ignored Flood\'92s tone. \'93I called a halt because of two things: First, your attitude \softline
was poisoning the session. Second, your ignorance of our market is appalling. I didn\'92t \softline
want you to continue to make a fool of yourself. There\'92s more, but it came up later. \softline
Why hasn\'92t Jane Miller received a raise?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s pretty obvious, isn\'92t it? She doesn\'92t perform!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Perform what?\'94 Cliff asked. If Flood had known him better, he would have been \softline
concerned at Cliff\'92s mild tone of voice. \'93According to the sales results of the last two \softline
years, she\'92s the top-performing salesperson in the company! Just what is it she doesn\'92t \softline
perform?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Grow up, Cliff! You know damn well what she doesn\'92t per-form. Can you believe \softline
a girl having the nerve to show off her boobs \'97 great ones, too \'97 to a purchasing agent? \softline
But she won\'92t put out for me so she doesn\'92t get a raise.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I see,\'94 Cliff said in the same quiet tone. \'93What about the men on your staff? Do \softline
you go both ways?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What in hell are you saying? Are you saying I\'92m gay!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93No, John. I\'92m saying you\'92re fired! Now! It is a termination for cause: sexual \softline
harassment and sex discrimination. If word of this got out, we would be through.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93However, before you get any more bright ideas, it can easily be shown that you were \softline
ter-minated in a matter of hours after your activities came to the attention of top \softline
management. Flood, you are the most despicable man it has ever been my misfortune \softline
to be associated with.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Shall I ask your secretary, Betty Ames, to join us? I understand you made her \softline
sexual favors a condition of her continued employment. She is a widow trying to raise \softline
two small chil-dren. John, I think that could get you a felony prosecution. Should I ask \softline
our lawyers? You will be paid through today. Miss Donnell has your final check ready. \softline
I suggest you take it and get out.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Flood\'92s face had been running a gamut of emotions starting at belligerence then \softline
changing to disbelief, to rage, to shock and finally to utter defeat. He turned and left the \softline
office.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You can come in, now.\'94 Cliff said. Jane came right in followed a few minutes later \softline
by Sandy. Sandy had a small deck of cards in her hand. \'93What are those?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled brightly and said, \'93Someone has to think of the company. I have his \softline
company charge cards, the keys to his company car, his ID... all the stuff on the \softline
termination checkout sheet that us overworked secretaries have to take care of for our \softline
irresponsible bosses.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Thanks, Sandy... again. Now could you ask Betty Ames to join us? Jane, I want \softline
Sandy here, but under the circumstances I think we should minimize the audience.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Betty Ames came into the office and looked bewildered when Cliff asked her to sit \softline
down. Sandy was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, sitting in a corner behind Mrs. \softline
Ames and well behind her sight line.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff introduced himself and then began, \'93Mrs. Ames, as you may know, John Flood \softline
has just been fired from the company for cause. One of the reasons is his sexual abuse \softline
of you.\'94 Cliff was speaking as gently as he could to try to lessen the woman\'92s shock.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He was surprised to see her face light up. He realized she was a lovely woman. \softline
\'93He\'92s... He\'92s gone?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, ma\'92am. He\'92s gone... for good.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Suddenly the woman folded up in her chair and began weeping. Sandy was \softline
expecting it and jumped out of her chair to comfort the woman. When she reached her, \softline
she and Cliff were surprised to see the woman was weeping for joy! \'93Oh, thank you, Mr. \softline
Fitz-patrick! I\'92ll clean out my desk and...\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You\'92ll what!\'94 Sandy and Cliff exclaimed in unison.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Betty Ames appeared surprised. \'93Well, I would like to take my things. Can\'92t I?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93But why do you want to leave?\'94 Cliff asked. \'93There will be a reduction in the \softline
number of secretaries, but Sandy tells me you\'92re one of our very best. I thought you \softline
needed the job?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She sat up straight in her chair. \'93You can\'92t mean you want me to stay? After the \softline
things I did with Mr. Flood?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy spoke. \'93Betty, I\'92ve seen you come out of Flood\'92s office looking like you \softline
wanted to throw up. You did it because he made you, didn\'92t you? If you didn\'92t, you \softline
would have been fired? There would be no raises and no employment recommendation? \softline
And you have two children to think of.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Betty Ames had been nodding at each of Sandy\'92s questions. Sandy concluded, \softline
\'93Flood\'92s a snake. Betty, Mr. Fitzpatrick wanted me to ask you for a favor. He doesn\'92t \softline
want to ask you himself for fear you might take it the wrong way, but Betty, he would \softline
like to make a payment to you equal to one year\'92s salary to try to make up for what you \softline
have suffered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You have a real cause of action to sue the company if you chose. He hopes you \softline
won\'92t, even though you have every right to. Would you accept his offer? Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You want me to stay? And take money? I couldn\'92t. It\'92s not right!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Betty,\'94 Cliff said, \'93I know it\'92s not right. It\'92s not ade-quate, but it\'92s an effort on our \softline
part. Please say yes. I know you can use it, can\'92t you?
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, could you please cut a check? Call it a settlement for damages suffered. \softline
That way it\'92s not income and not taxable to you. Mrs. Ames, isn\'92t this the week of \softline
spring vaca-tion?\'94 Betty nodded indicating that it was. \'93Great! Why don\'92t you take the \softline
rest of the week off and celebrate with your chil-dren? Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The woman smiled and thanked them. Sandy got her the check, and she left for \softline
home still shaking her head in amazement.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then Jane rejoined them and Cliff turned to Sandy. \'93Thanks again. That was a \softline
very kind and generous thing you did for her. My God! That poor woman has been \softline
tortured all this time!
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93And thank you, Cliff, for picking up on the idea and figuring out how she could get \softline
it all tax free. Now, what are you going to do for a vice president \'96 marketing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Who do you think should get it? Jane?\'94 Cliff asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I think the best guy we\'92ve got is Steve Muller, but he isn\'92t even here. Flood has \softline
him on some cockamamie assign-ment in the Stores Division. Personally, I think he \softline
wanted him out of town. I don\'92t think John and Steve agreed on the time of day, let \softline
alone anything else!\'94 Jane answered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Miss Donnell, how does the cash management project look? Do you think we can \softline
spare some back pay for your friend? The way I see it, her salary should be doubled, and \softline
we owe her a bonus of at least $25,000. That is roughly what I estimate she was cheated \softline
out of by our late unlamented friend. Can we afford it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Sandy smiled and nodded. \'93Wait a minute, Cliff. That\'92s $25,000 less $17.95 she still \softline
owes me on our last phone bill at school. And to show you I\'92m a real sport, I\'92ll even \softline
waive the interest.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane was grinning at the two of them. Suddenly her jaw dropped. \'93Wait a minute. \softline
You }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 are}{\plain \fs24 \f1 kidding aren\'92t you? You can\'92t be serious?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff looked at Sandy maintaining a very serious expression. \'93Miss Treasurer, I \softline
never joke about money, do you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy responded with an equally serious look, \'93Mr. Presi-dent, have you ever known \softline
a treasurer to joke about }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 anything, }{\plain \fs24 \f1 least of all about money? Of course I\'92m serious.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They looked at Jane and said in unison, \'93We\'92re serious!\'94 after which they all \softline
laughed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93On the other hand,\'94 Cliff said, \'93Jane is now being paid an awful lot just to be a \softline
salesman. I\'92ll talk to Steve about making her Key Accounts Manager.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There\'92s just one more thing, Jane,\'94 Sandy added. \'93We\'92re going out tonight to \softline
celebrate your raise, bonus, and promotion. And you\'92re buying.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy went off to try to locate Steve Muller. When she finally tracked him down in \softline
Spokane, Cliff spoke to him for a few moments. \'93Steve, I\'92m sorry we haven\'92t met, but \softline
I suppose you have heard of me. Your boss, John Flood, is now history. Would you \softline
accept the position of vice president \'96 marketing at Murphy?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab There was silence on the phone for a few moments. Then Muller spoke. \'93Mr. Fitz-
pat-rick, it\'92s a good thing Sandy Donnell tracked me down. If you had called, I wouldn\'92t \softline
have known your voice and would have been sure it was a joke. Yes, sir! I accept with \softline
pleasure. How soon do you need me in Milwaukee?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That\'92s the bad news, Steve. Tomorrow morning at eight o\'92clock we reconvene our \softline
planning session. We need you as soon as you can get here. I\'92m looking forward to \softline
seeing you when you get in.\'94 He told him the name of the hotel, and Muller went off to \softline
see about planes.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff and Sandy spent the rest of the afternoon on the cash management project. \softline
They had identified over $25 million in balance reductions in major accounts alone. \softline
There were still some unexamined major accounts \'97 activity analyses hadn\'92t yet been \softline
received \'97 and a host of nominally smaller accounts which Cliff expected to yield \softline
proportionately much larger savings.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab That evening Cliff took the two girls out to dinner to cele-brate. They were about to \softline
order dinner in a German res-taurant that Jane recommended when a tall good-looking \softline
young man came up to the table, kissed Jane and sat down. He stuck out his hand to \softline
Cliff, \'93I\'92m Steve Muller. I guess you must be Cliff Fitzpatrick. Is this fast enough?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff grinned. \'93Steve, you\'92re a man after my own heart. I was hoping you would be \softline
here by the end of lunch tomorrow! How did you find us?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93A formerly underpaid salesperson, now a lofty manager who should remain \softline
nameless, left a message on the machine at my apartment. Not only did she say where \softline
you would be, but she also indicated she was very warm for my body. What else could \softline
I do?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff and Sandy laughed while Jane blushed. Then she hit Steve hard on the arm. \softline
\'93Big mouth! That was for you, turkey, not for rebroadcast.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They spent the rest of the evening reviewing the events of the day with Steve and \softline
briefing him on the planning session. As it was getting time to leave, Steve looked at \softline
Cliff and said, \'93Cliff, I\'92m reasonably sure John gave me the job in Stores to get me out \softline
of town. However, I\'92m one of those dumb guys who\'92ll create a job even where there isn\'92t \softline
one. Tell me, isn\'92t there some basic strategy of cutting back geographically?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sure,\'94 Cliff replied. \'93It\'92s called market rationali-zation. But why do you ask?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Because that\'92s the strategy for our western stores, anyway. Cliff, it\'92s the stupidest \softline
thing I\'92ve ever seen. Here we sit 2,000 miles to the east trying to determine stock for \softline
those stores. No way! Then we\'92re much too thin on the ground. It\'92s impossible for us \softline
to have the kind of store density we need to adver-tise effec-tively in any of the big \softline
western markets. If we run an ad, we\'92re lucky if 10 percent of the people seeing or \softline
hearing it are within reach of one of our stores. The reason I asked is I talked to some \softline
people out there. There\'92s a good-sized western chain of auto parts stores that wants to \softline
grow. They would like to buy all our western units for cash. Might we be interested?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Steve, we haven\'92t looked at the Stores Division yet. I\'92m going to try to start next \softline
week. How anxious are they, and have they made a firm offer?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93They\'92re anxious, Boss, but there\'92s no firm offer. They would like to look around, \softline
though.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, you had better listen to this. I\'92m not ready to sell our western stores, but \softline
I would certainly listen to an offer, particularly if it\'92s all cash. I would like Steve to call \softline
the people tomorrow and give them permission to look around at our units and look at \softline
our numbers. What do you think?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Let\'92s do it, Cliff.\'94 She grinned at him, and added, \'93The way you have been giving \softline
away money today, we better do something to get some coming in!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Surprisingly, the restaurant had a small combo playing on a Monday night. When \softline
Jane got up and motioned for Steve to dance with her, Sandy looked up in mild surprise. \softline
\'93Jane, you\'92re going to dance? I didn\'92t think you liked to.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The dark-haired girl grinned. \'93You had it right this after-noon: I\'92m a masochist. \softline
With Steve stepping on my feet, it feels so good when we stop.\'94 They went off together \softline
to the small dance floor leaving Cliff and Sandy alone.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They sat together in companionable silence for a few minutes before Cliff spoke. \softline
\'93What a day! I can live nicely without too many more like this one, though. I get rid of \softline
a senior vice president, settle a potentially very nasty discrimination action and find out
my secretary is my boss!\'94 He looked at her and smiled. \'93I know you told me you\'92re \softline
every guy\'92s best friend\'92s kid sister, but would you like to dance, sis?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy smiled and got up. The combo was playing dance music from the \'9240\'92s and \softline
\'9250\'92s. When they got to the dance floor, he took her in his arms. He was surprised at the \softline
way she moved on the floor. Cliff never thought of himself as a good dancer \'97 barely \softline
adequate would have been his optimistic assessment. Never-theless, he found that he and \softline
Sandy were moving around the floor as if they were on a cloud. She seemed absolutely \softline
weightless. He contrasted this feeling with his experience with Step-hanie and didn\'92t \softline
understand what was happening. Steph was an extra-ordinarily good dancer \'97 at least \softline
that was what everyone said. Yet dancing with her was like moving a truck. He had \softline
always blamed his own incompe-tence.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy felt as if she were floating, too. She didn\'92t know what to do except she hoped \softline
the music would never end. Her plans had gone down the drain even though she \softline
admitted to herself they weren\'92t very good plans. She had had some vague idea in the \softline
back of her mind about maintaining her ownership interest as a secret until at least \softline
October 1.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab It wasn\'92t to be, and she had known it, deep down. There were too many people who \softline
knew the truth, and the truth would have come out sooner or later. She was honest \softline
enough to admit that sooner was better. She had noticed Cliff\'92s quick reaction \'97 she \softline
had hired him to train her \'97 and realized the later he found out the truth, the angrier \softline
he would have been. Since it came out only a week after starting work, it hadn\'92t done \softline
too much damage.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then her thoughts turned to their dancing. She had always thought of herself as \softline
clumsy and gawky on the dance floor. She had been a girl who reached her full height \softline
when she was young and still thought of herself as towering over the boys. She suddenly \softline
realized that, compared to Cliff, she was almost short. She found it so easy to move with \softline
him on the floor. Finally, the music stopped as the musicians took a break. They found \softline
them-selves just standing alone on the floor together.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It stopped,\'94 Cliff said softly in her ear. She gave a little start and looked up at him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Thank you,\'94 she said. \'93That was fun. You\'92re a very good dancer. Usually, I feel \softline
as clumsy as a trained bear trying to walk on its hind legs.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They were walking back to the table as she said it. Cliff stopped abruptly and looked \softline
at her, \'93Stop teasing, Sandy. If you\'92re a trained bear, a dolphin would look clumsy by \softline
comparison! You were a feather!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He noticed the real surprise in her eyes but couldn\'92t under-stand it. They returned \softline
to the table and quiet applause from Jane and Steve. \'93Have you two been rehearsing?\'94 \softline
Jane asked. \'93Trying to generate a little money for Murphy by moonlighting as a dance \softline
team?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Both Cliff and Sandy reddened at her comments. Later the four left the restaurant, \softline
with Steve and Jane going off together. Sandy blushed and said, \'93Cliff, could you do me
a favor? Would you mind driving me back to my apartment? Jane drove me over, but \softline
I guess she forgot. I\'92m afraid her mind is on other things right now.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They went to his car and she gave him directions to her apartment. He walked her \softline
to the door and unlocked it for her. Turning towards him, she raised her head and \softline
pulled his face down to hers. She gave him a soft kiss, murmured a hurried \'93Good \softline
night,\'94 and ducked into the apartment.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff stood there still feeling the power of her kiss. He had never experienced \softline
anything quite like it, and he liked to think of himself as experienced with women. He \softline
thought to him-self that if all kid sisters kissed like that, he\'92d been wasting his time in \softline
all the wrong places.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Meanwhile, Sandy stood with her back to the door. She had kissed him on sudden \softline
impulse, intending it to be light and friendly, and in one sense it was. But it was so \softline
much more. Sandy realized she was leaning against her front door because she did not \softline
trust her legs to support her weight. She could still hear the bells and feel the electricity \softline
that had jolted her during that one quick kiss. She went to her bedroom and got ready \softline
for bed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 }\page
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{\plain \fs28 \b\f1\fs28 Chapter 5}{\plain \fs24 \f1
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At eight o\'92clock the next morning Cliff was pleased to see everyone was present in \softline
the meeting room for the planning session. Moreover, everyone was wearing casual \softline
clothes. He announced that John Flood was no longer with the company and was \softline
pleased when he saw no looks of either surprise or dismay.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93When we ended the session yesterday, we were talking about factors affecting the \softline
growth of the market. Has anyone thought of any others?\'94 There were additional \softline
mentions which the group discus-sed. After each, Cliff showed on the chart whether the \softline
net effect on market growth was up, down or neutral. He was pleased to see that \softline
participation, particularly from the sales and marketing people, had increased \softline
substantially.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then he turned to competitor strengths and weaknesses. The first company they \softline
looked at was Ajax Industries. He explained that he was looking for three things: \softline
general characteristics and strategic thrust, strengths, and weaknesses. He defined a \softline
strength as putting a company in the top 25 percent of competi-tors, and a weakness, in \softline
the bottom 25 percent. The middle 50 percent would be listed, if appropriate, as a \softline
general character-istic of competitors.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab One of the salesmen offered a strength for Ajax, \'93Strong prices.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Once again Cliff was grateful for Sandy. She had neatly sketched out a seating chart \softline
with names and organization unit shown. The speaker was a salesman named Don \softline
Peters. \'93Don,\'94 he asked, \'93What do you mean by \'91strong prices\'92?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sir, they\'92re not one of those scuzz-bag operators, always chiseling off their posted \softline
prices. Ajax sticks to its price list. They call the tune in our business, particularly to \softline
OEM \'97 original-equipment manufacturers.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, Don, I\'92ll record that Ajax is the price leader. Folks, what I heard Don say is \softline
that Ajax establishes prices, and every-one else prices off them. Does anybody disagree?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane Miller spoke up. \'93I disagree! Ajax never leads. They just follow on price \softline
moves. There\'92s no way they\'92re the price leader!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff smiled at the girl. He noticed that she looked like she had not had much sleep \softline
the night before. For that matter, Steve Muller looked like he was in real pain. It \softline
appeared to be a combination of the fast trip from the Coast with a two-hour west-to-east \softline
time change, coupled with very little sleep the night before.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane, I\'92m sorry. I\'92m afraid you\'92re wrong for a change, and Don\'92s right. A price \softline
leader is the guy who determines if a price change sticks. Do you remember the primary \softline
steel industry years ago before steel imports and electric furnaces started to chew it up? \softline
In those days, U.S. Steel was the price leader. The company almost never initiated a \softline
price move. Moves were usually initiated by small com-panies. But everyone watched \softline
what U.S. Steel did.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93If the small company put prices up and U.S. Steel followed, all the others moved, \softline
too, and that became the new industry price. If Steel didn\'92t move, the smaller company \softline
quickly retreated. Now, Jane, who was the price leader? The little company that \softline
changed the price first or U.S. Steel?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I was wrong,\'94 Jane responded. \'93I guess I\'92m not awake yet this morning. It\'92s \softline
obviously Steel, and I agree with Don. Ajax is the price lead-er.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Don,\'94 Cliff said, \'93I want to come back to something else you said. I didn\'92t record \softline
a strength for Ajax for \'91strong pri-ces,\'92 and I want to talk about that. First, I should have \softline
stressed something at the outset. Everything on these sheets we\'92re working on is from \softline
the point of view of the market, not us or our competitors. Unless we\'92re dealing with a \softline
weird market like high-end perfume, the market always prefers low prices to high prices. \softline
How the seller makes money \'97 or if he does \'97 is his prob-lem. It may not be nice, but \softline
if the buyer can get what he wants free, he\'92ll grab it in an instant.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I once had a client in a chemical business. He was demoli-shing his two competitors, \softline
primarily with low prices, and they didn\'92t have the first clue how he could do it. The \softline
answer was very simple, but they didn\'92t know it. My client was known to use a totally \softline
different process to produce the same product all three sold. What they didn\'92t know was \softline
that my cli-ent\'92s raw materi-al was a waste product generated in the production of a best-selling anti-biotic. While they paid for their raw materials, my client was paid five dollars \softline
a ton to }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 take}{\plain \fs24 \f1 his, with the antibiotic\'92s manufacturer paying for transportation be-sides!
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93By the way, the pharma company thought it was getting a great deal, too. Before \softline
my client came along, they had to pay twenty to twenty-five dollars a ton, plus trans-
portation, to get rid of the stuff. They were delighted. Now, put yourselves in the shoes \softline
of my client\'92s competi-tors: How can you compete on price when you\'92re buying your raw \softline
materi-als against a guy who is paid to take his? The answer is: not easi-ly. They\'92re likely \softline
to be at a major cost disadvantage. Do you all see what I mean?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The group had listened to Cliff with some surprise. Finally, they conceded that high \softline
prices for Ajax was a weakness, not a strength. The discussion moved ahead and covered \softline
the other competitors in the market including captive producers and U.S. plants of over-
seas-based companies.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They had taken a break at ten o\'92clock and finally reached the lunch hour. Cliff was \softline
very pleased with the progress that had been made. He smiled to himself when he went \softline
into the same private dining room. The cold buffet was the same as the day before. The \softline
only change was the kind of soup offered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab After he took a seat Sandy sat down beside him. \'93Cliff,\'94 she said, \'93if I understand \softline
this process correct-ly, we\'92re going to move from this discussion to find out what we need \softline
to do to win in the business we\'92re in. Then we try to figure out what changes have to be \softline
made to do it. Is that right?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, that\'92s exactly right. What we\'92re really doing is stripping away all of the \softline
tinsel and ornaments to see what the tree \'97 the basic structure of our industry and our
company \'97 is really like. Operationally, we\'92re always bogged down in detail and day-to-day crises, so we almost never look. We\'92re looking now.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The meeting reconvened and Cliff shifted the subject to basis of competition: How \softline
does a company win the game. He explained there are usually a small number of factors \softline
\'97 normally only three to five \'97 that determine success.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Folks,\'94 he explained, \'93this section is absolutely critical! If we don\'92t get this section \softline
right before we set our strategy, }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 everything}{\plain \fs24 \f1 is wrong. We won\'92t win and can\'92t win \softline
because we will be focusing on the wrong things. When we complete it, the list will tell \softline
us what we need to do. Our strategy will be the things we intend to do to make it \softline
happen. Again, as in the dis-cussion of strengths and weaknesses, it\'92s from the point of \softline
view of the }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 market!
}{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 \tab \'93}{\plain \fs24 \f1 So I don\'92t want to hear \'91high profits.\'92 The market couldn\'92t care less about our \softline
profits. If they can get a better price from us, they would just as soon we didn\'92t make \softline
any. This is the list of things to be done. How we achieve them \'97 and make a profit \'97 \softline
is what our strategy is all about. Under-stand? Now who wants to start?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Steve Muller offered the first suggestion, \'93Cliff, how about low prices?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff grinned at Steve. \'93I\'92m sorry, Steve, I\'92m afraid I set you up for that with our \softline
earlier discussions. But let\'92s talk about it: We said customers prefer lower prices to \softline
higher prices. However, we also see Ajax winning the game: They have the leading \softline
market share, they\'92re gaining share and they\'92re the price leader, yet we dinged them for \softline
high prices.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Are you starting to see how this process works? We\'92re trying to get }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 concepts}{\plain \fs24 \f1 to add \softline
down and add across in the same way an accountant works to get his numbers to add \softline
down and across. Clearly, we\'92re missing something. It\'92s axiomatic that a company can\'92t \softline
be winning if it\'92s doing important things wrong. So how is Ajax winning with high \softline
prices?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At this point, Bill Stevens spoke up. \'93I think what we\'92re missing is the price-quality \softline
equation. When we talk price we\'92re assuming the products are equal in quality. I don\'92t \softline
think they are. I think Ajax delivers consistently high quality that can create savings to \softline
the buyer. He can save in quality assurance, component testing, warranty claims, and \softline
his general reputation.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Let\'92s face it: If one of our valves fails in service, who takes the hit with the \softline
customer? It\'92s certainly not us. Most people don\'92t even know we exist. Magna Motors, \softline
or whoever we sold our valve to takes the heat. It\'92s their engine, after all, not ours. \softline
Does this make any sense, Cliff? I don\'92t know a damn thing about strategy. I can\'92t even \softline
spell it, for God\'92s sake!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Thanks, Bill,\'94 Cliff responded, \'93I appreciate the comment and what you just said \softline
certainly does make sense. There\'92s one point I want to pick up on, and that\'92s \softline
participation in these sessions. The reason you\'92re all here is I believe you all have
something to contribute... and I know you have a lot to learn. When we finish, you need \softline
to know what our strategy is.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93More important, you need to }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 understand}{\plain \fs24 \f1 it! You can only develop that understand-
ing through this kind of participation. If I didn\'92t stress it enough before, I\'92ll do it now. \softline
No one is being graded in this session. The grades come afterwards, when you\'92re out \softline
performing in the factory, with customers... wherever.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93One more thing: there are no dumb questions. The only dumb question is the one \softline
that isn\'92t asked. If you\'92re confused, it\'92s entirely possible it\'92s because we\'92re not clear... \softline
or our bright idea may not be nearly as bright as we might like to think it is. Now, what \softline
about Bill\'92s idea of a price/qual-ity relation-ship?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The discussion continued through the afternoon, looking at price history, market \softline
segments \'97 it turned out that the export market was growing rapidly but Murphy was \softline
ignoring it \'97 production facilities and other factors. Cliff finally turned his attention \softline
to Murphy Manufacturing. As they looked at the company\'92s position in the industry \softline
over time, the erosion of its position became very clear. Cliff adjourned the meeting \softline
when he got to Murphy\'92s strengths and weaknesses.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy came up to him and said, \'93Cliff, you look absolutely beat. It\'92s obvious to me \softline
what you\'92re doing up there is tiring as hell. It\'92s really the mental equivalent of patting \softline
your head and rubbing your belly, isn\'92t it? It\'92s really a hell of a lot tougher than it looks! \softline
Could I buy you dinner? Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff had collapsed into a chair after standing all after-noon. He pretended to prop \softline
up one eyelid, and smiled at her. \'93Sandy, you\'92re great. I scarcely have the energy to get \softline
down to my car. I\'92d love it!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled at him and said, \'93There\'92s an ulterior motive. Jane drove me in this \softline
morning and then went off with Steve. I think they\'92re both so tired they may actually \softline
sleep tonight. Anyway, I need a ride home... again.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s a deal!\'94 Cliff said, \'93provided you drive.\'94 Reaching into his coat for his car keys, \softline
he put them in her hand.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He was asleep almost as soon as he got into the car. The next thing he knew his \softline
shoulder was being shaken. \'93We\'92re here,\'94 Sandy said, \'93but I\'92ll be damned if I\'92m going \softline
to carry you up to my apartment. Feel better?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff blinked and smiled. \'93Much better, thank you. Now where would you like to \softline
eat?\'94 He looked at himself and suddenly remembered he was wearing casual clothes. \softline
\'93I\'92m afraid it can\'92t be too swanky, though, with me dressed like this.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Come on in,\'94 she said. \'93We\'92ll figure out something.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They went up to her apartment. Cliff was very impressed. Although it was only a \softline
fraction of the size of Stephanie\'92s he liked it much better, but he couldn\'92t quite figure \softline
out why. In addition to its larger size, Stephanie\'92s had its magnificent view over Lake \softline
Michigan, while Sandy\'92s, a low-rise, just looked out at a quiet residential street.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Suddenly, he understood. Stephanie\'92s was decorator-drama-tic: beautifully done by \softline
an expensive decorator for a dramatic effect which had been achieved. Sandy\'92s, on the \softline
other hand, was also exquisitely decorated but with an eye to comfort. He asked about \softline
drinks and made two while she went to her bedroom to change. He sat down on the sofa \softline
with his drink.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The next thing he knew, Sandy was shaking his shoulder again. \'93Dinner\'92s ready,\'94 \softline
she announced.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff looked up at her and realized she was again wearing what she had worn the \softline
previous Saturday \'97 tight Levi\'92s and her Michigan sweat-shirt. Once again, her lovely \softline
auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sorry, Sandy. That was awful! I just sat down... and that\'92s all I remember. \softline
Please believe me! It\'92s a tribute to the comfort of your furnishings, not a comment on \softline
the hos-tess.\'94 He noticed that his untouched drink was now water.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled at him. \'93It\'92s just as well,\'94 she said. \'93It kept you from being under-foot \softline
while I got dinner ready. I hope you\'92re not tired of steak? That\'92s about the extent of my \softline
culi-nary ability, except for opening cans.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy had set the table in her small dining area. It was apparent to Cliff that she \softline
was using her good china, crystal and silver. He supposed she inherited it from her \softline
family. The table was beautiful. Sandy brought out jumbo shrimp cocktail with \softline
Arnaud\'92s sauce and Cliff expressed his surprise. \'93This is the strangest looking steak I\'92ve \softline
ever seen. And this has to be Arnaud\'92s sauce from New Orleans, isn\'92t it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She nodded and poured a bottle of chilled white wine. Cliff noted it was a vintage \softline
French Chablis which was magnificent with the shrimp. She cleared the plates and \softline
returned with two beautiful boneless sirloins served with sauce P\'e9rigord, and Cliff could \softline
see she had a heavy hand with the very expensive truffles slivered into it. The steak was \softline
served with thinly sliced french fries and a salad. She poured from a half bottle of \softline
chateau-bottled vintage Bordeaux that had been opened earlier to breathe.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He noticed that her portion was virtually the same size as his, and she ate it. He \softline
couldn\'92t help contrast this girl with Stephanie. Stepha-nie was always chasing the latest \softline
in food fads, but as far as he could tell didn\'92t enjoy eating anything. She merely picked, \softline
yet always seemed to be fighting her weight. Sandy, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy \softline
food and eating, yet complained of being too thin.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She served coffee and cognac in the living room. \'93Cliff, there\'92s a good movie on cable \softline
tonight. Would you like to watch?\'94 He nodded agreeably and sat down on the sofa while \softline
she tuned the set to a pay channel.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When she sat down beside him on the sofa, he put his arm around her shoulders and \softline
she snuggled close beside him. He enjoyed the movie, but didn\'92t know what to do. \softline
Sandy had almost immediately fallen asleep in his arms. He went to remove his arm but \softline
she had her hand on it and wouldn\'92t let go.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab The movie was action-adventure, and the noises of the final scene woke her up. He \softline
smiled down at her bright green eyes and asked, \'93Did you enjoy the movie?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled sleepily at him, \'93More than any movie I\'92ve seen in years. It was great!\'94 \softline
she said softly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then he tipped her face up and kissed her gently. He could feel her lips open under \softline
his and felt her tongue dart out. His hand went under her sweatshirt and he felt one of \softline
her beautifully shaped breasts in his hand. He cupped it and his hand was caught and \softline
held by hers from outside the sweatshirt.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff,\'94 she said very softly, \'93no further, please. I only have the willpower to say it \softline
once. But it feels so wonderful! Please don\'92t stop.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He went back to kissing her. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 My God! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 he thought. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 We\'92re necking after a movie! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 He \softline
realized he hadn\'92t done that in about fifteen years, and it was wonderful. Whenever she \softline
kissed him, it was like receiving a jolt of electricity. He realized he was in love with this \softline
girl he had known for only ten days!
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy was in heaven. She could feel his strong hand cupping her breast. For the \softline
first time in her life she didn\'92t even feel inadequate! She realized, although she was not \softline
big-chested, her breast filled his hand. His kisses were wonderful. Then she felt his \softline
hand moving under her sweatshirt caressing her upper body. She stretched and lay back \softline
against him, savoring the feeling of being loved.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Finally he pulled away, looked at her and saw her bril-liant green eyes glowing with \softline
love. He slowly withdrew his hand, gathered her in his arms and kissed her again. He \softline
realized it was getting late and there would be another big day tomorrow. He got up \softline
from the sofa and helped her up. She just snuggled against his chest with her arms \softline
around him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy,\'94 he said softly, \'93I\'92m going to bed. You used up your willpower awhile ago. \softline
I don\'92t know when I used up mine, but there\'92s none left. I would love nothing better \softline
than to go to bed with you, but we both know we shouldn\'92t. Right?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He could feel her head making a tiny nod on his shoulder. She looked up at him and \softline
said, \'93Thanks so much, Cliff! This was the nicest date I\'92ve ever had.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He smiled at her and gave her a soft kiss. \'93Sandy, that was the best meal I\'92ve eaten \softline
in ages. Since it was just pot luck, promise to invite me when you decide to cook a real \softline
meal?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She just smiled and nodded. He slowly released her and went down to his car.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Meanwhile, Sandy turned off the lights and got ready for bed. Once in bed, she \softline
shivered remembering the feel of his hands running over her body and the thrill of his \softline
lips on hers. She tried to make sense of her thoughts but couldn\'92t. She only knew he \softline
was the man for whom she had been waiting her entire life.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab As he drove back to his apartment, Cliff thought about Sandy and Stephanie. The \softline
two girls were a study in contrasts. And in every one Stephanie came up short. He was
amused thinking about Sandy saying she could \'93only cook a steak.\'94 The way it was \softline
cooked would have done a master chef proud. In contrast, Stepha-nie could not have \softline
possibly cooked anything like it if her life depended on it, and could not have boiled \softline
water with the ease with which Sandy prepared the full meal.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Moreover, there was a contrast in living styles and in friends. He didn\'92t care much \softline
for Stephanie\'92s, but he realized he didn\'92t know any of Sandy\'92s except Jane whom he \softline
liked. He guessed her friends would be an eclectic group, centered on Murphy Manufac-
turing. But having come to that conclusion he realized he had no basis for it. Finally, \softline
he thought about the movie. He couldn\'92t be sure if she liked those movies or if she \softline
thought he would.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He did know he couldn\'92t remember having more fun even though they hadn\'92t shared \softline
a bed. He remembered fondly how she had snuggled close to him and slept with his arm \softline
around her, and wouldn\'92t let him move it. He could still feel her bare skin under his \softline
finger tips, and how, with his hand cupping her breast, she had placed her hand to keep \softline
it there. And her kisses made his toes curl! All of this, while wearing jeans and a \softline
sweatshirt, which made him feel far more romantic than he ever did with Stephanie and \softline
all her stage management.
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The next day they began on Murphy\'92s strengths and weak-nesses. The picture that \softline
emerged was not bright. The only significant strengths were the company name \'97 \softline
although it wasn\'92t nearly as good as it once was \'97 and skilled workers. Weaknesses \softline
included high pricesa lethally coupled with poor quality. The product line was rated the \softline
broadest in the industry. Initially, some had argued it to be a strength yet discussion \softline
revealed that individual customers used few products, but typically in high volume.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They looked at many other facets of the business and then examined market \softline
maturity. The market was rated classically mature: growth was slow, the market cycled, \softline
no new entrants, little untapped potential.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The competitive position exercise labeled them weak, i.e., currently unsatisfactory \softline
performance with opportunity for improvement. It is an inherently unstable position. \softline
A weak company must im-prove to at least satisfacto-ry or become nonviable, i.e., dead. \softline
They finally arrived at strategy formulation. Cliff initiated the strategy discus-sion: \'93Can \softline
anyone tell me the difference between a goal and an objective?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy spoke up. \'93I think I heard somewhere that an objec-tive is a special class of \softline
goal that\'92s achievable, measurable and time-bound. A goal isn\'92t necessarily any of those \softline
things. Cliff, it\'92s well known around the company that you gave the board specific \softline
objectives to be reached by October 1. They\'92re measurable \'97 stated in dollar terms, and \softline
time-bound \'97 by October 1. We all hope they turn out to be achiev-able.\'94 She looked \softline
at Cliff and asked, \'93How\'92s that?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Cliff was smiling broadly as he answered, \'93That\'92s an \'91A+\'92 answer! It\'92s perfect! \softline
Now, Miss Donnell, the $64 question... No! We\'92ll make it for dinner Saturday night. \softline
What is the goal for Murphy Manufacturing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There can be only one goal: the maximization of long-run pro-fits. Do I get a \softline
dinner? My choice of places?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You sure do! Now, since you\'92re obviously hitting on all cylinders \'97 equipped with \softline
Murphy rings and valves, we hope \'97 would you explain to the class for extra credit...\'94 \softline
He grinned and indicated the people in the room. \'93...why it\'92s a goal, not an objective, \softline
why it\'92s the only appropriate goal, and what it means?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy was smiling and obviously enjoying herself. It was apparent that the other \softline
people in the room were reacting with varying degrees of surprise except for Jane Miller \softline
who expect-ed Sandy to be correct.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy explained. \'93First, why it\'92s a goal, not an objective: It\'92s not time-bound. What \softline
does \'91long-term\'92 mean? It\'92s not measurable. It\'92s impos-sible to prove, even long after the \softline
fact, if profits were in fact being maximized. Finally, it may not be possible to do. It \softline
doesn\'92t meet any of the tests of an objective.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s the only possible goal, because as a profit-making company, it\'92s our reason for \softline
being here. Everything else \'97 fair wages, good employee relations, good corporate \softline
citizenship \'97 whatever that means \'97 being environmentally sound \'97 all play off the \softline
profit maximization concept.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93For example, if the company pol-lutes the lake, the State of Wisconsin, the Feds, or \softline
both, close us down. End of story. We certainly didn\'92t maximize profits long term. If \softline
we have lousy relations with our employees, the good ones quit and we can\'92t replace \softline
them. We\'92re through \'97 again. What it means is this: We do the best job we can, \softline
balancing long- and short-term requirements in an optimum fashion. Mr. Fitzpat-rick, \softline
I think I explained it. Doing it, sir, is your job!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Another \'91A+\'92 answer. Sandy, that was the best answer I\'92ve ever heard anywhere. \softline
As a reward, while I try to figure out how I\'92m going to pay for dinner, you get to stand \softline
up here, marker in hand, and discuss objectives and goals. You can get the ink on your \softline
fingers. I\'92ll rest my feet and heckle.\'94 He grinned and handed her his felt marker.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy was startled but went up to the charts and asked, \'93Does anyone have any \softline
questions or comments?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Kevin O\'92Rourke spoke up. \'93Sandy, what should our objec-tive be? Better yet, what\'92s \softline
our strategy?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy looked a little flustered and looked at Cliff. Avoid-ing her eyes, he studied the \softline
carpet pattern. \'93Kevin, I think it\'92s pretty straightforward. Putting together all the \softline
material Cliff dragged out of us \'97 there are over forty sheets papering the walls \'97 I \softline
think it\'92s fairly simple. Incidentally, I\'92ll try to write big. I heard a rumor that we can\'92t \softline
get out of the room if there\'92s one square inch of wall not covered with these sheets.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93First, we strip down the product line to about 5 percent of the products we\'92re \softline
offering now. I guess we\'92ll work out the numbers between now and the next session. \softline
According to Cliff\'92s little strategy cards, that\'92s called Product Rationaliza-tion.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Second, we streamline our manufacturing process. We clean up the line layout, \softline
knock off a bunch of inspectors, and insist that the guys making the products get it right \softline
the first time. We debug the whole process to make it as easy as we can to do it right. \softline
I think that\'92s Production Rationaliza-tion.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93While I\'92m borrowing his marker, I guess it\'92s fair to steal his stories, too. He told \softline
me about a Japanese auto executive he was talking with who was very puzzled. \'91Missa \softline
Fitzpatrick, I do not under-stand Americans. You pay one man do, another man undo, \softline
and third man redo. Much cheaper to do it right, first time!\'92 Anyway, Cliff thought the \softline
Japanese made sense, and I know he did. Does anyone here care seriously to argue that \softline
it doesn\'92t?\'94 No one spoke. \'93I didn\'92t think so.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Third, we have to build our export business, with a special focus on South America.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That\'92s enough, and it\'92s a lot. I would like to say one more thing: What\'92s an \softline
assistant doing setting strategy, you won-der. Well, so do I. I can\'92t even spell strategy \softline
the same way twice, and that\'92s }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 my}{\plain \fs24 \f1 job. I\'92ve worked at Murphy for more years than I care \softline
to think about, but I\'92ve learned more about our ring and valve business in the last three \softline
days than I learned in the pre-vious ten years. After what we learned, I think our \softline
direction is obvious. What do you think?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy conducted the remainder of the meeting. Cliff was impress-ed. Not only did \softline
she show an in-depth understanding of all the material, she had an instinctive grasp of \softline
all the inter-actions. He also found that she used her knowledge of the people to draw \softline
them all into the discussion. He particularly noticed that no one challenged her r\'f4le as \softline
leader nor tried to blow one by her. By the time she wrapped up, every person in the \softline
room had talked about the strate-gy. Finally, she tried to hand him the marker, but he \softline
refused.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Folks,\'94 he said, \'93I know when I\'92ve been upstaged. Great job, Sandy. You close!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You heard the man. We\'92re all done for now. There will be memos out scheduling \softline
our next meeting dates. We\'92re adjourned.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was pleased to see the people crowd around Sandy to con-gratulate her. Others \softline
came over to thank him for the oppor-tunity. Finally, he and Sandy were alone. The girl \softline
glowed. They were both straddling chairs looking at one another.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff looked at her and asked, \'93What did you think about it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, it was the greatest day of my life! I loved it! But you made it possible. I was \softline
being absolutely truth-ful. I did learn so much! Thank you.\'94 She tipped her chair \softline
forward, intent on kissing him. He leaned forward, too, to close the distance. The kiss \softline
with both of them balancing on tipped chairs was breathtaking. The only contact was \softline
with their lips. Sandy was trying to convey the depth of her love through her lips and \softline
did. Cliff was rocked to his shoes.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab They spent the next two days on the cash management project and preparations for \softline
the session on the retail business beginning the following Monday. Sandy was funny. \softline
Now that she was recog-nized as the company treasurer by bankers, O\'92Rourke\'92s people \softline
ran a phone line through another secretary to answer \'93Miss Donnell\'92s office\'94 if she were \softline
out, to a button on her phone which she picked up if she were in. The same line ran to \softline
Purcell\'92s old office which she used in her capacity as treasurer.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff noticed she kept a beautifully tailored suit on a hanger in her new office. If a \softline
banker came to see her she quickly changed into her \'93treasurer\'92s suit\'94 and greeted \softline
them. He had asked her about Saturday night. Finally, she told him where he was \softline
taking her. The selection was her choice.
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was wearing a dinner jacket when he went to her apartment to pick her up. \softline
Although he felt strange bringing her a spring-flower corsage, he thought it was very \softline
pretty. He rang her bell and the door opened moments later. Cliff was stunned. Sandy \softline
was wearing a silk chiffon strapless cocktail dress, and she did a little pirouette to show \softline
off the skirts. The dress was the same shade of emerald green as her eyes. She looked \softline
gorgeous.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I would whistle, Sandy, but my mother told me it isn\'92t polite. But you are simply \softline
breathtaking!\'94 He presented her with the flowers, feeling sheepish as he did so.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He saw her eyes start to tear, and she gave him a quick, light kiss on the lips. \softline
\'93Thank you so much! Cliff, this is only the second corsage I\'92ve ever had! The first was \softline
for my high school senior prom... and he was a drip.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at him seriously. \'93Are you sure you wouldn\'92t rather I cook? I feel I \softline
cheated, somehow, because I work for you.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandra Donnell, not on your life! You bought the dress specially for tonight, didn\'92t \softline
you?\'94 She nodded her head shyly. \'93But you would give it all up and cook, wouldn\'92t \softline
you?\'94 Again she nodded. \'93No way! The reservations are made, the champagne is being \softline
chilled, the band is warming up and I even put on a tux, for heaven\'92s sake!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, you look very handsome in a dinner jacket. I have to tell you that today is the \softline
proudest day of my life! I\'92ve never felt so good about myself before, and it\'92s all your \softline
fault. I shouldn\'92t say it I suppose, but this is the first time I have ever had the courage \softline
to wear a strap-less dress. Would you believe it? I\'92m almost twenty-six years old! The \softline
other night you convinced me that maybe there\'92s enough of me to hold it up.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff left the car with the valet parking attendant and escorted Sandy to the dining \softline
room. The ma\'eetre d\'92h\'f4tel greeted him and showed him to a reserved table. He enjoyed \softline
watching the heads turn at Sandy\'92s auburn-haired beauty.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When they were seated, he looked at her. \'93I can\'92t imagine a girl looking more \softline
beautiful than you do now. I guess you may have taken ten or fifteen minutes to get \softline
ready?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab She smiled softly. \'93Ten or fifteen hours, maybe. Do you like my hair? It was \softline
countless hours of torture to get it right. I think I\'92ll wear a hair net to bed, or something \softline
romantic like that to keep it this way.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The band was playing, so Cliff asked her to dance. Again, he was startled at the way \softline
she floated in his arms. When they sat down again, he called for the champagne he had \softline
ordered earlier. He was disconcerted by the way she was studying his face.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Tell me about you,\'94 she asked. \'93You know about all there is to know about me. Do \softline
you have any brothers or sisters?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I have an older sister, Susan. She lives in L.A. with her husband and... I guess it\'92s \softline
five and two-thirds nieces and nephews, now. I\'92m sure you\'92ll like her, and I know she\'92ll \softline
love you! She\'92s two years older than I am and is constantly pregnant. I asked her one \softline
time, and she says it saves money to buy mater-nity dresses by the dozen.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Another time I asked her if she and her husband ever did anything other than make \softline
love, and she looked at me deadpan. \'91I beg your pardon,\'92 she said. \'91Charley and I have \softline
made love seven... no, eight times. I remember it distinct-ly. It was twice on our \softline
honeymoon, and then there was the time I miscarried. That\'92s eight. He\'92s just more \softline
effective than most men.\'92
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Can you believe it? The funny thing is I saw her last summer in a bikini, and she \softline
looked like her daughter\'92s older sister. If you told someone she had given birth to five \softline
child-ren, he would say you were crazy. I guess we\'92re not much of an Irish family, with \softline
only two children, so Sis says she has to make up for lost time.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The funny thing is she and Charley have five of the nicest kids I\'92ve ever seen. Of \softline
course, that\'92s an unbiased uncle\'92s point of view.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I can\'92t wait to meet Susan!\'94 Sandy said, taking his hand in hers. \'93I hope I will \softline
someday.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I was thinking about you the other night,\'94 he said. \'93I was contrasting you with \softline
Stephanie. Incidentally, I\'92m breaking it off with Stepha-nie for good. I thought I should \softline
tell you.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He smiled at her and squeez-ed the hand that was still in his. \'93You\'92re truly beautiful. \softline
You know that, don\'92t you? I have never seen such a gorgeous combina-tion of eyes, hair \softline
and skin as you have. You are extra-ordinary.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff had ordered Dom P\'e9rignon which they were sipping. The dinner was superb, \softline
and they both enjoyed the dancing until they left at closing time.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Finally, they arrived back at her apart-ment. He stood at the door and she said, \softline
\'93Cliff, please come in. I would like to make us some coffee to go with some special \softline
cognac I\'92ve been saving. Could you handle some?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He smiled and went in. She had the coffee maker primed and turned it on. A few \softline
minutes later he helped her with the coffee cups and the cognac. He recognized it from \softline
its Baccarat decanter as R\'e9my Martin\'92s Louis XIII. As they sat together on the sofa
sipping their coffee. \'93Sandy, tell me about yourself. I don\'92t even know who your friends \softline
are other than Jane Miller. I gather you have no family left?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I guess I am the last of the Murphys. Most of my friends are in the company. Being \softline
away at school for six years and working the rest of the time in the plant, I guess that\'92s \softline
what happens sometimes.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He took her in his arms and kissed her. She instantly re-sponded with a passion that \softline
surprised him. When he ran his fingers over her bare back he found her skin was like \softline
satin to the touch. She spoke softly into his shoulder, \'93Do you remember giving me a \softline
question for extra credit? And I got it right? Cliff, for my prize I want you to stay with \softline
me tonight. Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked at her and could see that her eyes were glowing. \'93You\'92re ser-i-ous, aren\'92t \softline
you?\'94 he asked softly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92ve never been more serious in my life! I should warn you, though: I have next to \softline
no experience with men. I guess I was always a tomboy and then I was the kid sister. \softline
Until you came along, I always thought of myself as a graceless geek. I\'92ve only been with \softline
a man once in my life, and it was aw-ful. He was as inexperienced as I was, if you can \softline
believe such a thing happening these days. We didn\'92t know what we were doing, and it \softline
hurt terribly. You hear so much about the sexual revolution, but I guess I\'92ve always \softline
been hiding behind a door or something. Can you help me, Cliff? Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff felt very humble as he followed her into her bedroom. It was beautifully fur-
nished and yet was different, somehow. As he looked around, he realized what it was. \softline
Here was a stark contrast to what he had become used to with Stephanie. Steph had a \softline
stage set-ting for seduc-tion. Sandy\'92s room was ready to go to bed. He noticed the \softline
bedspread was off the bed, and the covers were turned down \'97 on both sides \'97 on the \softline
very comfortable-looking king-size bed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab As they stood together in the room, it was all Sandy could do to keep her knees from \softline
knocking. She was so scared! Her one previous experience she had mentioned to Cliff \softline
had been far worse than she had admitted. She was correct about one thing. Neither \softline
of them had had any experience. But she hadn\'92t told him that the boy had just lost \softline
control. It had ended up as a rape, with Sandy screaming in pain while he forced his \softline
entry and ended with her lying on the floor with her body huddled in a ball as he left.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She prayed she wouldn\'92t make a fool of herself tonight. But she didn\'92t have the \softline
slightest idea what to do and Cliff was being too considerate. He was taking no \softline
initiative. She swal-lowed hard and realized she would have to take the lead if anything \softline
was going to happen.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab So she moved close to him, kissed him softly and then helped him off with his dinner \softline
jacket. Then she untied his bow tie, took off his cummer-bund and began to unbutton his \softline
shirt. He had a very hairy chest and wasn\'92t wearing an under-shirt. She kissed him \softline
softly on his nipples. His braces were already hang-ing down, and he had slipped off his \softline
shoes. She unhooked his waistband and let his trousers fall. He stepped out of them,
and was now clad only in his briefs and socks. He pulled his socks off and flipped them \softline
towards a corner, leaving only his briefs. He was so muscular and handsome it took her \softline
breath away.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She was still fully clothed. Still without saying a word, she turned her back to him. \softline
}{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Please, God!}{\plain \fs24 \f1 she prayed. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Don\'92t let him laugh at me.}{\plain \fs24 \f1 She could feel him unhook the top \softline
of her dress and slide the zipper all the way down. She stepped out of her shoes and held \softline
up the front of her dress. Then she turned towards him again and just let the dress fall \softline
to the floor. Now all she was wearing were bikini briefs which she pulled down quickly \softline
and let drop.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff watched the lovely girl as she let go of the dress. He couldn\'92t make out the \softline
expression in her eyes as she just stood with her arms at her sides and her shoulders \softline
back. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 My God!}{\plain \fs24 \f1 he thou-ght. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 She\'92s afraid I\'92ll laugh! But she\'92s magnifi-cent! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 He reached \softline
out his arms and she came to him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 He didn\'92t laugh! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 she thought. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Thank you, God. He didn\'92t laugh! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 When he held out \softline
his arms, she moved closer and mashed her breasts against his chest. She moved her \softline
body against his to feel her nipples chafe against the hair on his chest. It felt mar-velous!
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He put his hand around her small ass and squeezed a cheek. She could feel her fluids \softline
start to gush and she felt her knees almost buckle. At the same time she could feel a \softline
pressure on her abdomen where his sex made con-tact with her body. She steeled herself, \softline
bent down, and pulled down his brief-s releasing his magnificent weapon. She just \softline
looked. She couldn\'92t bring herself to touch it. It was so huge! }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 I can\'92t do this,}{\plain \fs24 \f1 she \softline
thought. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 It\'92s so big it will tear me in half! But I must! If Stephanie can, I will.}{\plain \fs24 \f1
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He took her to the bed, pulled down the covers, placed her on her back and got in \softline
beside her. He noticed the sheets were new, very crisp, and held a faint trace of her \softline
perfume. She made no move to turn down the lights as he began to caress her body.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She steeled herself and moved her hand toward his sex. She found it, touched it \softline
gingerly and decided she liked its feel. Then she began to caress it as he continued \softline
stroking her body. His hand moved down to her legs and started lightly to caress her \softline
thigh. She parted her legs to give him access, and his hand moved up to her cunt.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She felt herself impaled as his finger moved inside her and contacted her clitoris. \softline
Her fluids had been flow-ing, and she could feel her warm wetness around his finger. \softline
Meanwhile, her hips had started to move, seemingly of their own voli-tion. She was \softline
simultaneously scared and wanting.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She had steeled herself to take him, and she seemed to understand that her body \softline
want-ed him more than her brain feared him. \'93Please, Cliff, now!\'94 she whispered. \softline
\'93Please...\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He moved on top of her. Using her hand to guide him to her vaginal opening, she \softline
lifted her hips to try to make his entry easier. He moved forward and she felt a small \softline
pop as the head of his sex entered her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and felt \softline
him move deeper inside her. He withdrew and went in again, and yet again. Suddenly
she realized he was in to his full length. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 And it hadn\'92t hurt! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 She felt stretched. She \softline
thought she could feel him all through her insides as she wrapped her legs tightly around \softline
him. She lay back on the bed to enjoy the feeling of having him inside her.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff looked down at her. As he entered her, he saw her head toss from side to side, \softline
and her hands alternately caressed him and pressed flat against the sheet. He could feel \softline
her strong legs wrapped around him, and when he had entered her fully, tighten around \softline
his hips.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At that instant her eyes opened, and he saw a look of pure joy. \'93You\'92re in me,\'94 she \softline
whispered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Of course I am. Are you surprised?\'94 He leaned forward and kissed her while she \softline
continued to hold him with her legs. Slowly he started to move in and out.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She picked up his timing and started to move her hips in tempo. Sandy was startled \softline
when she felt an involuntary spasm in her vagina. }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Could this be an orgasm? }{\plain \fs24 \f1 she \softline
wondered. She could hear herself making involuntary sounds as he used long strokes \softline
that seemed to last forever. His tempo speeded up, and hers did, too. She could feel \softline
herself being taken up to a peak. When she reached one, she felt the sensuous spasm \softline
again, and yet again, each stronger than the last.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She tried to grip his sex with her vaginal muscles. He was so large inside her she fit \softline
him like a very tight lubri-cated glove. She could feel herself climbing again, higher and \softline
higher. Her pelvis now had a life of its own as she continued to bump and grind against \softline
him. She was taken higher, higher and higher still. Suddenly she ex-ploded and then \softline
fainted as her nervous system overloaded and cut out.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff reached his peak as he worked within her. Her head tossed faster and faster \softline
and her involuntary sounds increased in intensity. Then she experienced a series of \softline
orgasms, each more intense than the last. Still they had moved together in a way he had \softline
never experienced before. He could sense it as she approached her climax and then he \softline
exploded, bringing her over with him. His fluids pumped into her as her vaginal muscles \softline
contracted violently to squeeze him dry. He saw her go limp as he collapsed on top of \softline
her.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy slowly regained consciousness. She had never felt like this before. As \softline
sensation returned, she realized she was on her back, with her side molded to a \softline
wonderfully warm body. Then she realized an arm was over her holding her tightly \softline
while its hand was holding her breast.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She nestled closer and the hand started to move. Quickly, she took it in hers and \softline
kept it pressed to her breast. With her head resting on his shoulder, Cliff heard her \softline
whis-per, \'93Please!\'94 He kept his hand in place, and they went to sleep.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Daylight coming through the blinds finally awakened him. He realized he had his \softline
arm around this lovely girl nestled against him. When he softly squeezed the breast he \softline
was holding, he heard a warm sound from deep in her throat. She rolled over on her side
and faced him with her arm coming around and over him. He could feel her long fingers \softline
stroking his chest. Looking over, he saw a pair of lovely green eyes regarding him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 This is heaven! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 she thought as his hand gripped her breast. She rolled over in bed \softline
and put her arm over his body. She looked intently at his face and whispered, \'93Good \softline
morning, darling! What happened last night? The last thing I remember was going \softline
higher and higher, and then everything ex-ploded. I never dreamed it could be like that.\'94 \softline
She looked at him with concern showing in her eyes. \'93Was I all right?\'94 she asked anx-
ious-ly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It was perfect, Sandy!\'94 he said. \'93I\'92ve never experienced anything like it. Ever!\'94 \softline
He suddenly realized how beauti-ful she looked even though she had just awakened. He \softline
ran his fingers over her body and felt her satin skin under his finger-tips. He ran his \softline
hand through her hair and tousled it. She just shook her head under his fingers and \softline
smiled. Cliff realized again how unlike Steph she was. Stephanie would have had a fit \softline
if he messed up her hairdo. Sandy seemed to relish the feeling.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy threw off her covers and ran into the bathroom. Moments later she went off \softline
toward the kitchen, and Cliff got out of bed to go to the bathroom. As he was coming \softline
out, she came back into the room. She looked at him and decided he was the most \softline
handsome man she had ever seen. She went up to him and shyly took his flaccid sex in \softline
her fingers. \'93It doesn\'92t look nearly so terrifying this morning,\'94 she said softly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He lifted her chin to look straight into her eyes. \'93Was it terrifying last night?\'94 he \softline
asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She buried her face in his shoulder which muffled her reply, \'93I was certain it would \softline
rip me in half.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Again he lifted her chin. He could see that she was very serious. \'93Why did you let \softline
me do it, then?\'94 he asked, genuine-ly concerned.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She didn\'92t lower her gaze. \'93Because I wanted to. Honey, I was determined if \softline
Stephanie could take you inside, I could, too... regardless. I so desperately wanted it \softline
inside me, I didn\'92t care if you ripped me open to make room. Could you feel my... cunt...? \softline
flowing with moisture? My body thought it could take you inside, even if my brain didn\'92t \softline
believe it. Then it just went in with a little pop, and it was all over. You can\'92t believe \softline
how wonder-ful you felt. You\'92re so big! Now I feel so won-der-ful-ly sore down there... and \softline
we only did it once. Can we do it again, soon?\'94 She had been concentrating on his eyes \softline
so much she wasn\'92t aware that his cock had become rigid again. As he pulled her closer, \softline
it bent back between them. Her hand went down to caress it and then asked, \'93Do you \softline
mind?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab For an answer he just smiled and put his finger in her now-moist slit. \'93Do you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That feels so good! But you\'92re ready again.\'94 She took his hand and led him to the \softline
bed. \'93Can the girl ever be on top?\'94 she asked shyly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He turned on his back, and said, \'93Of course, honey!\'94 He watched as she carefully \softline
strad-dled him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Am I doing this right?\'94 she asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You\'92re doing just fine!\'94 he replied as he cradled her ass cheeks in his hands and \softline
stroked them with his finger tips.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She positioned herself over his cock and allowed her body to settle slowly. Again she \softline
was surprised at how easily his huge sex penetrated her. She rotated her hips and used \softline
her vagina to pull him into her. She was trying to do it all in a single stroke. Finally, she \softline
could feel him all the way inside. He moved his hands and grasped her beautiful breasts \softline
which were bouncing slightly in front of him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93God, they\'92re lovely,\'94 he said as he played with her small pink nipples and watched \softline
as they became erect. She leaned further forward and he lifted his head and shoulders \softline
off the bed to kiss her. She put one of her hands behind his head to pull him closer to \softline
her. It felt so marvelous to kiss her like this with his hands holding her breasts while \softline
his cock was being caressed by her vaginal muscles.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Slowly, she started to move up and down on the bar of his sex that impaled her. Her \softline
hips rotated as she moved up and down. The feeling in her sex was exquisite. Again she \softline
heard herself moan as her passion built to a small orgasm; she paused for a moment and \softline
continued. Now she could feel her passion rise higher than the first time to a peak \softline
followed by yet another orgasmic re-lease.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She focused her eyes on Cliff\'92s face as he tried to maintain control during her \softline
orgasm. It built to a stronger climax again, followed by another and yet another. Finally \softline
she heard herself cry out as her cunt exploded, triggering Cliff\'92s release as well. Her hips \softline
jerked uncontrol-lably as if they had a life of their own. She collapsed on his chest and \softline
could feel her cunt continue to pulsate to extract the last bit of semen from the cock \softline
inside it.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She lay with her head on his chest as her breathing slowly returned to normal. \softline
Finally she raised her head and looked at him proudly. \'93I didn\'92t faint! I was conscious \softline
the whole time!\'94 She looked at him with a question in her eyes, \'93Cliff, is it always this \softline
good?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He put his arms around her and pulled her close. Then he pulled the covers up over \softline
them, stroked her hair, and ran his fingertips over her back. \'93No, it\'92s not. It\'92s never \softline
been this good before. Ever! Sandy, you\'92re marvelous!\'94 He continued to stroke her and \softline
heard her make soft mewing sounds as she gently ca-ressed his chest with her breasts.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Does that feel good to you?\'94 she asked, pushing herself away from his chest so she \softline
could see his eyes. \'93It feels so wonderful to chafe my nipples on your chest!\'94 He just \softline
smiled and nodded. Then she grinned. \'93Come on! The coffee\'92s ready.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was torn. On the one hand it felt so great to just hold this lovely girl. On the \softline
other, the coffee smell, now wafting into the bedroom, was wonderful. With a groan he \softline
got out of bed and followed her into the kitchen. He again contrasted her behavior with \softline
Stephanie\'92s. Not only did Sandy not mind him seeing her naked, she seemed to revel in \softline
it.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab When he got into the kitchen, Sandy had already poured two cups of coffee and was \softline
making preparations for a big breakfast. He sat on a chair and watched her move about \softline
the room so gracefully. Finally he asked, \'93Sandy, how did you know I would be staying \softline
last night?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked up in surprise, then smiled. \'93I didn\'92t know, Cliff, but I was hoping.\'94 She \softline
looked at him abashed, and asked diffi-dently, \'93Was everything all right? Was the bed \softline
okay? I guess I shouldn\'92t have been so obvious, should I?\'94 He had looked around the \softline
apartment and noticed every-thing was spotless.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, you said last night you had spent hours getting ready. Looking at how \softline
beautiful you look this morning with no makeup, and seeing how beautiful your apart-
ment looks, I have to believe it was about thirty minutes for you and ten hours for the \softline
apart-ment.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Don\'92t you like it?\'94 she asked anxiously.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s not as pretty as you are, but it\'92s a lovely apart-ment.\'94 She had made bacon and \softline
eggs with toast and hash browns. She brought two plates to the table and sat down \softline
facing him at the breakfast table. After they had eaten, she poured more coffee.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked at her as she sat across from him. \'93You know, you look awfully cute \softline
sitting there. You have beautiful breasts. They stand up so proudly with their lovely \softline
little nipples.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked down at her breasts and then back at him. \'93Aren\'92t they kind of small, \softline
though? I thought men liked girls with big boobs \'97 the kind you can mash your face \softline
into.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Now why would you think a thing like that? I thought you were the kid sister?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled. \'93That\'92s just it. I am. But you know what? Guys tell their fantasies to \softline
their kid sisters sometimes. I guess when I\'92m not being the kid sister, I\'92m the one they \softline
come to cry to. Honestly, I felt like crying more times than I can count. A guy who I \softline
thought was pretty attractive broke up with his girl and came to me to cry about it. Of \softline
course, it never occurred to him to ask me out. I can\'92t tell you how often that scene was \softline
played.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I guess that\'92s how I devel-oped a taste for beer. Whenev-er it happened, I would walk \softline
the guy to the nearest bar and let him cry in his beer. It never occurred to them to look \softline
at me. But in the meantime the guy would wax poetic about what gor-geous boobs the \softline
girl had. Once a guy went into raptures telling me about his ex-girlfriend\'92s lovely cunt... \softline
in graphic detail, yet.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at him, \'93It hurts, Cliff. It really does. So if you think I lack self-confidence, there\'92s a reason for it.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What fools!\'94 he exclaimed. \'93Honey, I know it hurt. On the other hand, you would \softline
have been married long ago if they had eyes in their heads, so it\'92s a break for me. You \softline
are absolutely per-fect!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93I suppose there were compensations,\'94 she said with a wry smile. \'93I never would \softline
have made Phi Beta Kappa if I dated. All I ever did was pick up the pieces every once in \softline
a while. Cliff, you can\'92t believe how bad it was. Once I was invited by one of those guys \softline
to his wedding. He wanted me there because }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 I}{\plain \fs24 \f1 restored }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 his}{\plain \fs24 \f1 self-confidence. Can you \softline
believe it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He leaned across the table and softly kissed her. \'93It\'92s their loss. Sandy, you seem \softline
very unconcerned around me. You make no effort to hide your body. If you\'92re so \softline
ashamed of it, why don\'92t you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She was puzzled and then shook her head. \'93Because I love you. I\'92m not much, Cliff. \softline
But I don\'92t want you to be fooled... to think you might be getting something you\'92re not. \softline
Do you really like me?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Darling, no! I love you! And I think you have a perfect body.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What do you want to do now?\'94 she asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I want to get to know that luscious body of yours better. May I?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Honey, if it\'92s in my power to give, you can have it. What do you want to do?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Shouldn\'92t we do the dishes first?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Are you kidding? The dishes are always here. This is the first time in my life I ever \softline
spent a night with a man. Cliff, you can\'92t believe how wonderful the night was, or how \softline
great I think the man is! What would you like me to do?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He led her into the bedroom and he got on the bed. She got on the bed, too, and \softline
knelt on the bed near him. She was kneeling back on her heels. \'93Do me a favor?\'94 he \softline
asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Anything!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Put your hands on your thighs, and kneel up straight. You can\'92t take your hands \softline
off your legs. Okay?\'94 She instantly agreed. He moved her a little closer to him so he \softline
could reach her easier. Then he began slowly to stroke her legs. Sandy could feel her \softline
body tingle as his fingers went over her body. He caressed her breasts, and then stroked \softline
her belly and abdomen. She could feel herself vibrating as he focused on the inside of \softline
her thighs. She spread her knees wider and lifted herself slightly to give him unobstructed access to her cunt.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Finally, she felt his finger move inside her slit. It gath-ered some of her secretions \softline
from her vagina to moisten it. She shuddered as his finger found her clitoris and began \softline
to tease it. In the meantime she watched his massive prick become erect and begin to \softline
vibrate. She wanted it desperately, but he had asked her to keep her hands on her \softline
thighs. She could feel her hips move on their own and again she started to moan as the \softline
pressure built in her cunt.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The clitoral stimulation was driving her crazy, but she held on. She was astonished \softline
to feel herself building towards another massive orgasm while she just watched his \softline
massive sex. Suddenly, she climaxed. Her syrup poured out in a flood, and he had his
hand cupped to catch them. Still she fought to remain upright, and just managed. She \softline
had screamed, her heart was pumping furiously and sweat was pouring from her body. \softline
Slowly, she returned to normal, still maintaining the requested pose.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, you are incredible! I didn\'92t think it was possible for you to hold on, but you \softline
did. I thought I could bring you to orgasm, but there was no way you could hold your \softline
pose if I did. I did, but you did, too. How?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff Fitzpatrick, Jane\'92s right! You are a sadist! That was the most excruciating \softline
agony I\'92ve ever been through in my life. Just look!\'94 She moved her hands and he could \softline
see finger marks that were likely to become black-and-blue where she had been gripping \softline
her thighs.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why did you do it, then?\'94 he asked, amazed at her fortitude.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Because you asked me to,\'94 she replied simply. \'93I said I would do anything you \softline
asked if it was in my power. This was... just! Cliff, will you hold me now? Tightly?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He reached out his arms and she dove into them. He rolled her on her back and \softline
entered her moisture-laden cunt. \'93Oh, God! That feels so good!\'94 she ex-claimed. \'93Is \softline
there anything I can do to increase your penetra-tion... to get everything in?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Put your legs over my shoulders,\'94 he said. She immediately did, and maximized the \softline
penetration. She could feel him go in and out, as again she built towards a peak of \softline
sensation. Finally, he let go and carried her over the edge. She exploded when he did. \softline
He unwound her legs and lay down beside her. They lay there quietly for a time while \softline
they regained their breath.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93How do you feel?\'94 he asked. There was no response, just a murmur approaching \softline
a purr, as she snuggled closer to him. They both slept.
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy awakened first. \'93Come on, let\'92s take a shower,\'94 she said, pulling him out of \softline
bed. He followed her into the bathroom and watched as she ad-justed the shower control. \softline
She got in and he followed her. They were like two kids playing under a hose. He \softline
hugged her tightly and loved the feel of her wet body. They soaped each other, and \softline
Sandy particularly enjoyed soaping his sex organs. Finally, he got out of the shower \softline
while she washed her hair. He dried off and went back to the bedroom. She found him \softline
asleep when she came out of the bathroom after having washed her hair. She joined him \softline
in the bed and was almost instantly asleep as well.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When she awakened she was in his arms. She started to run her fingers over his \softline
body, exploring it. He awakened and looked at her. \'93What are you doing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m exploring... and it\'92s fun. I never had my own man to explore before.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He started to run his finger tips over her body. She stopped and looked at him. \softline
\'93And what are you doing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m exploring, too. I never had a girl of my own to explore before, either.\'94 He \softline
grinned at her.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Cliff, are all men like you? You\'92re so big! Of course, I have no basis of comparison. \softline
I guess I never looked at magazines like }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 Playgirl,}{\plain \fs24 \f1 so I just don\'92t know.\'94 She looked at \softline
him and changed the subject. \'93Cliff, do you like a girl to go down on you? Isn\'92t that \softline
what they call taking a man\'92s sex in your mouth?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do you want to?\'94 he asked. \'93You\'92re so interested in what Stephanie and I did, but \softline
that\'92s not a question you ever asked. Do you think she ever did?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, it\'92s not. I know the answer to that one: The answer is no. But you didn\'92t \softline
answer my question.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, I did. I asked if you want to.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She had been watch-ing his face carefully. Instead of answering, she just smiled and \softline
moved down on the bed. His prick was semi-flaccid, and she stroked it with her long \softline
fingers. It started to stiffen, and the process fascinated her. Before it reached its fully-engorged size, she took it in her mouth, licking the tip first. As she opened her mouth \softline
to get it in, she could feel it continue to grow in size.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She maneuvered her body to try to create a line for his monstrous cock. As she \softline
licked and sucked, she could feel it like a piece of iron. Using one hand to caress his \softline
balls, the other manipulated his cock. He was near an orgasm. When she could feel him \softline
start to explode, she took it into her mouth as far as she could and the warm spend \softline
spurted into her mouth. Cliff could see her breathing through her nose and swal-lowing \softline
as fast as she could. Some still squirted past her lips.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab As the spurting stopped, she lifted her head and started licking his prick. When she \softline
had taken it all into her mouth, she moved up beside him. \'93Yum!\'94 she said. He bent to \softline
kiss her, but she tried to stop him. \'93I don\'92t think you want to do that,\'94 she said. \'93I still \softline
have a mouthful of your cum.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He put his lips over hers and ran his tongue in her mouth. \'93Why did you do that?\'94 \softline
he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Do what?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Swallow it.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I needed to. Please don\'92t ask me why. I knew what was going to happen, and I \softline
could feel you trying to pull me off. But I want-ed to. Do you mind?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Of course not, silly.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I adore you, you know,\'94 she said matter-of-factly. \'93You can\'92t know what it\'92s like \softline
when you have always been on the side-lines watching other people... and sudden-ly, it\'92s \softline
happening to you! Cliff, I hope you\'92re not mad at me. I think I loved you from the first \softline
moment I saw you. I think, deep down, I was hop-ing this would happen when we hired \softline
you.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, I\'92m not part of the deal. I need you to run Murphy. But dear God, I think I \softline
need your cock inside me even more! Honey, would you like to just scrub the whole \softline
thing and sell off Murphy? I have more money than we can possibly spend, and it\'92s all
yours. I\'92ll give it all to you. I just need you so badly.\'94 She rolled on top of him and \softline
crushed her breasts against his chest.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They spent the rest of the day becoming better acquainted with each other\'92s bodies \softline
on her king-sized bed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 }\page
\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs28 \b\f1\fs28 Chapter 6}{\plain \fs24 \f1
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff didn\'92t see Sandy at her desk when he got to the office Monday morning. He \softline
smiled to himself, figuring he had worn her out. He felt very tired but wonderful. \softline
Sunday had been a phy-sically exhausting day. She had been variously joyful, impish, \softline
questing, loving, funny, romantic, and, it seemed, all possible combinations of them. The \softline
one thing she had never done was take herself seriously after her first disclo-sures. He \softline
had returned to his own apartment late Sunday night.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Going into his office he found Sandy sitting with her coffee, waiting for him. There \softline
was a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him on his desk. He stopped abruptly when he \softline
saw her. \'93How did you know I would be here right now?\'94 he asked in surprise.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93A bird at the gate told me,\'94 she answered with a warm smile. \'93Cliff, I\'92m worried \softline
about you. You look worn out. I was reading an article last night that said girls reach \softline
their peak of sexual-ity at sixteen or seventeen, while men do at nine-teen. Now I\'92ve been \softline
saving up for nearly ten years. You, on the other hand, are over thirty! Honey, are you \softline
sure I\'92m not too much for you? I would hate to see anything happen to you.\'94 While the \softline
tone of her voice was very serious, he could see the impish laughter in her eyes.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff rolled his eyes to the ceiling. \'93As if it isn\'92t bad enough in a planning session, \softline
now I have to get it in the bed-room, too! These damned kids get one thing right and it \softline
goes to their heads. Everybody\'92s got to be an expert!\'94 He grinned at her. \'93Seriously, \softline
honey, how do you feel? You look absolute-ly fabulous. But how in hell can you look so \softline
good with so little sleep?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I feel so great, it\'92s sinful! Now I know why Jane reacts the way she does when I kid \softline
her about never getting any sleep when Steve Muller\'92s around.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She changed the subject. \'93I\'92ve got a couple of bankers coming in today. May I bring \softline
them by to give them the thrill of meeting our new president? It would really make their \softline
whole day, I\'92m sure. I\'92m starting to talk with our major banks as we dis-cussed, so I \softline
wanted to check with you to be sure we\'92re both on the same page. We intend to pick a \softline
single major bank to be our primary bank. It will get essentially all of our business. \softline
We\'92re going to combine the five or six rela-tionships into a single one.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, I thought I would explain the idea to each of them, spell out what specific ser-
vices we require, then leave the rest up to them. I\'92ll ask them to get back to us with a \softline
specific proposal laying out what they expect from us, and what they propose to provide \softline
to us, most particular-ly including a line of credit. How does that sound?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked at her thoughtfully and responded in his most serious voice, \'93About what \softline
I would expect from the girl I love who\'92s going to be the mother of my children. \softline
Speaking of which, might that process have started yester-day?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Her face saddened, \'93No, worse luck! I heard somewhere that birth control pills help \softline
in bust development, and I\'92ve been trying! I hope you noticed that the dress I wore \softline
Saturday night didn\'92t fall off even once!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab The phone on Cliff\'92s desk rang, and Sandy picked it up. \'93Mr. Fitzpatrick\'92s office, \softline
Miss Donnell speaking.\'94 She listened for a moment and grinned. \'93He\'92s in his office. \softline
You may put Miss Simpson on.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She was making excited motions, obviously relishing the telephone one-upmanship \softline
Cliff hated. \'93Just a moment, Miss Simpson. Mr. Fitzpatrick will take your call.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab It was all Cliff could do to control his laughter. Not only was Sandy speaking in her \softline
haughtiest voice, but she was going the full route, putting Stephanie on hold.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He picked up the phone and punched the line button. Quickly he held the phone out \softline
at arms length as Stephanie screamed into her instrument, \'93Clifford Fitzpatrick, don\'92t \softline
you }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 dare}{\plain \fs24 \f1 do that to me again! You be on the phone when I pick it up, }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 do you hear?\'94}{\plain \fs24 \f1
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff ignored the outburst. \'93Hi, Steph. What\'92s on your mind so early Monday \softline
morning? I\'92m surprised you\'92re in the office so early.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Her voice tone suddenly changed. Now she sounded like a little girl. \'93Cliffie, I \softline
missed you! Didn\'92t you miss me? I was thinking about keeping you warm Saturday \softline
night, but you didn\'92t even call. What were you doing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Steph, I\'92m glad you called. I was out Saturday night with the young lady I\'92m \softline
planning to marry. Obviously, it wasn\'92t you. I\'92m sorry to have to tell it to you this way, \softline
but I guess I don\'92t know an easy way to do it.\'94 He yanked the instrument away from his \softline
ear, prepared for the explosion to follow. He wasn\'92t disap-pointed.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 what!\'94}{\plain \fs24 \f1 she screamed. \'93You can\'92t do that to me! I won\'92t allow it! Daddy won\'92t \softline
allow it! Why that\'92s... that\'92s the dumb-est thing I\'92ve ever heard. No one leaves me! No \softline
one! I won\'92t stand for it!\'94 They could both hear her start to cry \'97 and they were \softline
obviously tears of rage.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sorry you feel that way, Stephanie. I was hoping we could remain friends.\'94 He \softline
rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he said the last words, and Sandy almost choked trying \softline
to control her laughter. \'93There\'92s nothing more to say except goodbye. So goodbye.\'94 He \softline
hung up the phone before she had a chance to respond.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab A few moments later the phone rang again. Sandy picked it up. After identifying \softline
herself, she listened for a moment and then said, \'93I\'92m sorry. Mr. Fitzpatrick is in \softline
conference. He is not available to Miss Simpson. Goodbye.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She looked at Cliff fondly. \'93Am I to interpret that state-ment as a proposal of \softline
marriage? When you said you were out with the girl you intend to marry? If so, I accept. \softline
These days, where proposals are concerned, a girl has to take whatever she can get!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, will you marry me?\'94 he asked. \'93My God! I can\'92t believe it! Do you realize \softline
I only met you two weeks ago today, and yet I\'92ve never been as sure of anything in my \softline
life as I am about wanting you to be my wife?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She got up from the chair and went to him. He took her in his arms and kissed her \softline
softly. At least it was intended to be soft. Their love for each other just flowed between \softline
them. \'93Of course I\'92ll marry you, Cliff. You have made me the happiest person alive.
But I don\'92t think we should make it official until after October 1, if that\'92s all right with \softline
you.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m a little concerned about that girl, though. She went berserk! Is she in any \softline
position to cause you trouble? I mean, can she sue you for breach of promise, or \softline
palimony or someth-ing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, I give you my solemn word \'97 even though you don\'92t need it \'97 I have }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 never}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \softline
spoken of marriage to that girl in my life! I think I told you that she introduced me to \softline
some of her fri-ends as her fianc\'e9, but I never talked marriage to her and never used the \softline
term. I can honestly say I thought I loved her until I met you. Then she just went in the \softline
tank.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93And as for you, young lady, I have some bones to pick. First, it was nasty to play \softline
telephone games with her. It hurt her feelings. Although the way you did it was as good \softline
as I\'92ve ever seen. The other thing is, how did you know I didn\'92t want to speak to her \softline
when she called the second time?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy held her head up and spoke in the same haughty tone she had used to \softline
Stephanie. \'93I beg your pardon? A wife is certainly within her rights not taking calls for \softline
her husband from his former mistress. I mean... really!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy left for the ladies room to change into her \'93treasur-er\'92s suit.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Twice during the morning she brought in bank calling officers. Cliff noted that one \softline
of the major Chicago banks had sent both a senior vice president and a vice president \softline
and it was ob-vious they were impressed with Sandy. When the senior vice presi-dent \softline
asked if he could speak with Mr. Fitzpatrick alone, Sandy and his associate went back \softline
to her office.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Mr. Fitzpatrick, I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your new \softline
treasurer. I understand she\'92s new in the job, but you certainly couldn\'92t prove it by me. \softline
She\'92s as knowledge-able as any treasurer I\'92ve ever met. My bank intends to make a \softline
major commitment to Murphy to get your busi-ness. Had your former treasurer, Mr. \softline
Purcell, still been in that position it would have been out of the question.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We like to think we offer superior banking ser-vices to superior corporations. \softline
Obviously, there are limited avenues available to us to form such judgments, but one is \softline
the quality of the treasur-er. If the treasurer is not handling his company\'92s money \softline
wisely, you can appreciate we\'92re not very interested in giving him some of ours to \softline
mishandle, too. We are very impressed with what Miss Donnell has accomplished in just \softline
a couple of weeks.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I hope you will select us as your primary bank. We want your business and my \softline
colleagues and I are going to put together what we expect to be a very attrac-tive proposal \softline
to get it.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff saw from his business card that he represented Bank of Chicago, one of the \softline
nation\'92s largest banks, and his name was Thomas P. Morris. \'93Mr. Morris, thank you for \softline
your very kind comments about Miss Donnell. With your permission, I would like to tell
her what you said. I\'92m sure she will be very pleased to receive such praise from a senior \softline
executive of a bank such as yours.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Beyond that, I can\'92t make any promises. I will say two things, however: First, it\'92s \softline
clear you understand what we\'92re looking for in a primary banking relationship. There \softline
are some bankers who don\'92t seem to understand the concept. Second, I appreciate your \softline
comment about preparing a very competitive proposal for us. Knowing your reputation, \softline
I\'92m sure it will be a very good one. I\'92m looking forward to seeing it, and thank you for \softline
saying what you did.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab After showing them out, Sandy changed again and came into his office. \'93Sandy, that \softline
was great!\'94 He told her what Morris had said, particularly stressing the importance of \softline
the quality of the treasurer to the bank. \'93Honey, you hit a home run! You were \softline
brilliant!\'94
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\keepn\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They were about to go down to eat when they heard a commo-tion out front. \softline
Suddenly, the door burst open. It was Steph-anie. \'93Clifford, you bastard!\'94 she screamed. \softline
}{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 \'93Who do you think you are? }{\plain \fs24 \f1 You can\'92t just tell me it\'92s all over! }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 I}{\plain \fs24 \f1 decide when it\'92s over!\'94
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\keep\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy started to leave, when Stephanie grabbed her by her blouse and ripped as hard \softline
as she could. The cotton blouse was shredded from her body. \'93I\'92ll just bet this is the \softline
little bitch,\'94 she sneered.
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She swung on Sandy, but that was as far as it went. Sandy ducked, and the force of \softline
her swing caused the bigger girl to lose her balance and fall on her face. As she hit the \softline
floor, a security officer ran in fol-lowed closely by two Milwau-kee police officers. They \softline
had seen Stepha-nie swing at the taller girl as they came in.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab One of the police officers was a woman who took Stephanie in hand, putting her in \softline
handcuffs with her hands cuffed behind her back. If anything, this enraged Stephanie \softline
even more.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The officer escorted the girl out of the office, screaming obscenities, while her \softline
partner shook his head. \'93What was that all about?\'94 he asked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy was standing wearing only her bra and shreds of her blouse. It didn\'92t appear \softline
to bother her in the slightest. \'93Officer, that was Mr. Fitzpatrick\'92s former girl friend. \softline
She\'92s from Chicago. This morning she called Mr. Fitzpatrick who told her their... rela-
tionship... was at an end. Clearly, she\'92s not used to taking no for an answer.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93She appeared a few moments ago, stormed into the office screaming at Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick and then swung at me. I think you saw her try to hit me as you arrived. One \softline
thing you should know, officer, for your own protection: She\'92s the daughter of the \softline
chairman of Ajax Indus-tries. I wish to press charges for assault and battery and any-
thing else I can cool her off with. I am Sandra Donnell, by the way. I am Mr. Fitzpat-
rick\'92s assistant and treasurer of the company.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Miss Donnell, how long have you known the other woman? What\'92s her name, by \softline
the way?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93This is the first time I\'92ve ever laid eyes on her! I\'92m not sure if I\'92ve ever spoken to \softline
her. Wait! I spoke about five words to her on the phone this morning. I think that\'92s all. \softline
Her name is Stephanie Simpson.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The officer took down the information and took statements from other people in the \softline
office. Sandy left, changed clothes and returned to Cliff\'92s office.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He looked concerned. \'93Sandy, I\'92m sorry about that. It was totally uncalled for. And \softline
I just sat there like a lump while she swung at you. Are you okay?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She smiled and said, \'93I\'92m fine, except she owes me a new blouse. Good heavens! I \softline
just realized I was standing there with just my bra and some shreds of blouse. What will \softline
people think!?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Several things,\'94 he said, seeming to be thoughtful. \'93First, don\'92t mess with you... \softline
you\'92re too quick. Second, you have a beauti-ful body. But anyone with eyes knew that, \softline
too. Third, they would see more of you in a bathing suit. Okay?
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What do you think we should do now? About Stephanie, I mean. Are you going to \softline
prosecute? I think you should, and I think we should ask for a peace bond from her. It \softline
keeps her away from us.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I guess I will prosecute,\'94 Sandy said. \'93I\'92m curious about one thing, though. How \softline
many guys has she gone through, do you suppose?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff was startled by the question. \'93I don\'92t have a clue,\'94 he finally answered, \'93but \softline
why do you ask?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Darling, there\'92s one thing about that girl that worries me. I think she always got \softline
whatever she wanted. Always! Today she really went berserk. I\'92ve never seen anyone \softline
so totally out of con-trol. You may have been the first person ever to tell her to buzz off.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then she smiled, \'93With me it\'92s different. I\'92ve been told to buzz off, drop dead, go \softline
play with someone else, make way for a }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 real}{\plain \fs24 \f1 woman, etc., etc., more times than I can \softline
count. Maybe that\'92s why I am the way I am with you. I love you so damned much I\'92ll \softline
do anything to keep you. I think you\'92re making a big mistake, but I\'92m working as hard \softline
as I can to keep you from opening your eyes.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He realized she was deadly serious. He was awed. She was such a wonderful person, \softline
yet she refused to believe it. He decided he was one of the luckiest guys in the world. \softline
\'93And you\'92re doing a good job. If you keep it up, my eyes will never open. Whenever I\'92m \softline
away from you, I\'92ll be sound asleep. Wench, you are insatiable!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Can I change the subject?\'94 Sandy asked. \'93What about the sessions with the stores? \softline
We\'92re supposed to start that on Wednesday. Incidentally, you\'92ve got a rare treat in \softline
store. You\'92ll meet JL Wilson. He\'92s from Charlotte, and is really one of the good ol\'92 boys.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The best way I can describe him is to say John Flood hated his guts, and JL didn\'92t \softline
like Flood nearly that much. Incidental-ly, he really is a true Southern boy. His name \softline
is \'91J\'92 \'91L\'92. If he were in the service, it would be written in quotes. It\'92s \'91J\'92 for nothing and \softline
\'91L\'92 for nothing. There\'92s a lesson here, someplace. He started work for my uncle... or my
father, I guess. JL is a guy with intense per-sonal loyalties. Whenever I see him, which \softline
isn\'92t very often, I am reminded that his ancestors \'97 commonly referred to as poor white \softline
trash \'97 were the backbone of the Confederate army. If you are their friend, they can\'92t \softline
ever do enough for you. On the other hand, don\'92t }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 ever}{\plain \fs24 \f1 cross \'92em. They can be \softline
implacable ene-mies.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Incidentally, I hear that some of the accountants are getting very upset about the \softline
analysis being done on the rings and valves. They\'92re about to cry at the thought of \softline
losing revenue. I hear the numbers are pretty devastating, though. Do you want me to \softline
do anything?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, I do,\'94 he replied, \'93but not about that. I think I\'92m going to make use of your \softline
young legs, starting on Wednesday. We old men \'97 you said earlier today I was over the \softline
hill \'97 have to get our rest. Seriously, Sandy, I\'92ve never seen anyone do a better job than \softline
you did last week leading the discussion on strategy. Would you work with me and help \softline
run the sessions?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You are serious, aren\'92t you? I would love to, Cliff, but I can\'92t. I don\'92t know a thing \softline
about it!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Young lady, if there\'92s one thing I can\'92t stand, it\'92s a girl who\'92s always fishing for \softline
compliments! Your figure couldn\'92t be more perfect, but you keep saying it\'92s ugly and \softline
inadequate. Now, after costing me a small fortune for a dinner and an ex-girl-friend, you \softline
try to act like you\'92re incapable of doing it. Sandra Donnell, you are the best damned \softline
natural-born leader I\'92ve ever met. That\'92s the end of the compli-ments for at least the \softline
next hour, or until I want a kiss, which-ever comes first.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He grinned at her, and she came over, took his face in her hands and kissed him. He \softline
smiled at her and continued, \'93That\'92s what gives women in business a bad name. Just \softline
when you make a great point, they come up, sexually assault you, melt you down to \softline
warm mush, and then walk away.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, damn it, I wasn\'92t kidding! I\'92m using you, so you\'92d better be well rested. You\'92re \softline
going to be on those little feet for quite awhile, beginning Wednesday morning! Hear?\'94
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab On Wednesday morning, they were back in the same hotel room. Cliff thought wryly \softline
they were also back to the same cold cuts for lunch. Many of the participants were the \softline
same, but there was a new group representing the Stores Division. Cliff began with the \softline
same introduction. Then he turned the session over to Sandy who began with a matrix \softline
of competitors by region of the country. Cliff admired the way she handled herself and \softline
handled the group. It was a replay of the previous week. But because she knew the \softline
people, she was much better than he was at inducing participa-tion from the people in the \softline
room.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab A bleak picture quickly emerged. JL Wilson and his boys in the Southeast were \softline
doing a fine job. The rest of the country was break-even or worse. The company had \softline
been dealing with the stores as if they were a single entity, and it was obvious they were
not. The competitive situation was dramatically different from region to region. The \softline
Southeast \'97 roughly starting at North Carolina, then swinging southwest through \softline
South Carolina, Geor-gia, Alabama, and Mississippi, and west through Tennessee \'97 \softline
seemed to be the only part of the country in which Murphy had a viable retail presence.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The problems in the rest of the country appeared to be either or both of two types. \softline
Either there were a significant number of stores \'97 the North-east, for example \'97 but \softline
not nearly as many as better positioned competitors, or isolated stores that couldn\'92t be \softline
supported well from the warehouse or with affordable local-market advertising.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff addressed the situation. \'93Business strategy is closely allied to military strategy. \softline
I think what we\'92re seeing here is an armored division that\'92s been broken up into little \softline
pieces and scattered along a very wide battle line. We have a lot of troops, but they\'92re \softline
so spread out they can\'92t be effective. In fact, in all too many of the areas we\'92re terribly \softline
exposed. We have isolated outposts. At each, there are nowhere near enough troops to \softline
attack, and not even enough to adequately de-fend. We just sit in place and hope the \softline
other guys leave us alone. If they don\'92t \'97 if competition in any of these markets \softline
intensifies \'97 we\'92re in trouble. Worse yet, in looking at these market areas I see a \softline
number of them where there are two or three much more important players who look \softline
like they\'92re about to disrupt the status quo.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We\'92re getting ahead of our story, but it seems we are compet-itively weak in most \softline
of the markets. Moreover, there are several in which a couple of competitors have been \softline
rated Strong. Many of you were here last week for the discussion of competitive posi-
tion. For those of you who weren\'92t, a Strong position is one in which two or more \softline
competitors have a sort of shared dominance. You remember the worst possible position \softline
to be in is to be Weak when there are Strong competitors.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There are people who would have you believe that when the big guys start to fight, \softline
the little guys just stand aside and watch. Unfor-tunate-ly, the world doesn\'92t work that \softline
way. When the ele-phants start to fight, some mice accidentally get trampled. And I \softline
mean accidentally. The big guys are going after each other, not the little guys. \softline
Unfortunately, the activities they initiate to take business from the other big guy \softline
generally re-sults in killing us first. It has happened in the last few years in both the beer \softline
and coffee businesses. What about it folks? What do you think we should do?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Steve Muller spoke. \'93If I understand all this, what we have to do is concentrate our \softline
efforts. To follow your analogy, we\'92ve got a bunch of little outposts that are too weak to \softline
support us, and too far out for us to support them. We have to bring them in so we can \softline
get some market impact somewhere. It seems pretty clear to me.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff saw Jane, Sandy, Bill, and a few others nod agreement.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jeff Stover, the company con-troller, spoke up. \'93Wait a minute!\'94 he said. \'93If I \softline
understand what you\'92re propos-ing to do, you\'92re going to chop off nearly half our sales \softline
and a good chunk of our profit. We lose a lot more in sales than we do in profit, of \softline
course, but we\'92re still going to lose a good deal. Cliff, we can\'92t afford it!\'94
}\sect \sectd \ds1\sbknone\margbsxn720\pgndec\headery1440\footery1440\endnhere\endnhere
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Thanks, Jeff. You have just raised a very interesting point. Do you have the store \softline
financials with you, by any chance?\'94 Stover said he did. \'93Okay, let\'92s take a look at the \softline
Western Region. Steve says it\'92s a good area to sell off.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then Cliff used a flip-chart sheet to construct a simplified profit & loss statement. \softline
He recorded data for the preceding year, starting with sales. He then subtracted cost of \softline
goods and store operating expens-es to get an operating profit number. From this he \softline
subtracted a series of below-the-line costs including transportation, advertising, and \softline
general & administra-tive expen-ses. The final line, profit, was a positive number.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93See, Cliff,\'94 Stover said, \'93it\'92s not a lot of money, but it\'92s cer-tainly something. Why \softline
should we give it up? I\'92ll concede we\'92re not in good shape out there if someone comes \softline
after us, but they\'92re not doing it now. Why don\'92t we just leave it alone and keep our \softline
fingers crossed?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You make good points, Jeff. But let\'92s take a look at these numbers, particularly the \softline
ones below the line. First, let\'92s recognize we\'92re talking allocations, not hard numbers. \softline
It\'92s not a criticism, it\'92s reality. To the Board and the share-holders it ultimately makes \softline
no difference. The costs are real and they\'92re charged against revenue. But in planning, \softline
it }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 does}{\plain \fs24 \f1 make a difference. The total may be accurate \'97 and I\'92m sure it is \'97 but the \softline
assignment to divi-sions can be wrong. Let\'92s look at transportation, Jeff. How is it as-
signed?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We take our total transportation bill and prorate it against sales. How else could \softline
we do it? We can\'92t take every stinking bill of lading and assign it to a region. It would \softline
take forever, and would cost more to do than the money we\'92re allocating!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, good answer... and good logic. But let\'92s look clo-ser. Is transportation really \softline
a function of sales? Or is it a function of dis-tance and volume? I\'92ll bet you, Jeff that we \softline
get hit two ways out to the West Coast. First, the distances from Milwaukee are \softline
enormous. That\'92s got to cost a ton! Second, we\'92re small out there, so I\'92m sure most, if \softline
not all, of our shipments are Less-Than-Truckload. I haven\'92t looked in a while, but LTL \softline
is far more expensive per unit of shipping weight than truckload, isn\'92t it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stover nodded slowly, \'93Yes, sir, it sure is.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93So our transportation allocation to the Western Region is lower than it should be, \softline
so someone else is paying too much. I suspect, Jeff, it\'92s the South. Distances are \softline
shorter, and volume is much larger. We\'92re more likely to be able to ship full truckloads. \softline
Right?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yes, sir, that\'92s right, too.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, let\'92s take a look at general and administrative \'97 G&A charges. Are they \softline
assigned by sales, also?\'94 Stover said they were. \'93Here we go again. First, it includes \softline
store super-vision. Steve, you just got back from Spokane. What were your travel \softline
expenses for the trip running?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Steve grinned and rolled his eyes. \'93Sir, we\'92ve got a nasty new treasurer. If I owned \softline
a house, I would be thinking about taking out a second mortgage to cover this month\'92s \softline
American Express bill! We think distances are pretty good here in the Midwest, but \softline
they\'92re nothing like what you get out there! Take a look at Salt Lake City on a map
sometime. That\'92s }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 nowhere}{\plain \fs24 \f1 . The nearest city to the east is Denver, and that\'92s nearly 400 \softline
miles in a straight line. Only you\'92ve got to get across the Rocky Mountains that stand \softline
in between! Cliff, I didn\'92t figure out my travel cost on a per-store-visited basis, but I \softline
could. The number I would come up with would make Sandy\'92s hair turn white!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jeff,\'94 Cliff continued, \'93you see the point. We\'92re allocat-ing on sales, but expenses \softline
aren\'92t incurred that way. Moreover, because of the problems in the Western Division, \softline
I\'92ll bet it gets a far higher proportion of management visits than it\'92s proportion of our \softline
Store Division sales. Right?\'94 Again heads nodded.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Guys, I don\'92t want to sound like I\'92m picking on Jeff and his people. As he said \softline
earlier, the costs are real and they have to be assigned somewhere. The way he\'92s doing \softline
it is reason-able. However, it can produce some pretty poor management deci-sions. Now, \softline
Jeff, what do you think about the profits in the Western Region? How much do you \softline
think we\'92re going to lose?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Stover smiled and raised both hands in a sign of surrender. \'93I give up. The profit \softline
number is so small to start with that any swing on the expense allocations we\'92ve been \softline
talking about would cause it to disappear and turn into red ink. I can also see that we\'92ve \softline
been systemati-cally understating Southern Region profits. What do you want us to do \softline
now?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jeff, I would appreciate it if you could have one of your guys take a crack at last \softline
year\'92s numbers in light of the discus-sion we\'92ve just had. Let\'92s see if we can come up \softline
with some better numbers in time for the next session. And I mean approximations. I \softline
certainly agree with your earlier comments: I don\'92t want your people going over every \softline
bill of lading and expense account. Okay?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The group broke for lunch, and Cliff took the opportunity to talk with Sandy. \'93I\'92m \softline
going to take advantage of your good nature,\'94 he said with a smile. \'93I want you to lead \softline
a discussion of warehousing. Since there\'92s going to be a lot of shooting, I would rather \softline
they shoot at you. Besides, if worse comes to worse and they take it out on us, they\'92re \softline
less likely to shoot a woman.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Golly,\'94 she said with a grin. \'93I can hardly wait! Are you prepared to notify my next \softline
of kin? Al-though, come to think of it, I don\'92t have any!\'94 Her eyes warmed suddenly, \'93I \softline
may get my revenge, Clifford Fitzpatrick. You\'92re my heir, as of Saturday. I finally wrote \softline
a will, so if anything happens to me, this whole mess gets dumped in your lap... \softline
permanently. Then won\'92t you be sorry?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff sat in the back of the room as Sandy led the warehous-ing discussion. As he \softline
suspected, it emerged there was a sort of staff mentality present at headquarters. \softline
Essentially, there was an unexamined belief that people in the field couldn\'92t find their \softline
way to the bathroom unless there was a staff memoran-dum on the subject. By the time \softline
she had finished, there wasn\'92t a single good reason left for centralizing purchasing and \softline
distribution in Mil-waukee and dozens of reasons for moving the activities to the field. \softline
Without asking Cliff, Sandy moved ahead to what became a rather funny discussion of \softline
computerizing point-of-sale activi-ties.
}\sect \sectd \ds1\sbknone\pgndec\headery1440\footery1440\endnhere\endnhere
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab One of Kevin O\'92Rourke\'92s people, Jamie Carothers, responsible for data processing \softline
in the Stores Division, said it was unafford-able. Sandy, drawing on her knowledge of
new personal computers and off-the-shelf software, didn\'92t understand why. Jamie \softline
acknow-ledged that the software existed, but that wasn\'92t the problem. The problem was \softline
the cost of telephone line charges.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Line charges?\'94 Sandy asked. \'93What line charges?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The line charges to link all the point-of-sale computers to the mainframe in \softline
Milwaukee,\'94 Jamie replied.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why do they need to be linked?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93How else can we know how much they\'92re selling, and of what?\'94 he answered.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jamie, I think we just agreed central warehousing doesn\'92t make sense. Even if it \softline
did, why do we need a minute-by-minute report of sales? What would we do with it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Well!\'94 he began. \'93It permits us to... to... monitor...\'94 He grinned. \'93I\'92m sorry, \softline
Sandy, it must be that staff mentality you referred to. As a matter of fact, if we were \softline
updated once a day in the middle of the night, we\'92d be far better off than we are now. \softline
Frankly, I\'92m not sure we need to know here in Milwaukee more often than once a week, \softline
if even that often.\'94 Everyone laughed when he added, \'93Where do I get one of those Kick \softline
Me signs to hang on my back? I\'92m sorry!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy led the meeting on to a discussion of strategy. Sandy said, \'93It looks like the \softline
strategy is pretty simple. We\'92re closing out all the regions except the South. I guess \softline
that\'92s Market Ratio-nalization. Distribution Rationalization covers the new Southern \softline
warehouse idea. Finally, we have Meth-ods and Functions Efficien-cy covering the new \softline
point-of-sale computers. It looks to me like we\'92ve got a lot to do before the next ses-sion. \softline
Anyone have anything else? No? We\'92re adjourned.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab That evening, after another one of Sandy\'92s lovely dinners, Cliff massaged her feet \softline
and legs while she lay face down on the bed. A short time later, she awakened as he \softline
reached more inter-esting places. Again that night they didn\'92t get much sleep.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 }\page
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{\plain \fs28 \b\f1\fs28 Chapter 7}{\plain \fs24 \f1
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{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Three weeks later, the second session of the rings and valves meeting was convened. \softline
In the meantime, copies of all the notes from the first session had been circulated to the \softline
partici-pants. Cliff presided as they reviewed the notes page by page. When they reached \softline
the basis of competition, no one had more than minor word changes. Additional material \softline
on Murphy and its posi-tion in the business was added to the notes based on work done \softline
by partici-pants between the two sessions.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then, after lunch, they turned their attention to strate-gy. Cliff said, \'93Now the fun \softline
begins. I always find this part amusing. For some reason, it\'92s seldom very hard to select \softline
an appropriate strategy. The problem arises when it comes time to look at the \softline
ramifications of it. For some reason we often encounter problems right here. Keep in \softline
mind, strategy is like a spear. It can be thrown in any direction: 360 degrees on a circle. \softline
Pick }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 one!
}{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 \tab \'93}{\plain \fs24 \f1 The strate-gy is our direc-tion. It tells us where we\'92re going, and, by elimination, \softline
where we\'92re }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 not}{\plain \fs24 \f1 going. Before we finish this session, I want agreement from you, or at \softline
least understanding \'97 some of you may not agree \'97 on where we\'92re not going. If we \softline
decide to eliminate products from our line, they\'92re gone \'97 they\'92re his-tory. Everyone \softline
understand?
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay. Specifically, we agreed last time that a major element of our strategy is \softline
Product Rationali-zation. We talked about cutting our product line by up to 95 percent \softline
in terms of number of items. Let\'92s see what we\'92ve come up with since the last ses-sion.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Bill Stevens and his operations people, Jeff Stover and his accounting people, and \softline
Steve Muller and his marketing and sales people had all done analyses. The groups went \softline
at it hot and heavy. Stevens and the manufactur-ing people gave the impression they \softline
wanted to make a single piston ring and a single valve, thus maximizing economies of \softline
scale. Muller and his people had reluc-tantly given up about 60 percent of the items. \softline
Cliff knew Steve had faced down a near-mutiny to get his guys to agree to those cuts, \softline
while to the accounting people, every item, no matter how small a seller, generated }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 some}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \softline
revenue.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab At the afternoon break, he took Sandy aside. She came up to him and formed her \softline
lips into a kiss while her back was to the rest of the group. \'93My God, honey!\'94 she \softline
whispered, \'93Is it always this tough? This is brutal! There are guys here who are saying, \softline
in effect, that the company is out of business if we give up one stinking ring... even if \softline
we\'92ve only sold one set in the last year and a half!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sweetheart, this is easy! Honest. Every guy in the room really accepts the fact we \softline
have to cut the line \'97 even the accountants, for chrissakes. What you\'92re seeing is an \softline
incredibly healthy process at work. I guess we have done a pretty good job \'97 par-
ticularly you! No one is hanging back or acting like this is a sterile exercise. They know \softline
it\'92s not. These guys are fight-ing for their customers \'97 for what they believe in. There\'92s \softline
not a single person in the room who\'92s not involved \'97 most particularly your ex-roommate, fighting for some of her former small cus-to-mers. It may seem like a war, but \softline
let me tell you, when we get finished, we can be confident we didn\'92t throw any-thing away \softline
by acci-dent.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What you\'92re seeing is a very basic difference between the process we\'92re using and \softline
a more straightforward consulting assign-ment. The guys at Cumings are smart as hell. \softline
They really are. The problem is they can meet a guy who doesn\'92t know all the fancy B-school buzzwords, but who really has a good point to make. Since he doesn\'92t present it \softline
the way they would have in business school, the consultants dismiss it. That\'92s how big \softline
mistakes are made.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We\'92re not going to make those mistakes. Not only are the guys all talking, people \softline
are listening. It may sound weird, but I\'92m relaxed. I don\'92t think we\'92re going to drop an \softline
important product by accident. Now it doesn\'92t mean we\'92ll necessarily come up with all \softline
the right answers. But it does mean we\'92ll have made the decision after hearing all the \softline
relevant information. On this basis, we can\'92t be too wrong.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He smiled warmly at her. \'93And as a reward for doing such a fine job \'97 and as a \softline
punishment for not letting me watch you skin Jane alive \'97 you get to play lion-tamer \softline
for the rest of the day! Aren\'92t you lucky?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Clifford Fitzpatrick, Jane was right! You are a sadist!\'94 she said with a grin. \'93At \softline
least the lion-tamer has a whip, a chair, and a gun! All you let me have is this dumb felt-tip marker! There\'92s one thing, though. You have to promise to pick up all the pieces of \softline
me before you go home tonight. Promise? Maybe you can glue most of them back \softline
together.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy called the session back to order, and continued the process. As Cliff had \softline
known it would, things got worse. The first cuts were relatively easy \'97 there really \softline
wasn\'92t any reason for continuing the product. But as the afternoon wore on it got \softline
progressively tougher. The prod-ucts being discussed }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 did}{\plain \fs24 \f1 generate some sales. So the \softline
fight turned on whether they paid for their house room. Cliff finally called a halt to the \softline
meeting at six-thirty.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When the last partic-ipant left, Sandy fell into his arms. \'93Don\'92t forget your promise. \softline
There are pieces of me in every corner of this room, Cliff. I know what you got paid at \softline
Cum-ings and you earned every penny! That was grueling!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He kissed her softly on the mouth and said, \'93And you were brilliant, as usual. But \softline
did you see what I meant when we talked at the break? Those people are }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 engaged! }{\plain \fs24 \f1 It \softline
isn\'92t an academic exercise, it\'92s their livelihood. They\'92re fighting for it, and I think \softline
everyone will benefit.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sweetheart, I would offer to cook dinner tonight,\'94 Cliff said with a small smile, \'93but \softline
after what you\'92ve been through, I\'92m not sure you\'92re in condition to handle my poison. \softline
How about going out? Better yet, why not eat here at the hotel? I have it on good \softline
authority they }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 do}{\plain \fs24 \f1 have something on the menu besides cold cuts. What do you say?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab She smiled at him, and went limp in his arms. She was relying on his reflexes to \softline
catch her and he did. When she lifted her face, he kissed her softly. \'93Honey,\'94 she said, \softline
\'93if you intend to make love to me tonight, you\'92re going to be doing all the work! Let\'92s \softline
eat!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They went down to the main dining room where they were recog-nized by the ma\'eetre \softline
d\'92h\'f4tel as regular patrons of the hotel. Cliff asked for a quiet banquette table, and they \softline
were quickly seated with Cliff sitting next to Sandy rather than across from her. Again, \softline
she let her body go limp and sagged against him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She lifted her face, and he gave her a quick kiss. \'93Now I know when the honeymoon \softline
is over. It\'92s when your husband lets you fall on the floor in a restaurant!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab A waiter came over and they ordered cocktails. Cliff was surprised when Sandy \softline
ordered an extra-dry Beefeater martini on the rocks.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He ordered one, too, and looked at her. \'93Sandra Donnell, what }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 are}{\plain \fs24 \f1 you doing? You \softline
never order a martini. I thought you were the beer and wine girl.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Clifford Fitzpatrick, I am going to the dogs... or the cats... or something! Besides, \softline
they haven\'92t killed you... yet!\'94 She daintily stuck out her tongue at him.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The drinks came, and after Sandy had a tiny sip she made a little face. \'93Cliff, it \softline
tastes like... like... I don\'92t know what it tastes like, but it\'92s strong!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You\'92re right, it is. But why did you order it? Seriously, sweetheart, you look like \softline
you\'92re exhausted. Are you?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Just then a small band began playing and she visibly perked up. She got up from the \softline
table, held out her arms, and said, \'93Off your ass. We\'92re dancing.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I thought you were so tired, you couldn\'92t even stand up,\'94 he protested. \'93How can \softline
you possibly dance?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93It\'92s different,\'94 she said.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He got to his feet and followed her out to the dance floor. As she turned and came \softline
into his arms, he noticed she was wearing sneakers. Without heels the top of her head \softline
barely reached his cheek. In spite of the sneakers, he still had the impression of holding \softline
a fea-ther. She raised her face, and he kissed her softly on the lips.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, you can\'92t believe how good this makes me feel. I love you so much. When I\'92m \softline
in your arms like this, it\'92s almost like you\'92ve been giving me a massage. I\'92m really not \softline
tired anymore.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When the music stopped they returned to their table, and Cliff returned the \softline
conversation to the session they had just been through. \'93What did you think of the \softline
results? It\'92s your company, but you were totally dispassionate this afternoon. I\'92m very \softline
serious when I say I couldn\'92t have done what you did. That\'92s your money they were \softline
talking about.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Cliff, I think we\'92re on the right track. But what are the risks? It can\'92t be quite this \softline
easy.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Very good question. Tomorrow, we\'92ll take a look at a risk analysis. We use risk as \softline
a measure of uncertainty, rather than in some more abstract form. Frankly, I see the \softline
greatest uncer-tainty relating to our timing. We\'92ll be taking a big risk. Right now, our \softline
reputation for quality is not good. What we propose to do is sharply cut the number of \softline
products, upgrade our production facilities \'97 we haven\'92t talked about that yet, nor \softline
about inspections \'97 and produce a much higher-quality product.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The problem is that for a short space of time we\'92re very exposed. We will have cut \softline
out the rinky-dink products that only we sell, but will not yet have reestablished a \softline
quality reputation with our major custom-ers. Until we reestablish a quality reputation, \softline
we are highly vulnerable.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, we could be in tough shape if something happens while that window is open. \softline
We\'92ll be walking away from some revenue in hopes of getting a lot more later. But there \softline
has got to be a \'91later\'92. Worst case, we\'92re in big trouble. I can\'92t mini-mize it. What do you \softline
think? It\'92s your company,\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, Cliff. It\'92s }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 our}{\plain \fs24 \f1 company. I want to do what\'92s right, and I\'92m convinced we\'92re on \softline
the right track. Let\'92s go for it! Honey, believe me. I }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 do}{\plain \fs24 \f1 understand the risks. I\'92m think-
ing about the guys and gals in the plant who are counting on us. I want to do what\'92s \softline
best for the company because it\'92s what\'92s best for them. Does that make any sense?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. \'93Have I told you how much I love \softline
you in the last five minutes or so? Sandy, you are absolutely the best thing that\'92s \softline
happened to me in my entire life. Okay, let\'92s go for it!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab He stuck out his hand, and she gripped it with hers.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93We\'92re going for it! Can I have another martini, now? You have to promise to carry \softline
me home, okay? If you do, you can have complete access to my body, such as it is, as a \softline
reward.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandra Donnell, when are you going to quit knocking that exquisite body of yours? \softline
Do you really want me to list all your bodily assets?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She rapidly nodded her head with a big grin on her face, so he did.
}\pard \fs24\qc\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 * * *
}\pard \fs24\qj\sa72\tx0\tx432\tx864\tx1296\tx1728\tx4680
{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The next morning Cliff presided. They were at the point in their rationalization \softline
discussion where real pain was being inflicted. Tempers were still frayed from the day \softline
before so there was little safety margin left. At one point, Jane Miller jumped up and \softline
said, \'93I don\'92t give a damn what the volume on 4606 is! Willoughby Motors has got to \softline
have it! It\'92s the only ring that fits their engine. We have an obligation!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Cliff stepped into the discussion. \'93Jane, I have a ques-tion. How much is Willoughby \softline
paying for those rings? And where did the price come from?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab Jane looked in her book and answered the question. It was about the same price \softline
Magna was paying and Cliff pointed this out. \'93But Cliff, it\'92s almost the same ring \softline
Magna\'92s buying. The steel is the same, the weight\'92s about the same, so the price should \softline
be the same.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why should it be, Jane? How about the cost to us of setting up for a short run? \softline
Jane, have you ever asked Willoughby about taking a price increase? I\'92ll make a deal \softline
with you: Get them on the phone right now and explain what we\'92re doing. Tell them \softline
it\'92s not a choice between cheap rings and expensive rings. It is expen-sive rings or no \softline
rings from us. Do you want to give it a shot?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The group continued the battle on other items while Jane made her call. Fifteen \softline
minutes later she returned to the room. Instead of retaking her seat she went up to the \softline
front where Cliff was standing. Jane had a comedienne\'92s natural sense of timing. \'93Mr. \softline
Fitzpatrick, would you please give me a swift kick, right here. Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab She was wearing a pair of tight jeans, and was bent over pointing to her rear. The \softline
group in the room howled with laughter. Aside from anything else, Cliff realized she had \softline
discharged the tension that had reached dangerous levels. He wound up to give her a big \softline
spank, but didn\'92t touch her, stopping his hand a fraction of an inch from her pants.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92m sorry, Jane. I can\'92t. Steve is bigger than I am and he might object. What did \softline
the people at Willoughby say?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93That\'92s the point, Cliff. They just said, \'91How much?\'92. I }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 tripled}{\plain \fs24 \f1 the price but told \softline
them our quality assurance would be far better. You know what they said? They said \softline
the cost of our rings is so small, they can\'92t even find it in the cost of one of their engines. \softline
Then they asked if we might be interested in their valve business, too. Is that what you \softline
expected?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Let\'92s say I\'92m not as surprised as you are. Folks,\'94 he said, addressing himself to the \softline
entire group, \'93there\'92s a lesson here for all of us. Instead of thinking go-no go, we should \softline
put price into the equation. Let\'92s face it: We may be losing money on a product now, \softline
but could still make good money if we got a steep price increase.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I\'92ll be honest. Jane should have kicked }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 me.}{\plain \fs24 \f1 I just remembered an experience I had \softline
a few years ago with a manufacturer of very high-quality stereo speakers. They had one \softline
speaker model, the top of their line, that was a technological marvel, and that sold for \softline
about $1,500 a pair. They sold in very limited quantities to real audiophiles. The \softline
problem was the company was losing its shirt even at that price, so they decided to drop \softline
it.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93On word of discon-tinua-tion, orders came pouring in, along with letters of com-plaint \softline
from many of its best dealers. So they kept it in the line... for a while. They tried to \softline
discon-tinue it a year later and got the same reaction. That was when I came in. I \softline
suggested a price in-crease and was told it was impossible. The speaker was already one \softline
of the highest-priced units on the market. I pointed out that they received files full of \softline
complaint letters each time they went to discontinue it and no one had ever men-tioned
price. Besides, they wanted to kill the product anyway, so what differ-ence did it make \softline
if the orders just dried up?
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93As far as I know, they\'92re still making the speaker. The last I heard the price was \softline
up to $6,000 a pair. They don\'92t sell quite as many as they did, although unit sales didn\'92t \softline
fall by very much. However, now they\'92re minting money on the deal.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93This is basically what Jane did with her rings. Now, are there any products we \softline
canned earlier we might want to try a major price move on? Actually, it\'92s a good tactic. \softline
We\'92re not pulling the plug on a customer who needs a particular ring. It\'92s still available \softline
if he wants to pay the price. What about it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The rest of the product discussion went smoothly. The tension had been relieved \softline
and the alternative of a price increase satisfied the remaining concerns.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The discussion moved to product quality and the production line. Bill Stevens and \softline
his people had worked out new line arrangements to streamline work flow but had \softline
encountered another problem. \'93Cliff, I don\'92t like to be the bearer of more bad news, but \softline
I have no choice. We\'92re going to have to spend big money on our machines.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Of ten major production units, there are two that cannot produce product to \softline
specified tolerances. They\'92ve gone so long without major mainte-nance, they just can\'92t \softline
do the job. I can\'92t tell you yet whether we\'92re looking at scrapping them or if they can be \softline
overhauled. Then there are three others that are marginal at best. The other five need \softline
work, too, but can still produce reliable pro-duct. I\'92m sorry.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93The problem is deferred maintenance, and its impact is not well understood. Let\'92s \softline
say a machine needs maintenance at a cost of about 10 percent of its value each year. \softline
If no maintenance is done for three years, it doesn\'92t cost 30 percent of the value to catch \softline
up, it\'92s much more. The reason is the wear and tear compounds. In my illus-tration, you \softline
might be looking at a third-year cost of 50 percent or more.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff, we haven\'92t been doing the maintenance we should have, and it\'92s caught up \softline
with us. It\'92s just that simple. I\'92m sorry.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I am, too, Bill,\'94 Cliff responded, \'93but I can\'92t say I\'92m terribly surprised. It\'92s worse \softline
than I thought, but not by a lot. It seems that our product rationalization program may \softline
provide us with some breathing space because of reduced sales volume. What we need \softline
to do is set up a program to get these machines back up \'97 at least eight of them, \softline
anyway. How long will it take to get a fix on the problem?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There\'92s a guy due in tomorrow from the machine manufacturer who\'92s going to look \softline
them all over. What I would like to do is get started immediately on the five operating \softline
units. Take one out, get it fully up to spec, then move to the next. Meanwhile, we\'92ll be \softline
getting a look at the others.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, Bill. That sounds good. Now, about quality. Clear-ly, we can\'92t produce \softline
products better than our machines can turn out. However, we can sure turn out prod-
ucts a lot worse than they are capable of making.\'94 He changed his tack. \'93Bill, it seems \softline
to me we have far too many inspectors. What\'92s the story?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93The previous management thought they could inspect their way to quality,\'94 Bill \softline
replied. \'93Every time we got a quality com-plaint, the reaction was to do more checking. \softline
I think every-thing we produce is inspected at least twice, and some more than that. \softline
Frankly, it\'92s never made much sense to me.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Me, either,\'94 Cliff said. \'93I want to go to on-the-line quality control. As my Japa-nese \softline
friend said, let\'92s do it right the first time. Then we can couple that with statistical \softline
quality assurance and get a better-quality product. Right now, it seems we have the \softline
worst of both worlds. Our materials utilization and scrap rates are ridiculously high. \softline
Sales allowances resulting from poor quality are eating us up. And to top it all off, the \softline
labor cost of multiple inspec-tions kills us. Outside of that, we\'92re in great shape. Anyone \softline
have any thoughts?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I don\'92t understand,\'94 Jeff Stover said. \'93How can we cut the cost of quality control \softline
and improve quality? It just doesn\'92t make any sense.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Spoken like a good accountant, Jeff,\'94 Cliff replied. \'93And I\'92m teasing you, really. \softline
I understand your question perfectly. It appears to make no sense to cut quality \softline
assurance costs and yet at the same time expect to get a higher level of quality, because \softline
in account-ing there\'92s an underlying assumption you get what you pay for \'97 no more and \softline
no less. But it doesn\'92t always work that way, particularly where people are concerned.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93There was a situation in an insurance company where twenty-four people in \softline
succession each checked a particular piece of paper. After all twenty-four checks, believe \softline
it or not, over 96 percent of the policies were wrong in some material respect because the \softline
paper was wrong. We changed the system to have only the first person checking. She \softline
was told if it was wrong leaving her desk, it would stay wrong. The error rate dropped \softline
below 1 percent.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Why? Simple. When checking was the job of twenty-four people in a row, it was \softline
no one\'92s job. The first people weren\'92t careful because they knew there were fifteen or \softline
more people who would pick up anything they missed. On the other hand, the people at \softline
the end of the line didn\'92t check, because they couldn\'92t believe there could be any errors \softline
after fifteen or more people had already checked.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93What I propose to do is make each production worker respon-sible for his or her own \softline
quality assurance, backed up, as I said, with statistically-based sampling. It works for \softline
the Japa-nese, using American-developed systems we couldn\'92t be bothered using \softline
ourselves. Can we make it work for us here? The one problem I see is with the workers.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Bill, you under-stand what I\'92m talking about, don\'92t you?\'94 Bill said he did, and \softline
smiled. \'93Do you think you can lay out a plan? I\'92ll partic-ularly need to know the impact \softline
of the changes we\'92re talking about on our manning levels. How long will that take?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I have a couple of guys working on it right now,\'94 Bill replied. \'93I hope to have some \softline
answers by the middle of next week. One thing I am sure of, Cliff. We\'92re looking at \softline
serious money.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab \'93Okay, guys,\'94 Cliff said, \'93last question: What are we going to do with all the junk \softline
lying around. The junk I\'92m refer-ring to is ostensibly finished product in crates all over \softline
the factory floor. Jeff, I have a question for you. Have our auditors ever questioned the \softline
salabil-ity and hence the asset valuation of our inventory?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Last year one of the juniors on the audit did,\'94 Stover said sheepishly. \'93I guess I \softline
overawed him by asking him what he knew about valves or piston rings. I had my \softline
fingers crossed, because if he\'92d opened one of the crates, it would have been all over! \softline
We\'92ve checked a few boxes, Cliff. Every one we checked was heavily rusted. I don\'92t \softline
think it\'92s usable. What do you think, Bill?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I think you have it about right. Let me put it this way: I wouldn\'92t put one of those \softline
rings in my lawn mower let alone in my car, but there\'92s a lot of money involved. Sandy, \softline
what does trea-sury think?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy smiled at Bill and said, \'93Treasury is wondering what the value of that stuff \softline
is as scrap steel? And will the buyer get it out of our plant without us having to pay for \softline
trucking? As far as treasury is concerned, it\'92s worth its weight as scrap metal.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Okay, folks,\'94 Cliff said. \'93It looks like it\'92s going for scrap, unless, of course, any of \softline
the guys in the plant want a paper-weight or rings for a lawn mower engine. Does anyone \softline
object? Okay. Bill, do you have any idea of the scrap value? Sandy\'92s question is a good \softline
one. I certainly don\'92t want to spend a fortune to get rid of the stuff.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I think it\'92s actually worth money. It\'92s very high-grade steel. Do you want me to \softline
check around?\'94 Bill replied.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I sure do. Guys, I think we\'92re off and running. Bill, let me know about the \softline
manning levels and the repair costs on the machines as soon as possible. Now let\'92s all \softline
go home. I think we\'92ve done enough damage for one day.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When the people had all left, he looked at Sandy and let his knees fold. \'93Whew! \softline
Survived another one. Can I buy you a drink downstairs?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Yea! I was afraid you\'92d never ask. Incidentally, Cliff, what are the stages of \softline
becoming an alcoholic? I\'92m going to the dogs. I decided I like martinis. Can I have \softline
another?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab They went down to the cocktail lounge and found Steve and Jane at a table. Steve \softline
waved them over to join them. When they were seated Cliff took the opportunity to \softline
speak to Jane. \'93I didn\'92t have a chance before, but thanks for the comic relief today. It \softline
really helped a lot.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane looked at him intently, \'93You\'92re really serious, aren\'92t you? You\'92re not teasing \softline
me. But thanks for what?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane, I suspect you didn\'92t even think about what you were doing. You }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 do}{\plain \fs24 \f1 have \softline
natural comedy talent, you know? You really do. Things were getting very tense today. \softline
People were still strung out from yesterday, and the decisions were getting tough-er.
When you bent over and pointed plaintively at your rear end, the tension just evaporated \softline
in laughter. Didn\'92t you notice it?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93I sure did!\'94 Steve interjected. \'93But I\'92m not sure I appreciate the future mother of \softline
my children as a comedienne, though.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane wheeled on Steve. \'93Thanks a hell of a lot! Sandy, let this be a lesson to you. \softline
I think I just moved from being his mistress to being his concu-bine. I\'92m not sure in \softline
which direc-tion. If I remember cor-rectly, the difference between the two is a concu-bine \softline
is expected to produce children. Thanks a lot, Mr. Muller. I\'92ll send you a letter when \softline
\'97 and if \'97 I\'92m ever speaking to you again!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Cliff,\'94 Steve said plaintively, \'93Do you ever get the feel-ing men can\'92t win? Can\'92t \softline
win, hell! We can\'92t even score a point. Here I was trying to propose matrimony \'97 in the \softline
nicest way I can think of, I might add \'97 and I\'92m accused of insulting her. There\'92s just \softline
no justice!\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy,\'94 Jane said, \'93do you have a pad or something to take a memo for me?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy, having an idea of what was coming, took a tiny pad from her purse along with \softline
a pencil. She set the pad on her leg as if it were her steno pad, poised her pencil in the \softline
most approved secretarial-school manner and said, \'93Of course, Miss Miller.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The men sat watching the two girls with amusement. Cliff decided that Sandy, too, \softline
had great comedy instincts.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93To: Vice President \'96 Marketing,\'94 Jane began. \'93From: Key Accounts Manager. \softline
Subject: Matrimony. Paragraph. It has come to my attention that an insulting remark \softline
you made earlier was intended to be a backhanded proposal of marriage. Period. I do \softline
not accept backhanded proposals. Period. Paragraph. However, to facilitate \softline
communications, this is to advise you that I am again speaking to you. Period. Sandy, \softline
I\'92ll even sign it personally.\'94 While she was pretending to take the memo, Sandy was \softline
strug-gling to maintain a straight face. She was suppressing giggles at the end.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Steve looked at Cliff and shrugged. \'93Jane, since you\'92re speaking to me again, may \softline
I take advantage of this narrow window of opportunity to ask you to marry me? Please?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane looked at Steve intently. \'93I\'92ll have to think about that a bit. You\'92re a terrible \softline
cook. I think that\'92s deliberate, though, just so you don\'92t have to do it. On the other \softline
hand, you\'92re reasonably good at washing dishes. You\'92re not too messy. And you\'92re great \softline
in bed.\'94 She looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments. \'93Okay, I\'92ll marry you.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Then Steve took her in his arms, and Sandy and Cliff watched as they kissed long \softline
and passionately.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab When they moved apart, Jane\'92s eyes were swimming. \'93Wow! Steve Muller, there\'92s \softline
one problem. How\'92s it going to sound for me to be Jane Miller-Muller \'97 it sounds like \softline
a spaghetti company, for chris-sakes. So that\'92s out. I\'92ll have to be just plain Jane Muller. \softline
And I had my heart set on a hyphenated last name! Sandy, do you think they\'92ll throw \softline
me out of National Organ-ization for Women?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \ul0 \tab The two girls grinned at each other while Steve felt for something inside his jacket \softline
pocket. Cliff had an idea what was coming, and called over the cock-tail waitress. He \softline
whispered something to her, and the girl grinned, nodded quickly and disappeared.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Meanwhile, Steve had found what he was looking for and looked at Jane. \'93I have \softline
something for you. Here.\'94 he said. His hand was over hers, palm down. He released \softline
something from his hand into hers. Jane was stunned. It was a solitaire diamond ring \softline
with a large diamond, over one-and-a-half carats. The diamond reflec-ted the light \softline
brilliantly.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Oh, Steve! It\'92s gorgeous.\'94 Jane went into his arms and melted in a passionate kiss. \softline
There was no joking this time.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab The waitress returned with a wine bucket, four glasses, and a bottle of the best \softline
champagne the hotel had. She opened the bottle and poured.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Congratulations and very best wishes for a long and happy marriage. Steve, it\'92s \softline
about time you made an honest woman out of her.\'94 Cliff then ducked as blows rained \softline
on his head.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane had been looking intently at Sandy. \'93And, Miss Don-nell, speaking of honest \softline
women, where have }{\plain \fs24 \i\f1 you}{\plain \fs24 \f1 been sleeping lately?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy spoke in her haughtiest voice. \'93In a bed, of course. Where else would one \softline
sleep?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane grinned knowingly, \'93Okay, in a bed. Whose bed, and with whom...? or who...? \softline
or whatever.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Sandy just grinned back. Then she took the girl and gave her a hug. \'93Jane, I\'92m so \softline
happy for you! I\'92ve learned something from you that I\'92ll tell you about some day. When \softline
is the happy event going to be now that you\'92re engaged?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane pretended to yawn. \'93There\'92s no hurry. I\'92ve got my diamond. Isn\'92t that all a \softline
girl really needs?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93As a matter of fact, no.\'94 Sandy replied. \'93You need someone to use to warm your \softline
feet on when you\'92re in bed.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Golly, Sandy, you\'92re right! I never thought of that. Maybe it\'92ll be earlier than I \softline
thought.\'94 Both of the girls smiled while the guys just shrugged.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93You can\'92t win, you know,\'94 Steve said to Cliff. \'93I think it\'92s one of the basic ground \softline
rules. You know, like Catch 22? You go all through the rules and then you get to the \softline
end. The last rule says, \'91Regardless of anything stated or implied in any prior rule, the \softline
guy loses.\'92 I hope you have accepted it, Cliff.\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 {*\bkmkstart BM_1_}{*\bkmkend BM_1_}\tab The foursome sipped their champagne, and Sandy and Cliff both inspected Jane\'92s \softline
beautiful engagement ring. Then the conver-sation swung back around to the company.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Steve, how does it look with our major customers? I know you haven\'92t had a chance \softline
to do much except plan, yet,\'94 Cliff said, \'93but do you have any feeling? I\'92m particularly
concerned about Magna Motors. You look at that account and the quality we\'92re giving \softline
them \'97 or not giving them \'97 and you wonder why they\'92re still buying from us at all. \softline
Have you heard anything?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93No, I really haven\'92t. But frankly, I\'92m worried, too. If Ajax really made a run at our \softline
piece of the Magna business, there\'92s no reason for them not to get it. Their quality is \softline
much better than ours and their pricing is only a little higher. I suspect that they are \softline
a lower-cost supplier to Magna on an all-costs-in basis,\'94 Steve replied.
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Jane, have you ever called on the Japanese? I really feel stupid asking, because of \softline
the cultural differences. Because if a girl ever wants to feel good about the position of \softline
women in the United States, all she needs to do is spend some time in the Orient. In \softline
general, women don\'92t count for much there.\'94 Steve looked at her. \'93The reason I\'92m \softline
asking, though, is Kaga Motors has a plant across the lake in Michigan. Have we ever \softline
called on them?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab Jane looked thoughtful as she answered, \'93I don\'92t think anyone from Mur-phy ever \softline
has. You know how Flood was... how we all were up until the last couple of weeks. We \softline
considered Japanese business to be out of the question. Would you like me to take my \softline
lovely new ring across the lake? Is that what I\'92m hearing?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Would you mind taking a crack at it?\'94 Steve asked. \'93It certainly can\'92t hurt, \softline
although some of what Bill was saying this afternoon about the state of our production \softline
machinery was scary. It seems like the best bet would be to make it strictly explor-atory. \softline
What specific types of rings and valves do they use? What sort of delivery are they \softline
accustomed to? Is it as good as they would like? That sort of thing. Does it make any \softline
sense?\'94
}{\plain \fs24 \f1 \tab \'93Sandy, my future lord and master has decreed that I go across the great waters! \softline
Let\'92s keep our fingers crossed!\'94}