As the second largest automobile company in North America, the Ford family, one of the well-known families in North America, owns a Ford estate here.
At this time, Ford II, the head of the Ford family, lived here.
In the garden of the Ford Manor, Ford II, his brother William Ford, and Philip Caldwell, now the general manager of Ford Motor Company, were sitting on bamboo chairs and talking about recent events at Ford Motor Company.
Ford II is the grandson of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company. His rise to power was not that easy. Henry Ford was an extremely cruel man. He was succeeded by Ethel Ford, the son of Henry Ford and the father of Ford II.
Henry Ford becomes the head of Ford Motor Company.
But everyone knows that Ethel Ford was just a facade and cheerleader promoted by Henry Ford, and all decisions about Ford cars were still made by Henry Ford.
In 1943, Ethelford died young. The doctor's diagnosis was very meaningful - the cause of death was complicated by gastric cancer, fever and a broken heart.
Subsequently, 80-year-old Henry Ford decided to come back and serve as chairman himself.
However, due to his health reasons, Henry Ford still brought his eldest grandson Henry Ford II, who was serving in the military, to take over and join the company's board of directors as executive vice president.
However, even though he is in a high position, Ford II actually still has no actual rights in Ford Motor Company. Old Ford always complained about his grandson, "He doesn't understand anything."
In the end, it was Ford II's mother who used the shares inherited from Ethel Ford as threats and insisted that Ford give up the throne to her eldest grandson.
If old Ford dares not to give up her position, she will dare to sell her shares in the company to outsiders.
This is absolutely unacceptable to old Ford.
Old Ford did not love money. His greatest wish was that the company he founded would always remain in his family.
So under such threats, Old Ford finally gave in.
Now the old Ford has long since passed away, and under the leadership of Ford II, Ford has become a phoenix and has become the second largest automobile manufacturer in North America after General Motors.
But at this time, Ford II encountered a troublesome thing.
He never thought that Ford would one day become the battlefield for a war between the other two major consortiums.
North America has always opened up battlefields in areas other than North America. When did our own place become someone else's battlefield?
This made Ford II very, very unhappy.
"How's the situation over there at Chu Huan?"
Ford II was sitting there with his legs crossed. Not far from where they were sitting, there were a pair of bronze statues. They were the images of Ford II's parents walking here when they were young.
Philip Caldwell said calmly, "KKR is still scanning the stock market on behalf of Chu Huan's North American AKU. It is estimated that Chu Huan's North American AKU should already hold 25% of Ford Motor Co.'s shares!"
As the general manager of Ford Motor Company, Philip Caldwell is also a legend in the North American auto industry because he will become the first person with a foreign surname to serve as Ford family car co-owner after Ford II retires.
This alone is enough for Philip Caldwell to leave his name in the North American automotive industry.
The most important thing is that he sat in this position for nearly 20 years!
"25?" Ford II flicked the cigar in his hand and said in a deep voice, "That means he has spent at least 1.2 billion US dollars?"
Philip Caldwell nodded and said, "If the data is like this, then his expenses should be around this number!"
"This is a huge amount of money. Can Chu Huan still have cash in his hand?" Ford II asked.
Philip Caldwell shook his head and said, "I'm afraid only Chu Huan knows this."
William Ford, who was sitting on the other side, was dissatisfied and said, "Have you not even found out the specific figures for such a long time?"
Faced with William Ford's question, Philip Caudell did not answer.
To put it simply, William Ford and Philip Caldwell were actually competitors.
Prior to this, the biggest call for Ford Motor Company was for William Ford to succeed his brother Ford II. After all, everyone knew that Ford Motor Co. was the purest family-owned company in North America.
But last year, the Continental, launched under the leadership of William Ford, suffered serious losses, causing Ford to post an annual loss for the first time since Ford II took over.
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
Not only that, Ford Motor Company will continue to suffer losses year after year. It was not until Philip Caldwell officially became Ford Motor Co. that the situation was reversed.
This alone made William Ford the sinner of Ford Motor. If it hadn't been for Chu Huan's acquisition of Ford Motor's shares, the first thing that the entire Ford Motor board of directors would discuss now would be to invite William Ford.
It's something that's wrong with Ford's management.
Ford II waved his hand and said, "It won't be easy to know this kind of thing without the other party issuing an announcement, but don't worry, it's the weekend soon. When Monday comes, the North American A library will make an announcement in accordance with regulations.
The Ford Motor shares I hold in my hands!"
There is no difference between the US stock market and other trading hours. They are all closed from Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Philip Caldwell said to Ford II, "Bo, why don't you use this weekend to meet Chu Huan?"
"Why do you want to take the initiative to see him?" Before Philip Caldwell could finish speaking, William Ford interrupted Philip Caldwell again.
"Now this Chu Huan dares to acquire the shares of our Ford Motor Company. If we take the initiative to see him now, what will the outside world say about our Ford family? They will think that we are afraid of Chu Huan!
When it comes to controlling Ford vehicles, our Ford family has never been afraid of anyone!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! He was interrupted twice by William Ford, and Philip Caldwell also had an unhappy expression on his face, and he preached a little coldly.
"Mr. Ford, do you think it's still before 1974?"
In order to ensure that the Ford family has permanent control over Ford Motors and to avoid tax issues and other issues, Henry Ford founded the Ford Foundation in 1936 and injected Class B shares into the foundation. Class B shares were jointly held by family members.
When the Ford Foundation was established, it had only $250,000 in capital. However, as Henry and Ethel passed away one after another, most of their Ford shares were injected into the foundation, and the foundation grew bigger and bigger.
Before Ford Motor Company went public, 88% of the shares were held by the foundation, 2% of the shares were controlled by the company's directors, management, and employees, and the remaining 10% were left to the Ford family. However, it is precisely because these 10% of shares plus
The Class B shares held by the Ford family have absolute decision-making power over Ford Motor Company.
However, in the early 1990s, North American legislation stipulated that family foundations could not hold too concentrated shares.
After Ford went public, the Ford Foundation sold Ford's shares one after another, and by 1974 almost all of them were sold out.
The Ford Foundation not only sold off their Ford stock, but also sold off all 10 Ford cars owned by the Ford family due to the multiple financings of Ford's IPO and family reasons.
In other words, today, the Ford family only holds Class B shares that hold 40% of the voting rights of Ford Motors, and 2 shares of Ford Motors held by management that Ford Motors believes is completely under their control.
But no matter what, the 40% voting power always gives the Ford family what outsiders look like absolute control over Ford Motor Company.
"What do you mean?" William Ford snorted coldly and said, "Even if it is not 74 years later, no one can challenge our Ford family's dominance of Ford Motors!"
Philip Caldwell did not speak, but simply glanced at William Ford. The meaning in his eyes was actually very clear. If everything was as you said, I would not be sitting in your seat and become a Ford.
The general manager.
William Ford read Philip Caldwell's eyes and stood up angrily to argue with him.
"alright!"
Ford II spoke out at this time, stopping the overt and covert fight between the two of them, and said calmly, "Before the matter was made public, I went to meet that rising star in the business world, and it was nothing. But now that the matter has been made public, I
Then we can no longer take the initiative to see him. This is not only the face of Ford Motor Company, but also the face of our Ford family!"
Facing Ford II's final decision, William Ford looked proud, but Philip Caldwell shook his head helplessly.
Although Philip Caldwell succeeded William Ford and became the general manager of Ford Motor Company, Philip Caldwell's relationship with the Ford family is very delicate.
We can get a glimpse of this just from the fact that he succeeded William Ford as general manager of Ford Motor Company.
William Ford was ousted from the position of general manager, which can be said to be a collective victory for other shareholders of Ford Motor except the Ford family. Philip Caldwell, the successor, was a helpless choice after the game between the Ford family and other shareholders of Ford Motor.
.
In fact, it is most common for a family-owned company like Ford Motor Company to have disagreements with the company's professional management team.
Now Philip Caldwell heard that Ford II put the Ford family's face on Ford cars, which he could not accept.
"Bo, now that Chu Huan has become a major shareholder of Ford Motor Company, I believe he will convene the company's board of directors soon to discuss the re-election of board members. If we don't make preparations as soon as possible, I'm worried that this person will really
It will have an immeasurable impact on the company.”
Philip Caldwell still hopes to make the company run more normally!
William Ford spoke on behalf of his brother, "So, you are saying that you want us to terminate our cooperation with South Korea's Hyundai Motor?"
Everyone understands that Chu Huan's real purpose of acquiring Ford Motor's shares is not Ford Motor, but Hyundai Motor, which has in-depth cooperation with Ford Motor.
"If we, Ford Motor, decide to end cooperation with the company's partner Hyundai Motor because of Chu Huan's acquisition of the company's stock, then what will the entire North American business community think of our Ford Motor Company? They will think that we are afraid of Chu Huan, dignified
Ford Motor Company of North America is actually afraid of a businessman from Xiangjiang. Do you think such a reputation will be what our Ford Motor Company needs by then?"
Philip Caldwell shook his head and said, "We don't necessarily have to give up cooperation with Hyundai Motor. I have also inquired about the grievances between Chu Huan and Hyundai Group. It is just caused by some minor conflicts. Both parties are successful businessmen.
There is nothing that cannot be resolved through negotiation.
As long as we can mediate and resolve the grievances between the two parties, then the matter will be very beneficial to us at Ford Motor Company."
Ford II stopped William Ford from continuing to speak with his eyes, looked at Philip Caldwell and asked, "Tell me your thoughts in detail!"
When Philip Caldwell saw Ford II's inquiry, he immediately smiled and said, "Recently I have been researching Chu Huan's situation in Xiangjiang, but the more I research, the more I discover that Chu Huan is in Xiangjiang, Southeast Asia, etc."
The land has an extraordinary influence.
When we cooperated with Hyundai Motor before, we took a fancy to Hyundai Motor's advantage in Asia and hoped that we could use Hyundai Motor to open up the market for Ford Motor in Asia.
But facts have proven that although Hyundai Motor is located in Asia, its influence in South Korea is really limited. The entire Asian car market is still dominated by Japanese cars.
And Hyundai Motor's influence is limited to South Korea.
Chu Huan is different. This person's influence in Xiangjiang and Southeast Asia is far greater than that of Hyundai Group, and Black and White Media in the hands of the other party is now expanding the entire Southeast Asian market. If we can reach a cooperative relationship with Chu Huan, we can use
Chu Huan's influence in Southeast Asia allows us to directly sell our Ford cars to that region, which is more in line with our company's interests in a short period of time than cooperation with Hyundai Motor!"
Ford II asked, "You mean that Chu Huan represents short-term interests, and Hyundai Motor represents long-term interests. As long as we can mediate the conflicts between them, then we, Ford Motor, will have long-term and short-term interests?"
Philip Caldwell nodded and said, "That's right."
Ford II pondered for a moment and said, "What you say makes sense, but now is not the time!"
Philip Caldwell couldn't help but ask "Why?"
Ford II said calmly, "I agree with your suggestion, but again, now is not the time. Now Chu Huan is aggressively acquiring Ford Motor's shares. If we choose to negotiate with the other party at this time,
Let’s not talk about how the outside world will comment on us. Even Chu Huan will have a psychological advantage during the negotiation process and then demand more interests from us. How should we face it then?
The best time to negotiate with him is to let him understand that there are some things that our Ford family can give him because our Ford family is willing to give them to him, not because he comes to rob them.
Only by beating him to pain will we be able to take the absolute initiative in negotiating with him."
Philip Caldwell shook his head silently in his heart. First of all, he acknowledged Ford II's analysis of the negotiations, but at the same time, when Philip Caldwell analyzed the specific things this time, he did not think that what Ford II said was reasonable.
Because Chu Huan is not an ordinary person.
He is the richest man in China!
A super rich man with a net worth of over 10 billion US dollars!
To put it bluntly, in terms of wealth on paper alone, Chu Huan's wealth has already exceeded that of the Ford family.
But now, what Ford II is still thinking about is to suppress first and then win over. He is very not optimistic about Ford II's plan.
Seeing that Philip Caldwell didn't speak, Ford II guessed what he was thinking.
He just said calmly, "If you want Chu Huan to retreat and understand his situation, it is actually very simple. As you just said, Philip, Chu Huan now holds 25 shares of Ford Motor Company. It must be
If you want to have one or several seats on the Ford Motor Board of Directors, we only need to prevent him from even achieving this goal, and he will naturally understand who is in control of Ford Motor Company."
According to common sense, if you become one of the major shareholders of a listed company, you can naturally ask your representatives to join the company's board of directors.
But this is just common sense and does not mean it is absolute. If you cannot pass the unanimous decision of the board of directors, you will naturally have no choice but to enter the board of directors.
This was true when Pao Yugang first started to acquire Wharf, and it was also true when Ye Han quit Macao Entertainment and wanted his son to join the board of directors of Macao Entertainment.
None were successful.
What Ford II has to do now is to make Chu Huan understand that even if he already owns 25% of Ford Motor's shares, he still can't even get into Ford Motor's board of directors.
Ford cars can only be under the control of the Ford family!
Hilton Hotel!
"Second uncle, I have received news that Ford II of the Ford family will not allow Chu Huan to enter the board of directors of Ford Motor!"
Zheng Mengxian was telling Zheng Shiyong the latest news he had received with a smile on his face.
After Zheng Shiyong got the news, he first smiled, then looked at Zheng Mengxian suspiciously and asked, "Where did you get this news?"
Zheng Shiyong is the representative negotiating with Ford Motor this time, but he has not received the news yet. His nephew actually got the news first, which makes Zheng Shiyong difficult to accept.
Zheng Mengxian didn't notice the change in Zheng Shiyong's tone, and just smiled and said, "It was Bill Ford, the son of Ford Motor Company Ford II, who called me."
Bill Ford's name is actually not that, but William Clay Ford II. Bill Ford is the more affectionate name for him.
Bill Ford is just 19 years old this year and has not officially joined Ford yet, but he already knows the Ford family's decision on treating Chu Huan.
It can be seen that although he has not officially entered Ford Motor Company, the Ford family has begun to train its next generation successor.
As for Philip Caldwell, he was always just a migrant worker, not a member of the Ford family.
Zheng Shiyong was not reassured because the person who informed Zheng Mengxian was not a big shot in the Ford family. Now Zheng Mengxian and Bill Ford both belong to the younger generation and may become the backbone of each family in the future.
When the time comes, my generation
In fact, Zheng Shiyong's worries are not exaggerated at all.
He is now the president of Hyundai Motor and will be the president for the next ten years or so. But even so, when the "Prince Rebellion" breaks out in the Hyundai Group in the future, Zheng Juyong will still use his absolute authority to let his younger brother take charge of Hyundai Motor.
The position of CEO was given up to his nephew Zheng Mengjiu.
"If Chu Huan doesn't even get into the board of directors of Ford Motor, then everything Chu Huan is doing now will be in vain!"
Zheng Mengxian was still talking happily.
Zheng Shiyong also calmed down his mood, smiled, and said, "I have said it before, Chu Huan's idea of using Ford cars to attack our modern cars is simply fantastic."
Zheng Mengxian nodded immediately.
"By the way, have you informed your father about this matter?" Zheng Shiyong asked aloud.
"It has been notified. My father was very happy after getting the news!" Zheng Mengxian said happily.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zheng Shiyong's eyes once again flashed with a flash of light. He was in Michigan. After Zheng Mengxian learned the news, he was not there.
Tell yourself this matter immediately
This person, once he gets into the horns of a bull, it will be very difficult for him to get out again.
This is the case with Zheng Shiyong now.
"Very good, as long as your father is happy, then the board of directors won't have anything to say!"
"I think so!"
In South Korea, it was around nine o'clock in the morning when Zheng Mengxian learned that the Ford family would not allow Chu Huan to enter the Ford Motor board of directors.
So Zheng Zhouyong learned the news at around nine o'clock that afternoon.
As Zheng Shiyong and Zheng Mengxian said, Zheng Zhouyong seemed very happy after learning the news. No matter what time it was, he immediately asked his secretary to notify the group directors to convene a group board meeting!
Zheng Zhouyong has absolute authority in Hyundai Group, and those directors naturally do not dare to disobey Zheng Zhouyong's wishes.
So no matter what time it was, I rushed to the Hyundai Group headquarters.
At the board meeting of Hyundai Group, Zheng Zhouyong proudly announced the news to all board members of Hyundai Group.
"I have said it a long time ago. Chu Huan's plan to take action against our Hyundai Motor is just a dream. Now the news from North America has confirmed this, so I ask you not to let anyone question me from now on.
Decision, because my decision is always the right one.
This time is no exception. Chu Huan will lose in this war with our company, and he will be completely defeated. Everyone, what you have to consider now is how we can enter the construction market in Xiangjiang!"
At this time, Zheng Zhouyong was sitting in the position of chairman of the board of directors of Hyundai Group, full of energy and giving guidance to the country.
The shareholders of Hyundai Group sitting on both sides had complicated expressions, but they were all smiling.
As long as Zheng Zhouyong is still there, regardless of the equity distribution of Hyundai Group and how these shareholders are connected, Hyundai Group can only belong to Zheng Zhouyong.
This has nothing to do with equity allocation.
Because Zheng Juyong is a close friend of the current South Korean President Park Chung-hee and has absolute authority in the South Korean business community. Anyone who wants to replace him will only end up being shattered to pieces.
It was this absolute authority that made Zheng Zhouyong subconsciously believe that it was impossible for him to lose to Chu Huan. This is why Zheng Zhouyong announced this matter when news just came from the Ford family and the board of directors had not yet been convened.
s reason.
He believes that the Ford family will definitely be able to control Ford Motors just like he controls the Hyundai Group. Since Ford II has personally spoken about this matter, there is nothing to discuss.
Chu Huan's defeat has been decided!
"President, our goal should not just be the construction market in Xiangjiang. Chu Huan is very influential in Xiangjiang and in Southeast Asia. We should use this opportunity to push the pony cars we produce into the automobile market in Xiangjiang.
And the Southeast Asian market!”
Some shareholders of Hyundai Group spoke out.
Now that Zheng Zhouyong has announced this matter, although his attitude is as strong as ever, everyone is used to Zheng Zhouyong like this.
Make money?
Kneel down and don’t complain!
These shareholders in South Korea are capable of bending and stretching!
As for the previous condemnation of Zheng Mengzhun, naturally there is no more, and everyone still has to focus on how to earn more benefits.
This shareholder's suggestion was very useful to Zheng Zhouyong. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "Your suggestion is good. I will tell Chu Huan about it."
I believe he will not reject us!"
Another shareholder said, "President, do you want to contact Chu Huan again?"
"Haha!" Zheng Zhouyong smiled proudly and said, "Why did we take the initiative to contact Chu Huan? It should be Chu Huan who took the initiative to contact us, and I am in Seoul. I not only want him to take the initiative to contact me, but also
I want him to come to Seoul to apologize to me in person!"
At this time, Zheng Zhouyong was extremely happy. In his opinion, this matter had been settled, and Chu Huan's defeat was only a matter of time!
In fact, not only Zheng Zhouyong, but also the directors of Hyundai Group are also like this at this time.
Some people are even suggesting it.
"President, I think when Chu Huan comes to Seoul, we should notify all the media in South Korea and ask them to go to the airport to wait for Chu Huan!"
This is naturally not to welcome Chu Huan, but to demonstrate the capabilities of their modern group to the citizens of the Republic of Korea.
Haven't you been clamoring for Hyundai Group to continue attacking Chu Huan's Jiaku Department?
Now our Hyundai Group is showing off its power and asking Chu Huan to come to South Korea in person to apologize to us. This is enough to greatly satisfy the sensitive and inferiority complex of the South Korean people.
And Hyundai Group will be the hero of the Republic of Korea.
Zheng Zhouyong smiled and said, "Since this method is your idea, then when the time comes, you will be responsible for this matter!"
"Thank you, President!"
Subsequently, the entire Hyundai Group's board of directors began a heated discussion on how to get Chu Huan to provide more benefits.
Not only that, the next day, the North Korean Daily published this news, as if everything was a done deal!
Such news was naturally seen by Li Zhenguo, who was still in South Korea.
As soon as he got the "Beihan Daily", Li Zhenguo reported the above content to Ma Jizu, and Ma Jizu also spread the news to Chu Huan's ears.
This moment actually demonstrated Chu Huan's advantage in this era. In the 1970s when information transmission was still underdeveloped, Chu Huan could already know the news about his opponent in the shortest possible time.
When Chu Huan saw the content in the newspaper, he burst out laughing.
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