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Whew, what a meeting. Where you as surprised as I was, Jerry? You bet. When the Chairman called us to it I thought it might be about the takeover that there have been rumours about, but I didn't expect anything like the Chief Executive being forced out. No. It doesn't seem fair to blame him for the American project not making much money, when it hasn't had long to establish itself. And I can't see why the Board have decided to end it now. After all, they didn't seem worried earlier this year, when the markets panicked about it and our share price dropped. And fancy Keith Barnes becoming Chief Executive. Did you know joined as a trainee, 30 years ago? Yes, he certainly knows the company, but he's had very little time in positions that'll help him as Chief Executive. I doubt if he's got what it takes to run a big company like this. If you ask me, the Chairman wanted to make an internal appointment, and Keith was in the right place at the right time. Well we'll see how he turns out, but I reckon he'll only keep the job for as long as the Chairman's behind him. Yeah, you're probably right. And what about these new plans Keith talked about? It seems pretty risky to expand into areas where we've got no experience or expertise. This company has been making furniture for years, and we ought to stick to what we're good at and maybe expand through acquisitions. |
