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Business
商業(yè)報道
Veolia's boardroom battle
威立雅集團(tuán)的董事會斗爭
Plumbing the depths
政界涉商之深
What a row over a water company says about French capitalism.
從一家水務(wù)公司總經(jīng)理的連續(xù)更替來看法國的資本主義。
EVEN by the standards of French business, from which politics is rarely absent, it was an outrageous plan.
即便是按照法國商業(yè)的慣例，即鮮有政不涉商的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來看，威立雅集團(tuán)的打算也是極其過分的。
This week news emerged of a plot to oust Antoine Frerot, chief executive of Veolia, a private water and waste group, and replace him with Jean-Louis Borloo, a politician and former energy minister.
本周，風(fēng)言威立雅水務(wù)集團(tuán)密謀用前能源部長，政客讓路易·博洛取代現(xiàn)任總經(jīng)理安東尼 弗雷羅的消息四起。
Civil servants regularly take the top job at blue-chip French firms.
在法國，公務(wù)人員擔(dān)任藍(lán)籌股公司高管也算常事。
But Mr Borloo, who has no experience running a business, seemed singularly unqualified to run an unprofitable company which needs deep restructuring.
但是由絲毫沒有商業(yè)經(jīng)驗的博洛似乎絕不可以勝任掌管一家需要深度重組的虧損公司。
Mr Borloo is a friend of Henri Proglio, who was Veolia's chief executive from 2003 until 2009.
博洛是亨利 布格洛的好友，后者2003至09年曾任威立雅集團(tuán)的總經(jīng)理一職。
Mr Proglio then handed the job to Mr Frerot, his chosen successor, and became chief executive of Electricite de France, a utility.
之后接替布格洛的是其親自挑選的繼任人弗雷羅，而布格洛到公用事業(yè)公司法國電力擔(dān)任總經(jīng)理。
For a year after becoming boss of EDF, Mr Proglio stayed on as Veolia's chairman, collecting two big pay packages.
在布格洛掌管法國電力一年之后，他仍保有威立雅集團(tuán)的董事長頭銜，同時拿著兩大公司的薪酬。
After a corporate-governance storm, he stepped down as chairman of Veolia in 2010 but kept a seat on its board.
在企業(yè)治理風(fēng)暴之后布格洛才辭掉威立雅集團(tuán)董事長一職但仍擁有董事席位。
The origin of this week's row is Mr Frerot's plan to restructure Veolia, one of France's largest private-sector employers.
本周傳言的起因是，威立雅集團(tuán)，這家法國頭號私營公司的主管弗雷羅計劃對公司進(jìn)行重組而引發(fā)的。
The firm's shares have fallen by 60% in the past 12 months, as it has struggled with tumbling profits and high debt.
威立雅集團(tuán)由于利益下滑和重債纏身，去年一年股價下跌了60%。
Instead of following the path set out by his former boss, Mr Frerot announced last December that he would take an axe to Mr Proglio's empire,
弗雷羅去年十二月宣稱將放棄前任的既定方案，
which spanned 77 countries and 250 varieties of business, and turn Veolia into something resembling a modern, focused company.
對這家涉及77個國家，250種商業(yè)活動的公司進(jìn)行大刀闊斧的改革，使之成為一家現(xiàn)代化的、有主要項目的公司。
He announced a sale of assets worth 5 billion and a retreat to 40 markets, as well as an overhaul of the company's culture.
弗雷羅還宣布將出售價值50億歐元的資產(chǎn)，退出40個市場，并重建企業(yè)文化。
It was entirely clear that something radical needed to be done to focus the business, says Per Lekander, an analyst with UBS, an investment bank, in Paris.
非常明顯，發(fā)展重點項目肯定需要做一些出格的事情，位于巴黎的投行瑞銀集團(tuán)的分析師佩爾·萊坎德如是所說。
But Mr Frerot's rebellion has infuriated Mr Proglio, who has reportedly been briefing fellow board members of Veolia that they need to replace him.
不過弗雷羅的離經(jīng)叛道激怒了布格洛，據(jù)報道布格洛已與董事會的其他成員碰頭商討要替換弗雷羅。
Mr Borloo has denied that he wants to become Veolia's chief executive, but has admitted meeting board members.
布格洛否認(rèn)他想擔(dān)任總經(jīng)理一職，但承認(rèn)了與董事們會面。
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, was obliged to deny any involvement in the plan to replace Mr Frerot.
法國總統(tǒng)薩科奇被迫否認(rèn)參與了密謀替換弗雷羅一事。
Francois Hollande, the Socialist candidate in the presidential election this spring, denounced the plot.
參加今年春季總統(tǒng)大選的社會黨候選人弗朗索瓦·奧朗德譴責(zé)了這個陰謀。
Mr Frerot should keep his job, at least for now; Mr Sarkozy cannot risk more controversy so soon before the election.
他認(rèn)為至少當(dāng)前應(yīng)該讓弗雷羅繼續(xù)工作。大選臨近，薩科奇也不敢再惹爭議。
Nonetheless, the affair should worry shareholders in big French companies.
事盡如此，此事還是讓持有法國大公司股票的股東們?nèi)诵幕袒獭?/div>
The practice of parachuting political figures to the top of important firms is thriving, despite hopes that it was on the way out.
盡管只是希望有條出路，但往大公司的高管職位上空降政治人物的活動還是很流行的。
Most recently, Alexandre de Juniac, a chief of staff to Christine Lagarde when she was finance minister, took charge at Air France in spite of having no operating experience of the airline business.
最近，曾在拉杰德任財長時擔(dān)任其幕僚長的亞歷山大·德 朱尼亞克，在毫無航空業(yè)管理經(jīng)驗的情況下掌管起了法航。
France Inc continues to be influenced by a small network of politically connected power brokers. Mr Proglio's continuing sway over Veolia is merely an extreme example.
法國公司繼續(xù)被一小撮有著政治紐帶的權(quán)力經(jīng)紀(jì)人所影響著。而布格洛對威立雅集團(tuán)持續(xù)不斷的影響僅僅只是個特例。
