HK Composite: Starting from Shenghe Leading

Chapter 536: Taking charge of the overall situation
Therefore, under this circumstance, some wealthy businessmen called Lin Zehao and asked him to step forward and take charge of the situation, at least to stop the chaos in Hong Kong, otherwise no one would make money.

At this time, Lin Zehao was planning to acquire Sony in the island country.

"Mr. Lin, you have a lot of businesses in Hong Kong Island. If those people continue to make trouble like this, everyone will suffer great losses."

"If it were in the past, it might not be a big deal, but the current international economic situation is not good, so even the smallest fly leg is still meat."

"Now there are people complaining to me every day, but I really have no choice but to ask you to come out and solve the problem."

The person on the other end of the line was Michael Kadoorie, the current patriarch of the Kadoorie family, one of the most wealthy families in Hong Kong Island, with a typical Jewish style.

His family came to China as early as the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty to develop, and has a long history and a solid foundation.

In addition to the energy industry, its subsidiaries also operate real estate, shipping, engineering, construction, hotels, etc.

The famous Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong Island is owned by the Kadoorie family.

It seems that for Jews, the talent for making money is innate.

Of course, although the Kadoorie family is rich and powerful, they do not have much say in the face of underworld forces.

This is also the reason why Michael Kadoorie would call Lin Zehao.

The two parties have cooperated in some property businesses in Hong Kong Island and can be considered old acquaintances.

After all, Hong Kong Island is a relatively small place, and the circle at the top is only that small, so basically everyone knows each other.

"I can't go back now, but I'll ask my subordinates to do it."

"Don't worry, in two days at most, Hong Kong Island will return to peace."

Lin Zehao had a smile on his face and his words were full of confidence.

In fact, both days were the result of his humility.

Considering his status in the underworld, it would only take one night for the Hong Kong underworld to calm down.

"Then I'll wait for your good news. When you return to Hong Kong Island, I'll host a party for us all to get together. I'm sure you will come and show up."

Michael Kadoorie's attitude was very enthusiastic and his words were quite respectful. He did not treat Lin Zehao as a junior at all.

The reason is very simple. Lin Zehao's current industrial layout is so grand and magnificent that in the eyes of outsiders, his image may be that he is rich, very rich.

But in the eyes of these wealthy people and people in the industry, Lin Zehao's ambition is too big, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he has a lofty ambition.

The Kadoorie family is awesome, right?
However, the development is only on the small area of ​​Hong Kong Island.

If we look at the world, the Kadoorie family's industries are not top-notch.

But Lin Zehao is different. Although many of his industrial layouts are just starting out, as long as they are taken shape in time, they will definitely become giants in their respective industries.

When that time really comes, who will be Lin Zehao's opponent?

People with unlimited development potential are the most terrifying!

And Lin Zehao is exactly this kind of person!

"Don't worry, I'll be there."

When they were in Hong Kong Island, these wealthy businessmen and powerful families might have been competitors in certain areas, but if they broadened their horizons and stepped out of Hong Kong Island, they would find that these fellow businessmen from Hong Kong Island actually had a natural basis for cooperation.

Those so-called hometown chambers of commerce are all such organizations.

Therefore, Lin Zehao would not refuse some requests that were not too excessive.

That evening, various underworld groups in Hong Kong received a notice from Wo Shing Wo.

After tonight, you can show off your wealth or engage in fighting, but you have to control the scale in order to stabilize the harmonious development of Hong Kong society.

Different communities have different opinions on this; some agree, some curse, and some even show disdain.

But no matter what they thought in their hearts, they had no choice but to obey the rules set by Wei Longhao.

No one dared to challenge Wei Longhao's authority at this time, not even Xin Ji.

Rumor has it that Xiang Yan smashed several vases after hearing the news.

Of course, this is just a rumor.

…………

Island country, Tokyo.

Ginza, Sony headquarters building, inside the chairman's office.

Akio Morita looked at the piles of documents and reports on the desk, his brows furrowed and his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

Since the moment the island nation's economic bubble burst, Sony's stock price has been plummeting like diarrhea, with no sign of recovery at all.

Of course, this is not just a dilemma faced by Sony, but also a true reflection of countless island companies.

In this economic turmoil that has swept the country, no company can remain immune; even the international economic situation has been affected to some extent.

"Baga! What the hell is going on?"

"Are all the staff in every department of the company pigs? They don't have any brains at all!"

"Down, down ...

In recent years, the business community of the island nation has praised Akio Morita very highly, with some even calling him the "business saint"!
Of course, this is also in line with the island country's traditional naming method. Even a sushi maker can be called the "God of Sushi", which is really embarrassing.

Faced with the boss's questioning, the subordinates could only bow and apologize repeatedly.

He is not a mute, and he really has no good news to report.

The island nation's market has become a scorched earth, everyone is losing money, and it's like this every day.

From a certain perspective, the fact that Sony has managed to survive and not go bankrupt is a testament to its solid foundation.

In contrast, the American market, which has received huge investments in recent years, although not affected by the economic bubble, still suffered huge losses.

In this regard, the subordinate can only pray silently in his heart and never ask about the situation of the American market, otherwise he will face the risk of unemployment.

"It seems that the island country market is hopeless. How about the American market?" Akio Morita took off his glasses, pinched his nose, and said with a tired face.

Last year, Sony made a move that shocked and incomprehensible the whole world, and even within the company.

That is to use 670 billion yen, equivalent to nearly 4.8 billion US dollars, to acquire Columbia Pictures, one of the six major Hollywood film companies.

You know, Sony paid in cash at that time, and it was paid in one lump sum!
Even though the island country was not affected by the economic bubble at that time and Sony was in its heyday, it was still difficult to complete the transaction.

Most importantly, no one understands that Sony is a complete layman in the film business, so what is the point of spending a lot of money? Those Hollywood insiders dare to cheat even Wall Street vampires, let alone Sony, an outsider who only needs to stick a lot of money on people's faces?
For example, Warner's Harry Potter series is a cash cow that is known to the whole world. The box office and peripheral series have made a lot of money.

But under such circumstances, Warner's financial statements still show that they are in a loss-making state on the Harry Potter series projects.

Why do you do this?
Because starting from the later films, those British actors who became famous with the little wizards were no longer satisfied with the high pay, but started to ask for a share of the movie box office and peripheral profits.

In this regard, Warner could only nod and agree, because if it is not absolutely necessary for a series of movies, no company would be stupid enough to change the leading actor.

Therefore, they chose to start with the accounts. As long as the project was loss-making, there would naturally be no share.

As for the profit sharing, just ask for it. If you can get even a dime, we will lose!

So, in Hollywood, which has a glorious tradition, how could Sony, the victim, make money?

"The report shows that since we acquired Columbia, the company has invested in thirteen projects in one year..."

"As for the results... Here is the report, please take a look."

Faced with this situation, the subordinates had no choice but to report it.

It seems that he will definitely be unemployed today.

Unfortunately, in this island country that is experiencing an economic depression, it is almost impossible to find a similar job.

Akio Morita took the report, put on his glasses, and began to look at it carefully.

No matter how he looks at it, no matter how much the movie will ultimately earn at the box office, tens of millions or hundreds of millions, there is only one result: a loss.

Those two bright red words seemed to be silently mocking him, the business saint.

"why?"

"Twelve projects in one year, all of which are different types of movies, with many big stars in them. I can understand if one or two lose money, or even if only one or two make money, but all twelve lose money, a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in one year, what on earth is going on?"

"Even if I find an outsider who doesn't know anything about movies to invest in twelve movies with their eyes closed, it's not like I won't make any money from any of them, right?"

Akio Morita's defenses had been broken, and he didn't even have the energy to lose his temper.

According to the previous decision of the board of directors, since the island market is in such a mess, they will go out and shift their investment focus to other countries.

For example, America, China, etc.

But now, America’s major industries continue to lose money, and they don’t make a penny after working all year. How can they shift their investment focus?

Just as the subordinate was sweating profusely and racking his brains for how to answer, the office door was pushed open.

An old man with silver hair, a square face and black-framed glasses was pushed in.

"Ishinaka, why are you here? I thought you would be late."

"What are you still standing there for? Go and prepare the tea."

Akio Morita quickly stood up, looking extremely surprised.

The person who came was none other than the co-founder of Sony, Masaru Ibuka.

It was at his invitation that Akio Morita joined Sony.

However, Ibuka Masaru, now 82 years old, has not been in good health. He usually recuperates in a sanatorium and seldom comes to the company.

Akio Morita was basically in charge of all Sony's work, and they would only consult him when something big happened.

Obviously, the economic crisis that has swept the entire island nation is a well-deserved major event.

The appearance of Jing Shenma saved his subordinate who was already at a loss for words. He took the opportunity to make tea to escape danger and avoid losing his job.

"Well? Have you made your decision?"

Jing Shenma's face was covered with wrinkles, and his voice was irretrievably old, but his overall mental state was still pretty good.

"Not yet. The situation in America is not very good right now. Many companies are losing money."

"I think it is not a wise choice to shift the focus of investment there under such circumstances."

Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka are old acquaintances. Decades of time have made them get along like brothers or even family.

There are some things that he doesn't need to hide, just say them openly.

"You're right. In my opinion, those Americans who wear suits, ties and canes may look like gentlemen on the outside, but they are actually bandits at heart."

"When he sees that you have something good, he will do whatever it takes to take it away."

"That land is known for its freedom and tolerance, but in fact it is the most xenophobic, with all kinds of discrimination emerging one after another."

"America is not a very good choice for us."

Although Jing Shenma's physical functions have aged uncontrollably, time has also given him wisdom.

Although this old man, who is over 80 years old, has poor eyesight, he can see through the false appearance of things and get to the essence.

"You are wise. If I had listened to your advice, I might be much better off now."

Akio Morita sighed, his tone sounding somewhat lonely and regretful.

At the beginning, Masaru Ibuka was opposed to the acquisition of Columbia because it was inconsistent with Sony's business strategy and they did not understand the film industry.

But in the end, Akio Morita successfully persuaded the board of directors by saying that the real purpose of the acquisition was to deepen exchanges with the American political and financial circles, and promoted this transaction that shocked the world.

Logically speaking, Sony products have a thirty-year history in the American market.

A local legal entity was established in 1960, and ten years later it became the first island company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Among the business people in many island countries, Akio Morita of Sony is probably the most well-known.

However, Akio Morita had lived on Fifth Avenue for so many years and had never been invited to attend banquets held by the financial community or local elite circles.

For example, New York's financial circles would book the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a grand party, with VIPs from the political and financial circles gathered together, but Akio Morita was never invited.

In other words, although they have business dealings with each other, they have not yet been recognized as partners.

But since Sony acquired Columbia, the invitations Akio Morita received were like snowflakes, too numerous to count.

From the perspective of integrating into the American upper class, Akio Morita's strategy was undoubtedly successful.

But from a purely business perspective, he was undoubtedly a failure.

(End of this chapter)