公司董事會請注意

????現在，收入分配不平衡是折扣零售商和快餐企業(yè)面臨的一個非常嚴峻的考驗。任何一個有眼光的董事會成員都會告訴你，一家公司首先需要的是一種行之有效的商業(yè)模式。如果沒有人來購買你所銷售的產品，或者不能與公司員工保持恰當的關系，你的公司注定要走下坡路。

????沃爾瑪CEO邁克?杜克在公司最近的一次季度電話會議上闡述了他在與不同地域的顧客接觸和溝通的努力。但是顯然他所謂的努力都將是徒勞，因為他沒有向那些被稱為“同事”的普通員工伸出援手、予以加薪。

????沃爾瑪和麥當勞目前的管理層是否能打造屹立不倒的商業(yè)模式還需拭目以待。他們也明白，CEO并不是終身制。因此董事會必須確保這些問題能得到應有的關注，這一點顯得尤為重要。同時，投資者（據《財富》雜志統(tǒng)計占最富裕階層人數50%）也需要好好想一想。當然，沃爾瑪和麥當勞這樣的大公司不會很快從投資者的股指基金中消失。

????本文作者系董事會咨詢機構價值聯盟和公司治理聯盟的首席執(zhí)行官。

????譯者：默默

Corporate boards, this is your cue

????Right now, economic inequality is a very serious risk for discount retail and fast food firms. As any good board member will tell you, the first thing a company needs is a business model that works. And if you don't have people who can buy what you sell or the right relationship with the people at your company, your company is headed downhill.

????On Wal-Mart's recent quarterly conference call, CEO Mike Duke discussed his efforts to get out and talk to customers in different geographies. But he's missing the boat by not reaching out to what the retailing behemoth calls its associates.

????Whether the current management at Wal-Mart and McDonald's are able to create sustainable business models is up for grabs. CEOs are short-timers, and they know it. That's why it's important for boards to make sure these issues receive the attention they deserve. In the meantime, investors, who represent about 50% of the wealthiest adult population according to Fortune, have a lot of thinking to do. Firms like Wal-Mart and McDonald's aren't disappearing from investors' index funds any time soon.

????Eleanor Bloxham is CEO of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance

????(http://thevaluealliance.com), a board advisory firm.