Barbarians at the Gate: the Primary Example of Great Entrpreneurs
According to the Oxford American dictionary, an entrepreneur is one who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. Two primary examples of great entrepreneurs in the business world would be the characters from Barbarians at the Gate, Henry Kravis of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Ross Johnson of RJR Nabisco. Henry Kravis proposed a more conventional but effective manner of conducting business in his years with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. On the contrary, Ross Johnson enforced his own eccentric styling in RJR Nabisco while conducting business, one that was not common, let alone favored by many. Although these two tycoons had opposite approaches in the business world, both were equally effective in their own way. Not only did these two entrepreneurs contribute to one of the largest buyouts on Wall Street in 1988, but also they did so in their own individual styles.
Upon entering the business world, Ross Johnson portrayed the role of a very efficient and respectable entrepreneur. As stated in the early chapters of Barbarians at the Gate, “He would recite all the steps he had taken to get the stock up: the profit gains, the pristine balance sheet, the stock buy backs, and Premier” (111). He as also noted to be “America’s Toughest Marketing Man” (114). Johnson at the very beginning of his career started out with a big bang. He was very efficient and persistent in gaining success. He drove his points of interest rigidly and made sure he delivered a successful result every time. However as he began to make his way up to the top in RJR Nabisco, his attitude and performance changed tremendously. Of course, when Johnson first started out, he tried to maintain a certain image as a very prominent employee. He would make sure everything was done perfectly, double checking everything. It is expected that once you get settled into working with a company, your performance would be more relax and
Upon entering the business world, Ross Johnson portrayed the role of a very efficient and respectable entrepreneur. As stated in the early chapters of Barbarians at the Gate, “He would recite all the steps he had taken to get the stock up: the profit gains, the pristine balance sheet, the stock buy backs, and Premier” (111). He as also noted to be “America’s Toughest Marketing Man” (114). Johnson at the very beginning of his career started out with a big bang. He was very efficient and persistent in gaining success. He drove his points of interest rigidly and made sure he delivered a successful result every time. However as he began to make his way up to the top in RJR Nabisco, his attitude and performance changed tremendously. Of course, when Johnson first started out, he tried to maintain a certain image as a very prominent employee. He would make sure everything was done perfectly, double checking everything. It is expected that once you get settled into working with a company, your performance would be more relax and