e8东的信 _作者: 美 沃伦·巴菲特-第42章
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ng and retailing businesses; leaving aside certain non…operating assets and purchase…price accounting adjustments; (3) our subsidiaries engaged in finance…type operations; which are Mutual Savings and Scott Fetzer Financial; and (4) an all…other category that includes the non…operating assets (primarily marketable securities) held by the panies in segment (2); all purchase price accounting adjustments; and various assets and debts of the Wesco and Berkshire parent panies。
在后面我会提到重新将Berkshire的部门分类为四大项,这是查理跟我认为可以帮助大家计算本公司实质价值的最好方式,以下的资产负债表与盈余表就是依此分类表示(1)保险事业,并将主要投资部位归类(2)制造、出版与零售事业,扣除非本业资产与购买法的会计调整(3)金融业的子公司…诸如联合储贷与史考特飞兹财务公司(4)其它项目,包含前述非营业资产(主要是有价证券投资)与购买法调整,还有Wesco与Berkshire母公司一些其它的资产与负债。
If you bine the earnings and net worths of these four segments; you will derive totals matching those shown on our GAAP statements。 However; I want to emphasize that this four…category presentation does not fall within the purview of our auditors; who in no way bless it。
如果你将这四个部门的盈余与净值加总,会得到与经会计师依公认会计原则查核的数字一致,然而我还是必须强调这种表达方式并未经过会计师的检视,我想他宁可选择不要看的好。
In addition to our reported earnings; we also benefit from significant earnings of investees that standard accounting rules do not permit us to report。 On page 15; we list five major investees from which we received dividends in 1989 of about 45 million; after taxes。 However; our share of the retained earnings of these investees totaled about 212 million last year; not counting large capital gains realized by GEICO and Coca…Cola。 If this 212 million had been distributed to us; our own operating earnings; after the payment of additional taxes; would have been close to 500 million rather than the 300 million shown in the table。
除了帐列盈余数字之外,实际上我们受惠于会计原则不能认列的盈余,后面我烈示出五家主要被投资公司在1989年收到的税后现金股利收入合计是4;500万美元,然而若依照投资比例我们可以分得的税后盈余却高达2。12亿美元,这还不包含我们在GEICO与Coca…Cola身上所获得的资本利得,而若将这应得的2。12亿盈余分给我们,则在扣除应付的所得税之后,公司帐列的盈余可能会大幅增加为5亿美元,而不是现在的3亿美元。
The question you must decide is whether these undistributed earnings are as valuable to us as those we report。 We believe they are … and even think they may be more valuable。 The reason for this a…bird…in…the…bush…may…be…worth…two…in…the…hand conclusion is that earnings retained by these investees will be deployed by talented; owner…oriented managers who sometimes have better uses for these funds in their own businesses than we would have in ours。 I would not make such a generous assessment of most managements; but it is appropriate in these cases。
你应该判断的关键在于这些未分配的盈余与我们帐上已经列示的盈余同样的珍贵,甚至我们相信他们以后可能还更有价值,这一鸟在林更是两鸟在手的道理,就像是与其把盈余交到我们手中,还不如留给我们信任有才干的经理人继续运用发挥,通常我对一般的经理人不会有这么高的评价,但以这几家公司来说,的确是实至名归。
In our view; Berkshire's fundamental earning power is best measured by a 〃look…through〃 approach; in which we append our share of the operating earnings retained by our investees to our own reported operating earnings; excluding capital gains in both instances。 For our intrinsic business value to grow at an average of 15% per year; our 〃look…through〃 earnings must grow at about the same pace。 We'll need plenty of help from our present investees; and also need to add a new one from time to time; in order to reach this 15% goal。
就我们的观点,Berkshire的基本获利能力可以用直接法来衡量,也就是我们将被投资公司真正应分给我们的盈余加到帐列的营业利益之上,同时扣除我们在这些投资已实现的资本利得,所以如果说我们想要让企业的实质价值每年平均以15%的速度成长,我们的直接盈余也必须要以同等的速度增加,因此我们相当需要现有的被投资公司给予我们更多的支持,同时也需要时时增加新进的成员才有办法达到这15%的目标。
Non…Insurance Operations
非保险营运
In the past; we have labeled our major manufacturing; publishing and retail operations 〃The Sainted Seven。〃 With our acquisition of Borsheim's early in 1989; the challenge was to find a new title both alliterative and appropriate。 We failed: Let's call the group 〃The Sainted Seven Plus One。〃
在过去我们将主要的制造、出版与零售业昵称为七个圣徒,在1989年波仙珠宝加入后,马上面临的一个问题就是要找到一个贴切又好听的名词,但到目前为止我们还没有想到,现在姑且将他们称作为「七加一个圣徒」吧。
This divine assemblage … Borsheim's; The Buffalo News; Fechheimer Bros。; Kirby; Nebraska Furniture Mart; Scott Fetzer Manufacturing Group; See's Candies; World Book … is a collection of businesses with economic characteristics that range from good to superb。 Its managers range from superb to superb。
这神圣的组合…波仙珠宝、水牛城日报、费区海默、寇比吸尘器、内布拉斯加家具、史考特费兹、喜斯糖果与世界百科全书等公司,可以说是模范企业的绝佳组合,他们的管理人也可以说是好的不能再好了。
Most of these managers have no need to work for a living; they show up at the ballpark because they like to hit home runs。 And that's exactly what they do。 Their bined financial statements (including those of some smaller operations); shown on page 49; illustrate just how outstanding their performance is。 On an historical accounting basis; after…tax earnings of these operations were 57% on average equity capital。 Moreover; this return was achieved with no net leverage: Cash equivalents have matched funded debt。 When I call off the names of our managers … the Blumkin; Friedman and Heldman families; Chuck Huggins; Stan Lipsey; and Ralph Schey … I feel the same glow that Miller Huggins must have experienced when he announced the lineup of his 1927 New York Yankees。
大部分的管理人根本就不需要为了讨生活而工作,他们参加球队的原因只是为了要击出全垒打,事实上这正是他们常常有的表现,他们合并的财务报表(加上一些较小的事业),显示他们的表现是如此的优异,以历史投资成本做基准,他们现在每年的税后盈余高达平均股东权益的57%,更甚者,他们并不靠举债,帐上所拥有的现金就足以清偿所有的借款,当我念到这些管理人的名字… the Blumkin; Friedman; Heldman families; Chuck Huggins; Stan Lipsey 与 Ralph Schey,这感觉就好象是名教练Miller Huggins 在宣布1927纽约洋基队的先发阵容一样。
Let's take a look; business by business:
现在让我们逐一来检视。
o In its first year with Berkshire; Borsheim's met all expectations。 Sales rose significantly and are now considerably better than twice what they were four years ago when the pany moved to its present location。 In the six years prior to the move; sales had also doubled。 Ike Friedman; Borsheim's managing genius … and I mean that … has only one speed: fast…forward。
在波仙珠宝加入Berkshire的第一年,它达到我们所有的预期目标,营业额大幅成长,较四年前刚搬到现址的时候要好上一倍,事实上在搬来之的六年前,它的业绩早已成长了一倍,Ike Friedman 波仙珠宝的管理天才,只有一种速度,那就是全速前进!
If you haven't been there; you've never seen a jewelry store like Borsheim's。 Because of the huge volume it does at one location; the store can maintain an enormous selection across all price ranges。 For the same reason; it can hold its expense ratio to about one…third that prevailing at jewelry stores offering parable merchandise。 The store's tight control of expenses; acpanied by its unusual buying power; enable it to offer prices far lower than those of other jewelers。 These prices; in turn; generate even more volume; and so the circle goes 'round and 'round。 The end result is store traffic as high as 4;000 people on seasonally…busy days。
如果你还没有到过那里,你一定没有看过有珠宝店像波仙那样,由于销量非常大,所以在那里你可以看到各式各样、各种价格的种类,同样的理由,它的营业费用开销大概只有一般同类型珠宝店的三分之一,对于费用的严格控管,加上优异的采购能力,使得它所贩售的商品要比其它珠宝店要来的便宜许多,而便宜的价格又吸引更多的顾客上门,良性循环的结果,使得该店在忙季的单日人潮流量高达四千人。
Ike Friedman is not only a superb businessman and a great showman but also a man of integrity。 We bought the business without an audit; and all of our surprises have been on the plus side。 〃If you don't know jewelry; know your jeweler〃 makes sense whether you are buying the whole business or a tiny diamond。
Ike Friedman 不但是个优秀的商人、表演者,更是品格高尚的人,买下这家店时,我们没有查帐,事后所有的惊奇完全都是正面的,有句话说不懂珠宝没有关系,但你一定要有认识的珠宝商,这句话真的好有道理,不管是你要买一颗小小的钻石或是要买下一整家店都一样。
A story will illustrate why I enjoy Ike so much: Every two years I'm part of an informal group that gathers to have fun and explore a few subjects。 Last September; meeting at Bishop's Lodge in Santa Fe; we asked Ike; his wife Roz; and his son Alan to e by and educate us on jewels and the jewelry business。
有一段故事可以说明为何我个人如此喜爱Ike,每两年我都会参加一个非正式的聚会,大家一起同乐并探索新事物,去年九月,在圣塔菲与主教会面,我邀请Ike跟他的太太与儿子为大家讲解珠宝。
Ike decided to dazzle the group; so he brought from Omaha about 20 million of particularly fancy merchandise。 I was somewhat apprehensive … Bishop's Lodge is no Fort Knox … and I mentioned my concern to Ike at our opening party the evening before his presentation。 Ike took me aside。 〃See that safe?〃 he said。 〃This afternoon we changed the bination and now even the hotel management doesn't know what it is。〃 I breathed easier。 Ike went on: 〃See those two big fellows with guns on their hips? They'll be guarding the safe all night。〃 I now was ready to rejoin the party。 But Ike leaned closer: 〃And besides; Warren;〃 he confided; 〃the jewels aren't in the safe。〃
Ike为了加深大家的印象,所以特地从奥玛哈带了总值超过2;000万美元的各式珠宝,当时我个人有点担心,因为主教的住所并非像福克斯堡那般坚固,所以当晚在活动开始之前,我特别向Ike表达个人的关切,Ike把我拉到一旁说,看到那保险箱没?? 下午时我们早已掉过包,所以根本没有人可能分得清真或假,听到这话,我放心多了,Ike接着又说,看到旁边那两个腰配枪枝的彪形大汉没?? 他们会整晚守护着这只保险箱,正当我舒口气准备会到宴会中时,Ike小声说到更重要的,真正的珠宝并不在保险箱里!
How can we miss with a fellow like that … particularly when he es equipped with a talented and energetic family; Alan; Marvin Cohn; and Don Yale。
我们怎么能够错过这样一号人物呢?? 尤其是当他背后还有一个兼具才能与活力的家族。
At See's Candies we had an 8% increase in pounds sold; even though 1988 was itself a record year。 Included in the 1989 performance were excellent same…store poundage gains; our first in many years。
喜斯糖果去年糖果的销售磅数再创新高,比前一年度又增加了8%,而且单店的平均销售磅数经过好几年来,首次呈现正成长。
Advertising played an important role in this outstanding performance。 We increased total advertising expenditures from 4 million to 5 million and also got copy from our agency; Hal Riney & Partners; Inc。; that was 100% on the money in conveying the qualities that make See's special。
广告在这家杰出的企业中扮演着很重要的角色,去年我们的广告预算从原先的400万增加到500万美元,透过我们的广告代理商Hal Riney 将钱百分之百花在传达喜斯糖果之所以能够如此特别的品质之上。
In our media businesses; such as the Buffalo News; we sell advertising。 In other businesses; such as See's; we are buyers。 When we buy; we practice exactly what we preach whe