FEDEX: GAINING ON THE GROUND

摘要

Two years ago, FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith watched in frustration as his company's vaunted air express service took a beating. Rival United Parcel Service Inc., fresh off the biggest public stock offering in U.S. history, was spending lavishly on new Airbus delivery planes, building out a network of computers and wireless devices, and extending its trademark precision to the airborne delivery business. Meanwhile, more FedEx customers were bypassing costly shipments altogether and moving documents with e-mail. To Wall Street, it looked as if FedEx was doomed to years of shrinking margins and lost business. Some analysts even went so far as to suggest that FedEx would disappear in a takeover.