• How big an asset does General Electric have? And how many people work for GE?
• As GE’s CEO, does Welch payment attention to details? What difference does it make to success?
• How does Welch successfully manage GE?
• What does “informality” mean as described in the passage? Why is being informal so important in an organization?
• Why does Welch compare GE to a grocery store?
• How does Welch lead, guide and influence GE?
• What does Welch mainly do at the Corporate Executive Council sessions?
• Why does Welch think that efficiencies in business are infinite?
• How did Welch feel about quality programs before he adopted the Six Sigma program, and why?
• At what level was GE situated, compared with a Six Sigma quality level? What resulted from operating at this level?
• What did GE reap as a result of launching the Six Sigma programs last year, and what is expected to come as net benefits this year?
• What specific benefits did the Six Sigma programs bring to GE?
• What does Welch suggest doing to combat the falling prices?

• 现在操纵着国家经济大权的仍然是那些大公司。(wield)
• 糟糕的经济形势使得管理层更难把工人们的积极性调动起来。(motivate)
• 首先，他对我们邀请他参加会议表示感谢。(first off)
• 老板对待我的方式使我感到很烦。(get hung up on)
• 如果他们不干，那也没什么大不了的。(a big deal)
• 我想你会愿意重新评价你的生活，学会怎么去利用困难局面。 (use something to great advantage)
• 他利用他的各种关系作为取得晋升的工具。(lever)
• 我希望你能尽快提出解决这个问题的方法。(come up with)
• 选民通常对总统候选人所作出的政治许诺持怀疑态度。(be skeptical of)
• 年轻人有趋附时尚的倾向。(be the rage of)
• 向市场推出新产品是非常复杂的事，需要仔细的策划。(call for)
• 这个消息一旦传出去，即使不借助于报纸，也会迅速传开。(spread like wildfire)

Under Welch's leadership, General Electric in the late 1990s also adopted “six sigma”, a quality control and improvement initiative pioneered by Motorola, Inc. and AlliedSignal Inc. The program aimed to cut costs by reducing errors or defects. GE claimed that by 1998 six sigma was yielding $1 billion in annual savings. The company also continued to restructure as necessary, including taking a $2.3 billion charge in late 1997 to close redundant facilities and shift production to cheaper labor markets. During 1999 General Electric adopted a fourth growth initiative, e-business (globalization, services, and six sigma being the other three). Like many longstanding companies, GE reacted cautiously when the Internet began its late 1990s explosion. But once he was convinced of the new medium's potential, Welch quickly adopted e-commerce as a key to the company's future growth. Among the early ventures was a plan to begin selling appliances through Home Depot, Inc.’s web site, a move aimed at revitalizing lagging appliance sales.