彭博社：安利利用哈佛大学成就与中国的关系(4)

　　激增的销量
 

　　自从这个计划开始，安利公司在中国的销售已飙升四倍以上。其转变更加引人注目---因为安利，一个在世界各地都受到困扰的公司，一个被指控为金字塔计划的公司，他通过把自己描绘成一个反对这种恶行的十字军而战胜了中国官员。金字塔计划诱惑个人加入一个商业机会，其业务的增长主要靠招募其他人而不是向消费者销售产品。

　　哈佛大学也得益于其与安利的关联。该计划提高了肯尼迪学院在亚洲的形象，其使命是培养开明的公共领导人，这些比大学所吹嘘的商学院更不为人所知。肯尼迪学院为亚洲的其他国家也开始提供几个类似的计划：精英同行。

　　Sales Surge

　　Since the program began, Amway’s sales in China have surged more than fourfold. The turnaround is all the more striking because Amway — a company dogged around the world by accusations that it’s a pyramid scheme — won over Chinese officials in part by painting itself as a crusader against such abuses. Pyramid schemes lure individuals to join a business that grows mainly by recruiting other people rather than by selling products to consumers.

　　Harvard has benefited from its association with Amway. The program has raised the profile in Asia of the Kennedy School, whose mission is to train enlightened public leaders and which was less well known there than the university’s vaunted business school. The Kennedy School has started several similar programs for officials from Asia — a lead its elite peers have followed.