attrition 復習
When it rains, it pours, the old saying goes, but unfortunately for the U.S.'s biggest brewers, beer drinkers aren't pouring as many of their pints as they once did. Instead, they've turned to craft beer and, increasingly, Mexican imports. …
What might not have been expected, however, was the enduring popularity of Miller Lite after MillerCoors was sold as part of Anheuser-Busch's acquisition of SABMiller last year. As noted earlier, although sales have continued to ebb away here in the U.S., management has hinted that Miller Lite was on the rise and was "on track to become the number three beer in America."
And now it's achieved that distinction, though it's more due to Budweiser falling faster than Miller Lite. At a recent area conference for business executives hosted by the Milwaukee Business Journal, the news site reported MillerCoors CEO Gavin Hattersley announced Miller Lite had finally surpassed Budweiser as the third-largest beer. It still has a long way to go before it catches up to No. 2 Coors Light, let alone top-ranked Bud Light, but the achievement is significant nonetheless.
It also suggests Miller Lite may yet move higher. Nielsen data shows Bud Light sales falling by 5.7% over the first nine months of 2017, while Coors Light was down 3.4%. Miller Lite, falling at the much slower rate of just 1.7%, can actually gain position simply by attrition.(Skip the rest)
今回取り上げる語は、attrition /ətríʃən/ です。
まず意味を確認します。『ジーニアス英和大辞典』(大修館)をみると、「(1)摩擦、消耗、(2)減少、縮小」とあります。(1)の語義では用例として “war of attrition” とあり、「消耗戦」と訳をつけることができます(Weblio英和辞典)。
また Oxfrod Advanced Learner’s Dictionary(8th edtion) によれば、”natural wastage” とも言い換えることができ、“the process of reducing the number of people who are employed by an organization by, for example, not replacing people who leave their jobs” と定義されています。つまり、「一例として、組織によって雇用されている人の数が減る過程の中で、その辞めた人の代わりを置かないこと」で、これを「自然減」というができます。
beer はアメリカでも日本でも人気のあるアルコール類です。これからお正月にかけて beer belly にならないように気をつけたいです。(OkaUchi)
