| Today much rubber is synthetic. It
would seem that there would be less opportunity for accidents in creating this
artificial product. Nevertheless the first synthetic rubber was produced by
accident, an even stranger accident than that which happened to Charles
Goodyear. In 1917, Professor Harry L. Fisher, a teacher of organic chemistry at Columbia University, was asked by the United States War Department to prepare chemical compounds, The War Department planned to test these compounds in order to decide how effective they would be against an enemy. Fisher was given a list of 20 such compounds, and number 13 on the list was a chemical made with sulfur. Some people think that is an unlucky number, and Fisher thought it was when he first heated the chemicals in his laboratory The result was a bad - smelling, sticky substance that certainly had A. the first synthetic rubber was produced by Charles Goodyear B. if it had not been for a traffic accident, we would not have had synthetic rubber C. more need for rubber helped the development of synthetic rubber D. the first synthetic rubber came into being totally unexpectedly [简答题]
A future of temporary networks would seem to run counter to
the wave of mergers sweeping the global economy. The headlines of the business
press tell the story, "Compaq buys Digital"; "WorldCom buys MC1"; "Citibank
merges with Travelers"; "Daimler-Benz acquires Chrysler" Yet when we look
beneath the surface of all merger and acquisition activity, we see signs of a
counter-phenomenon: the disintegration of the large corporation.
Twenty-five years ago, one in five US workers was employed by a Fortune 500 company. Today, the ratio has dropped to less than one in 10. Large companies are far less vertically integrated than they were in the past and rely more and more on outside suppliers to produce components and provide services. While big companies control ever larger flows of cash, they are exerting less and less direct control over actual business activity. They are, you might say, growing hollow. Even within large corporations, decision [填空题]
If life were endless, the world would be full of [单项选择]（ ）a little more tolerant our world would be a better place.
A. Were people B. If people would C. People were D. Would people [简答题]Many changes in the world of business may seem surprising if we are completely blind to the future. But experts say we can see, at least part of it from where we stand. Using chaos theory to understand the interconnectedness of the world—think of the "butterfly effect" —will help us recognize the causes of certain "chance happenings" and be better prepared to cope with them.
Take Asia’s financial crisis. In the past, companies would have said it was just another random event. "The truth is, many of these seemingly random events can affect their business," says Sanders.
Given the interconnectedness of the global economy, Sanders says, it’s more important than ever that companies be aware of emerging issues and quickly determine how to respond. But to do so, they need an organic and evolving approach to planning. The old planning model focused on "forecasting" one or a few possible paths of events, while a revolutionary paradigm called "foresighting" allows one to master the situatio
[简答题]Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you to the annual meeting of our company. Mr. Smith will give a report on business developments in the first half of the year, and Dr. Black will then explain the sales for the second half of the year. Mr. Green will give us a report on the current situation in the home market that could have an impact on our business in the future. At the end of the meeting, we will be delighted to answer your questions. Now, let’s welcome Mr. Smith.
[简答题]International investors seem incapable of ending their love affair
with the dollar. America’s economy has slowed sharply this year, yet its
currency has risen to a 15 year high in trade weighted terms. (46) Against
the euro the dollar touched $ 0.88 — 8% higher than in early January and close
to the level at which the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve jointly
intervened to prop up the European currency last September. Why is the euro
looking sickly
There are plenty of theories. One is that the markets do not trust the ECB: (47) the euro area economies are not immune to America’s downturn, yet the central bank still seems more concerned with fighting inflation than with supporting growth; another more plausible explanation is that, in an uncertain global economic climate, the dollar has resumed its traditional role as a safe-haven currency. Most economists reckon that the euro is undervalued and expect a rebound over the next year. One of the most optimistic is Goldman Sachs, which is predicting a rate of $1.22 in 12 months. But an analysis by David Owen, an economist at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, gives pause for thought. (48) He has found that, over the past decade, movements in the real exchange rate of the euro against the dollar have closely reflected the difference between productivity growth in the euro area and in America. When productivity growth in America has been faster than in Europe—as it was in most of the late 1990s—the euro falls, and vice versa. This is exactly what economic theory would predict: countries with faster productivity growth in the traded goods sector should see rising real exchange rates. Mr. Owen uses monthly data for productivity growth in manufacturing, a good proxy for the traded goods sector. Using annual productivity data for the whole economy (which are available over a longer period), the broad relationship between the exchange rate and relative productivity growth in America and Europe seems to have persisted for most of the past 30 years. Mr. Owen reckons that, in the short term, America’s downturn will reduce the productivity gap between America and the euro area, and so boost the euro. (49) But in the long term, he expects productivity growth to remain faster in America—in which case, a sustained rise in the euro is unlikely over the next few years. Only if the downturn completely kills the belief in America’s new paradigm, and its productivity growth plummets, will the euro be able to rebound more permanently. The strength of the dollar this year does indeed seem to hinge on a belief among investors that America’s slowdown will be brief, and that in the longer run America remains the best place in which to invest. (50) But they may be underestimating the potential for productivity gains in Europe, as the single currency boosts competition and encourages firms to exploit economies of scale through mergers and acquisitions. The adoption of more flexible working practices in many countries should also help to improve productivity. Studies in America suggest that the bulk of its productivity gains from information technology come from the use of it rather than from its production. So the euro area, too, should start to enjoy productivity gains over the next decade, as it makes fuller use of it. If you believe that Europe really is starting to change, buy Euros. If not, stick with the darling dollar. 我来回答: 提交
|
