碰男华经海贸多大号 高级商务英语阅读 bubble was bound to collapse with a lot of collateral damage,but there was something more important going on that will have a huge impact and that will last for a least a generation.There was a change in the way the economy did business.in the way companies are organized and in the flexibility and coordination of financial markets.All of that,combined with the way companies changed their methods of operating,has produced a change in the rate of productivity. SM:You say productivity growth is the best measurement of an economy.Why so? RA:It's the only standard that makes sense,and it's an incredibly powerful one.The important thing [to consider]with productivity growth isn't the short-term movement-it's the long-term trend. What I try to argue is that,whereas productivity had been growing from the early 1970s to the mid-'90s at about 1 1/2%a year,it has subsequently grown twice as rapidly.And I think the rate that is sustainable for the long term-and by that I mean by about a generation-barring external catastrophes that nobody can predict,is about 3%a year.That has incredibly important implications for the economy and for standards of living. SM:What has been the biggest factor in contributing to the growth in productivity that started in the mid-1990s? RA:It appeared in the 1990s,but it was the result of things that had been developing for at least 10 to 20 years before that.It was new technologies in the information and communications industries based on microelectronics and fiber optics.Of equal importance was the way that companies reorganized themselves to take advantage of those new technologies. SM:One of the poster children of the new economy,you say,is Dell Computer(DELL).How does Dell exemplify the new business model? RA:Yes,the prototype of a new economy model is Dell,which really is a middleman between suppliers and customers.A lot of their [computer monitor]screens are made in Mexico.The computer is assembled at other factories.The only time it comes together is when you assemble it at home.I tried to show in the book how this pattern is historic,how the economy periodically goes 第3页共13页高级商务英语阅读 bubble was bound to collapse with a lot of collateral damage, but there was something more important going on that will have a huge impact and that will last for a least a generation. There was a change in the way the economy did business, in the way companies are organized and in the flexibility and coordination of financial markets. All of that, combined with the way companies changed their methods of operating, has produced a change in the rate of productivity. SM: You say productivity growth is the best measurement of an economy. Why so? RA: It's the only standard that makes sense, and it's an incredibly powerful one. The important thing [to consider] with productivity growth isn't the short-term movement — it's the long-term trend. What I try to argue is that, whereas productivity had been growing from the early 1970s to the mid-'90s at about 1 1/2% a year, it has subsequently grown twice as rapidly. And I think the rate that is sustainable for the long term — and by that I mean by about a generation — barring external catastrophes that nobody can predict, is about 3% a year. That has incredibly important implications for the economy and for standards of living. SM: What has been the biggest factor in contributing to the growth in productivity that started in the mid-1990s? RA: It appeared in the 1990s, but it was the result of things that had been developing for at least 10 to 20 years before that. It was new technologies in the information and communications industries based on microelectronics and fiber optics. Of equal importance was the way that companies reorganized themselves to take advantage of those new technologies. SM: One of the poster children of the new economy, you say, is Dell Computer (DELL). How does Dell exemplify the new business model? RA: Yes, the prototype of a new economy model is Dell, which really is a middleman between suppliers and customers. A lot of their [computer monitor] screens are made in Mexico. The computer is assembled at other factories. The only time it comes together is when you assemble it at home. I tried to show in the book how this pattern is historic, how the economy periodically goes 第 3 页 共 13 页