e*n
发帖数: 1511 | 1 关于kindle/ipad的新闻。
电子书还进不了课堂 [zz]
http://ftchinese.com/story/001034571
在管理理论和创新方面，商学院向来以领先潮流而自豪。但谈到采用电子书阅读器、苹
果iPad和社交网络等领先技术，它们的表现就明显不那么抢眼了。在这些方面，学生的
步伐仍然比教师快。
因此，当包括华盛顿大学福斯特商学院(University of Washington Foster School of
Business)和弗吉尼亚大学达顿商学院(University of Virginia Darden School of
Business)两所商学院在内的7所美国高校一年前与网络零售商亚马逊(Amazon)签约试用
其大屏幕电子书阅读器 Kindle DX 时，人们对此抱有很高的期待。
有人甚至以为，当学生能够将课堂资料和课本存放在重约10盎司的电子设备上，在校园
里背着沉重的课本奔走的时代或许会一去不返。
在参与Kindle试点项目的7所高校中，达顿商学院与亚马逊之间的合作最为紧密，将第
一学年课堂上用到的许多案例研究材料都转换成了Kindle格式，并挑选出62位学生和10
位教员参与试点。
达顿商学院MBA项目主任迈克尔•凯尼格(Michael Koenig)表示，虽然学生们都喜
欢Kindle的某些功能，如屏幕大、能够在设备中存放数百份案例研究材料和书籍，但总
体而言，多数学生并不满意它的用户体验。
尽管Kindle允许学生在文字上标记重点、作笔记，许多学生还是抱怨这些功能使用不便
，他们表示，Kindle更适合休闲阅读，而非课堂学习。
事实上，到第二学期，大多数学生就放弃了Kindle，转而选择通过笔记本电脑或印刷品
阅读案例研究材料。期中调查时，试用项目的参与者被问到了这样一个问题：“你是否
会向达顿商学院的MBA新学员推荐Kindle DX？”
凯尼格透露：“有75%至80%的人回答‘否’。”使用Kindle的学院随后又被问到：“你
是否会向达顿商学院新入学的MBA学员推荐Kindle DX作为个人阅读设备？”90%至95%的
人给予了肯定的回答。
“这个结果显示，亚马逊创造了一款设计出众的消费电子产品，可以用于购买和阅读电
子书、杂志和报纸，”凯尼格表示。但在他看来，Kindle还无法在达顿商学院的课堂上
扮演主要角色。
但凯尼格还是认为这种尝试具有参考价值。“我们学到了很多东西，作为一流的商学院
，我们也对如何应对向未来达顿商学院的学生分发数字内容所带来的复杂挑战，有了更
充分的准备。”
他认为，对于达顿商学院的教学而言，目前电子阅读器显得过于僵硬。该学校采用苏格
拉底式的问答法和基于案例的教学方式，要求学生必须灵活机敏。
“每天在课堂上必须要高度投入，”他补充道，Kindle“不够灵活……会有些笨拙。与
纸质阅读材料相比，在页面、文档、图表和图片之间切换时不够简单易行。”
福斯特商学院负责硕士和高管教育课程的副院长丹尼尔•特纳(Daniel Turner)也
表达了类似的观点，“它还没有做好在高等教育舞台上扮演主角的准备。”
与此同时，其他商学院，特别是那些规模较小、也更具创新性的院校，将注意力转向了
苹果今年推出的iPad。
其中就包括法国格勒诺贝尔管理学院 (Grenoble Ecole de Management)，该校本月将
遴选40名学生参与学校一个核心的“创新”实验室，目的是测试iPad在教学中的优势，
以及其他方面的创新。
“iPad有着强大的实验教学功能，十分适合我们，”格勒诺贝尔管理学院副院长贝亚特
丽斯•尼尔森(Béatrice Nerson)表示。“我们希望找出一些新的使用方式。”
格勒诺贝尔管理学院计划用iPad开发更多的应用，以更直观的方式运用其电子书阅读器
功能，实现在线课程、远程学习功能，通过电子书店发布学术期刊。过去 22 年中，格
勒诺贝尔管理学院一直要求学生拥有个人电脑。“现在的问题是了解iPad能不能取代电
脑，”创新实验室负责人马克•安贝尔(Marc Humbert)表示。“我们发现iPad的
‘干扰性’不像电脑那么强，电脑放在教室里，就像是在学生和老师之间竖起了一道屏
障。” | e*n
发帖数: 1511 | 2 Strengthening Chinese Domestic Demand Undermines Case to Limit Yuan's Gain[
zz]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-12/strengthening-chinese-domestic-demand-undermines-case-to-limit-yuan-s-gain.html
Evidence of strengthening domestic spending in China undermined the case for
Premier Wen Jiabao’s government to resist a faster pace of currency
appreciation days before U.S. lawmakers meet to address the issue.
Industrial production rose 13.9 percent in August from a year before, the
most in three months, and retail sales and lending figures topped economists
’ estimates, statistics bureau and central bank data released Sept. 11 in
Beijing showed. Imports also accelerated, in another sign Chinese growth is
picking up after a second-quarter moderation.
“Solid domestic demand may ease the government’s concern over allowing
faster yuan gains,” said Wang Qing, Hong Kong- based chief China economist
at Morgan Stanley Asia Ltd., who previously worked for the International
Monetary Fund. “Widening trade surpluses and intensifying political
pressure from abroad” may also spur appreciation, he said.
Policy makers may already be responding, as the yuan last week closed out
its biggest weekly advance against the dollar since the aftermath of the
lifting of a two-year peg in June. Failure to allow further advances, after
officials kept the move to less than 1 percent, risks provoking U.S.
legislators to approve a bill offering protection against imports from
countries that “misalign” their currencies.
The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Sept. 15
on China’s exchange rate. The topic may also be addressed at meetings of
the Group of 20 major nations next month.
Yuan Outlook
The yuan rose 0.21 percent to 6.7692 per dollar at the close of trading in
Shanghai on Sept. 10. Non-deliverable yuan forwards indicated that increases
may be limited to about 1.4 percent in the next 12 months.
Industrial output growth accelerated for the first time in nine months,
excluding seasonal distortions in January and February, an advance that may
ease concern the government could overshoot in cooling the economy.
Officials’ tightening measures have included curbs on credit growth and
property speculation and closures of energy-intensive and polluting
factories.
Economists had anticipated a 13 percent annual rise in production, according
to the median of 29 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey, after a 13.4
percent increase in July. Consumer prices jumped 3.5 percent, the most in 22
months, as food costs climbed. Retail sales increased 18.4 percent, partly
boosted by rising costs.
Debate on Rates
Inflation is 1.25 percentage points above the benchmark one-year deposit
rate. So-called negative real interest rates often encourage savers to shift
money into assets such as real- estate, sparking risk of bubbles.
China has so far refrained from following counterparts from South Korea to
Malaysia and India in boosting borrowing costs in Asia from world-recession
lows. Analysts are divided in their forecasts for when the People’s Bank of
China may follow suit.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. said Sept. 11 that China should
gradually “normalize” rates, initially raising the deposit rate. Credit
Suisse AG economist Tao Dong said while he favors higher rates, policy
makers may make no “imminent” move, preferring to support growth.
The central bank reported August new loans of 545.2 billion yuan ($80
billion) and a 19.2 percent increase in M2, the broadest measure of money
supply. Both numbers were above economists’ estimates. The rebound in M2
growth was the first in nine months.
Stocks Recover
The Shanghai Composite Index has climbed 12 percent from this year’s low in
July on speculation the government may ease tightening measures, which
range from restrictions on house purchases to a 7.5 trillion yuan annual
limit for banks’ new lending.
Bank of America-Merrill Lynch forecasts gross domestic product will expand
at least 9.4 percent at an annual pace this quarter and 9 percent in the
final three months of the year, aiding the global recovery as elevated
unemployment caps U.S. growth.
“Domestic demand is robust and the Chinese economy is heading for a
smoother and softer landing than people had feared,” said Lu Ting, a Hong
Kong-based economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch.
The U.S. congressional hearing will include debate on two separate pieces of
legislation providing import protection. President Barack Obama, whose
chief economic adviser Lawrence Summers visited Beijing last week, has yet
to publicly reveal whether he would veto such bills.
Geithner Wants More
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, in a Sept. 8 interview with
Bloomberg Television, reiterated the administration’s view that “we’d
like to see them move more quickly” on the exchange rate.
The yuan has gained about 0.8 percent against the dollar since China in June
scrapped a crisis policy of keeping the exchange rate almost unchanged. The
Chinese currency’s daily reference rate was set at a record high on Sept.
10.
If signed by Obama, the legislation could spark retaliation including the
sale of U.S. Treasuries by China, Stephen Roach, Morgan Stanley Asia
chairman, said last week. China is the biggest foreign holder of U.S.
government debt, at $843.7 billion in June.
Among the data released Sept. 11, urban fixed-asset investment grew 24.8
percent in the first eight months of 2010 from a year earlier, after a 24.9
percent gain for January- through-July. Producer price inflation slowed to
an annual 4.3 percent pace from 4.8 percent in July. Imports jumped 35
percent from a year earlier. Last month also saw gains in sales of autos,
led by SAIC Motor Corp. and FAW Car Co., and property.
“This is a positive set of data which shows the economy has ended its
deceleration,” said Stephen Green, Shanghai-based head of China research
for Standard Chartered Plc. The economy expanded 10.3 percent in the second
quarter from a year earlier after an 11.9 percent gain in the first three
months of 2010.
of
【在 e*n 的大作中提到】
: 关于kindle/ipad的新闻。
: 电子书还进不了课堂 [zz]
: http://ftchinese.com/story/001034571
: 在管理理论和创新方面，商学院向来以领先潮流而自豪。但谈到采用电子书阅读器、苹
: 果iPad和社交网络等领先技术，它们的表现就明显不那么抢眼了。在这些方面，学生的
: 步伐仍然比教师快。
: 因此，当包括华盛顿大学福斯特商学院(University of Washington Foster School of
: Business)和弗吉尼亚大学达顿商学院(University of Virginia Darden School of
: Business)两所商学院在内的7所美国高校一年前与网络零售商亚马逊(Amazon)签约试用
: 其大屏幕电子书阅读器 Kindle DX 时，人们对此抱有很高的期待。
| e*n
发帖数: 1511 | 3 Retail Sales in U.S. Probably Rose for Second Month on Merchant Discounts
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-12/retail-sales-probably-climbed-in-august-u-s-economy-preview.html
Retail sales in the U.S. probably increased in August for a second month as
merchants lured shoppers with discounts, a sign the economy will keep
expanding, economists said before reports this week.
A projected 0.3 percent gain in sales is based on the median estimate of 63
economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before the Commerce Department’s Sept
. 14 report and follows a 0.4 percent rise in July. Other reports may show
industrial production cooled and inflation was contained.
Consumers, whose purchases account for about 70 percent of the economy, took
advantage of sales and tax-free holidays last month to shop at chains such
as Kohl’s Corp. and Ross Stores Inc. The figures underscore the view of
Federal Reserve policy makers that while growth has slowed, the recovery isn
’t backsliding into a recession.
“It’s a pretty sluggish recovery but at least we have growth,” said James
O’Sullivan, chief economist at MF Global Ltd. in New York. “We still have
a long way to go. Confidence needs to improve and employment growth needs
to accelerate.”
The Commerce Department’s report may show purchases excluding automobiles
rose 0.3 percent after a 0.2 percent gain in July, according to the survey
median. Sales minus vehicles fell in the previous two months.
Seventeen tax-free holidays in August probably drew more shoppers to malls,
where discounts were deeper than those in July, according to Ken Perkins,
president of Retail Metrics.
Ross Sales
Pleasanton, California-based Ross, the second-largest U.S. off-price
retailer, said sales at stores open at least a year rose 5 percent from
August 2009, beating analysts’ forecasts. Kohl’s, a department-store chain
based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, reported a 4.5 percent gain, also
above projections.
“Our ability to offer terrific bargains on a wide array of product for back
-to-school shoppers drove healthy traffic to our stores,” Michael Balmuth,
chief executive officer of Ross, said in a statement on Sept. 2.
The Standard & Poor’s Supercomposite Retailing Index of 91 retailers
including Target Corp. and Macy’s Inc., has gained 4.7 percent this year,
compared with a 0.5 percent decrease in the broader S&P 500 gauge.
Vehicle purchases last month slowed, the retail sales report may show.
Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., the three largest
sellers of autos in the U.S., had bigger sales declines compared with
August 2009 than analysts forecast.
Industrial Production
Production at factories, mines and utilities rose 0.2 percent last month,
according to the survey median before the Fed’s report on Sept. 15. Output
jumped 1 percent in July, when automobile production got a boost as fewer
factories were closed to retool for new models.
Fed reports from the New York and Philadelphia regions may indicate the pace
of manufacturing in August has slowed from earlier in the year.
A survey by 12 regional Fed banks, released Sept. 8, showed that while
growth has cooled, the economy isn’t relapsing into a contraction. Five
regional banks reported “economic growth at a moderate pace,” and two
pointed to “positive developments or net improvements.”
Limited job growth is hampering spending and confidence. The jobless rate
will stay above 9 percent through 2011, according to economists surveyed by
Bloomberg from Sept. 1 through Sept. 9.
Consumer Confidence
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s preliminary index of consumer
sentiment rose to 70 in September from 68.9, according to the Bloomberg
survey median before the Sept. 17 release. The gauge averaged 89 in the five
years leading up to the recession that began December 2007.
“Even though the economy is growing again,” President Barack Obama said at
the White House on Sept. 10, “the hole the recession left was huge and
progress has been painfully slow.”
Obama’s latest proposal would extend middle-income tax cuts while letting
the top rates rise. He also wants to spend at least $50 billion as part of a
six-year program to rehabilitate transportation infrastructure.
Limited demand is keeping a lid on inflation, a Labor Department report may
show on Sept. 17. The consumer price index rose 0.3 percent in August for a
second month, according to the Bloomberg survey median.
of
【在 e*n 的大作中提到】
: 关于kindle/ipad的新闻。
: 电子书还进不了课堂 [zz]
: http://ftchinese.com/story/001034571
: 在管理理论和创新方面，商学院向来以领先潮流而自豪。但谈到采用电子书阅读器、苹
: 果iPad和社交网络等领先技术，它们的表现就明显不那么抢眼了。在这些方面，学生的
: 步伐仍然比教师快。
: 因此，当包括华盛顿大学福斯特商学院(University of Washington Foster School of
: Business)和弗吉尼亚大学达顿商学院(University of Virginia Darden School of
: Business)两所商学院在内的7所美国高校一年前与网络零售商亚马逊(Amazon)签约试用
: 其大屏幕电子书阅读器 Kindle DX 时，人们对此抱有很高的期待。
| a****g
发帖数: 8131 | 4 if so, we can anticipate a wonderful week
as
63
Sept
took
【在 e*n 的大作中提到】
: Retail Sales in U.S. Probably Rose for Second Month on Merchant Discounts
: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-12/retail-sales-probably-climbed-in-august-u-s-economy-preview.html
: Retail sales in the U.S. probably increased in August for a second month as
: merchants lured shoppers with discounts, a sign the economy will keep
: expanding, economists said before reports this week.
: A projected 0.3 percent gain in sales is based on the median estimate of 63
: economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before the Commerce Department’s Sept
: . 14 report and follows a 0.4 percent rise in July. Other reports may show
: industrial production cooled and inflation was contained.
: Consumers, whose purchases account for about 70 percent of the economy, took
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