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《a history of long and effortless success》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、1.Ahistoryoflongandeffortlesssuccesscanbeadreadfulhandicap,but,ifproperlyhandled,itmaybecomeadrivingforce.WhentheUnitedStatesenteredjustsuchaglowingperiodaftertheendoftheSecondWorldWar,ithadamarketeighttieslargerthananycompetitor,givingitsindustriesunparalleledeconomiesofscale.Itsscientistswerethe
2、world'sbest,itsworkersthemostskilled.AmericaandAmericanswereprosperousbeyondthedreamsoftheEuropeansandAsianswhoseeconomiesthewarhaddestroyed.Itwasinevitablethatthisprimacyshouldhavenarrowed,asothercountriesgrewricher.Justasinevitably,theretreatfrompredominanceprovedpainful.Bythemid-1980sAmericansh
3、adfoundthemselvesatalossovertheirfadingindustrialcompetitiveness.SomehugeAmericanindustries,suchasconsumerelectronics,hadshrunkorvanishedinthefaceofforeigncompetition.By1987therewasonlyoneAmericantelevisionmakerleft,Zenith.(Nowthereisnone:ZenithwasboughtbySouthKorea'sLGElectronicsinJuly.)Foreign-m
4、adecarsandtextilesweresweepingintothedomesticmarketAmerica'smachinetoolindustrywasontheropes.Forawhileitlookedasthoughthemakingofsemiconductors,whichAmericahadwhichsatattheheartofthenewcomputerage,wasgoingtobethenextcasualty.Allofthiscausedacrisisofconfidence.Americansstoppedtakingprosperityforgra
5、nted.Theybegantobelievethattheirwayofdoingbusinesswasfailing,andthattheirincomeswouldthereforeshortlybegintofallaswell.Themid-1980sbroughtoneinquiryafteranotherintothecausesofAmerica'sindustrialdecline.Theirsometimes-sensationalfindingswerefilledwithwarningsaboutthegrowingcompetitionfromoverseas.H
6、owthingshavechanged!In1995theUnitedStatescanlookbackonfiveyearsofsolidgrowthwhileJapanhasbeenstruggling.FewAmericansattributethissolelytosuchobviouscausesasadevalueddollarortheturningofthebusinesscycle.Self-doubthasyieldedtoblindpride."Americanindustryhaschangeditsstructure,hasgoneonadiet,haslearn
7、ttobemorequick-witted,"accordingtoRichardCavanagh,executivedeanofHarvard'sKennedySchoolofGovernment,"ItmakesmeproudtobeanAmericanjusttoseehowourbusinessesareimprovingtheirproductivity,saysStephenMooreoftheCatoIns
