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If sustainable competitive advantage depends on workforce skills, American firms have a problem. Human-resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered an individual responsibility. Labour is simply another factor of production to be hired—rented at the lowest possible cost—much as one buys raw materials or equipment.
The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in command. The post of head of human-resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer(CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human-resource management is central—usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm's hierarchy.
While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work force, in fact they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies.
As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers on Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United States. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change, And in the end the skills of the bottom half of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can't effectively staff the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear.
1. Which of the following applies to the management of human resources in American companies?
A. They hire people at the lowest cost regardless of their skills.
B. They see the gaining of skills as their employees' own business.
C. They attach more importance to workers than to equipment.
D. They only hire skilled workers because of keen competition.
2. What is the position of the head of human-resource management in an American firm?
A. He is one of the most important executives in the firm.
B. His post is likely to disappear when new technologies are introduced.
C. He is directly under the chief financial executive.
D. He has no say in making important decisions in the firm.
3. The money most American firms put in training mainly goes to .
A. workers who can operate new equipment
B. technological and managerial staff
C. workers who lack basic background skills
D. top executives
4. According to the passage, the decisive factor in maintaining a firm's competitive advantage is .
A. the introduction of new technologies
B. the improvement of workers' basic skills
C. the rational composition of professional and managerial employees
D. the attachment of importance to the bottom haft of the employees
5. What is the main idea of the passage ?
A. American firms are different from Japanese and German firms in human-resource management.
B. Extensive retraining is indispensable to effective human-resource management.
C. The head of human-resource management must be in the central position in a firm' s hierarchy.
D. The human-resource management strategies of American firms affect their competitive capacity.
參考答案：B D B B D
Text 2"Welcome to the U. S. A. I Major Credit cards accepted !"
By the millions they are coming—no longer the tired, the poor, the wretched masses longing for a better living. These are the wealthy. "We don't have a budget," says a biologist from Brazil, as she walks with two companions through New York City's South Street. "We just use our credit cards."
The U. S. has long been one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, but this year has been exceptional. First there was the World Cup, which drew thousands from every corner of the globe; then came the weakening of the U.S. dollar against major currencies. Now the U. S., still the world's superpower, can also claim to be the world's bargain basement (廉價商品部) . Nobody undersells America these days on just about everything, from consumer electronics to fashion clothes to tennis rackets. Bottom retail prices— anywhere from 30% to 70% lower than those in Europe and Asia—have attracted some 47 million visitors, who are expected to leave behind $ 79 billion in 1994. That's up from $ 74 billion the year before.
True, not everyone comes just for bargains. There remains an undeniable fascination in the rest of the world with all things American, nourished by Hollywood films and U. S. television series. But shopping the U. S. A. is proving irresistible. Every week thousands arrive with empty suitcases ready to be filled; some even rent an additional hotel room to hold their purchases. The buying binge (無節制) has become as important as watching Old Faithful Fountains erupt in Yellowstone Park or sunbathing on a beach in Florida.
The U.S. has come at last to appreciate what other countries learned long ago: the pouring in of foreign tourists may not always be convenient, but it does put money in the bank. And with a trade deficit at about $130 billion and growing for the past 12 months, the U.S. needs all the deposits it can get. Compared with American tourists abroad, visitors to the U.S. stay longer and spend more money at each stop; an average of 12.2 night and $1624 a traveler versus the Americans' four night and $ 298.
1. From what the Brazilian biologist says, we know that tourists like her .
A. are reluctant to carry cash with them
B. simply don't care how much they spend
C. are not good at planning their expenditure
D. often spend more money than they can afford
2. The reason why 1994 was exceptional is that .
A. it saw an unusually large number of tourists to the U. S.
B. it witnessed a drop in the number of tourists to the U. S.
C. tourism was hardly affected by the weakening of the U.S. dollar that year
D. tourists came to the U.S. for sightseeing rather than for bargains that year
3. By saying "nobody undersells America" (Line 4, Para. 3), the author means that .
A. no other country underestimates the competitiveness of American products
B. nobody expects the Americans to cut the prices of their commodities
C. nobody restrains the selling of American goods
D. no other country sells at a lower price than America
4. Why does the author assert that all American things are fascinating to foreigners?
A. Because they have gained much publicity through the American media.
B. Because they represent the world's latest fashions.
C. Because they embody the most sophisticated technology.
D. Because they are available at all tourist destinations.
5. From the passage we can conclude that the U.S. has come to realize .
A. the weakening if the U.S. dollar can result in trade deficits
B. the lower the retail prices, the greater the profits
C. tourism can make great contributions to its economy
D. visitors to the U.S. are wealthier than U.S. tourists abroad
參考答案：B A D A C
