Passage 2
NEW YORK — E-commerce has revolutionized the business world and won’t disappear despite investors pulling the plug on many dot-coms, says Marcia H. Flicker, Ph. D., a Ford- ham University marketing professor.
“Venture capitalists are disgusted ［with the lack of returns］,” she says. “The uncertainty went too far to the investment side in 1998 and 1999, and now it’s gone too far the other way. Investors are so conservative that they are reluctant to invest even in sustainable businesses.”
Flicker says pure Internet-based companies will have limited success. However, “click and mortar” sites — those that are affiliated with a store and have catalogs in addition to a web address— will thrive. This strategy, employed by companies such as Pottery Barn and Eddie Bauer, is working well, she says.
Flicker predicts that web services will start charging fees now that revenues from banner ads are waning. The fee structures will allow some users to pay a higher price to avoid unsolicited advertising. Flicker presented these and other ideas at the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International 2001 E-Commerce Conference last month.
Fordham’s Graduate School of Business Administration was established in 1969. Its part-time MBA program is ranked 12th by U.S. News & World Report. The College of Business Administration, founded in 1920, is ranked among the “best buys” in undergraduate education by U. S. News & World Report.
Founded in 1841, Fordham is New York City’s Jesuit University. It has residential campuses in the north Bronx and Manhattan, a graduate center in Tarrytown and the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y.
36. The reporter sent the report from _________.
A. Fordham B. New York
C. Tarrytown D. Armonk
37. From the second paragraph, we get to know that _________.
A. venture capitalists invested a great deal in e-business in 1998 and 1999
B. e-businesses are likely to disappear
C. investors got little return from their investment in e-business in 1998 and 1999
D. more and more capitalists began to invest in e-business now
38. Which of the following is the most likely to be successful in e-business according to Flicker?
A. A well-designed web site.
B. A company with a large investment.
C. A purely Internet-based company.
D. A company having a store, catalogue and a website.
39. When was this report written?
A. In 1998. B. In 1999.
C. In 2000. D. In 2001.
40. Which is not true about Fordham University?
A. It was founded in 1841.
B. It has the College of Business Administration.
C. Its undergraduate education is better than graduate education.
D. It has the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y.
