揽瓜阁俱乐部第二期 Day7 2020.06.21
【社会科学-经济】 Anta, an ambitious Chinese sportswear firm, does some fancy footwork （504字 精读 必做篇）
Ding shizhong, the founder and boss of Anta, the world’s third-biggest sportswear firm by market capitalisation, refused to let the covid-19 pandemic interfere with sales. In early February, as the virus forced shops to close, Mr Ding gave each of his 30,000 employees a new assignment: hawk Anta’s apparel and shoes to personal contacts on WeChat, a messaging platform. Such resolve to protect revenues is admirable. Yet it reflects insecurity.
Anta, established in 1991, has long been runner-up on its home turf to Nike and Adidas. The Western sportswear powerhouses together accounted for over two-fifths of China’s market in 2019, according to Euromonitor, a market-research firm. Anta has a sixth of the market but it is moving fast. Revenues grew by over 40% in each of the past two years, double the rate of the industry. Operating profit hit 8.7bn yuan ($1.2bn) in 2019. But that is still only half the sum made in China by Nike.
Anta’s aim is to become “a Chinese brand that stands out in the world”. It is perhaps best known in the West as the shoe sponsor for Klay Thompson, a star player with the Golden State Warriors basketball team, and Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino boxer. But the brand generates few foreign sales. Even in China, many urban youngsters think Anta “lacks the cool factor”, says Lu Ge of the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology—despite being the official kit supplier for China’s Olympic athletes.
That perception stems in part from Anta’s customer base. Its shops are concentrated in medium-sized cities, to cater to consumers that are less well off than those in Beijing or Shanghai, the preferred haunts of Nike and Adidas. A pair of Anta shoes typically costs a third less than a similar pair of Nikes, observes Dallas Cai of Oriental Patron, a broker. Pricier and associated with more global superstars, Nike and Adidas have far more brand appeal.
Mr Ding’s all-hands-on-deck strategy and Anta’s clientele may have insulated the firm from the worst of covid-19’s ravages. Ms Cai observes that, as China began to re-open in late February, residents of cities where Anta is strong may have been less fastidious about social distancing than counterparts in richer locales. Revenues at Anta fell by 20-25% in the first quarter year-on-year, according to the firm’s latest financial update. That looks rosy compared with Adidas. It saw sales in China drop by 58% in the same period.
Relying on rivals’ bad luck is not a long-term plan. Mr Ding recently wrote that Anta aspires to make the leap from an “affordable brand” to a “desirable” one. He has some more upmarket trademarks at his disposal. In 2009 Anta acquired the Chinese operation of Fila, a sportswear firm with Italian roots. Last year, in a $5.2bn deal, the firm bought a majority stake in Amer Sports, a Finnish outfit with assets including Wilson tennis rackets and Salomon skis. But that may not be enough to take on and beat Nike and Adidas. Shifting perceptions will be hard.
Source: The Economist
【社会科学-科技】 USAID's New Digital Strategy （351字 2分40秒 精听 必做篇）
先做精听再核对原文哦~
The rapid development and adoption of digital technology along with the tremendous growth in mobile phone ownership and mobile broadband usage is transforming industries, governments, economies and societies the world over.
That is why the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, rolled out in mid-April its first Digital Strategy. This strategy will utilize digital technologies to improve its work in development and humanitarian-assistance, and help countries on their journey toward self-reliance through the responsible use of digital technology.
Even though digital technology can be a great equalizer, there is a danger that those who stand to gain the most from the benefits provided by these new technologies could be left behind.
Four billion people, nearly half of the world’s population, do not have access to the internet. Vulnerable or marginalized groups may be shut out of the digital ecosystem due to inadequate infrastructure, and the high costs of service and equipment, or they may be overlooked because of their religion, political views, lack of economic power or gender.
The gender digital divide is of great concern as it continues to grow in the developing world. According to the Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSMA, an industry organization that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, women, on average, are 8 percent less likely than men to own mobile phones and also 43 percent less likely to have access to the internet.
This means that half the world’s population, mostly women and girls, lack the ability to access information, health care, government and banking services, weather forecasts and new learning tools available on the internet or over mobile devices.
USAID is committed to not leaving the poor and marginalized behind. Its digital strategy, to be implemented during the course of five years, will strengthen open, inclusive and secure digital ecosystems in each country where USAID works, and use these powerful tools to help transform and improve lives, spur economic growth and strengthen communities. It will enable women and men to live freer, healthier and more prosperous lives while contributing to the goal of ending the need for foreign assistance.
Source: VOA
【笔记格式要求】
精读笔记格式要求： 1.总结文章中心大意 2.总结分论点或每段段落大意 3.摘抄印象深刻或者觉得优美的句子 4.总结文章中的生词 5.记录阅读时间、总结时间、总时间
精听笔记格式要求： 1.逐句听写整篇文章 2.对照原文修改听写稿，标记出错原因 3.总结文章中心大意 4.总结精听过程中的生词 5.记录听写时间、总结时间、总时间
这里也给大家两点学习小建议哦~ 精读：如遇到读不懂的复杂句，建议找出句子主干，分析句子成分，也可以尝试翻译句子来帮助理解~ 精听：建议每句不要反复纠结听，如果听 5 遍都没听出来，那就跳过，等完成后再回听总结原因，时间宝贵，不要过于执着哦~
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发表于 2020-6-20 20:28:56
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