Are Economists Pessimists by nature?

In the paper
Reconsidering Expectations of Economic Growth after World War II from the Perspective of 2004 by Robert W. Fogel - University of Chicago, GSB, explains how many economists of the 19th and 20th centuries have been pessemistic about the growth of The world economy...here is an interesting quote from his paper.

The economists in 1850 wrote that the progress of
the last decade had been so great that it could not possibly continue. And economists at
the end of the nineteenth century wrote that the progress of the last half century has been so great that it could not possibly continue during the twentieth century.

Will they be proven wrong again?

Campus photos

Here is a page which shows photos of a lot of the buildings on campus.

Richard.

Night view of HK Harbour

Photo from my photo website, same shot as Ray's photo but at night. Several times a week there is a night light display in Hong Kong Harbour, using the buildings and sky as a back-drop.

Etiquette Guide: Hong Kong

Picture From Ray Baker's blog

Here is an article on etiquette in HK. There seem to be a lot of things to remember.

Simple solutions to basic Q's : HKU MBA

Over the period of time during my interaction with current HKU MBA students and Alumni's, I have compiled a set of statements necessary for HKU Journey. Some of the points here and more would be added in due course of time.

HKU SURVIVAL KIT:

Q:Mobile phone Usage: Are regular Nokia/Motorola handsets ok to use in HK or shld one buy there ? What are the call and SMS rates one needs to pay when using mobiles from HK ?

A: Regular handsets are fine. U can check rates at Link 1 : http://dualband.three.com.hk/website/template?pageid=d00000

Link2:http://dualband.three.com.hk/website/template?pageid=d00000&lang=eng&>&lang=eng& or Sunday.com.hk or smartone (vodaphone)or csl 1010

Q: Is it best to purchase the Thinkpad thru the campus scheme which is supposed to be explained to us ?
A: Yeah that's probably one of the best option. We do get really good deals Two accessories that will make life a lot easier are a usb key and a printer.

Q: Clothing and stuff ?
A: one/two suits for interviews and official events.T-shirts/shirts/shorts/jeans are fine for the lectures. Carry a couple offormal shirts for the suits. An umbrella/windsheater would be a great idea as would a couple of fleece pullovers/sweaters.

Q: Learning Mandarin ?
A: Mandarin will be a HUGE asset. Especially if u rplanning on a career in marketing.

Q: Insurance?
A: International students get covered by private insurance due to ever increasing medical cost in Hong Kong.

Q: Landing up a job ?
A: A very important analysis says that u need at least 800 contacts to place 50 students(considering the full time MBA’s at HKU) in stead of 50 contacts.They say on average, a student is offered a job at every 1 in 4 interviews so that's 200 interviews. And for every application there's a 1 in 4 chance of being called for an interview - that adds up to about 800 contacts. Its important to have as many contacts as possible. Personal contacts are definitely an asset.

Q: Does hiring an associate is influential at times?
A: Its not always. one needs to be at quite a senior level to influence hiring decisions in HK (director and above).

Q: What needs to be done Vis a Vis Placements?
A: Aggressive alumni Networking and apart from that work with placement office by forming a placement committee 24X7X365 hrs.

Lastly walk the talk, Start implementing your suggestions from day one, else that would remain in the box.

Welcome to HKU's MBA class of 2006 blog

This will begin as an experiment and we will see how things develop over the coming weeks and months.

This blog can be used for invites, updates and other associated news concerning our MBA class.

Please follow rules of politeness and be kind to your fellow students. Rudeness will not be tolerated.

Any current or former HKU MBA student can post. Please email me and we will arrange for posting privileges.

Thanks.