在美國刻骨銘心的三堂課(ZT)

by studyinus

第一課：兩美元的刺激

１９８５年的某一天，下飛機的吳鷹拎著行囊，他剛從北京來到美國新澤西州留學。一個美國女孩迎面而來：「先生，請您看一下這張照片好嗎？」那是一張很悲慘的照片，瘦骨嶙峋的非洲兒童，胳膊只有平常人的手指那麼細……」先生，請您獻一點愛心，救救非洲兒童吧。」吳鷹沒有猶豫，他掏出幾十美分，投入募捐箱。

他的愛心之手卻被擋住了，「對不起，募捐的最少標準是２美元……」吳鷹稍稍猶豫了一下，２美元，占他身上全部財產的１／１５呀―――他身上只有３０美元。就在吳鷹猶豫的一剎那，美國女孩又開了口：「先生，原來你不是日本人啊。」她臉上充滿了失望和不屑。

美國女孩的態度深深刺痛了吳鷹，他一時不知該作何反應，獃獃地看著她一步步遠去，直到她走出很遠了，吳鷹才終於醒悟過來，他迅速追上她：「請等等。」女孩明顯不耐煩了：「你到底想幹什麼？我還要去找其他人募捐呢。」「我只是想告訴你，我是中國人！」吳鷹一邊回答，一邊迅速掏出２美元，扔進募捐箱。「不是只有日本人才會捐獻的。」

女孩臉上露出尷尬的微笑：「對不起，我們的負責人事先跟我打過招呼，千萬別找中國人募捐，中國人有錢也不願捐的，這是他的經驗……」

聽著女孩的解釋，吳鷹的心沉了下去，他感到了一陣鑽心的疼痛，這是他在美國遭遇的第一課啊！那一年，吳鷹２４歲，他到美國留學，是為了他的專業：計算機開發研究。他萬萬沒有想到，一個美國小女孩給他上了第一課。

第二課：抓住機遇的手

來美國半年後，一則招聘廣告吸引了他的目光――一位教授要請一位助教。吳鷹心動了，立即趕往報名處，可那兒已經擠滿了人。取得報考資格的學生超過了３０個，而名額只有一個，希望渺茫。考試前幾天，幾位中國留學生使盡渾身解數，打探起主考官的情況來。經過種種努力，他們終於弄清內幕――主持這次考試的教授曾在朝鮮戰場上當過中國人的俘虜。中國留學生們這下全死心了，「把時間花在不可能的事情上，再愚蠢不過了。」他們紛紛宣告退出。吳鷹最要好的一位朋友也勸吳鷹：「你算了吧，把精力分出來，多涮幾個盤子，好歹能多掙點兒學費。」吳鷹笑了笑，不反駁也不點頭，朋友直嘆氣：「你怎麼這麼頑固，非得碰壁了才肯回頭。」

吳鷹如期參加了考試，終於坐在了教授的面前，他很放得開，完全融入到了助教這個角色中。「ＯＫ就是你了。」不知過了多長時間，教授的一句話驚醒了吳鷹：「我真被錄取了？」教授微笑著說：「你知道我為什麼錄取你嗎？」吳鷹誠實地搖了搖頭。「其實你在所有的應試者中並不是最好的，但你不像你的那些同胞，他們看起來好像很聰明，其實最愚蠢不過了，你們是為我工作，只要能給我當好助手就行了，還扯上幾十年前的事幹什麼。我很欣賞你的勇氣，這就是我錄取你的原因。」

第三課：中國人要自強　　

１９８６年底，幾經努力，吳鷹進了著名的貝爾實驗室。在那裡，吳鷹無意中趕上了第三課。這一課讓他如此刻骨銘心，甚至直接改變了他今後的人生抉擇。

工作幾個月後，實驗室接待了一個來自中國大陸的電訊代表團，吳鷹也參加了接待工作。

一開始的接待工作很順利。參觀結束，雙方坐在一起交流起來，氣氛非常融洽。這時候，一位中方代表團成員提出了一個很專業的技術問題。接待人員的臉色變了，含糊地應付了幾句，有意沒有說到點子上。吳鷹有點忍不住了，他不願讓別人糊弄自己的同胞。他清清喉嚨，準備開口了。

這時，他的上司突然站了起來，走到他的身邊：「吳，你的任務已經完成，現在可以出去工作了。」

所有的人都很意外，屋內的空氣頓時凝固了。吳鷹臉上掛不住了，上司竟然如此不留情面地趕他出去。在通訊領域，貝爾實驗室領導著世界潮流，正因為這樣，對中國的技術交流和出口受到多方限制。這一點，吳鷹早有所聞，可他萬萬沒料到，自己會這麼快親歷這種尷尬，吳鷹又想起了剛到美國時遭遇的那一幕。可這一次，他沒有能力對抗自己的上司。在上司彬彬有禮的催促聲中，在其他同事的冷漠表情中，在中方代表團成員複雜的目光中，吳鷹無奈地站起身，頭也不回地離開了……代表團回國了，上司沒有對吳鷹作任何解釋，他根本沒有把吳鷹的感受放在眼裡。震撼之餘，吳鷹恍然大悟：中國人一定要自強，一定要有真正屬於自己的、領先他人的東西這樣，人家才能真正看得起你。於是，１９９５年ＵＴｓｔａｒｃｏｍ公司問世了，同為留學生出生的陸弘亮出任美國ＵＴｓｔａｒｃｏｍ總裁兼ＣＥＯ首席執行官，吳鷹出任ＵＴａｓｔａｒｃｏｍ中國有限公司總裁和美國ＵＴａｓｔａｒｃｏｍ副董事長。ＵＴｓｔａｒｃｏｍ將總部設在美國矽谷，但將公司的營運中心放在了中國。

２０００年３月３日，ＵＴｓｔａｒｃｏｍ被推選為幾家上市公司的代表，在納斯達克交易所５層大樓外的大幅顯示屏上，這是首家由海外學子創辦的通訊公司亮相納斯達克。眼瞅著自己公司的股票一路飆升，市值最高達到７０億美元，那一刻，作為一個白手起家的創業者，吳鷹心潮起伏，激動得幾乎難以自抑……

好故事。可惜，最後一個故事有亂碼。否則會是精華貼。


所有的人都很意外，屋內的空氣頓時凝固了。吳鷹臉上掛不住了，上司竟然如此不留情面地趕他出去。在通訊領域，貝爾實驗室領導著世界潮流，正因為這樣，對中國的技術交流和出口受到多方限制。這一點，吳鷹早有牛傷蟯蠣渙系劍約夯嵴餉純燁桌庵洲限危庥ビ窒肫鵒爍盞矯攔痹庥齙哪且荒弧？燒庖淮危揮心芰Χ鑰棺約旱納纖盡Ｔ諫纖頸蟣蠐欣竦拇嘰偕校諂淥碌睦淠砬櫓校謚蟹醬磽懦稍備叢擁哪抗庵校庥ノ弈蔚卣酒鶘恚芬膊換氐乩肟恕磽嘔毓耍纖久揮卸暈庥プ魅魏謂饈停久揮邪鹽庥サ母惺芊旁諮劾鎩Ｕ鷙持啵庥セ腥淮笪潁褐泄艘歡ㄒ鄖浚歡ㄒ姓嬲粲謐約旱摹⒘煜人說畝髡庋思也拍苷嬲吹悶鵡恪Ｓ謔牽保梗梗的輳眨裕螅簦幔潁悖錚砉疚適懶耍粞鏨穆膠肓臉鋈蚊攔眨裕螅簦幔潁悖錚磣懿眉媯茫牛鮮紫蔥泄伲庥コ鋈危眨裕幔螅簦幔潁悖錚碇泄邢薰咀懿煤兔攔眨裕幔螅簦幔潁悖錚碭倍魯ぁ＃眨裕螅簦幔潁悖錚斫懿可柙諉攔韞齲鏡撓酥行姆旁諏酥泄?

I somehow think that most of the content is made up.
For story #1: the donation at the airport is a scam. They just want to get more money from you. If this so called successful-chinese still don't know this and try to use this as a story line to build up his chinese patriot, then either he is a moron or he is just simply manipulative.

For story #2: No professor will tell you why you get the job. Why? You are just not close enough. Besides, TA job is basically given to anybody in the department that is capable and is in need. There is nothing to boast about.

I can't say much about story #3, however, based on the first 2, I somehow have some doubts about the credibility of this person.

BS like these has been circulating the net for a while.

Got this from Yahoo: titile:  UTstarcom still a mess.

Well, here we are in early '06, and telecom equipment maker UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI - News) is still a mess. Instead of the once-grand management predictions of $4 billion in revenue and $2 in earnings for 2005, we have the reality of about $3 billion in revenue and a loss of nearly $4 per share. But hey, what's a couple hundred million of evaporated market cap between friends, right?
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In another example of providing just what shareholders don't need, management reminded us all of part of the reason it got into this mess. We didn't see full and detailed fourth-quarter results because the company now has to go back and review whether the company improperly recognized revenue from an old Indian contract. Just lovely, no?

Well, here's what we do know about the quarter. Revenue in the fourth quarter fell about 8% from last year, although it did come in higher than expected. Gross margin came in at 12.1%, which is below last year's 15% and at the low end of the management's guidance. Net loss for the quarter was about $21 million ($0.17 per share), better than the year-ago result and much better than the average analyst expectation.

I'm not going to bother much with what details the company did provide about the quarter. China still accounted for 30% of total sales, and businesses like Sprint (NYSE: S - News) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News) remain customers.

The major question now is what the heck to do with the stock. Management put forth pretty uninspiring guidance for the next quarter (nearly 20% lower than current estimates on revenue), but it does believe the company will be profitable in late '06 or early '07. What's more, UTStarcom did manage to produce positive free cash flow for both the quarter and the year. I suspect most of that will be from improved working capital, though, and that structural free cash flow will still be quite negative.

Here's the deal -- this is not Motorola (NYSE: MOT - News), Nokia (NYSE: NOK - News), or even Lucent (NYSE: LU - News). This is a company with legitimate future growth prospects (like IPTV in China) but a very questionable management team. In fact, the best thing I could see happening here is a large dissident shareholder movement that ultimately prompted the board to boot the current CEO and replace him. (Given the high insider ownership, I'm not optimistic about that.)

Valuation is enticingly low, and simply a mediocre performance from management should be enough to make this company profitable. Given that I'm not sure that management is capable of a performance good enough to call "mediocre," this is still a stock with a whole lot of risk involved. I'm very, very tempted to take a small position with an "it probably can't get much worse" thesis, but that's a very dangerous approach. Only investors with a very high tolerance for risk should even consider this one today.