Their assumption is underpinned by a belief that labour productivity will grow briskly, despite the fact that there has been no increase in productivity over the past eight years.
But the C.F.O.s said that they were upbeat about their own companies' prospects, confident that the economy will grow briskly next year, and convinced that the days of cost-cutting and retrenchment will soon be over.
Frank Field, the minister in charge of Labour's welfare policy until forced out in 1998, says: "I think they will sell briskly, but mainly to people outside the target group".
"There's always a risk," said Charles Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Company, who points to past Apple failures like the Mac Cube and Apple TV, but nonetheless believes that the iPad will sell briskly.
Mr. Danziger anticipates that Artland's limited edition of a Walter Chin photograph showing the model Gisele naked on a white horse will sell briskly, at $195 or $295, depending on size.
The economy will grow quite briskly, though from a depressed level.Special report The long climb From Ozzie to Ricky The hamster-wheel A fine balance Separation anxiety Rolling the hoop Gandhian banking Market fatigue Industrial design A dull, heavy calm Sources & acknowledgmentsReprintsBut even as it recovers, it will remain under repair.
His latest best friend is Arianna Huffington, the writer and saloniste, with whom he and others helped create this month's "shadow conventions" in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, to discuss issues like his, which, one may assume, will not be briskly considered at those other conventions.
Its demand will most probably be briskly brushed aside by the government.
