Economy

<p>From our Nation’s founding, entrepreneurs, small business owners and small farmers have provided dynamic growth and innovation, creating a flourishing middle class. They have supplied cities and small towns with new products, processes and jobs. The Council on Competitiveness in a 2007 report said the United States leads all major industrial economies in the percent [&hellip;]</p>

<p>In August 2012, a new set of federal regulations was issued that could affect all companies involved in the manufacturing of everyday consumer products, including cell phones, computers, canned goods, electrical equipment, solder, and jewelry. The regulations address the use of “conflict minerals” in these products, and will have far reaching consequences on all companies—large [&hellip;]</p>

In our hyper-competitive global economy, intellectual property (IP), often referred to as creations of the mind that can be incorporated into tangible objects, has become the primary source of competitive advantage for both companies and countries. When employed to drive innovation, IP boosts corporate profits, job creation, national economic growth, wages, and standards of living...

It has been 18 years since the last round of successful multilateral trade negotiations concluded. The so-called Uruguay Round, which produced a number of comprehensive agreements to reduce trade barriers and established the World Trade Organization (WTO) as an arbiter of trade disputes, remains the high water mark in the annals of multilateral trade accomplishments...

Over the past few decades, due diligence practices and international trade activities have undergone significant changes. For example, companies have implemented increasingly sophisticated tools to evaluate risks and opportunities associated with corporate acquisitions. At the same time, firms of all sizes have developed complex and very efficient global supply chains. But serious problems persist.

The United States and Canada have achieved a level of international business and economic integration like no other two countries in the world. The U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement of 1989, which evolved into the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has helped make this a reality. And U.S. and Canadian transportation systems, including international...

While the Obama and Romney campaigns spar over who or what “saved” the U.S. automotive industry, available data indicate that the nation’s frequently overlooked Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) program should be in line for a lot of the credit—without bailout loan guarantees or massive federal appropriations...

<p>In this age of financial austerity, an increasing number of U.S. and European companies are seeking financial backing from and alliances with cash-rich Chinese companies. Those same Chinese investors however, are keen to snap up assets at what are sometimes bargain basement prices.</p>

January was a busy month for international trade initiatives in Washington. The Obama Administration made proposals aimed at creating a special trade enforcement center and increasing supply chain security. The proposals contain minimal details. Nevertheless, each proposal gives some insight into the Administration’s trade priorities.

New trends are impacting whether manufacturers offshore, backshore or nearshore—terms used to describe corporate decisions to produce in low-cost countries, bring production back to the United States or establish facilities near fast-growing global markets. Plus, other factors are playing a role. For manufacturers, as well as economic development and other organizations seeking to attract this...

Globalization, defined as the integration of national markets through international trade and investment, has boosted competitiveness, productivity, innovation, and living standards around the world. And that’s not all. According to Geoffrey Gertz of the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, globalization is responsible for reducing the world poverty rate by approximately 70 million people...

What is NAFTA really about? This might seem a silly question. NAFTA is about trade, right? It’s the North American Free Trade Agreement after all. But what if it’s not really mainly about trade at all? Thinking chiefly in terms of trade might actually obscure the real point.

The United States completed negotiations and signed free trade agreements (FTAs) with Colombia in November 2006, and with Panama and South Korea in June 2007.(1)  After much political wrangling, these agreements became stalled in Washington, D.C. However, after various changes were made to the deals, in mid-October, with large bipartisan support, the United States...

The impact of a declining greenback is no longer black and white. A weakening dollar traditionally resulted in lower priced American exports that stimulated sales abroad. It also caused the price of foreign goods and services to rise, reducing U.S. demand and effectively lowering the trade deficit. These past realities, although still applicable, no longer...

China’s current administration is in a relatively stable position having engineered an apparently successful soft landing of the economy following the global economic crisis. Its main political objectives have been maintained, while increasingly focusing on the economic transformation to ensure sustainable long-term development.

In today’s volatile post-recession era, emerging trends are forcing companies to redesign business models and enhance value propositions. At the same time, access to talent, which is in short supply, is becoming just as critical as access to capital.

Too many U.S. policymakers, from Capitol Hill to the various executive branch agencies in Washington, tend to focus on foreign policies and foreign barriers when considering how best to improve the competitive prospects for U.S. firms. The presumption is that the major impediments to the success of U.S. firms are foreign born. Closed foreign markets...

The integration of national markets through international trade and investment, known as economic globalization, has had an enormous beneficial impact on the world. Based on capitalism and powered by advances in telecommunications, transportation and finance, globalization has boosted competitiveness, productivity, innovation, and standards of living. Plus, it has enabled companies and individuals to establish relationships...

<p>Looking back 30 years, China was only just emerging from a planned economy. Its retail sector was strictly regulated, commodities were scarce, and a ration system was still in place. Coupons were issued not only for food and fuel, but also for bikes and televisions. Each coupon specified an item, quantity and sometimes a retail [&hellip;]</p>

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the U.S.-China relationship should be brimming with good will. By that standard, 2010 was a celebration of mutual admiration and respect. As Chinese leaders were trying to cultivate an American mainstay—home-grown innovation, U.S. policymakers were singing the praises of industrial policy. In this case, only one [&hellip;]