Trends & Forecasts

Designing or selecting the basic corrugated shipping case is typically considered to be a job for marketers and engineers. While the marketing department concerns itself with the appearance and utility of the consumer package and the engineering group typically focuses on cost effective packaging, neither group usually considers logistics or supply chain issues adequately. As […]

For at least the past three years, general managers of China-based manufacturing operations have been sharply aware of tightening labor supply and rapidly increasing labor costs. Indeed, qualified labor availability and sharply increasing wage levels have risen to the top of the list of operating challenges across a wide range of industries and sectors.

Barely a month into his presidency, Barak Obama signed an executive order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. “I want to be clear that issues like equal pay… are not just women’s issues,” affirmed the President in remarks. “Our progress in these areas is an important measure of whether we are truly […]

For both domestic and foreign companies, hiring and retaining good employees in China is difficult. In fact, this may be the biggest hurdle facing most operations there. Adding to the challenge is the entry into the workforce of China’s “Generation Y” or “80 hou,” those born in the 1980s and raised in an era of […]

Between July 2005-July 2008, the Chinese currency, the renminbi, also known as the yuan, appreciated 21 percent against the dollar. But due to a variety of factors, the price of Chinese goods exported to the United States only rose by single digits. Today, again, the Chinese currency is on the rise, but six factors are […]

International trade theory has its roots in the 18th-century writings of Adam Smith. He argued that nations could increase their combined output if each specializes in producing goods at which it is most efficient, and then each engages in trade. Every country will be better off, he astutely claimed, in terms of the quantity...

Foreign businesses in China and their governments are becoming increasingly vocal about a “deteriorating business environment” there and attribute this mainly to Chinese protectionism. Although protectionism exists, it’s nothing new and dates back to 2002. Today, however, other factors are at work.

President Obama’s goal of creating American jobs has thrust the Chinese currency onto center stage in Washington, where an undervalued renminbi is blamed for the trade deficit with China, and in turn, the deficit is blamed for U.S. job losses. Growing acceptance of that sequence of fallacies threatens our economy, as Congress considers restrictions on...

American exports have traditionally played a vital role in U.S. economic expansion. Now, they have become even more important since job growth is key to a sustained economic recovery. Local and state governments, as well as local trade organizations such as World Trade Centers and chambers of commerce, can play a more integral role in […]

In order to gain a greater understanding of corporate actions, most American companies agree they need to more effectively communicate today’s economic realities and, in that context, their response. To an increasing degree, foreign companies need to do the same in their home markets, as well as in the non-domestic markets where they do business...

President Obama's historic visit to China is an opportunity for the U.S. to deepen its Chinese relationship and pursue a more sincere partnership. Why? The two economic superpowers are increasingly dependent on each other and will be for decades to come. The United States needs China to continue financing its debt; China needs U.S. markets...

The annual North American Leaders Summit was held in August in Guadalajara, Mexico, with President Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. As I speak to audiences around the United States, I repeatedly hear the same question: “What was accomplished during the summit?” My short answer: not much...

The Margaret Thatcher-Ronald Reagan economic model of free market capitalism is under attack. The system, which was responsible for jumpstarting this era of globalization, created the greatest economic growth the world has ever seen. It empowered people to achieve their dreams and unleashed their innovative and creative abilities that paved the way for tremendous gains...

The global economic crisis may have left many companies in China and elsewhere struggling to shore up their bottom lines, but this has not ruined their appetite for mergers and acquisitions (M&As). M&As To Remain Strong in 2009 China had a record $164.3 billion M&A deals announced in 2008, up 18 percent from a year […]

For decades, thousands of small Chinese manufacturers produced average-quality goods for local consumption. And apart from a few national brands and “newly essential” consumer goods, such as TV’s, refrigerators and bicycles, little demand existed for a national consumer goods distribution network. The logic went: if you can get what you need locally, a national distribution […]

Having just returned from a speaking tour in China and Singapore, I found the audiences there extremely interested in the perspectives of the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. And why not? Economic and trade policy decisions driven by this Congress and President will have a tremendous impact on Asia, as well as every other...

<p>When business is good, positive feelings can be felt inside just about any organization. And why not? Sales are coming in and money is available to incentivize all performers, not just those at the top. However, during recessionary periods like this one, the tone inside most companies—perhaps even yours—is probably quite different. What Not To [&hellip;]</p>

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, known as H.R. 1 or the $787 billion stimulus bill, was approved by Congress on February 13th and signed into law by President Obama on February 17th. Many aspects of the bill remain controversial. But the Buy American provision essentially provided the ingredients to start a trade...

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 18 years ago, Singapore and China have developed one of the strongest and most dynamic trading relationships in the world. The signing of the Singapore-China Free Trade Agreement (SCFTA) on October 23rd, 2008 not only marked a significant milestone in the evolution of trade relations between these flourishing economic [&hellip;]

American firms are entranced by China’s potential market size. In fact, its size is generally one of two main criteria considered when American firms make the decision to sell there. The other is the burgeoning disposable income of the middle class. Unfortunately, only focusing on the size and disposable income of the Chinese middle class—while [&hellip;]