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Apple products at manufacturing plants in China and at retail stores in the U.S.- low worker pay and lack of future prospects
05/29/2010
The high margins for Apple achieved through a combination of keeping costs low- even at the risk of providing poor wage and working conditions for the majority of employees employed in the retail stores in the U.S. and in supplier Foxconn plants in China- and by a grasp for innovation and technology. The paradox of a well deserved image for pioneering in technological innovation and the indifference to working conditions and prospects for employees who add value in manufacturing and customer interface. This model of growth is a recent development, put in place after 1997. In 1995-1997 Apple was nearing collapse under Michael Spindler and Gil Amelio, as documented by WSJ technology reporter Jim Carlton in his book- "Apple- The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders." Steve Jobs returned as CEO in 1997 and set the future course and this model in place emphasizing design, his ability to grasp technologies that would appeal to customers, and hired Tim Cook to set up the manufacturing which had high rate of defects and higher costs. The model was as full of paradoxes, of genius combined with mediocre behavioursas the man Steve Jobs. Tim Cook has responded to criticism in 2012 by having the Fair Labor association audit Foxconn plants in China. Foxconn increased wages in 2012, shifted plants to the interior of China, and increased use of robotics.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 05/29/2010
Apple Stores Army, Long on Loyalty but Short on PayNew York Times 06/23/2012
From online retail to selling consumer goods - different ways of selling in Nigeria, rural India, rural Brazil and other emerging markets
12/12/2009
Linked Articles
In Nigeria, Rising Dreams of Web Commerce
Wall Street Journal 06/03/2012
P.& G. Sees the World as Its ClientNew York Times 12/12/2009
David Rieff provides insights on why all developing countries, Mexico, Brazil, India, Indonesia and China need to take child malnutrition seriously
10/11/2009
The Indian lower house of parliament passed a Food Security bill in August 2013. Rieff says China made serious progress to reduce malnutrition from over 21% for children under 5 years to around 7% today after 1990. In India malnutrition for children under 5 years is above 40%. There is a lot that developing coutnries can learn from each other in this area including the Bolsa Familia program in Brazil which uses the concept of improving vaccination for children and school attendance as requirements for subsidy payments to the poor. Mexico and Indonesia have different versions of programs to help the poorer sections of society. The problem is acute in India because of indifference induced by caste and other considerations and the high level of malnutrition for children. Rief says how good is ademographic dividend when many of these children are permanently and silently impaired by malnutrition by the age of three. India's Congress party leader, Sonia Gandhi, put it differently in parliament: "What is our responsibility to these people?"
Linked Articles
New York Times 10/11/2009
India's Lower House Passes Food Bill to Help PoorWall Street Journal 08/26/2013
The huge downsizing in the auto industry creates the need for big government supported initatives in retraining.
05/21/2009
Vicotr Brown and the 60,000 former workers at GM's BUick City have worked at GM all their lives, and can't imagine anything else. How does one get them from joining the ranks of the permanently unemployed, is a challenge for the government. THe labor underutilization rate expected to reach 20% for 2010, could threaten the economic recovery, and put everything at risk.
Linked Articles
Stuck at Unemployed: When A Layoff Becomes a Lifestyle
Washington Post 06/06/2009
The Last Holdouts Cast Their Lot With G.M.New York Times 05/21/2009
What America can learn from the German example for government help to retrain workers and share costs to hire and retrain.
04/30/2009
The need for initiatives in this area are supercritical to handle the economic recovery correctly because of deepseated changes in the labor markets. In the absence of this high unemployment will coexist with millions of vacancies because of amismatch of qualifications. A lack of worker mobility. because of housing problems compounds this situation.
Linked Articles
Help Wanted: Why That Sign's Bad
BusinessWeek 04/30/2009
Learning Labor Market Lessons from GermanyBusinessWeek 04/30/2009
Child hunger in India and India's Food Security legislation in August 2013
03/13/2009
Food expert Rieff cites figures showing child malnutrition at over 40% in India for children under the age of 5 in 2009. A World Food Program report says 230 million people in India are hungry each year. India's Food Security legilation has to be seen in this context. Rieff says India is in danger of losing its demographic dividend as a result of child malnutrition. All developing countries can learn from each other and their programs to reduce child malnutrition, improve health care and vaccinations, and introduce healthy food and sanitary practices. Programs are in place in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, India, and China.
Linked Articles
As Indian Growth Soars, Child Hunger Persists
New York Times 03/13/2009
India's Lower House Passes Food Bill to Help PoorWall Street Journal 08/26/2013
Steep drop in commodity prices in the wake of a global credit crisis makes Brazil's and Mexico's currencies plunge.
10/13/2008
Drops in commodity prices lead to sharp fall in Latin currencies.
Linked Articles
Economist 10/16/2008
Reality Reaches Latin AmericaWall Street Journal 10/13/2008
How parttime workers are shaping the unemployment picture in the US.
03/08/2008
Just as happened in Japan and continues to this day parttime workers are shaping the USA unemployment picture as employers increasingly resort to parttime workers to cut costs. With underutilized workers the USA unemployment rate reached 12% in October 2008.
Linked Articles
Labor Data Show Pain Across Economy
Wall Street Journal 11/08/2008
More People Pushed Into Part-Time Work ForceWall Street Journal 03/08/2008
The Bush domestic agenda by 2008
01/28/2008
How the Bush Presidency lost out on the potential and the possibilities for action in domestic policy through ideological politcs and disregard for cooperation with Democrats. The influence of Secretary Paulson to reverse this during the last year as an economically risky situation unfolds.
Linked Articles
Paulson’s Deal-Making Revives Treasury’s Relevance
New York Times 01/28/2008
The Bush Who Got AwayNew York Times 01/28/2008
How increasing temporary workers to about a third of the labor force depresses Japan's consumer spending
01/07/2008
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 03/01/2011
Growing Reliance on Temps Holds Back Japan's ReboundWall Street Journal 01/07/2008
Petrobras and the discovery of the Tupi offshore oil field.
11/09/2007
Brazil's large oil find in the deep waters 200 miles offshore in the Atlantic will make it an oil exporting nation.
Linked Articles
Hot Prospect for Oil’s Big League
New York Times 01/11/2008
Brazil Discovers Large Oil Reserve In Deep Waters of AtlanticWall Street Journal 11/09/2007
The experience of Petrobras of Brazil and Mexico's Pemex compared.
08/30/2007
Transformation of state oil companies, Pemex and Petrobras. Struggling with the similar issues, President Calderon of Mexico takes them on over 10 years after President Cardozo faced them in Brazil in 1995.
Linked Articles
Economist 12/19/2007
How a Sleepy Oil Giant Became a World PlayerWall Street Journal 08/30/2007
Brazilian and Mexican stories on turning out engineering graduates
05/22/2006
The difference between Brazil's experience in supply of engineering graduates by its universities and Mexico's experience.
Linked Articles
Wanted: Skilled Workers for a Growing Economy in Brazil
New York Times 07/02/2008
Mexico: Pumping Out EngineersBusinessWeek 05/22/2006
The growing middle class in Mexico and Brazil 2000-2015
01/03/2010
Linked Articles
Booming economy, government programs help Brazil expand its middle class
Washington Post 01/03/2010
Mexico’s middle class is becoming its majority - The Washington PostWashington Post 03/18/2012
Procter and Gamble (P&G) takes early success at low price points in Mexico to other emerging markets Brazil and China- 2009-2014
12/12/2009
Linked Articles
P&G Sales Rise on Strong Demand in Emerging Markets
Wall Street Journal 01/27/2014
P.& G. Sees the World as Its ClientNew York Times 12/12/2009
As U.S. shoppers become frugal China looks to its own domestic market.
09/29/2009
Linked Articles
Unrest May Signal New Phase in China Economy
New York Times 05/29/2010
China Inc. Looks Homeward as U.S. Shoppers Turn FrugalWall Street Journal 09/29/2009
How the Americans and Western Europeans are coping with joblessness in 2009.
05/04/2009
The experience in the USA conpared to the experience in Germany and Spain. How social and family safety nets play a part in Europe in helping Spain cope with close to 20% unemployment and Germany with close to 10% unemployment. Role of immigrtants in Spain and the public sector in France in mitigating effects on older workers with steady jobs who remain only slightly affected.
Linked Articles
Spain Largely Avoids Unrest Even as Economy Slumps
Wall Street Journal 05/04/2009
U.S., Europe Are an Ocean Apart on Human Toll of JoblessnessWall Street Journal 05/07/2009
The smaller stimulus and selective investments in 2012-2014 in China and how this affects construction and heavy equipment manufacturers
04/30/2009
The impact on Caterpillar, Volvo AB, Komatsu, John Deere, Cummins and domestic Chinese manufacturers of the smaller stimulus and selective investments in China in the years ahead. Manufacturers are exporting from China during this period of slowing sales in China.
Linked Articles
China Bets Sour for Heavy Equipment Firms
Wall Street Journal 08/16/2012
China's Stimulus Spurs U.S. BusinessWall Street Journal 04/30/2009
A rescue plan would involve dbtholders, unions, and management all taking a haircut.
11/21/2008
How the automakers failed to convince Congress and end up in a three way battle in Congress between the Democrats, Republicans and the midwestern Congressmen with things like automakers private jets drawing scrutiny over how this industry was diffeerent in the way it did things including the higher medical benefits of union workers that burdened the companies.
Linked Articles
Detroit’s Bid for Aid Fails For Now
New York Times 11/21/2008
Terms of a Rescue PlanBusinessWeek 12/11/2008
Rising wages in China a definite trend as sentiment of workers and the government changes towards low wages and low wage jobs
06/30/2008
The government's efforts to shift China away from low wage sectors to more advanced technologies with higher wages. And the growting sentiment in China among workers with the rise of the internet and mobile phones to organize efforts for higher wages in industries that range from older textile plants to automobile factories of Japanese makers, and factories that make parts for western tech hardware companies such as Apple, Dell and H-P. This includes Honda plants and Foxconn factories. This sentiment is shifting to other emerging markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Linked Articles
China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs
Wall Street Journal 06/30/2008
The Rise of a Chinese Worker's MovementBusinessWeek 06/10/2010
China makes a shift in industry as older polluting, low wage low margin factories shut down
02/22/2008
Policymakers and economic change cause China's industry to shift from the low wage low margin model to more innovation, worker protection , environmental protection model.
Linked Articles
China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs
Wall Street Journal 06/30/2008
Many Factories in China's South Sound Last WhistleWall Street Journal 02/22/2008
The increase in temporary workers in the U.S. and Japan and the consequences in higher inequality and poverty.
01/07/2008
About one third of workers in Japan, and one fourth in the U.S., are temporary workers. The consequences for Japan include the effects of lower consumer spending in the economy reducing the growth rate.
Linked Articles
The Rise of the Permanent Temp Economy
New York Times 01/26/2013
Growing Reliance on Temps Holds Back Japan's ReboundWall Street Journal 01/07/2008
The new Pemex- the comparison with Petrobras and the PAN party's efforts to follow the route set by Cardoso in Brazil in 1995
12/19/2007
Linked Articles
Economist 12/19/2007
Mexico Energy Bill to End Pemex's Monopoly on OilWall Street Journal 12/08/2013
Blending cultures and workers from France and Germany for Airbus operations
10/15/2007
Bringing together engineers and workers from the Airbus operations in Toulouse and Hamburg to build complex aircraft with new designs is an ongoing challenge at EADS Airbus. Other related challenges include how to divide labor and management responsibilities considering the interests of unions and governments to achieve an efficient enterprise.
Linked Articles
Airbus, Amid Turmoil, Revives Troubled Plane
Wall Street Journal 10/15/2007
Airbus Wants A380 Cost CutsWall Street Journal 07/13/2012
IBM in the Indian market and its transformation.
06/05/2006
How Moffatt's transformation of IBM is taking shape. Its putting behind outsourcing concept and multinational concept of running business in favor of a new concept of competency centres worldwide, a global business factory where just as in the auto industry work can be transferred based on where the best competency rest. Its also based on competing with the Indians in the Indian domestic market and neutralizing the people resources advantage of the Indian IT firms by expanding in India big time.
Linked Articles
BusinessWeek 06/05/2006
IBM's Big Deal in IndiaBusinessWeek 12/28/2007
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