Tag Archives: Cost

Will China’s inflation impact the USA ?

Posted on September 17, 2011 by aviyer2010

A report by Hale and Hobijn (http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2011/el2011-25.html) suggests that imports from China account for 2.7 % of US consumer expenditure. Of that 2.7%, over 55 % consists of services in the US, thus imports of China constitute 1.2 % of … Continue reading →

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Ecommerce, couriers and cash on delivery in India

Posted on September 15, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Sept 14, 2011) describes FlipKart – an ecommerce company in India that employs couriers for home delivery of orders with cash paid on delivery. Given the preference for cash transactions and payment ion … Continue reading →

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Two Tier pay in the US auto industry

Posted on September 14, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 13, 2011) describes the practice of hiring new workers at $ 14 per hour while paying older workers twice that amount. These new employees permit manufacturing at price points comparable with global competition and … Continue reading →

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Manufacturing Productivity and Small Business Survival

Posted on September 8, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 7, 2011) describes the labor productivity increase for a small manufacturer with labor costs holding at $ 337 per hour from 2005 to 2010 but the number of employees dropping from 20 to 40 … Continue reading →

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Plans to fix the US Postal System to avoid closure

Posted on September 5, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 5, 2011) describes the financial crisis at the US Postal Service, which saw volumes decline by 22 % in the alst five years and is estimated to loose another 30 % of volume in the … Continue reading →

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The “Job Creation vs Environmental Regulation” debate in the US

Posted on September 5, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 5, 2011) describes the current debate in Washington between the Federal government’s planned pollution reduction regulation and purported industry impact. Some E.P.A. studies show that regulations such as the Clean Air Act have been … Continue reading →

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Plan to tighten Clean Air Rules abandoned

Posted on September 2, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 2, 2011) desctibes a plan to abandon improving air quality rules to reduce smog causing chemicals, thus moving to a relaxed standard set in 2008.  Worries about the impact of this new legislation on … Continue reading →

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Advancing US Manufacturing Future

Posted on August 30, 2011 by aviyer2010

An Op-Ed piece in the New York Times (August 29, 2011) by Susan Hockfield, President of MIT, suggests the need for federal investments in advanced manufacturing, similar to past US govt investments to create innovation in electronics, computing, the Internet … Continue reading →

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Steve Jobs, Apple’s product demand and Asian supplier network impact

Posted on August 27, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (August 26, 2011) describes the potential impact of Steve Jobs resignation as CEO of Apple on the company’s possible new products and demand. Given that many of Apple’s suppliers are in Asia and … Continue reading →

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China rare earth exports policy and new plant location

Posted on August 25, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (August 24, 2011) describes the impact of China’s policy to limit exports of rare earth metals on new plant location decisions by Showa Denko of Japan and Intematix of the United States. Showa produces alloys … Continue reading →

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