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MonthlyNewsletter

February2011

Quick Links:

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• Freedom Fries: Big Mac Revolution in Russia

• Employment in 2011• Global Employment Trends 201: Weak Jobs R

ecovery to Continue• 11 Promising Jobs 2011• Turning the Blue-Collar Green

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*ABSTRACT INDEX

• Bernanke’s Big Gamble• The Gradual Return of American Optimism• Greater Efficiency, Fewer Jobs• Saving a Fortune with Employee Wellness• Made in the USA, But Owned by China• Women Bringing Home the Bacon• Rising Food Prices • Giving Online with Causes• India’s Upcoming Era of Growth• Small Businesses Going Mobile

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• Though the economy is recovering, it is doing so at a very slow pace.

• In an effort to spur growth, the Fed will buy $600 billion in Treasury bonds over the next year.

• Ben Bernanke hopes to lower interest rates, but

he risks flooding the economy with cash and sparking heavy inflation.

Bernanke’s Big Gamble

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• What is the key role the Federal Reserve plays in the U.S. economy?

What do you think?

• Why are critics of the Fed’s action concerned about inflation?

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• The Bush era tax cuts along with some provisions from the 2009 stimulus package were renewed by Congress and the president.

• Passage of the new law spurred a feeling of optimism among business leaders.

• Though stocks on the S&P 500 are up,

American businesses could invest much of their newfound capital in foreign ventures.

The Gradual Return ofAmerican Optimism

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• Was the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts a good idea?

What do you think?

• What is the greatest economic challenge facing the United States?

Photo courtesy of NASA

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• After slashing more than 8.2 million jobs during the recession, U.S. companies continue to strive to do more with less.

• Unfortunately, such vast efficiency improvements have all but closed the door on future hiring.

• Former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan urges companies to be more innovative instead of focusing exclusively on cost cutting.

Greater Efficiency,Fewer Jobs

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• What’s the primary danger of focusing on cutting cost rather than innovating?

What do you think?

• Why are the numbers of independent contractors and part-time workers continuing to grow?

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• Companies can save as much as $6 in health care costs for every dollar they put into an employee wellness program.

• Wellness programs also help prevent employee turnover and can be partially funded by federal subsidies granted by the new health care law.

• The most successful wellness programs are non-mandatory and operate onsite.

Saving a Fortunewith Employee Wellness

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• Why are managers a key to successful wellness programs?

What do you think?

• Are the benefits of a wellness program limited to economic benefits?

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• Foreign manufacturers are setting up shop in the U.S. to bypass trade barriers and capitalize on subsidies of alternative energy sources.

• At a South Carolina BMW plant, American employees earn half as much as their German counterparts.

• From January 2010 through September, Chinese companies invested $2.81 billion in American assets compared to $1.73 in 2009.

Made in the USA,But Owned in China

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• Why is the growth of foreign producers in the U.S. economy a positive sign?

What do you think?

• Are foreign producers required to follow U.S. laws and regulations?

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• Not only are women already the primary purchasers of a household, they’re also becoming the breadwinners.

• For every two men who graduate from college or attain a higher-level degree, three women do the same.

• Though a pay gap between men and women still exists, women are out-earning men on average in cities like Atlanta and New York City.

Women Bringing Home the Bacon

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• What seems to be the key to the expanding power of women in the economy?

What do you think?

• What must companies remember in marketing to independent women?

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• In recent months prices of supermarket staples like milk, beef, coffee and sugar rose sharply.

• The consumer price index for all items except food and energy rose just 0.8 percent over the last year, the lowest 12-month increase since 1961.

• The food index rose by 1.4 percent last year, leading to price increases in supermarkets and restaurants.

Rising Food Prices

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• What seems to be the key reason for the increase in food prices?

What do you think?

• Can restaurants raise prices yet keep customers in a tough economy?

Photo courtesy Andy Cunningham

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• Of the $263 billion Americans gave to charity last year, only 5.7 percent of that cash was donated online.

• The social media app Causes hopes to improve this by linking its 119 million users to thousands of charities across the world.

• Causes operates as a for-profit company, asking that users give a 10% “tip” for every donation they make.

Giving Online with Causes

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• Why have nonprofit organizations been slow to adapt to online solicitations?

What do you think?

• Does Causes being a for-profit organization raise issues about their intentions?

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• By 2030 India and China are estimated to account for 34 percent of the globe’s total economic output.

• While China’s pool of work eligible citizens will shrink due to its one child policy, India’s will surge just as its economy expands broadly.

• India’s crumbling infrastructure is a problem, though, and the country doesn’t have enough skilled laborers to combat it.

India’s Upcoming Era of Growth

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• Why are low birthrate countries expected to see declines in GDP?

What do you think?

• Will India be able to face the major challenges facing its infrastructure?

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• Amazon earned more than $1 billion from purchases made on smartphones in 2009.

• For small businesses, design issues and the array of devices available make migrating an online store to a smartphone tricky.

• The mStore platform allows business owners to quickly construct a mobile store site for a sliding scale licensing fee dependent on site traffic.

Small Businesses Going Mobile

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• What must retailers face in dealing with customers today?

What do you think?

• Why are companies like mShopper valuable in today’s economy?

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