IPad, Mercantilism and the Chinese Plantation
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald This is not a post about CRM. If you could apply Fitzgerald’s definition of a first-rate intelligence to a thing or group endeavor—always a dubious [...]
Apple and US labor
Steve Jobs supposedly told President Obama ““Those (iPhone) jobs aren’t coming back,” according to this article in the New York Times. Apple’s labor in China is also showing up in much hand-wringing in the Presidential race. Let’s explore a few other dimensions of the issue: The Chinese labor is a small part of the iPhone [...]
Global Trade Increases Despite Inflation in China/Elsewhere — Yet We Predict Reversal Later in 2011
Earlier this month, Panjiva reported that its global trade tracking index was up, showing solid seasonal growth. According to their analysis, April saw a “healthy bump” in global trade activity with the “number of waterborne shipm…
The Re-shoring of Spend — Even Wired is Picking Up On It (Part 2)
In the first post in this series, I called attention to a surprising piece in Wired (surprising in that it talks about just how mainstream manufacturing re-shoring has become) about the story of one organization that had successfu…
The Re-shoring of Spend — Even Wired is Picking Up On It (Part 1)
I usually read Wired as a form of tech magazine p*rn to stay remotely in touch with innovation — easy on the eyes and almost always superficially enjoyable, if not more. Yet there’s an article in a recent edition that suggests ju…
US Federal Government Seems a Stronger Employer (and Spender) Than All of Manufacturing
For anyone following government spending or manufacturing trends, there’s a fascinating piece in the Wall Street Journal from last week. Authored by Stephen Moore, the piece suggests a radical inversion in jobs growth and creation…
What Happens When China, Other Asian Countries Realize Their Export Markets are Tapped Out
If you talk off-the-record with retailers and CPG companies, many of the largest and most respected in global sourcing will note, not for attribution, that they’re quietly investing in alternative export-driven supply markets to C…
Apple and Supplier Audits — How Far Does the Apple Fall From the Green/CSR Tree (Part 2)?
In the first post in this series, I analyzed trends in Apple’s supplier auditing programs and shared a bit of input on how both physical and virtual audits may allow the tech giant to extend its supplier management reach even furt…
Friday Rant: Alibaba — When Forty Thieves Fall in the Forest, Does Anyone Care?
Early this week, Alibaba announced that two of its executives resigned after admitting to participating in the “systemic breakdown” that enabled the company and suppliers to defraud Western buying organizations and individuals. Ac…
China Sourcing: Be VERY Careful How You Measure Savings
Even after all these years of the global sourcing evolution and rising China prices, I still can’t believe what I read from some consultants when it comes to on-the-ground savings numbers in the manufacturing area. Take a recent p…
