Economy, Strategy & Finance Briefs
2019
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Goodwill vs. Intangible Assets — A Lesson Learnt from a Recent $15 Billion Write Down
May 17 | Dr. James Gregory, Senior Fellow, The Conference Board | Edgar Baum, Founder & CEO, Avasta Incorporated | Comments (0)Goodwill on the balance sheet isn’t good enough. Until a better, more transparent accounting, or fair value method replaces goodwill, intangible assets will remain impossible to manage and unaccountable to shareholders. Not providing transparency will have consequences such as significant write-downs ($15 billion write-down for the acquisition of Kraft) of brands and restatements of financial reports.
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What’s new in the US labor market – May 2019 Edition
May 15 | Gad Levanon, PhD, Former Vice President, Labor Markets, The Conference Board | Comments (0)In 2009, the US labor market was the weakest since the Great Depression. In 2019, after a decade of strong hiring and the retirement of about 3 million baby boomers a year, the US economy is experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. Employers are experiencing historical difficulties in recruiting and retaining workers, especially in blue-collar and low-paid occupations. In the next 12 months, despite some slowing in economic growth, labor markets will get even tighter.
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Why India Presents a Big, Long-Term Opportunity for Apple’s iPhones
May 07 | Denise Dahlhoff, PhD, Director, Marketing & Communications Research, The Conference Board | Comments (0)Apple supplier Foxconn’s initiative to produce high-end iPhones in India opens new doors for Apple to use India as an export hub, including to the U.S., and also gives Apple better access to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies—and mobile phone markets. Indian consumers have felt very optimistic economically, and technology is a popular category for spending disposable income, as data from the Conference Board Global Consumer Confidence Index shows.
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Working From Home? You're Far From Alone
March 29 | Gad Levanon, PhD, Former Vice President, Labor Markets, The Conference Board | Frank Steemers, Former Senior Economist, The Conference Board | Comments (0)Over the past few years, many of the world’s top companies have reduced or eliminated the option to work from home. Bank of America, IBM and Aetna all made news over their decision to change course.
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Why Are Labor Markets Tight in Central and Eastern Europe — Policy and Business Implications
March 25 | Frank Steemers, Former Senior Economist, The Conference Board | Comments (0)With labor markets tightening and labor costs rapidly rising in Central and Eastern Europe, the advantage of lower labor costs compared to the rest of the continent will further shrink over time and could mean that businesses will shift operations elsewhere.
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Headquartering Talent
March 25 | Brian Schaitkin, Former Senior Economist, The Conference Board | Comments (0)Cities that are among the most well educated tend to attract a disproportionate share of headquarters jobs. For example, Washington, New York, San Francisco, and Minneapolis all have a far higher percentage of college educated workers than the national average. An exceptionally well-educated workforce is a stronger draw for firms making headquarters location decisions than one more typical of the population.
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Teleworking continues to rapidly expand
March 11 | Gad Levanon, PhD, Former Vice President, Labor Markets, The Conference Board | Frank Steemers, Former Senior Economist, The Conference Board | Comments (0)Employers are facing a prolonged tight labor market for the first time in an era when advanced remote working technologies are available. To address talent shortages, companies can use teleworking to broaden the pool of potential workers. Teleworking is especially playing an important role in addressing talent shortages in white-collar occupations, but less so among blue-collar and low-paid service occupations.