Chapter 19

After reading this chapter , I found a person’s semiotics are always sending messages, with our facial expressions, body language, clothes, use of language, etc., and others are reading those messages, while at the same time they are sending us messages about themselves. The facial expression a person has tells others many things about them. The chapter lists many of these things that include affective state, cognitive activity, temperament and personality, truthfulness, and psychopathology. Through basic research, scientists have found that facial expressions can identify when specific mental processes are occurring. Facial expressions also hold promise for applied medical research. When a person reads a face they look for certain signs that express or indicate emotions, moods or other phenomena. The author states that we read a face when we read a person, however most of us are amateurs and don’t really know how to do it. Facial expressions provide much more information about a person than many people realize and can be a tool that creates many opportunities in different areas.

Chapter 18

After reading Chapter 18, I found that a person’s nonverbal clues are something that contributes greatly to the process of communication. Nonverbal communication may include facial expressions, postures, movements and gestures. When a person’s words contradict what their nonverbal actions are saying, others may be suspicious of what one is actually trying to communicate. The chapter also discusses the three primary ways a person communicates nonverbally, which are liking or disliking, dominance, and responsiveness. Psychologists believe people look for reinforcement through communication in their basic values and beliefs. If a person likes or dislikes somebody’s actions (nonverbal actions), then they transfer those feelings over to whatever it is they were talking about. The second primary nonverbal dimension is dominance, which refers to a controlling versus a submissive attitude. An example of dominance would be a king’s noble postures contrasted to a shrinking posture of a submissive person. The third nonverbal dimension is responsiveness, which refers to the extent of awareness of and the reaction to another. Nonverbal communication is extremely important as it shapes the way a person will interpret and respond to what one says.

Compost business gets draft permit in North Dakota

Our company must market our flow-restriction device to an operation that turns manure, straw and unsalable crude oil to compost as a man wants to open a number of sludge-to-compost facilities in North Dakota. This article, found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how Dale Leivestad wants to open numerous sludge-to-compost facilities in North Dakota as he feels this is an ideal location for his operations due to the number of people in the area and because Leivestad already has the blessing of the state Health department. The article also discusses how this is a well established industry within the area. Another factor that works in favor of the operation is that Leivsestad has already begun testing the process.

In Leivestad's process, a centrifuge machine will be used to separate liquids and solids. Oil removed through the process will be resold, while water and other liquids will be injected into the underground wells. The solid waste will be hauled to Leivestad's site and mixed with organic waste.

This could potentially be a large market for our flow-restriction device as there already are three other sludge-to-compost facilities in North Dakota, according to the Health Department's waste management director, Scott Radig. To many this is an ideal location for this type of operation because of the population. Slope and Bowman counties, where current and future facilities would be located, are some of the least populated counties in the United States with less than 1,000 residents in each. Leivestad has also begun testing the process over the past several months and is already shipping solid waste to an industrial dump in the state. "It's going to be a very safe place to ply our trade," believes Leivestad, who plans to operate on the 140 acres he owns nearby. Not only does our company need to market the flow-restriction device towards Leivestad, but the other sludge-to-compost facilities in the area as this could be a very profitable market.

Why Rising Bullishness Could Derail Stocks

"Why Rising Bullishness Could Derail Stocks", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how surveys and experts feel as if the mood of investors could be changing from pessimism to optimism. Measures of investor sentiment tend to become more bullish well after a stock market rally has already begun, as large numbers of people are persuaded to become buyers as the market moves higher and higher. Experts have been watching for overconfidence in individual investors, as this would be a sign that the rally is ending. However, recent surveys have shown mixed results in regards to whether or not the market is becoming bullish or bearish. Investors Intelligence's weekly survey of 130 investment newsletters showed the percentage of advisers bullish on the stock market rising 2.2 points, while the latest American Association of Individual Investors' Sentiment survey showed bullishness falling from 48.5% to 38.1% over the past week. Chief investment strategist at Robert Baird, Bruce Bittles, believes there is a split between professionals (who recognize the strength of the economic recovery) and the general public, which is still wary even after a 79% rise in the S&P 500 since March 2009. While surveys measure what the investors are saying, fund-flow data measures investors behavior and what they are doing with their money. According to this data, investors have pulled much of their money out of U.S. equity mutual funds and put money in the less risky bond mutual funds. John Merril, CIO at Tanglewood Wealth Management says, "The pessimism is pretty thick, the sentiment out there is pretty ugly". He feels this is due to people's unhappiness with politicians in Washington and an anger directed toward financial institutions that "stack the deck" against investors. Many other investing experts also cite the political climate for investor's continued pessimism, mentioning how people don't like policies being developed by Democrats in Congress and the White House. Another clue that could tell of added optimism among investors, is the exchange-traded funds indicator. According to experts, above average flow into ETF's have tended to occur before market declines, while above average flows out of ETF's tend to occur before market rebounds. Since the beginning of February, a net of $12.8 billion flowed back into ETF's. Sentiment is changing among investors and there quite possibly could be a turning point.

Nokia and Ericsson: A Tale of Two Telcos

"Nokia and Ericsson: A Tale of Telcos", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how Nokia and Ericsson are heading in two different directions after financial results fell short of what analysts expected. Both company's reports were nothing great, however Nokia is in a much worse position than Ericsson. The reasons behind Nokia's decreased earnings and plunging shares, many feel, are the falling average selling prices for phones, flat market share, and a slightly lowered forecast for operating margins this year. Although the biggest cause behind the negative results is the Apple iPhone. While Apple received about $622 dollars in product and service revenues, Nokia's devices sold for an average of $207. In other words, Apple made 22% more revenue on 60% fewer units. Not only has Apple stolen the market buzz, but they have sent Nokia reeling. Ericsson's financial results may have been even worse than Nokia's, yet their shares soared mainly due to North American sales almost doubling. Helping boost Ericsson's North American sales was the well-timed deal they struck with AT&T. Ericsson is also tied to the iPhone, only they feel it has benefitted their compnay rather than hurt it. According to Ericsson CEO, Hans Vestvurg, "Investors see huge opportunities for Ericsson to sell equipment that serves that growing demand, which in some cities has already lead to network saturation". While Ericcson soars to new heights, Nokia's shares will remain under pressure until they come up with an answer to the iPhone.

More Delicious Delicacies, Thanks to Tech

Our company must market our flow restriction device to artisan food makers as demand for artisan food continues to grow due to increased technology. The article, found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how one area of artisan food that is being positively affected by technology is olive oil. The article also discusses how the olive oil industry is beginning to take off.

Technology is improving century-old processing techniques in a variety of artisan foods. One of the processes being affected most positively is the process of making olive oil. For years, mid size and family owned olive farms in Italy would use traditional presses to turn it's olive harvest, on average 20 to 30 tons per year, into 5,000 liters of oil. This process took a great deal of time. Also, after the olives were harvested, they sat in storage bins for up to eight days, which hurt the oil's quality and limited it's shelf life. Today, the same family farms have installed continuous presses, which crush the olives into paste, then separates the paste from residual water using a centrifuge, eventually extracting the oil. Olives now only need to be stored two days at most, while the quality and quantity of the oil produced is greater. Those same farms that were once producing 20 to 30 tons of olive oil every year are now producing five times that amount.

The higher quality has helped boost an already booming market for olive oil. Worldwide consumption has increased from 1.9 billion tons a decade ago, to 2.6 billion in 2002. Consumption in the United States alone has nearly doubled, from 104 million tons to 196 million tons in 2004. This would be a great industry for our company to crack as it continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Our company needs to market our technology towards these producers in an effort to have these farms buy our flow restriction device.

Venture Capital Investing Climbs to $4.73 Billion

The article "Venture Capital Investing Climbs to $4.73 Billion" discusses how interest in start ups has increased, along with venture capital investment. This is due mainly to improved access to capital among a rebound in mergers and initial offerings. Through the first quarter of 2010, 681 deals had occurred, an increase of $3.36 billion from the same period a year earlier. The biggest deals in the quarter involved companies focused on clean energy, while the biggest declines came in the software and biotechnology industries. According to Bill Wiberg, a partner in a venture firm, "The pace of investing is picking up". This is definitely a good sign for our company, as we will need money to continue to fund our on-going flow-restriction project.

Mind the Estate Tax Gap

The article "Mind the Estate Tax Gap", discusses how much of a mess an estate tax break law has become and the consequences many will face due to it not being fixed by Congress. Although estate taxes will return to their normal 55% in 2011, 2010 will be a year where there will not be an estate tax. This may seem like a lucky break for wealthy heirs of the ultra-rich, however many will end up paying high capital-gains taxes on these inheritances. This is so because of the disappearance of the "step-up" in basis, which allowed assets to be revalued for tax purposes at the time of death. For heirs who inherited homes or family businesses that have grown in value, the "step-up" rule allowed them to start with a clean slate, owing no capital-gains when they sold the assets. Now, an executor can assign a "step-up" basis of up to $1.3 million to assets in the estate, and an additional $3 million for assets left to a surviving spouse. Things get even more complicated when there are multiple heirs receiving multiple assets, a task which requires the executor choosing how to allocate the $1.3 million in tax basis among the assets. This task has led to many executors facing lawsuits from unhappy heirs. According to Clay Stevens, Director of strategic planning at Aspirant, "Many people are going to be worse off than before". Regardless of whether or not Congress fixes the problem before the end of the year, it may be too little too late for some families as we are already well into the year 2010.

USEC shares climb on DOE grant for Ohio

Our company must market our flow restriction device to a company in southern Ohio after the United States Department of Energy recently awarded the plant a grant of $45 million for further development and demonstration of centrifuge technology. The article, found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how USEC is the world's leading supplier of enriched uranium for commercial nuclear power plants. USEC also looks to increase production of enriched uranium after gaining this grant.

Recently the U.S. Department of Energy announced it will provide $45 million to fund an on-going centrifuge project at the USEC plant in Ohio. The project was developed to further research and develop centrifuge technology. Over the course of this testing program, the company has logged over 338,000 hours on centrifuges. This would be a great market for our company to tap as USEC is the world's leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants. According to the USEC, using centrifugal force to extract uranium is much more efficient than the Cold-War era gaseous diffusion method. Enriched uranium from the plant 65 miles south of Columbus would be used in generating electricity by nuclear power plants.

Want To Bank Your Own Stem Cells?

The article, "Want To Bank Your Own Stem Cells?", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses a market that may be viable for our flow restriction device. The article states the potential power for stem cells is limitless and people should be ready to bank their own stem cells in order to be ready when regenerative therapies hit the market. A recently founded company, NeoStem, may have a need for our device. The main question surrounding the flow restriction device is whether it will sell or not.

Denis Rodgerson is the CEO for NeoStem, a company that allows people to bank their own stem cells, in case they are needed someday. Studies have shown that stem cells can later be grown into heart cells, brain cells or even used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The process of banking one's own stem cells involves the separation of the cells from bone marrow using a centrifuge. Rodgerson believes the company has potential and believes the evidence found in research is good enough to make stem cell banking a profitable proposition. This is just one of many opportunities where our company feels as though it can make an impact with our flow restricitor device.

Why a VAT Tax Is Where It's At

The article "Why a VAT Tax Is Where It's At", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how a VAT would help stop the United States national debt from skyrocketing even further. As Baby Boomers are set to retire, the United States government is faced with the arduous task of supporting many programs, such as MediCare and Social Security. The author truly believes a VAT can help solve some of the current financial problems in the United States. A VAT, which stands for value added tax, is collected at each stage of the production process and distribution rather than just from retailers. Not only is this type of tax highly efficient, but the way it is collected also minimizes compliance problems. However, there is opposition to the idea of enforcing a VAT tax. Some believe this tax would make the government even bigger than it already is. According to Americans For Tax Reform member Grover Norquist, "VAT is French for big government." The author points out that nobody really defends the current income system anymore because it is far too complicated and contains too many loopholes and special interest favors. It is time for the VAT to be embraced and long term fiscal discipline in the United States to be back on track.

Postal Service Seeks Five-Day Delivery by Early 2011

The article "Postal Service Seeks Five Day Delivery By Early 2011", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how USPS plans on cutting a sizable portion of their budget by eliminating delivery on a certain day of the week. By eliminating deliveries on Saturdays, the article mentions that USPS would save about $3.3 billion the first year and as much as $5.1 billion by the year 2020. However, the plan will get rid of around 40,000 jobs. There are both advocates and naysayers of this plan, including the National Association of Letter Carriers and small business customers. The National Association of Letter Carriers calls the plan "risky and counterproductive", while residential and small business customers believe Saturday delivery is "unimportant". The Postal Commission has 90 days to review the proposal and make a non-binding agreement.

A Matchmaker For Inventors

The article "A Matchmaker For Inventors" describes a company which could possibly help bring our centrifuge project into the mainstream. UTEK Corporation can commercialize the separation device used in our company's centrifuge project. UTEK would be able to pay the research labs for the licensing rights to the idea. UTEK has had more hits than misses and could pay huge benefits to our company.

UTEK, a technolgy matchmaker with an unusual business model, gives researchers an outlet for their ideas. It also provides companies with access to a database of more than 35,000 discoveries that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. When researchers at the University of North Carolina A&T discovered a way to find microscopic cracks in an airplane fuselage, they turned to UTEK due to the fact they were finding their product nearly impossible to sell. UTEK found Materials Technology Inc., which soon signed a contract to commercialize the technology.

Unlike other tech-transfer companies, UTEK will pay the research labs for licensing rights to the discovery. It then agrees to sell those rights to the client company for shares of stock, which UTEK agrees to hold for one year. It's possible that UTEK would pay around $500,000 for a discovery and receive $2.5 million worth of a company's stock.

Over the years, UTEK has had more success than failure. The company's successes involve technologies ranging from fertilzing production to pollution monitoring. UTEK, which went public in 2003, now holds equity stakes in 55 companies with a portfolio valued at over $60 million. It shows no signs of slowing down either, adding several thousand discoveries to it's database each year. UTEK would definitely help our company get the word out about our separation device. The company has a proven record and will be able to provide our technology with the light of day it needs to become successful.

There's More to Innovation Than Good Ideas

The article "There's more to Innovation Than Good Ideas", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses the Air Sandwich and the negative effect it has on an organization. The Air Sandwich occurs when leadership within an organization gives orders to employees far down the chain of command, without the benefit of feedback or questions. The author, Nilofer Merchant, first encountered the problem of the Air Sandwich while she worked for AutoDesk. The CEO at AutoDesk had a plan that would propel the company into the future. This plan included introducing six new product lines into the market within the next 18 months. Merchant had her doubts about the project, but kept her mouth shut, believing the "leaders" would make sure everything went as planned. However, things did not go smoothly as the new products didn't make it to the market for many more years. Many will blame the people within the organization for failures such as this, but there is more to be blamed than just the people. Much of the blame can be placed on the system being used. Merchant has seen the same problem many times over the years while working for several different companies. She says, "We limit participation in strategy creation based on title and rank rather than relevant insight." Merchant believes that companies need to create a shared understanding of what matters and why and also stop rewarding individual accomplishment because it is easier than rewarding co-ownership of the ultimate outcomes. In the long run, failures like this can be very helpful to a company in that it will help them understand the problems involved with their system. After the problems have been addressed, the company can move forward by understanding and correcting these problems.

US Insurers Purchase Corporate Bonds in Market 'Raining Gold'

According to the article "U.S. Insurers Purchase Corporate Bonds in Market 'Raining Gold'", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how U.S. insurers took advantage of a market that Warren Buffet said was "raining gold". Corporate bonds were bought at an extremely fast pace, while insurers net purchases rose to $153 billion in 2009. This corporate debt rally helped companies such as Prudential and Met Life recover capital that was lost in the housing and stock market slumps of 2008 and 2009. Life insurers, which can hold policymakers premium for decades before paying claims, need to earn returns on funds to pay workers, remunerate investors and ultimately satisfy customers. This is a strong reason that many companies who were shut out of the debt markets during the credit freeze, returned to selling bonds in 2009 as demand returned.

Essay: Bloom Energy Unveils the Bloom Box

Fuel cell maker Bloom Energy aims to change the way energy is used by introducing a new modular power plant. The company recently created a buzz by holding a major conference unveiling their new invention. Although the company already has significant momentum in starting this project, many are still wary. The company's ambitions will only be met if they can sell their invention for a profit.
Bloom Energy, which was named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer in December, held a conference attended by such people as the Governor of California, Arnold Scwarzenegger and former Secretary of State Colin Powell to unveil it's new product, the Bloom Box. The product is a modular power-plant-in-a-box system giving owners the ability to generate their own electricity on site, lowering energy costs and creating less harm to the atmosphere. According to the author, it was no accident that the Governor of California was invited to the event as he believes Bloom CEO, K.R. Sridhar, hopes California government agencies and cities will start to use the energy savers.
Bloom is not short on customers, as it has gained millions of dollars from companies such as Google, Coca-Cola, eBay, WalMart, Staples, Fed Ex and many more business giants. However, some industry analysts remain skeptical of the Bloom Box and how much success it will enjoy. These same analysts point to other fuel cell start ups that have never managed to gain a profit, including Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd. and Fuel Cell Energy. Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd. was created in 1992 and is still not a profitable company.
Bloom Energy believes it will succeed where others have failed due to the fact that it's technology is different in a number of ways. The company claims to use lower-cost materials, making it easier to mass produce their product, which also allows for a wider potential market. Bloom also contends that their solution is more efficient at converting fuel to electricity. Company executives also forsee powering individual homes one day, as well as reducing the dependence on gasoline powered vehicles by generating electricity for hybrid or electric cars.
If Bloom Energy plans on being successful, it still has to prove it can be competitive without subsidies. With a plan in place, the company seems to be moving in the right direction. It has narrowed its market to big businesses in the United States who use their energy savers as a complement to traditional energy supplies. For now, the future looks bright.

Patent Trolls

The article, "Debunking the Patent Troll", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses non-practicing entities and the criticism they have garnered as of late. To be precise, non-practicing entities are companies that acquire patents and seek payment from companies they feel infringe upon those patents. One of the bigger problems facing many tech companies in todays' business environment is the increase in product complexity, which is forcing more and more companies to place restraints on research departments. This leaves the company looking outside for help in innovation. The article then goes on to describe how external R&D falls into two different categories, "operating companies" and the "failed entrants" group. Operating companies include competitors, suppliers, customers and other similar groups, while failed entrants are made up of inventors, startups and universities who don't dare enter the market on their own. One idea that many hope will come to fruition is the reformation of patents. This is needed because many feel NPE's create patents that are too broadly defined and should never have been granted in the first place. Another criticism involving NPE's is that they should not ask for money if they haven't produced anything. The next portion of the article separates the two main groups that NPE's, or "patent trolls" as they are often reffered to, make up. These two groups are innovators and patent investors. Many innovators are individuals or companies who have tried to bring their innovations to the market but have failed. Patent investors are usually funds or companies that seek profit from price differentials. According to the author, patents belonging to individual inventors/ failed entrants are more meaningful to the inventor than those belonging to large companies. He believes innovators should be free to benefit from their inventions without having to be experts in raising capital and running a company. The curent patent system could definitely use a tune up, as stronger patent rights are needed.

Mr. Innovator, "Tear Down These Walls"

The article, "Mr. Innovator, Tear Down These Walls", discusses how the sharing of information across different departments in organizations needs to occur more frequently. Not only would information sharing in organizations help, but the external sharing of information could also greatly further the cause of innovation. The main problem in today's world is that the information that would help combine capabilities across organizations is usually impossible to access. The author mentions an example involving the CIA and another agency within the government. The CIA recently gave valuable data to this other agency,which in turn benefited greatly. According to the author, this type of information sharing needs to happen more often in order to open up new innovation opportunities within organizations. Humans and the organizations in which they are a part of need to open up to the idea of experimentation and change to help innovation flourish.

Essay: Phone Companies Are Developing Fuel Cells Too

The article "Phone Companies are Developing Fuel Cells Too", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how phone companies have begun using fuel cells as a source for backup power. Phone companies are using this idea as an alternative to diesel powered backup generators. The technological development surrounding the use of fuel cells in cellular base stations will help in times of crisis. Other areas involving the use of fuel cells are also being investigated by many phone companies.

Phone companies have started using fuel cells in their backup stations for many reasons, including the fact that they are quieter, more environmentally friendly and also cheaper than the alternative, diesel generators. According to Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, finding ways to improve energy use has been one of the company's "biggest priorities". It's a good sign that Sprint looks to improve this sector of their company, as it's network accounts for about 80% of it's total energy use.

Backup fuel cells will also help in times of crisis, such as severe weather or natural disasters. In situations similar to Hurricane Katrina, communication is extremely improtant, often a matter of life and death. It is vital for backup systems to remain powered during such events.

Other companies, such as Vodafone, have also been exploring new ways of using fuel cells. Munich-based hydrogen fuel cell maker P21, has been developing fuel cells over the past decade in hopes of creating an efficient ecosystem for refilling fuel cell hydrogen tanks. The company looks to create a new hydrogen refueling model that is built around on-site refueling instead of the current practice of swapping out tanks.

With new advancements coming in the field of hydrogen fuel cells, it will only help that companies try and develop new ideas using this environmenatlly friendly approach. It would not only benefit the company by improving efficiency, but it would also be advantageous towards the nearby communties.

Fed Discount-Rate Move Signals End to Emergency Steps

This article, found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how the Federal Reserve Board's move to raise the rate charged to banks for direct loans signals the end to emergency supply of liquidity to financial markets. According to Sung Won Sohn, former chief economist at Wells Fargo, the discount rate has been a tool used to signal the future course of monetary policy. With this latest move, the Fed is signaling that future rates will more than likely go up, rather than stay the same or go down. However, in the statement released by the Fed, the move was described as a "normalization" of lending that would have no impact on monetary policy. The move will also encourage banks to borrow in private markets instead of from the Fed. To many, including Alan Ruskin, the big surprise was the timing. Ruskin believes the move was made earlier than most expected as yet another sign showing that liquidity provisions provided during the crisis are being withdrawn.

Wal-Mart and the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Consumer

This article, found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how the recent economic downturn would affect Wal-Mart compared to similar stores. Through the current depression, Wal-Mart has had many troubles, including the decline of same-store sales and a drop in market share. An improved economy would definitely take care of these problems, however the author questions how the recession will affect Wal-Mart's competitors. According to one statistic, same-store sales at Sam's Club rose, which shows that Sam's Club's higher end customers could afford to spend more, while Wal-Mart's lower end customers felt the pinch of the economy and were forced to make due with less. There is little Wal-Mart can do to recover except for wait out the storm, which they hope will end very soon.

President Obama Interview

The interview President Obama recently granted BusinessWeek.com focuses on how his Administration has been called anti-business by much of the business community. The President provides many valid arguements as to why this is an unfair assumption. Obama contends that much of the policies put in place over the last year have been done in order to provide American businesses with a stronger footing. He believes the steps that were taken were meant to break the back of the recession, put a floor under the economy and reduce a sense of panic that has grown in the United States. If one is looking for numerical facts, they can't help but agree with the President when he states that the economy was declining at a rate of 6 percent when he took office and now it is growing by 6 percent. The perception of the Administration being anti-business has also been spurred by some big issues, such as health reform, energy and financial regulatory reform. When asked if there was a specific CEO President Obama admired, he responded by mentioning Fed Ex CEO Fred Smith. The President described Smith as someone who is thinking long term and as someone who has special interests in finding a new energy policy for his company that is smart. BusinessWeek also discussed President Obama's proposed payroll tax for small business to boost hiring. According to Obama small businesses are the area where a targeted jobs credit would make the most difference. Big businesses already have more money and are in a better position to hire employees, so their decisions are based around whether or not there are enough customers out there to expand payroll. Now that the economy is starting to take a turn for the better, Obama believes a job credit can potentially speed up the decision for people who are thinking about hiring at some point. The next topic in the interview dealt with the issue of performance and pay, along with bonuses. Obama believes that the shareholders should have a chance to scrutinize the amount CEO's are getting paid, which would help align performance with pay. The President is also in favor of pay coming in the form of stock, which would require proven performance over a certain time period and is a much fairer way of measuring CEO performance. When asked about exports over the next five years, President Obama had much to say. He mentioned how his plan is to double exports over the next five years, especially with countries such as South Korea, Colombia and Panama. However, there has been different complications in getting deals completed with each of these countries. He also eluded to the well-known fact that the U.S. has gotten "it's clock cleaned" in the area of world trade over the last few years, which is why he believes what needs to be done is to align the interest of businesses, workers and the U.S. government. Another country which the President is concerned with is China, whose currency manipulation has interfered with the rebalancing of the global economy. Obama closed the interview by speaking out on marginal rates and the issue of deferrals and the multinational practice in terms of dealing with the tax code. His pro-business arguement centers around average businesses who are located in the U.S., invested in the U.S. and hire workers in the U.S.. These are the companies that are paying a 35 percent rate. Obama's goal is to level the playing field between companies investing in the United States and those who are operating overseas or across the border. Through this interview, one would have a hard time believing that the Administration has ever been viewed as anything but pro-business, however many still get this feeling. Obama and his staff believe and have said openly that they have every interest in American businesses succeeding.

How Detroit Can Gain From Toyota's Recalls

The article "How Detroit Can Gain From Toyota's Recalls", found at BusinessWeek.com, discusses how many auto companies in Detroit have the unprecedented opportunity to steal many of Toyota's customers after the Japanese carmaker was hit hard by recalls. Toyota, still a great company, will eventually recover, however this is a huge boost to automakers in Detroit.
After visiting Toyota, Ford's CEO Alan Mullaly, described the company as "the master" and later applied these same production techniques to another company of his, Boeing. Mullaly also urged Ford to create more sophisticated cars that would better Toyota's sedans. Over the past year, after Ford invested billions into the new Focus and Fiesta models, sales began to rise, while Toyota's decreased. Mullaly has also had a big impact on overall quality of the Ford brand, even garnering praise from auto editor of the magazine Consumer Report David Champion who believes Ford now has "world class reliability".
Although General Motors has improved the quality of its cars, the company must remain humble. Another added help to GM is the unveiling of the new Chevy Volt, which could give the company something to really brag about. The Volt will be four times as fuel efcient as Toyota's 2010 Prius, however Chevy will only make 10,000 of this model in 2010 as a way of establishing technological credibility among the comsumers. 2012 is the year Chevy could take the most away from Toyota Prius sales as this year marks the production of 60,000 Volts.
The third Detroit company, Chrysler, may have the hardest time prying Toyota customers away from the company due to their quality scores being extremely low. However, the Jeep brand may attract some.
The article then went on to discuss how the market share of both Ford and GM rose this past year, while Toyota's dropped. This has occured mainly because of Detroit's efforts to "woo" the Generation Y, which likes Toyota, but is less loyal than older consumers. Ford has the biggest opportunity,as it has focused on smaller, more compact cars, such as the Focus and Fiesta. However, Ford and GM aren't the only companies jockying for Toyota's customers. Companies such as Hyundai, Nissan and Honda are all ready to take advantage of the situation. As many will not forget, Toyota remains a top company in the auto industry and once the company comes out of the recall situation it can be counted on to start the comeback campaign. With Toyota employing 40, 000 Americans in six states, it has entrenched itself in the American culture. Toyota knows what type of cars Americans want and therefore the company will regain its strength sooner than later. According to Champion, "If you're going to grab market share from Toyota, you have to do it in the next nine months." If the Detroit companies find a way to convince Americans that their cars are of high qulaity and fun to drive, they just may have turned a streak of another companies bad luck into their own personal gains.