Jul 262013
 
WELCOME TO THE ONE PERCENT ECONOMY

(Foreword: We have asked Tom Osenton to contribute a blog to Kotler on Growth because of his scholarship and provocative strategic insights on economic growth. We were very impressed by his book The Death of Demand, 2004, FT Prentice Hall. He traces the historic decline of U.S. consumer decline and challenges us to find a way to live in a permanently low growth [read more]

Jul 212013
 
Wal-Mart at a Crossroad

Wal-Mart faces a daunting business challenge. When Wal-Mart started its high growth strategy in 1969, it followed the movement of American middle class families from declining cities to new suburbs. Wal-Mart built thousands of stores to service this massive migration of growing household income, along with distribution centers to link these suburban and exurban stores into the largest retail chain [read more]

Jul 102013
 
Fresh American Cherries in China at the Same Price!

Chinese consumers can buy fresh Washington State Sweet Bing Cherries on Alibaba’s consumer website Tail.com for $6.56 a pound. It costs an American eComerce consumer $14.42 a pound on Packitrite.com. Unbelievable, but it is happening and here is how it works. For a small deposit, Chinese consumer can place a TMail order at a place marker price. Depending on the volume of [read more]

Jun 202013
 
Immigration for Consumption Growth

The U.S. economy relies heavily on retail for consumption and jobs. In 2012 total retail sales (including eCommerce) amounted to $4.4 trillion. Retail supports 1 in 4 American jobs. It is directly and indirectly responsible for 18% of the U.S. GDP, and it directly and indirectly generates 17% of the U.S. labor income. Retail supports 41,620,604 jobs in the United [read more]

Jun 192013
 
China's Urbanization for Economic Growth

On Sunday, June 15, the New York Times ran a lengthy and dramatic article on “China’s Great Uprooting: Moving 250 Million into Cities”. There were 550 comments, 95 percent of which were negative, partly by animus, but largely by ignorance. Let me sum up the article, so I can clarify misunderstandings and contribute to a better understanding of the role [read more]