Bloggy Business Today

photo courtesy of Bloomberg.com

According to a recent article published by Bloomberg.com, there might be light at the end of the tunnel as far as the Japanese economy is concerned. The stock market actually made significant games for the first time in a week or so and many of the concerns that were surrounding inflation and the credit crunch appear to be at a low point not just over the course of the week, but also over the course of the whole recessionary period we have been in.

Now, you might be wondering why I would bother writing about the Japanese economy for a blog that deals with business, home business and business in the United States. Well, the simple reason is that things are very connected globally nowadays and that means that what affects one part of the world ends up affecting other parts of the world through these chain links. If Japan, a first-world economy very similar to that of the United States, is experiencing a general easing up of concerns, then it is quite possible that similar things might happen in this country with business as well.

This is by no means suggesting that we might be on our way out of the tough times, but rather that we might be approaching an eye in the storm. Keep your eyes on the economic indicators that most affect your business in order to see if this turns out to be true.

Japanese shares rose for the first time in a week after crude oil dropped, relieving inflationary pressure, and as credit-market concerns eased amid speculation Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. will receive an investment.

Source

Technorati Tags: credit_crunch, japanese_economy, chain_links, world_economy, economic_indicators, stock_market, inflation, home_business, japan, blog, games, united_states

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While many of us are heaving a sigh of relief on the recent events that saw oil prices going below $115, it is still far from normalizing to the prices that we had enjoyed some months back. Apparently a lot of political issues have been the cause and bordering nation disputes have likewise made oil prices to where it is today.

There are two points for discussion here. Let me enumerate them regarding the current oil price frenzy.

Russia’s invasion of Georgia
While we are celebrating, turn around and look at the oil price in the market. They are not slowly spiking up and a lot of it is due to the current conflict between Russia and Georgia. For the record, Russia is one of the contributing nations towards oil needs in the world and apparently they are now in semi-war with the United States.

With that said, we are slowly getting the feelers. The oil prices are spiking up in preparation for another crisis and if the dispute with Russia is not settled, we may just see another round of oil price increases. Something we do not like but a reality we must face.

Who are responsible for Oil Price?
Oil companies command prices but not depending on supply but more on how they negotiate through contracts. Similar to business, negotiations and set prices are agreed upon depending on how much and how many barrels of oil will be exported from one destination to another.

Unlike what most of us think, oil price hikes are not always signs of oil shortage. Sometimes you have to audit the oil companies closely to get the real score. Sad to say, this is a reality and it is something that we can say that has originated from our own selfish professions in depicting business and focusing on making money.

Source

Technorati Tags: oil_price_hikes, current_oil_price, business_negotiations, oil_shortage, oil_companies, oil_prices, professions, invasion, conflict, russia, making_money, contracts

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The key for measuring advertising through commercials is creativity and the impact it can have on the target market. Apparently these two things were present as Bridgestone commercials “Scream” and “Lucky Dog” made the final list of possible winners at the Cannes Lion International Advertising Festival.

Here are the two ads:

Technorati Tags: international_advertising_festival, cannes_lion, lion_international, target_market, bridgestone, scream, commercials, creativity

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Networking is usually the first thing that is eliminated when a business starts cutting back on its expenditures. After all, since networking by definition is something that is done above and beyond with other businesses as partners, it would not seem to be that integral to the average business.

However, if you are looking for an innovative way to get through an economic downturn that does not involving massively laying off your employees, then networking with another business might be just what the doctor ordered. After all, when you network with other businesses, you pool resources in order to create a final product that is more than the sum of its parts. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that doing such a thing during an economic downturn could be bad for the finances of both businesses, but the far more likely outcome is that such projects could stimulate growth in both businesses at a time when growth is hard to come by.

This does not mean that you should snap up the first networking opportunity that comes along however. You should evaluate each potential joint venture and then choose the one that is most likely to provide in areas that your company is lacking. Try to find a company to work with where you can reciprocate this need as well as such a partnership will benefit both parties enormously.

Technorati Tags: economic_downturn, expenditures, joint_venture, networking_opportunity, partnership

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Product Development

There are many different aspects to running a company and one of those aspects in certain cases is the development of new products. Any company that relies primarily on the sale of goods will have to develop new products at one point or another to remain competitive, but with economic times slow the money for product development can seem hard to come by.

The argument against product development during economic times is a relatively obvious one. Since it tends to consume a large amount of internal financial resources, it is often argued that easing up on product development can help a company survive the economic downturn of a particular country.

On the other hand, product development is often what fuels economic growth. The development of new products creates a consumer response within the marketplace and that in turn can lead to new jobs and opportunities for the population. This would suggest that product development is quite important, even in times that are economically bad.

While there is no set answer to this question, the best way to proceed vis-à-vis product development would be to continue it only insofar as it does not affect the primary financial stability of your company. The details of that however are something you will have to decide as the head of the company.

Technorati Tags: consumer_response, economic_downturn, economic_growth, economic_times, financial_resources, financial_stability, many_different_aspects, marketplace, money, new_jobs, population

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