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Category Archives: Business/Economics

Bailout Nation

I’m worried about the future of America. I think a lot of people are similarly concerned with the amount of debt we’re piling onto future generations of Americans. But more than the actual debt that needs to be paid off, I’m worried about how America’s current “need” to save everyone from collapse will give people [...]

Posted 02 April 2009 † Peter § ‡ Comments (0) °

Cars are no different from computers or jewelry; dealerships need to close

One of my radical ideas for reforming the auto industry is to demolish the dealership distribution model. People are buying everything from computers to high-end jewelry online and direct from the manufacturer these days. Why should cars be any different? In the end, the car is just another product to be sold.
Selling cars direct will [...]

Posted 06 March 2009 † Peter § ‡ Comments (0) °

Waiting for the market to bottom out

I’ve written about this before but instead of continuing to prop up bad companies or expect asset prices to return to the unrealistic levels that we’ve become accustomed to in the past few years, we just need to let the economy bottom out and reset itself. Yes, it’s going to be painful but it’s better [...]

Posted 06 March 2009 † Peter § ‡ Comments (0) °

Why do Banana Republic and J.Crew constantly sell out their clothing?

I have experienced a phenomenon the past few years that has always boggled my mind—popular items like topcoats at Banana Republic and J.Crew tend to go out of stock very quickly and not be restocked. Why does it boggle my mind? Because (unless there is something I don’t know about the clothing retail industry) the [...]

Posted 08 December 2008 † Peter § ‡ Comments (3) °

Dedication to quality is essential; more on the decline of American auto

One of my favorite columns is Gregg Easterbrook’s TMQ on ESPN.com. In this week’s column, he discusses, among many other things, the plight of the American auto industry. Here’s a quote:
“The core reason the Big Three have lost so much market share in the past quarter-century is because they conceded the quality issue to Toyota, [...]

Posted 30 November 2008 † Peter § ‡ Comments (0) °