Chinese Economy Will Force American Companies to Make Major Changes

The Chinese economy will be bigger than the U.S. by 2018 according to the article China's Economy Will Overcome the US in 2018 in Forbes.  The U.S. has continued to decline since 2015 while China's continues to rise until a switch in economic strength occurs. American companies will start to make major changes in order to increase competitiveness and ensure they still earn important contracts.

Business is competitive by nature and the Chinese are continuing to push forward with their competitiveness. American companies will need to be more competitive in the future and this requires faster adaptation. Corporate models will change and governmental legislation will adjust to ensure companies can keep up.

Consider the standard American corporation with its layers of management and need to get bigger and larger. As it grows it begins to crush in on itself and lose its innovative abilities. To improve competitiveness will mean moving to flatter and smaller divisions that are able to hedge the competitiveness of innovative groups with the economies of scale of larger businesses.

There will only so much that can be done without finding a partner in government. Tax reform, budgets, infrastructure, treaties, wages and legislation are likely to become bigger issues as business start seeing their options limited. They will pressure government to help them become more competitive by changing their environment.

Businesses will change because they will have to and government will change because it must to maintain its position. However, the process of change is often slow and it is more about convincing minds than it is about simply making adjustments. In democratic societies there is a healthy debate and eventual change but this may be too slow without finding some goals people can agree on.

Why Are Americans Still Skeptical of Economy? Optimism Needed

"The world is my representation."

Americans are getting increasingly pessimistic about the economy. According to Gallup's U.S. Economic Confidence Index Americans rated the economy -16% which is the lowest since September 2015. The problem isn't that they are pessimistic but why they are pessimistic. No one knows for sure but it is suspected that negative politics and major socio-economic shifts are causing some of the problems. Do we need to be a little more optimistic?

60% say the economy is getting worse. There could be a lot of reasons why we might think so but what seems to be jumping front are politics and major socio-economic shifts. Change brings a feeling of insecurity and stress. Helping them view change in a more positive light might make a difference in how they view their future prospects.

Americans scan their environment to understand the world around them and how that impacts their lives. They listen to the news, talk to their friends, and look at their paychecks. Their paychecks are going up and hiring is on the fast track forward but.......they are still pessimistic. How information is being fed to them might have an impact.

It seems that the political process is weighing down on their optimism. When they turn on the news and open their Internet browser they are bombarded by how bad the economy is. Each candidate in pointing out the negatives of what is going on and then showing how they are going to magically going to fix it. High on rhetoric but low on substance.

The problem is that all these doomsday arguments don't truly represent what is going on. The economy is actually doing really well but this message isn't coming through to the average person. The high minded economists are talking on an academic level about change in the economy while politicians are emphatically projecting how bad it is using "real" language. One seems to resonate more than another.

That isn't the only thing going on. There are also major shifts both locally and globally on a social and economic level. European economies are slowing while emerging economies are no longer emerging but getting closer to becoming top tier economies. One must only look at the growth of Asia into an economic powerhouse over the past decade or so to realize this.

This change is apparent as American power is challenged overseas. Whether we are talking about disputed islands or major transformation in the Middle East  things are shifting. The powerful U.S. will need to reassess its treaties and economic policies to ensure we are creating a nation of "builders" and entrepreneurs that are hungry for opportunities.We must see opportunities in change and capitalize on them.

We are also finding that our social environments are changing and we are becoming a metropolitan economy whereby where you are from isn't as important as what you can do. Look around any university campus or technology company and you will see very quickly that diversity is at work. For some...this can be a little scary as people redefine their place in society.

American's are not a pessimistic group by nature but pessimism sells. That is what people hear from their leaders and that comes to feed our natural fears of change. As a people we need direction based on what is actually going on in the world to navigate the big economic and social changes that are already in process. Fear might sell but optimism and clear direction give us the strength to rise to new challenges.

Fulfilling Your Needs with Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is a process of ensuring all of your needs are met. Focusing too much effort in one area of your life puts you out of sync with your needs and leads to problems down the road. To some this lack of balance might impact their physical, emotional, or financial health in ways they don't realize. Finding the right work-life balance for you takes some time and exploration.

It is first important to find out what you like to do when you are not shuffling papers. Consider those activities that reduce stress and improve health. As general categories, people need to socialize more, get involved in hobbies, or engage in a fitness program. Sometimes people need to do all three!

Socializing:

Socializing with others reduces stress and creates a stronger social network. The worst thing you can do is work long hours and then isolate yourself. This reduces your overall resilience to stress and impacts the way in which you handle life's difficulties. Work on finding social clubs, good friends,  and family activities that help you engage with others.

Hobbies:

 In order to live a well rounded life it is necessary to sometimes to find goals and activities that encourage you feel complete. Perhaps there is something you wanted to accomplish or something from your childhood that you enjoyed. Get involved in art, camping, model building, etc... that provides meaning outside of work.

Fitness:

As we get older our health suffers. Reducing stress and avoiding medical complications requires us to get into a fitness habit. Try walking everyday, start jogging, or play sports with others like volleyball or softball. Make sure you stick with your program and shed the weight.

It isn't difficult to make changes that round out your life when you start getting in touch with yourself. When you get older you are unlikely to look back on your life and say, "I wish I could have spent more time working".  You are more likely to think you should have spent more time with your family, doing the things you enjoy, or finding other pursuits help you feel complete.

Do San Diego Millennials Need a Car?

Millennials are increasingly attracted to large cities like San Diego not only because of its employment opportunities but also because of its amenities. As the market shifts there may be less need for cars and more need for public transportation. Based on urban design it may be possible for Millennials to not bother to own a car at all!

According to Goldman Sach's a whopping 30% of Millennials don't intend to buy a car in the near future while another 25% don't find it as a priority. It is hard to blame them considering the high cost of car ownership, insurance, parking and congestion. The world is changing and it is now possible to live without a car in many urban areas.

Car Sharing: Why own a car when you can share with others using Car2Go or Uber/Lyft. On those days when you want to be dropped off at the front door or get somewhere quickly these options will work well for you. Legislation is catching up to the sharing economy.

Bike: San Diego is a bike lovers heaven. I know because I have had two stolen in the past few years! For most people who need to travel a few miles, or around their neighborhood, they would be better off using their bikes. Improving bike lanes and access can help.

Walking: The city offers well designed neighborhoods that contain urban areas that have shopping close to housing making much of the city walkable. Providing walkable neighborhoods in city design creates a better community.

Public Transportation: With a solid bus system and trolley system you can get almost anywhere within the city for less than $5 per day; cheaper if you buy a monthly pass. Ensuring that funding is available for expanding public transportation is helpful.

Online Shopping: Online shopping has developed to the point that one can buy nearly anything without going to the store. Amazon offers groceries in addition to anything else you need. U.S. infrastructure is adjusting to more stress on shipping supply chains.

Euro-Asia Forum in Politics, Economics and Business - 2016

Euro-Asia Forum in Politics, Economics and Business - 2016
July 21-22, 2016
Belgrade, Serbia
Hosted by
Faculty of Economics
University of Belgrade

On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to invite you to participate in our annual forum which will host well-known academics, journalists, consultants, and practitioners. We aim to become one of the hubs in the Euro-Asia region where participants present research in all major fields and subfields of economics, business, social and political sciences focusing specifically on the Euro-Asia region.

Euro-Asia Forum in Politics, Economics and Business - 2016 will take place on July 21st and 22nd, 2016 at the Faculty of Economics - University of Belgrade (FoE) in Belgrade, Serbia with the support of Eurasia Business and Economics Society and the Institute of Economics, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences.

Abstract submission is open until April 30, 2016 and the registration deadline is June 8, 2016.

For about the forum and publication opportunities, please visit our website at www.eafpeb.org

We are looking forward to meet you at the Euro-Asia Forum in Politics, Economics and Business - 2016.

Enquiries: forum@eafpeb.org
Web address: http://www.eafpeb.org/