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By Sarah Milby, on August 27th, 2010  FEATURE: Say what you will about Walmart, but it’s hard to argue with their slogan: “Save money. Live better.” Who doesn’t want that?
Discount department and warehouse stores like Walmart use their market power to buy products from suppliers in bulk – thereby lowering purchasing price and distribution costs. The cost-savings can then be transferred on to the customer.
Unfortunately, in a time of escalating healthcare costs, the U.S. government has yet to bring the same economic principles to bear on a major healthcare expense: prescription drugs purchased through Medicare Continue reading Buying in Bulk
(Editor’s Note: As of late, we have received an unsettling number of letters to the editor accusing NBV of ageism, projection bias and anti-historical leanings. In an effort to address these complaints, we have decided to roll out OldBizViews—a section that will focus entirely on the innovations and business trends of yesteryear. This is the first installment in an ongoing series – stay tuned for next week’s post, Pana-mania: The Case Against a Canal. )
QUICKVIEW: By this time, you’ve no doubt heard of the hottest new thing in town. Whether you get your news from the Pony Express, town crier, or smoke signal, steam power is on everyone’s mind. But is steam power all its cracked up to be? James Watt and his band of es-steam-ed propagandists have hoodwinked the public and are ignoring the invention’s sinister underbelly.
Continue reading Steam Power – A Bunch of Hot Air?
By Ryan Sturgill, on February 24th, 2010  FEATURE: During my commute on the subway, I usually pretend to read the Wall Street Journal while furtively skimming the pages of the New York Post in the hands of the guy next to me. Not quite ready for hard economic statistics (or a Post subscription), I prefer to ease into my day by stealing glances at stories that are more in the ‘Ho No!’ or ‘I’m a Cheetah’ variety. To my disappointment, the half page headline beckoning my wandering eyes on a recent morning was a bit newsier than usual, but no less alarmist: “CHINA’S DEBT BOMB: America’s No. 1 Creditor Holds the Ultimate Weapon.” Continue reading Can the US Leave the Renminbi Alone in 2010?
By Kimberly Stromberg, on February 10th, 2010  TOSS-UP: The term “dark pool” conveys mystery and intrigue—an impression that, until recently, had rarely been associated with the quantitative trading strategies of Wall Street firms. However, the dark pool and its partner in crime, the high frequency trade, have engrossed the public attention and brought a debate once limited to university symposiums and trading floors to the global (political) stage. Indeed, even as proposals for financial regulation evolve to include limits on bankers’ pay and bans on proprietary trading, the battle over dark pools et al rages on.
Continue reading What’s Darker than a Dark Pool?
By Amy Osekowsky, on January 25th, 2010  TOSS-UP: Number 4 on the Food Channel’s Top Ten Food Trends of 2009, the locavore movement is omnipresent in American culture (and would have been more appropriately placed in the top spot). The President’s much-criticized date night to New York included a Broadway show and trip to Dan Barber’s locavore restaurant Blue Hill. Michael Pollan’s books top bestseller lists. Still, the movement hit a new level in my eyes when I read that the Brooklyn-based bk farmyards is now offering to help transform New Yorkers blessed with a spare spot of land into “urban farmers.” Continue reading Locavore Movement: Revolutionizing Trend or Food Fad?
By Ryan Pertz, on January 23rd, 2010  TOSS-UP: While the extent of the federal government’s reach is a passionately debated topic, what is clear is that the federal government exists to provide services to its citizens. In a time of economic strife, citizens often expect their government to step up its assistance efforts and spark an economic turnaround. The US government has a number of tools in its kit to utilize in an effort to lead such a turnaround, and different tools achieve distinct results. Continue reading Immeasurable Gain on Government Private Sector Investment
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