Posts Tagged ‘Japan’

Hot? Take Off Your Suit!

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
hawaiian-shirt-friday.jpg

(photo: Lazurite on flickr)

Remember those frigid winter mornings when Dad would tell you to quit whining already and put on a sweater if you were so cold? Well if you haven’t figured it out by now (which, duh), he was trying to save energy (i.e. money) by keeping the thermostat low.

Today, the Japanese government is doing essentially the same thing. But… kookier.

They’re pushing a new program called “Super Cool Biz.” Participating companies are encouraged to save energy by keeping their thermostats set to 82 degrees Fahrenheit this summer. After all, the nation is still trying to manage with reduced energy availability after some of its nuclear power plants were destroyed in the tsunami. But a nice side effect will be lower electricity bills for participating companies and a smaller carbon footprint for the entire nation.

The super cool part? Shorts, sandals, and Hawaiian t-shirts are all suddenly upgraded to “business casual.” We want pictures of super cool board meetings.

How are you staying cool this summer without contributing to a scorched earth?

Hawaii Pushes the “Emergency Marketing” Button

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

We all know by now how much the earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan have affected its economy and the foreign companies that depend on Japanese-made components for their products.

But something we hadn’t really thought enough about is how the disaster affects where Japanese people choose to spend their money. It seems obvious now, but Japanese tourism to Hawaii has dropped by a full 25% since March 11th. That’s a big deal for the Hawaiian tourism industry, which is now spending $3 million on “emergency marketing” to woo travelers from other nations.

See what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket? Diversity really is more than just a corporate buzzword. (Full disclosure: we hate the word “buzzword.”) In work, school, government, AND your investment portfolio, diversification can protect you from unpredictable events and their domino effects.

Fortunately, Hawaii still has plenty of appeal to pasty New Yorkers like ourselves, who are happy to contribute to the state’s critical tourism revenue stream.

Barring an unforeseen volcanic eruption, that is.

How one manufacturer in Japan tripped up the Apple machine

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Do you know what makes your iPod go?

Here’s a hint: It rhymes with phithium pholymer.

No?

It’s made in Japan.

Still not getting it?

The shutdown of the Japanese factory that makes it is disrupting Apple’s production line.

…

If you guessed “a very specific and rare polymer used to hold together the lithium ion batteries used in iPods and a variety of other gadgets,” you’re right!! Ding!

This story is crazy. Who knew that one chemical made by one small company halfway across the world could affect iPod buyers in the U.S.? This is a good example of outsourcing in action.

For now, the company (Kureha) is scrambling to get back into action, but in the meantime, will the price of an iPod go up? Should we start stockpiling them in our panic rooms? Can we order iPods with the soothing voice of Justin Beiber pre-installed on them??

Seriously, though. Do you know where your favorite products are made?

How the Stock Market Reacts to a Natural Disaster

Friday, March 18th, 2011


(photo credit: ehnmark)

After so much media coverage devoted to videos of water swallowing up cities, we were interested to see this Reuters article from Monday about the financial implications of Japan’s bad luck.

The stock market is operating under very rare conditions, and some of the news was really surprising. For example, this is the worst hit the market has taken in two years… but it’s the worst natural disaster the country has ever seen. Why didn’t the markets totally crash?

As a matter of fact, some stocks and sectors were actually doing very well on Monday. Here are some interesting facts from the report:

  • - The construction industry was booming, probably because demand for rebuilding will soon be enormous.
  • - Stock in the company that owns one of the nuclear power plants in danger of meltdown – Tokyo Electric Power – dropped 24% almost immediately.
  • - The technology sector, once one of Japan’s strongest, took a nosedive.
  • - Investors were selling off their long-term bonds* (20 years or more), which means that they’re not confident Japan will be able to repay their bond debts in the future.
  • - The earthquake happened on Friday. By Monday, the Bank of Japan was ready to announce that it would inject 15 trillion yen (about $187 billion) into the economy to support it during the crisis. (Kind of like the U.S. Treasury has been doing here to keep the economy afloat during the recession.)
  • - This vote of confidence inspired investors to purchase more short-term bonds (10 years or less).

This just goes to show you that changes in the stock market are all about what investors predict. These predictions can be rational or irrational, but the speculation never ends – no matter what happens.

* A bond is a kind of debt sold by governments and corporations to raise money. Basically, when you buy a bond, you’re buying the seller’s promise to pay you back (usually with a fixed interest rate) on a predetermined date.

Smart Philanthropy in the Wake of a Disaster

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011


(photo credit: Kei!)

When something really bad happens in the world, we all feel hurt. And helping each other out is one of the best ways to alleviate that pain. But that common sense advice about not shopping when you’re hungry and not investing when you’re anxious also applies to giving.

Saundra Schimmelpfennig at the Chronicle of Philanthropy shared some advice on how to give smart in an urgent time of need. She encourages “disaster philanthropists” to think carefully before pledging their money to an emotionally compelling cause.

Here are some of her points that we think are especially important:

  • Make sure the organization you’re donating to actually has permission to operate in the affected area. (This is a no-brainer, but some governments refuse or limit access to foreign aid organizations.)
  • Consider giving to organizations that were operating successfully in-country before the disaster. They may have more resources and connections than many of the big-name international nonprofits.
  • Don’t be sucked in by projects that tug at your heartstrings. Sure, donating to an animal shelter seems like the natural thing to do after seeing this picture, but does directing your resources there really address the most critical needs on the ground?
  • Give aid organizations the freedom to choose what your donation pays for. They know better than you what the most important projects are.
  • Don’t forget about the disaster as soon as the news outlets do. Most of the expense and hard work happens after the initial emergency relief efforts end. Rebuilding houses, schools, communities, and lives can take years. Your donation will mean just as much in six months as it does today.

Ready to make an impact? Text a friend and ask them to donate with you. With two researchers on the job, you can probably find a perfect organization – and double your donation in the process!

Want to help? Stop talking and roll up your sleeves.

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011


Japan 2011 © JIJI PRESS

Even when disasters happen in far-away places, you can still help. Donating money is a great place to start, but don’t stop there. Hosting a fundraiser is as easy as inviting some friends over for lunch or making a page on crowdrise.org.

And Alanna Shaikh says that volunteering in your hometown is a lot more valuable than you might think:

“There is a lot of work at aid agency headquarters that can be done by committed volunteers, and that work often has a huge impact. Everything that a volunteer does pushes down overhead costs and frees up money for the organization to spend on international relief.

I was an Oxfam American volunteer back in the day, and I helped transcribe field interviews for qualitative surveys, edit and format documents, and prepare press releases. It was interesting work, and it was part of what led me to the work I do now. At International Medical Corps, our volunteers drafted situation reports, answered correspondence, and did literature reviews, among other things.”

Check out DoSomething.org, idealist.org, or the website of your favorite aid organization to get some ideas.

New 7-11 energy source? Wind. Source of rolling meat products? Still a mystery.

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

International mini-market chain 7-11 is greening up its act in 100 new eco-friendly stores in Japan.

These stores, which feature wind power and LED lights, cost up to 30% more than a traditional stores. But Sevs and other chain markets like it expect that the cost of “greening” buildings will go down as demand rises.

That would be pretty cool, huh?

Trying To Protect Older Workers, Japan Creates A Youth Crisis

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

“TOKYO — Kenichi Horie was a promising auto engineer, exactly the sort of youthful talent Japan needs to maintain its edge over hungry Korean and Chinese rivals. As a worker in his early 30s at a major carmaker, Mr. Horie won praise for his design work on advanced biofuel systems.

But like many young Japanese, he was a so-called irregular worker, kept on a temporary staff contract with little of the job security and half the salary of the “regular” employees, most of them workers in their late 40s or older. After more than a decade of trying to gain regular status, Mr. Horie finally quit — not just the temporary jobs, but Japan altogether.

He moved to Taiwan two years ago to study Chinese.”

What do you think?

See any similarities between the situation in Japan and the situation here in the U.S.?

Well That Didn’t Work; Japan Tries Something Else

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Japan’s been in an economic bind for years, but now they’re faced with an increasingly expensive currency as well. What’s a prime minister to do?

  • With the yen at a 15-year high and deflation ironically still going strong, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has proposed a stimulus plan designed to dig his country out of its economic hole. An expensive yen means it’s more expensive for foreign nations to purchase Japan’s exported goods.
  • Part of the plan involves lending more money to the banks at a very low rate. The idea is to keep the yen’s value low and to encourage more consumer lending – similar to recent U.S. stimulus efforts.
  • Some experts say Kan’s proposal doesn’t go far enough to address the country’s seriously messed up financial situation, and some are even saying this is a purely political move designed to make Kan look good.

Facts & Figures

  • Japan’s main interest rate is currently 0.1%
  • Part of the Japanese stimulus package includes a 900 billion yen government injection (just under $11 billion) into the economy
  • Stimulus money will be used to subsidize green appliances and homes, fund career counseling and internships, and keep domestic companies from outsourcing.

Best Quote

“There seems to be a sense of fatalism. The B.O.J. continues to play the same old game of making incremental, but ultimately meaningless, policy changes in response to political pressure. The government talks of the need for fiscal reconstruction, but then tries to construct an economic stimulus package with tiny fiscal measures and minor, uncoordinated structural reforms.” – Richard Jerram, Economist for Japan at Macquarie, a global investment bank

The Yen is…

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

The Yen (abbreviated JPY, for Japan Yen) is the official currency of Japan and is represented using the symbol ¥.