found Links September 4, 2011:
Kia's Picanto is a small hit The new Kia Picanto city car is a tiny package of perfection, says Neil
Lyndon. Humorously written review from Telegraph
Yaris affordability comes at a price and another same source
Fiats Retro Return
By NICK BUNKLEY (NYT)
A remake of the postwar Fiat will have to get Americans to forget the low quality of its first
incarnation on these shores. So far, its working.
The Trouble With Work
Several articles of interest - NYT Sunday Review
Opinion: The Limping Middle Class
Robert Reich Op-Ed NYT on economics, jobs etc.
The middle class doesnt have enough purchasing power to keep the economy going without
sinking deeply into debt
Do Happier People Work Harder?
Opinion from Amabile & Kramer
One Path to Better Jobs: More Density in Cities Population density, innovation and Vietnamese
restaurants, relationship to jobs, housing costs etc., Ryan Avent
And from the NYT Business Section
Want to Lead? Ask Tennyson and Shakespeare
Corner Office: Enrique Salem
By ADAM BRYANT
To convey management lessons, Enrique Salem, the president and
chief of Symantec, sometimes turns to the words of classic literature.
Before Wal-Mart, There Was A.& P.
Off the Shelf
By NANCY F. KOEHN
In a new book, Marc Levinson tells of A.& P.s swift expansion in the early 20th century,
and the powerful backlash it engendered. The tale offers parallels to retail battles of today.
There is some great information in this very brief review available much faster than buying
the book
In Reversal, China Tries to Tamp Down Car Sales
By KEITH BRADSHER NYT 5:20 PM ET
Officials called for the countrys automakers to produce fewer but more technologically
advanced cars.
Add Sept. 6, 2011
Bob Lutz Returns To General Motors As Adviser.
The AP (9/2) reported, "General Motors Co. has hired the ultimate car guy out of retirement to advise its
senior leadership. Bob Lutz, 79, a former GM vice chairman for product development, left the company
last year, but never really ended his 47-year career in the auto business."
The Detroit Free Press (9/3, Thompson) reported that Lutz "retired in spring 2010, but has provided
informal advice to GM executives for free ever since. He met about monthly with CEO Dan Akerson,
who wanted to formalize the relationship and compensate him, Lutz told the Free Press" last week. "But
that idea displeased GM's part-owner, the US government."
China Withholding Subsidies For Volt Unless GM Shares Engineering Secrets. On the front of its
business page, the New York Times (9/6, Bradsher, B1, Subscription Publication) reports "the new
Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid" is meeting with resistance from Chinese officials, who are "refusing to let
the Volt qualify for subsidies totaling up to $19,300 a car unless GM agrees to transfer the engineering
secrets for one of the Volt's three main technologies to a joint venture in China with a Chinese automaker,
GM officials said." Although there is no price on the Volt yet for China, "Chinese subsidies are nearly
half the Volt's suggested retail price in the United States of $41,000, before including a tax break of up to
$7,500 that Washington offers.
Toyota May Produce Hybrid Parts In China.
The Wall Street Journal (9/5, Shirouzu, Subscription Publication) reported that Toyota Motor may move
production of key components used to make hybrids and other alternative-energy vehicles to China.
BBC News (9/5) reported, "While boosting sales and capturing a larger share of the world's biggest
car market is one of the main reasons behind Toyota's decision, analysts said other factors may have
played a big role as well. China's restrictions on exports of rare earth elements is one of those factors."
Also, the company's "operations were affected badly by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan earlier
this year. Disruptions to the country's infrastructure and supply chain saw Toyota suspending or halting
production not only at its Japanese factories but also at its overseas units." Analysts said the automaker "is
now trying to ensure that it diversifies its production to avoid any such issues in the future."
Spirit Aerosystems Says It Can Supply Necessary 737 Fuselages. 60/month !!!
The Puget Sound Business Journal (9/3, Wilhelm, Subscription Publication) reported, "Boeing's decision
to upgrade the current 737NG into the re-engined 737 MAX raises this question: will Spirit Aerosystems
in Wichita be to able supply enough fuselages?" Spirit Aerosystems said it could match Boeing's plans of
possibly 60 planes per month. Spirit spokesperson Ken Evans said, "Regarding 737, we've working very
closely with them (Boeing) on re-engine. We see it as a positive opportunity to continue as a key
supplier."
Automated Defibrillators Often Fail, Researchers Say. Rather poor reliability
MedPage Today (9/2, Walsh) reports that a research paper appearing online in the Annals of Emergency
Medicine finds that the FDA "has received more than 1,000 reports over 15 years of deaths following
failure of automated external defibrillators, a retrospective analysis showed. In 37 of the events, the
defibrillator failed to even power on, and in 22% of the cases the device was unable to complete the heart
rhythm analysis, according to Lawrence A. DeLuca Jr., MD, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and
colleagues." The most common failure, accounting for 45%, was when the defibrillator failed to deliver a
shock recommended after rhythm analysis. Since in those cases a backup device was often successful
when the primary defibrillator failed, the researchers recommended that public access programs provide
backup units when possible.
Shortage Of Engineering Students Threatens US's Role As World's Leading Innovator, Intel CEO
And President Writes. Should be lots of opportunities
In an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (9/3), Paul Otellini, president and chief executive of Intel
Corp. and is a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, wrote, "Over the past 20
years, the percentage of engineers graduating in the United States has stagnated, while India and China
surpass us with rapid progress." According to the American Society for Engineering Education, "forty
percent of students enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics leave their program
after the first year."
Experts Question Value Of Classroom Technology. Who knows, dont ask the customer!
The New York Times (9/4, Richtel, Subscription Publication) profiles a Chandler, Arizona, school with a
"technology-centric classroom," noting that the "class, and the Kyrene School District as a whole, offer
what some see as a utopian vision of education's future. Classrooms are decked out with laptops, big
interactive screens and software that drills students on every basic subject." However, despite strong
enthusiasm, "since 2005, scores in reading and math have stagnated in Kyrene, even as statewide scores
have risen." The Times paints this district as a thumbnail of observations from education experts that
"schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little
proof that this approach is improving basic learning."
PRESIDENTS COUNCIL ON JOBS AND COMPETITIVENESS HOLDS LISTENING AND
ACTION SESSION ON THE NEED FOR MORE U.S. ENGINEERS
On August 31st, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Intel CEO Paul Otellini joined with business
leaders and the Deans of Engineering schools in Portland, Oregon to discuss the need for more U.S.
engineers as part of a regional Listening and Action session.
For America to stay competitive in the global market, we must train and retain the worlds best
engineers, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Working together, private industry and the public
sector can position the U.S. to continue to lead in science and innovation in the 21st century, creating
good jobs and laying the foundation for a robust economy.
Looking forward, this nation is at risk of a significant shortfall of qualified experts in science and math
to meet the countrys needs, said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. Todays announcement is
about inspiring and encouraging our next generation of engineers. Its a private sector commitment
working arm and arm with the government to accelerate the specialized skills needed for America to
retain its technological pre-eminence.
These commitments support the Job and Competitiveness Councils goal to graduate 10,000 more
engineering students from U.S. colleges and universities each year.
For more information on the August 31st event, please visit: http://energy.gov/articles/secretary-chu-intelpresident-discuss-need-more-us-engineers
Additional information about the industry effort can be found at: http://energy.gov/articles/president-scouncil-jobs-and-competitiveness-announces-industry-leaders-commitment-double