All posts by Jonathon Bowes

About Jonathon Bowes

Jonathan Bowes started his career in banking. After a few years, he took courses in business and finance and worked his way up the corporate ladder. Today, while writing part-time for Business District, Bowes assists talented people to find jobs in the field of economics. Contact Bowes at Jonathon[at]businessdistrict.com

Alibaba’s Jack Ma Promises to Bring Jobs to USA

Consumerism, ,
Jack Ma Yun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alibaba Group, is seen on a monitor during the The Future of the Global Economy. Photo courtesy World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland.

In the wake of the meeting between US President-elect Donald Trump and Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma, an Alibaba spokesman announced the company’s plan to incorporate and additional one million small US businesses onto its e-commerce platform.

The Chinese-based internet company, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, predicts that the plan, to be implemented over the next five years, will create about one million new US jobs as each business adds at least one employee. This is not the first-time Alibaba has suggested to bring more small US businesses into their enormous marketplace, but it is the first time specific target numbers have been suggested.

The meeting between the leaders took place at Trump Tower in New York, where the president-elect lives. Trump said the meeting was “great” and added that they would do “great things” together. Ma said Trump was “smart” and “open-minded.”

Ma said the focus of the meeting was to discuss the best ways to support small businesses, especially in Midwest America. The idea would be to introduce the products from farmers and small clothing-manufacturers to the vast Chinese market directly through Alibaba.

Alibaba has been aggressively pursuing foreign brands to set up Tsmall stores, their online platform which offers virtual store fronts and payment portals to merchants. His goal is to simplify the sales, payment and shipping process for the vast and growing Chinese shopper which Ma is relentlessly attracting to his e-commerce website.

Right now, there are about 7,000 US brands sitting on Alibaba’s Tmall, including US giants such as wholesaler Costco Wholesale Corp and clothing manufacturer Levi’s. Last year these companies made $15 billion in sales to Chinese consumers, although some foreign retailers say they have had a mixed success on Tmall.

Last month the US Trade Representative put Alibaba back on to an infamous list of blacklisted online retailers due to suspicions that the company does not do enough to end counterfeiting on their site.

Clinton a Better Choice for Business Say Economists

News, , , , ,

A survey conducted by the National Association for Business Economics showed that Hillary Clinton is the preferred candidate for president of the US by 55 percent to an embarrassing 14 percent for Donald Trump. As a matter of fact, Trump was not the second choice. Third party Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson had more support than Trump, with 15 percent saying they would prefer to see him as president. An additional 15 percent said they did not know or had no opinion.

The survey was conducted from July 20 to August 2 and included the views of 414 members of NABE.

Some of Trump’s policies seem to be contributing to his lack of support. Whereas Trump says he would like to nullify or severely restrict the North American Free Trade Agreement, 65 percent of business economists say US trade policy should be even more open and free versus only 9 percent who agree with Trump that trade should be more protectionist.

Trump has expressed a desire to deport illegal immigrants, but the NABE survey showed that only 8 percent agreed with that sentiment, while 64 percent said they would like to see a program to legalize undocumented immigrants who already live in the US.

Meet Isaac Dabah, CEO of Delta Galil

Companies,

Isaac Dabah, CEO of Delta Galil, was first introduced into the world of business when he joined in his father’s importing company when Dabah was in his twenties.

In 1993 he invested $5 million in the Gloria Vanderbilt jeans brand. After seven years he was able to rebuild the brand, selling it in 2002 for $150 million. Three years later Isaac Dabah bought a 23 percent stake in Delta Galil, also an apparel company, specializing in undergarments. In 2005 he became a director, and after acquiring more of the company, became its CEO in 2008.

The Delta Galil Company has become a global presence in the intimate apparel sector under the guidance and leadership of Dabah. Innovation is the driving force at Delta Galil. The company has trademarked their “Body Before Fabric” philosophy, which considers as of prime importance the way fabric interacts with the body surface to create ultimate comfort and fit.

Today the company has an international presence in over 40 countries, with the US and European markets representing 59 and 28 percent of their business, respectively. Delta’s products populate such well-known brands as Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein and Lacoste.
In addition, Delta has also collaborated with Nike, operating a cutting-edge technical center in Beaverton, Oregon, on their behalf

Norfolk Southern Railroad to Remain Independent as Canadian Pacific Gives Up on Bid

Transportation Industry, ,

Canadian Pacific Railroad, which operates rail service in Canada and segments of the Midwest and Southern United States, announced it will end its efforts to purchase its rival Norfolk Southern.

Norfolk Southern responded negatively to the almost $30 billion purchase, saying it did not think regulators would approve of the deal. Ownership of Norfolk would have expanded Canadian Pacific’s rail-reach to the East Coast, the Midwest and the South. Norfolk Southern is based out of Norfolk, Virginia.

Norfolk Southern Corporations stock price dipped almost 2 percent in trading before the opening bell on Monday. Canadian Pacific Shares were not affected by the announcement.

Are Syrian Refugees a Threat to US Security?

News,

One reaction to the terrorist attacks in Paris that left 129 dead and scores injured is the push-back from states against allowing Syrian refugees into the US. Over half of US states have informed President Obama that they will not accept refugees from Syria over their borders.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot sent a letter to the president requesting that the entire program to resettle refugees in the US be frozen.

“I urge you, as president, to halt your plans to allow Syrians to be resettled anywhere in the United States,” Abbott said in the letter. “Neither you nor any federal official can guarantee that Syrian refugees will not be part of any terroristic activity. As such, opening our door to them irresponsibly exposes our fellow Americans to unacceptable peril.”

The protests of the states might not have any teeth since immigration and refugee policies are set by the federal government and the State Department. However this fact does not mean the states can’t pressure the president, putting the administration on the defensive when they announce plans to permit as many as 10,000 refugees into the US during 2016.

Advocates of the resettlement of refugees in the US say there is nothing for the states to be afraid of. They would like to see the program proceed as planned, saying that there is a long and difficult vetting process that takes place before anyone is allowed into the US under refugee status.

“It is extremely unlikely that someone who is a terrorist will be sent through the refugee resettlement program,” Greg Chen, director of advocacy at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “It takes a great deal of time, and it wouldn’t make sense for someone who is a terrorist for someone to go through that process. There are going to be easier ways for a terrorist to try to infiltrate, rather than going through the refugee resettlement program.”