Although unemployment figures in the U.S. have remained steady at 10.0 %, long-term unemployment has continued to increase. Long-term unemployment is defined as more than 27 weeks unemployment. 39.8% of unemployed Americans, or 6.1 million Americans have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks as of December 2009. This compares to 22.9% of unemployed Americans, or 3.5 million Americans suffering from long-term unemployment in 2008.
In November 2009, Federal Reserve officials predicted modest economic growth and predicted the jobless rate would drop to between 8.2% and 8.6% in 2011. Still, the Fed cautioned it would take 5 or 6 years for the jobless rate to drop down to pre-2007 levels. Others suggested even longer.
Not all economists agree with these predictions. Some are suggesting unemployment will climb to 10.5% before declining late in 2010.
Either way, 2010 will not be 'business as usual' no matter how much profit Wall Street rakes in. Prudent management of companies, regardless of scale or industry, will do well to keep an eye on expenses as we move into a cautiously optimistic, but uncertain, economic future.
Showing posts with label expenses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expenses. Show all posts
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Disciplined Expense Management Can Drive Earnings
The recent news release from Best Buy (December 15, 2009), of their improved Earnings per Share over last year further confirms the wisdom of not only focused expense management, but also of the advantages of focusing on non-core expenses.
Bob Willett, CEO of Best Buy International, noted that "[their] diligent focus on expense management this year" helped improve overall profitability. It was noted that Selling, General & Administrative (S,G&A) expenses decreased from 22.5% of revenue to 21.3% of revenue. This has a direct impact on the bottom line as well as on cash flow. Even with only a 5% decrease of non-production costs, the impact is both real and noticeable.
While the focus of any company should be on increasing sales, sound expense management practices are always essential. Non-core areas, although smaller than core areas, can nevertheless impact the bottom line. Ignoring non-core areas ultimately leads to inflated expenses and lower profits.
At least Best Buy has it worked out.
Bob Willett, CEO of Best Buy International, noted that "[their] diligent focus on expense management this year" helped improve overall profitability. It was noted that Selling, General & Administrative (S,G&A) expenses decreased from 22.5% of revenue to 21.3% of revenue. This has a direct impact on the bottom line as well as on cash flow. Even with only a 5% decrease of non-production costs, the impact is both real and noticeable.
While the focus of any company should be on increasing sales, sound expense management practices are always essential. Non-core areas, although smaller than core areas, can nevertheless impact the bottom line. Ignoring non-core areas ultimately leads to inflated expenses and lower profits.
At least Best Buy has it worked out.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Lack of Capital Still a Problem for Small Businesses
The recent news that commercial lending giant CIT Corp. is filing for bankruptcy can't be good for small and mid-sized businesses that rely on easy and cost-effective access to credit in order to survive.
Although experts are indicating that the short-term impact for retailers will be modest, there is less certainty about the impact by spring. John Holub, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association indicated that the economy might turn around by this time, leading to alternative financing opportunities.
What if he's wrong? Banking (no pun intended) on a stronger economy is not a great strategy. Companies should always have contingencies for the worst economic times. Anyone can manage in a good economy. Surviving in a tough economy takes preparation and foresight, two key elements of effective management.
What strategies are companies putting in place to keep costs down and to maximize productivity? These should be the areas of focus. There is never a time when good expense management is unimportant, but there are times when it is paramount. Now is such a time.
Although experts are indicating that the short-term impact for retailers will be modest, there is less certainty about the impact by spring. John Holub, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association indicated that the economy might turn around by this time, leading to alternative financing opportunities.
What if he's wrong? Banking (no pun intended) on a stronger economy is not a great strategy. Companies should always have contingencies for the worst economic times. Anyone can manage in a good economy. Surviving in a tough economy takes preparation and foresight, two key elements of effective management.
What strategies are companies putting in place to keep costs down and to maximize productivity? These should be the areas of focus. There is never a time when good expense management is unimportant, but there are times when it is paramount. Now is such a time.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
GM going bankrupt and Chrysler all but finished
Mark Zandi, Chief Economist of Moody's Economy.com says GM will file for Chapter 11 protection and that Chrysler will broken up and sold to other companies.
Basically, Ford will remain the sole American auto manufacturer...at least on the current scale. GM will come back as a 'shadow of itself'.
What is most interesting is Zandi's final point about the lesson in all of this: if you have a fundamental problem in your business, it's better to fix it sooner rather than later.
GM was running a massive debt before the recession. All that has happened is that those companies that were poorly managed and in poor financial health have now been exposed.
The question is this: will other companies in other industries learn anything from this?
Basically, Ford will remain the sole American auto manufacturer...at least on the current scale. GM will come back as a 'shadow of itself'.
What is most interesting is Zandi's final point about the lesson in all of this: if you have a fundamental problem in your business, it's better to fix it sooner rather than later.
GM was running a massive debt before the recession. All that has happened is that those companies that were poorly managed and in poor financial health have now been exposed.
The question is this: will other companies in other industries learn anything from this?
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