IBM cutting 111,800 of its staff.

a reply to: douglas5

Good point.

Does Apple invest in their own? Of course right? As long as they dont have their own vision for the future as a company they will eventually meet their demise, but so will everything in the broader sense of the longterm. Short term im sure they wll find their market in other regions such as North Africa, Europe, India, and soon China.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: bobs_uruncle

That wont matter because most of the business comes from global consumption not just US consumption. With the middle class in other countries growing stronger like China and India, they have more buying power which means they are more valuable investments for advertisers with a higher potential return on capital.

Actually what needs to happen to attract them back to the US is two thing, A buying power which means a stronger middle class or B lower taxes and cheaper labor. Take your pick.

I do agree somewhat, but the government are controlled by "handlers" that do not want a strong middle class, it threatens them. Ultimately, they would opt for lower taxes and cheap labour, followed by higher taxes and cheap labour. Say hello to third world america, because if the people don't rise up and do something about the present trends, that's where they are headed.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

i totally agree. The selfish capitalistic mindset needs to go out and the a new trend of connectedness and compassion needs to come in. But thats asking a lot in todays world, its almost like a parody.

a reply to: onequestion

apple, microsoft, IBM, Google, NaSA, Fbi,

So investors like it when news of more destruction of the American work place occurs. They should be doing well based on what has happened the last decade.

a reply to: roadgravel

They are not looking at investments and business at a national level they are looking at it as a simple metric, make more money or not. From a strictly capitalist perspective your going to put your money where the most potential is.

For instance....

With India's growing middle class they are going to have real purchasing power which means they will be buying what we take for granted such as TV's and other things of that nature. So lets say i have capital to invest and i want to put my money into something that will give me solid gains on my investment what do i do. I can either take a major risk by spending money in the US where the dollar is weakening and the market is very volatile or invest where the market is showing potential for growth and opportunity.. What i would think is with the middle class being decimated over the last few decades and Americans losing all of their purchasing power due to rising cost of living and no upward mobility and cost of living.

So what do i do?

I start a trucking company in India because that ensures a solid a investment. #1 there will be a demand for shipping making the market vulnerable to the investor meaning there will be a higher demand for drivers and trucks. So that gives them leverage in the market. Secondly what that means is a return on investment on the physical assets required to run the company. They will maintain a higher percentage value based on the strengthening of the currency of that market because of purchasing power.

You see why its lucrative to pull out of the US economy right now?

Unless we can stimulate grwoth in a new sector of our economy we are screwed.

Feel free to correct me im trying to understand global politics and the market on a deeper level, it helps me to explain it here.

Damn shame. IBM used to be a great company to work for. Now they're worthless. We just cut two of our IBM contracts and are about to cut the third. Frankly, they were all Indian and there were some pretty severe communications issues.

The new CEO has cut the hell out of the VPs and upper level execs who were not "social media savvy" enough.

By the way, there are only about 115,00 employees left in the U.S. And it's odd that most of the cuts will be in the U.S. because they are about the only ones making their "numbers." Marketing got hit last year. This year it's sales and software.

And I still think this is where they're heading: IBM to Terminate all U.S. Regular Employees and Go To All Contractor Labor Force.

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse
a reply to: douglas5

Computers now able to do the jobs people used to maybe?

Seems to be happening everywhere...
The start of the robot apocalypse is upon us.

No. The outsource to other countries and they also expect the people who stay to do more work. And/or live in constant fear of getting cut.


a reply to: onequestion

Apple and IBM are in partnership together on a new mobile iOS.

a reply to: onequestion

Or unless our government steps back and lets people do what they do best - create business. Right now, the government is too "invested" in everyone else's business and no one in Washington and its many alphabets knows the first thing about running a successful business.

Right now our economic policy has been killing off small business at a depressing rate.

a reply to: ketsuko

Well go ahead and try and start a small business right now the cost is through the roof. Just buy a work van and a set of tools tell me how much that cost you let alone bonding, insurance, license, and a small workshop.

a reply to: ~Lucidity

they've been downsizing for at least a decade
lots of the big high tech companies are downsizing and specializing
updates and upgrades faster than ever in the market place

a reply to: ~Lucidity

I saw the Victorian times returning in 1999 when the flood gates opened in Europe on migration

Work dawn to dusk 6 days a week just to stand still .

Now when you Phone customer support for anything you get Matthew / Mark /Luck /John from Bangalore on the phone that just don't digg the accent

FFWWATT

a reply to: ketsuko

I will pay double, as I just did for my blender, to support local businesses and buy U.S. made products.

And I will do without wherever i can if i can't do that. Unfortunately, I have to have a cell phone and laptop for work and they and some essentials just aren't made here anymore.

It's beyond sad what some of these corporations have done. In fact, I think they will be feeling some backlash soon if they aren't already.

And again, the way they make their profit margins look good for the all holy stockholders (most of who are them) is to cook the books and divest of things real estate and steal pensions and fire people. This is not a sustainable business model.

a reply to: douglas5
Yeah, I saw it a little sooner...circa 1992.

Talk about burnout...70-80 hour weeks and no raises for over a decade unless you're a 1 performer. Total kaka.

a reply to: ~Lucidity

I did well in construction and oil work right up until 2007 then xxxx hit the fan and 100 hour weeks for years on end went down the pan , i used to do 7-8 plus weeks of 14 hour days without a day off at times .

Thankfully i have mouth wash for the bitter taste it left of losing everything

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: onequestion

Or unless our government steps back and lets people do what they do best - create business. Right now, the government is too "invested" in everyone else's business and no one in Washington and its many alphabets knows the first thing about running a successful business.

Right now our economic policy has been killing off small business at a depressing rate.

It's true. I lost a small business due to these pressures about 6 years ago. The government has to step in with a plan to keep workers in this country, as well as stimulate a workable environment for small business.

Not all F500 are bad, some are a model for the responsibilities that an international company needs to have to protect it's workers. I happen to work for a pretty good one, however there are so many, like IBM that are selling out the US worker totally based on increased revenue. I think they eventually shoot themselves in the foot as the business environment evolves.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: ketsuko

Well go ahead and try and start a small business right now the cost is through the roof. Just buy a work van and a set of tools tell me how much that cost you let alone bonding, insurance, license, and a small workshop.

That's what I mean. Current policies across the board are making it impossible for small business. That's where the jobs get created, but when you tax the snot out of the people who might otherwise start small businesses and employ others and then you regulate the ones who exist out of existence ...

It paints a bleak picture.

It's not "You didn't build that;" it's "you CAN'T build that."

a reply to: charlyv

Yes at present. My husband works for another good one, but they are an absolute rarity - a global company that is still family owned and operated.

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

If the people really want to rise up against the man...they can start their own businesses. Carry the costs, get the insurance, pay the taxes. See what it feels like to pay taxes on their employees. Pay for employees in some cases that don't do a damn thing. Deal with the stress of letting them go, pay their unemployment when you've made a bad hire. I'm not saying big business doesn't make profit, have waste and serve self-interest. BUT...at the end of the day, the myth of "the man" holding you down...as something you bitch about day to day can be solved in a simple way. Suck it up...do it yourself. You'll get a lot of freedom...and...you'll learn fast how quickly the costs of establishment are on your shoulders. Entrepreneurship is the only way to put your money where your mouth is.

a reply to: ketsuko

That is a feat in itself.
There is nothing like family values, and yes, a real rarity!