Given the current climate surrounding China, various factors have caused importers to ask if China is still the right choice for their supply chain. Uncertainty due to tariffs/Trade war, rising labor costs and COVID-19 have sparked a lot of concerns. Is it time to search for China sourcing alternatives? And...
For most Americans and Europeans, it’s never been fun to wear masks – unless, of course, you’re in New Orleans during Mardi Gras or at a carnival – or if you are robbing a bank. Despite this cultural bias, masks make sense during the current pandemic: they work. For example,...
Napoleon said “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.” So why delegate? Does it even make sense? We know that managers (even Napoleon) delegate. That is pretty much a definition of management. But why? And how? We previously wrote a blog about Hiring Teams vs. Individuals and...
China began the New Year with an unusually quiet Spring Festival, one that included staying at home, not traveling, and abstaining from the all-important and traditional family visits and the parties. A virus had emerged, and it had rapidly grown into an epidemic. As it spread throughout the country, social...
The COVID-19 outbreak was first identified at the end of January 2020. Conditions in China are now gradually improving as a result of the country’s vigorous containment efforts. What is it like to manage a supply chain under these circumstances? How does one mitigate risks that no-one had predicted? To...
“Social distancing” is making an impact on all businesses across the country. This change in behavior is another major disruption caused by Covid-19. How else is the virus affecting YOUR business? More to the point: are smaller importers affected the same way as larger corporations are? Last week, we reviewed...
The COVID-19 coronavirus is going to have a major impact on the global economy, this is now undeniable. We discussed the various impacts of the virus around the world in our last blog, “Covid-19 Affecting Your Supply Chain?” While the pandemic affects everyone—individuals and companies alike—one of the hardest hit...
The whole world is fixated on Covid-19. Perhaps too much so due to its unpredictability. There’s so much we don’t know. What we do know is that it is very contagious, it has a relatively low fatality rate, and, if left to its devices, lasts about 3 weeks. It seems...