Governments should not crush the populist appeals of dissenters, but they must find a better way of responding to them. At minimum, this means achieving greater trust from the public than has been reached thus far.EU authorities rebuffed German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel by asserting the plan to complete negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) this year remains in place. Gabriel announced his conclusion that, "The negotiations with the USA have de facto failed because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands.” He is correct in that the talks are unlikely to conclude this year, and American negotiators would concur that it is due to a lack of concessions from Brussels. However,...
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...