US Recovery Stats – Not Really all that good…

If the US economy really is creating jobs, then you’d expect the rate of creation to be up there with growth. But it isn’t. In the last quarter of 2011, American economic growth was recorded as 2.8%. In that period, roughly 145,000 jobs were ‘created’ according to the Labor stats. That adds up to a 0.3% growth in jobs. New technology to cut costs is gradually rendering more and more of middle class America unemployed. 243,000 jobs were ‘created’ in January alone – still only a 0.5% increase. A good time to look again at this will be the end of March, when Q1 economic performance can again be compared side-by-side with ‘new’ jobs.

via US JOB STATS: Why the Americans are getting excited about nothing. | The Slog.

Overcoming Bias : Too Much Consulting?

The puzzle is why firms pay huge sums to big name consulting firms, when their advice comes from kids fresh out of college, who spend only a few months studying an industry they previous knew nothing about. How could such quick-made advice from ignorant recent grads be worth millions? Why don’t firms just ask their own internal recent college grads?

via Overcoming Bias : Too Much Consulting?.

Boycott Apple – Really?

Apple, the computer giant whose sleek products have become a mainstay of modern life, is dealing with a public relations disaster and the threat of calls for a boycott of its iPhones and iPad.

via Apple hit by boycott call over worker abuses in China | Technology | The Observer.

Two Important things to note about this ‘bogus-ness’:

A) Foxconn make lots and lots of consumer electronics for practically every company on this earth. Xbox or PS3 yup that’s them.

B) Apple, has been extraordinarily transparent about its manufacturing record. But, rules and expectations do not translate from one country to another.

“If you add up all the workers who have died to build your iPhone or iPad, the number is shockingly high,”  – Peter Cohan : Forbes

Finally, if your going to write sound-bites, at least have the decency to give the number or cite the source.