Commentary
Harnessing the Green Dragon
Green business. Alternative energy. Recycling. These mantras of sustainability have become key policy goals in China. As part of its broader efforts to move the Chinese economy toward sustainable practices, earlier this year the Chinese government introduced a new law promoting sustainability. Considering Washington state’s relative proximity to China and the strong bonds our state…
Fueling the Flame of Innovation
When I first met Jeff Bezos 13 years ago, he had recently left Wall Street to launch Amazon.com, his online bookstore, and was operating it out of a Pioneer Square warehouse. Sitting in his tiny office at a desk made from an unfinished door placed on two sawhorses, he explained the simple logic of his…
Global Partnerships
Global Partnerships, a Seattle-based organization that partners with Latin American micro-credit lenders, showed the power of commerce in the developing world when it featured two retailers from opposite poles. Dolores Maritza of El Salvador spoke of how a micro-credit loan for $500 helped her build a store that changed her life. Jim Sinegal, CEO of…
Unemployment Up Again
After two months of positive job growth, September was bad on all counts. While August had employment rising even as unemployment climbed because of an increase in the state workforce, in September the workforce shrunk, employment declined AND unemployment rose. August’s unemployment was revised downward from 9.2 percent to 9 percent. But September’s preliminary numbers…
What’s a Bright Idea feature?
One of the most prominent places in our magazineright up at the frontis reserved for our Bright Idea feature. Typically, this is a story about a startup, but it may also be about a more established company with a great innovation. The goal is to spotlight an innovation that has great potential, even if it…
Employment Paradox
The unemployment rate jumped to 9.3 percent in August from 8.9 percent in July. That looks terrible. But if you look at the numbers more closely, our economy appears to be stabilizing. In fact, total employment in our state was up by 2,000 in August from the month before, which means we have been creating…
The New Capitalism?
It looks like the 1980s model of the corporate raider has gotten a major upgrade, if not an image makeover. If you have a few million lying around, it’s relatively easy to turn it into a lot more money. (Yes, it still takes money to make money; that much hasn’t changed.) Here’s how: 1. Borrow…
The Next Great Challenge for Capitalism
Half a century ago, the world was threatened with nuclear annihilation. The threat dissipated, ultimately, when capitalism as an economic system triumphed over communism. Today, we face another threat: a planet, which, in the face of unrelenting population pressure and economic growth, is suffering from a deteriorating environment. Our region has always depended on nature’s…
A Role For Business
Whenever the gears of government begin grinding and stripping teeth as though a box of crowbars had been dumped into the works, voters wistfully gaze at the supposedly well-oiled, smoothly humming machinery of the corporate world and muse, “We ought to have someone with business experience as (fill in the blank: president, governor, mayor).” This…
The Other Woman
I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face when he held Betty for the first time. Cradling her almost reverently with a sparkle in his eyes and a childlike sense of wonder, Jim examined every facet of her sexy, smooth skin to ensure she was flawless and virginal, as promised. It was the way…
The Poverty Question
Sustainability can best be understood as a stool with three legs: economic health, a clean environment and social well-being. How did this stool come to be constructed? Answering this question will help us decide whether the sustainability movement is sustainable. The call for sustainability began with the environmental movement back in the 1960s. For that…
Lessons from the 787
That Boeing will eventually deliver the 787 Dreamliner to its exasperated customers is still a safe bet. But when the plane is finally handed over, customers may in turn hand Boeing a check (discounted for late fees) and an admonition that mothers have been dispensing to wayward offspring as long as theres been language in…