Ikea's Parodi vases - the base could break off without warning
How effective are product recalls? (click here)
WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers... Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 14:08 GMT
Product recalls have multiplied more than four-fold in seven years, according to research. But how effective are they?
From the inside pages of newspapers, to shop windows - notices for product recalls are part of the daily backdrop of our consumer society.
In the past month alone, product safety recalls have included a promotional child's umbrella, several varieties of supermarket own-brand houmous, a brand of electrical time-delay switches, a Marks and Spencer ready meal and two sorts of Ikea vase.
Few of these make big headlines, although last week's Cadbury Easter egg recall - due to an absence of nut allergy labelling - was something of an exception. So what kind of success rate do product recalls have in reaching consumers?
The average recall recovers 37% of the products sold, according to government research. The figure dates back to a report issued by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2000, which remains the most recent study....
No strangers to product recalls, Cadbury recalled some Easter eggs
Besides higher employment rates because manufacturers can't make money to stay in business, there is the issue of product reliability. This entire mess is ludicrous !
Jobless claims see a much needed drop - down from 16-year high2008-11-28 16:20:41 (GMT) (Caymanmama.com - Business News) (click here)
Government reports jobless claims have dropped from a 16-year high
Cleveland, Ohio (CaymanMama.com) — The government delivered good news on Wednesday reporting that jobless claims have dropped from a 16-year high, falling more than originally anticipated. Still, unemployment rates are still at elevated levels due to a sagging economic state.
The report was one of four released by the government that painted a grim overall picture of the economy.
According to the Associated Press, “The Labor Department reported that initial requests for unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 529,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised figure of 543,000. That is lower than analysts’ expectations of 537,000.”
The silver lining to the dark cloud was that the number of those claiming unemployment dropped to 3.96 million, from the previous week’s amount of 4.02 million — the highest level in a quarter century. The labor market has risen by nearly half since 1983.
Economy analysts find that jobless claims are a true sign of how quickly businesses are laying off employees. Those who are fired or quit are then ineligible for unemployment benefits.
“We see nothing to suggest claims are near their peak,” Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a research note. “The trend is still strongly upwards.”
The nation’s financial systems have been hardest hit recently by the housing crash and crumbling economic crisis, leading consumers and companies to cut back on expenses–including workforce.
This is the most STUPID economy that I have ever witnessed in my life. The consumer has marketers 'by the balls' and they literally don't pay a cent until they scream 'ouch.'
...But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon (click here) came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades....
The more abuse of 'self' exists; whether it is in a personal relationship, a society with a wealth of guns on the street, a job market that pays pennies an hour or non-existant medical care; the more and more and more is allowed. Dirt cheap lifestyles aren't a choice in the USA, they are an IMPOSITION/Oppression. When consumer products are well made they are worth SAVING for in anticipation of comfort and peace of mind. Buy one, get one free has GOT TO GO !
The war in Iraq wasn't just illegal, it completely demoralized the infrastructure of the USA !
Enough !
