NAFTA, Communists, Shinzo Abe, Barbara Bush, Beyoncé, Manchester City
Marc Ross Daily
April 16, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
Marc Ross Daily = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits
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TOP FIVE
✔️ China’s Xi Jinping says he is opposed to lifelong rule
✔️ Shinzo Abe visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week
✔️ U.S. bans American cos from selling to China's ZTE
✔️ Beyoncé is bigger than Coachella
✔️ Manchester City clinches Premier League title
ROSS RANT
Go back to school
One of the best thought leader, low hanging fruit techniques is to get reconnected to your school - be it high school, college, or graduate.
You need your schools.
Over the last few days, I have been down in Chapel Hill, North Carolina attending alumni weekend festivities for the Kenan-Flagler Business School. I was fortunate to be asked to speak with two marketing classes of current students on the intersection of the retail sector and public policy as well as lead a lecture on retail disruption for the alumni back on campus. You can see the decks here: retail politics and retail disruption.
Talking with students as they are about to embark on their careers is a fantastic opportunity. To answer their questions and share your experience I find to be a most wonderful exchange for all involved. Also, you need to be on your game as your audience has immediate access to the WWW to challenge your ideas in real-time, or worse, you are white noise as they tune you out, so they update their Pinterest pages.
Speaking with the alumni, be it 2017 MBA graduates not even 365 days out of college, or older students who departed the school in the 80s, 70s, and even 60s can't be beaten as a venue to present your ideas. This type of cross-generation audience fosters an exchange of experience and knowledge that is a challenge to replicate on a daily workday.
As you think about upping your thought leadership game as a means to improve your experience and knowledge, think about going back to school. Reach out to that alumni director, speak with a former teacher, or find conference taking place on campus.
The ability to share ideas, speak with students, engage alumni from decades past in a safe and friendly environment is a powerful tool that will help you expand your thought leader capabilities.
GEOECONOMICS
NAFTA: Why the US car industry is trapped in Trump’s trade crossfire https://on.ft.com/2qAPaEW
China’s Communists rewrite the rules for foreign businesses:NYT reports, the party is strengthening its influence — often gaining direct decision-making power — over the international firms doing business in China. https://nyti.ms/2JHEZ9k
FT: China caught off guard by unpredictable Trump
Same.
China delays deal reviews as U.S. trade frictions build: WSJ reports, Qualcomm and Bain Capital are most at risk if the delays scuttle their respective deals. Putting off approvals of cross-border deals that could benefit U.S. firms is bound to further rattle policy makers in Washington as the two sides enter the next phase of high-stakes dance. “Merger reviews and decisions should be based on consistent, scientific, market-based calculations and never the politics of U.S.-China relations,” said Jacob Parker, vice president of China operations at the U.S.-China Business Council.
U.S. bans American companies from selling to China's ZTE: Reuters reports, the U.S. Department of Commerce is banning American companies from selling components to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp for seven years for violating the terms of a sanctions violation case.
FT: China’s Xi Jinping says he is opposed to lifelong rule
Asia’s reliance onU.S. takes backseat to China: Bloomberg reports, Japan and China are holding their first high-level economic dialogue in almost eight years against a backdrop of trade threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. China has replaced the U.S. as the number one trading partner for most nations in Asia, even those that have military alliances with the U.S., like South Korea and Japan.
China and Japan hold first economic talks in eight years.
LAT: Snubbed by Trump, Japanese leader returns for summitat Mar-a-Lago
Tokyo fears Trump could link security with trade atsummitwith Abe: Reuters reports, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could find his oft-touted close ties with Donald Trump sorely tested at a summit this week in which Tokyo fears the U.S. leader will to try to link vital security matters with touchy trade topics.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago on April 17-18.
Topics on the agenda:
Reconsidering TPP
Dealing with North Korea
Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs
Chinese influence
WP: Trump’s trade moves could send Germany into a recession, report warns
Air strikes on Syria will not change war’s trajectory: FT reports, the US drew a red line, but its response runs the risk of being seen as weak.
Washington plans to impose new sanctions on Moscow today, punishing it for having helped the Syrian government use what are believed to be chemical weapons.
Friday's airstrikes, which hit three targets, were intended to keep the West from being dragged further into Syria’s seven-year war.
AMERICAN POLITICS
Some Republicans see House Speaker race as an open field: WSJ reports, the race to succeed Paul Ryan as House speaker is an open field, some Republicans say, even as Majority Whip Steve Scalise has been hesitant to pose a direct challenge to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
A post-Trump GOP might emerge from a Ryan Underground: The immediate future, for both Trump and what is now his party, is bleak. But perhaps this upcoming time in the wilderness will enable the emergence of a new right-of-center Ryan Underground movement that helps Republicans reclaim their status as the party of ideas. LAT - Dan Schnur
NYT: Barbara Bush, seriously ill at 92, is stopping treatment
Supreme Court considers whether states should have powerto tax all online sales: WP reports, can states force retailers with a “virtual presence” to collect tax on sales?
Fintech in the US is stymied by old-fashioned regulatorshttps://on.ft.com/2HBL6vc
ENTERPRISE
WPP CEO Sorrell, contending with probe, decided to resign: WSJ reports, before stepping down, Martin Sorrell faced a choice: endure an investigation into an allegation of personal misconduct, or leave the advertising giant he founded, say people familiar with the board and Mr. Sorrell.
Volkswagen’s commercial-vehicles unit said it is considering a full takeover of Navistar.
MoviePass, the $9.95-a-month cinema subscription service, could shake up the film industry — if it survives long enough https://lat.ms/2vgxeEg
Silicon Valley venture capitalists prepare for an IPO wave: NYT reports, investors, bankers, and analysts said they expected a wave of initial public offerings to bring some of the most highly valued and recognizable start-ups to the public market over the next 18 to 24 months — and billions of dollars in returns to their executives and investors. The potential bonanza would follow years of waiting as a few dozen companies amassed valuations without precedent in the private market.
Google’s Facebook copycat moves leave it more exposed to privacy backlash: Bloomberg reports, Facebook took all the heat, but consumers are still skittish about the search giant when it comes to privacy.
Spanish luxury brands buoyed by high-end touristshttps://on.ft.com/2JQbFgP
Blackstone to embark on $4.6 billion corporate shopping spree in Japan.
Elon Musk worries that AI will create an “immortal dictator.”
Japanese convenience stores limber up in effort to spur growth https://on.ft.com/2HmPErR
TRENDS
Why glass milk bottle deliveries are back: As concern over plastic pollution rises, a pint-sized revolution is taking place on doorsteps across the UK. https://on.ft.com/2H27qB7
Nostalgia and ethos - two of the winning tactics for companies and brands to embrace in this new business environment.
Should female athletes sue the networks for equal coverage?http://bit.ly/2H75tze
How to take on ‘Big Sugar’ and win https://on.ft.com/2GZYD2C
CULTURE
RIP: R. Lee Ermey, 'Full Metal Jacket' sergeant, dies at 74
What was it like to live in Watergate? Before its name became a byword for corruption and criminality, "Watergate" meant luxury living for DC's elite. http://bit.ly/2IY08eg
How Beyoncé changed Coachella's temperature: LAT reports, the pop superstar's knockout performance signals the festival's larger effort to diversify its view.
Beyoncé is bigger than Coachella: Beyoncé set a new standard with her performance at the Coachella festival in California, according to the NYT pop music critic.
PODCAST
The Bob Lefsetz Podcast: Shirley Manson: She's the lead singer of Garbage, opens up about growing up in Scotland, religion, music, and sexuality, on this week's episode of The Bob Lefsetz Podcast.http://bit.ly/2vqZ8O7
SPORT
Manchester City clinches Premier League title.
AFP: Manchester City target Premier League dynasty
NFL draft: AP reports, Big D is about something other than Dallas. The NFL is bringing its Big D — the draft — to Jerry Jones’ palace. This draft, the first in a stadium, will pay homage in so many ways to the cliche that everything is bigger in Texas. Ever since the league decided to put the draft up for bids and move it around the country, the focus has been to make it grow even larger than the cottage industry it has become.
Most selections (12): Green Bay Packers
Dates: Apr 26, 2018 – Apr 28, 2018
First selection: Cleveland Browns