- by Chris Dyer
- June 19 2019
- lodging
- services & miscellaneous
Airbnb Finds Competition in an Unlikely Place
Airbnb has quickly grown from a novel idea to rent air mattresses to strangers for a night to a major player in the lodging and travel industry, and the growth has caught the attention of numerous parties.
- by Owen Stuart
- June 17 2019
- automotive
- consumer trends
- services & miscellaneous
Car Subscriptions on the Rise, but Face Serious Roadblocks
Quick question: what products can you sell as a service? Clothing? Check. Furniture? Check. Music? Check. Cars? Yes indeed. Even Americans’ love affair with vehicle ownership is going by the wayside – or so it seems. Proclamations of the end of personal car ownership are in vogue. Car subscription services – where consumers pay a fixed monthly fee to drive a vehicle they are renting – are one of the innovative services aiming to liberate us all from the responsibility of ownership. However, the prospects of car subscriptions as a mass-market mobility service appear limited.
- by Leon Mengri
- June 10 2019
- services & miscellaneous
Key Trends in the US Aircraft Industry
The US civil aircraft industry is projected to continue growing through 2023, with shipments expected to reach a nominal value of more than $100 billion that year. In part, the growing volume of aircraft assembled in the US by Airbus will help boost output. That and other key trends in the US industry are outlined below.
- by Owen Stuart
- May 13 2019
- automotive
- services & miscellaneous
Two Reasons Body Shop Firms Keep Getting Bigger
In February 2019, Caliber Collision acquired ABRA Auto Body & Glass, and the new company is expected to operate over 1,000 locations in the US. This acquisition (which was predictable) is emblematic of the market share gains that the “Big Four” body shops – ABRA Auto Body & Glass, Caliber Collision, Gerber Collision & Glass, and Service King – effected over the last decade.
- by Owen Stuart
- May 13 2019
- financial services
- money and finance
- services & miscellaneous
Fiduciary Quandary: States Rewrite the Rules on Who’s a Fiduciary
After the US Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Duty rule was struck down by a federal appeals court in 2018, the federal government has yet to issue another iteration of the rule. However, a handful of states are attempting to create a robust standard.
- by Owen Stuart
- April 30 2019
- services & miscellaneous
Consulting Services Face New Competitive Threat
Long dominated by massive firms cloaked in secrecy, the model and value of consultancy services delivered by the likes of McKinsey and EY is being challenged. Startups are competing with lower-tier consultancies by making consulting an option for companies that would otherwise be unable to afford it.
- by Leon Mengri
- April 22 2019
- banking
- economy
- money and finance
- services & miscellaneous
Waning Memory of Financial Crisis Brings Less Stringent Regulations
Legislators and regulators around the world strengthened financial regulations following the 2008 financial crisis that helped cause the 2009 global recession and contributed to the severity of the 2007-2009 US recession. However, as the financial crisis recedes from memory and as some participants in the banking industry voice complaints that regulations are preventing them from lending more aggressively, Congress and regulatory agencies have taken steps to curtail some regulations.
- by Owen Stuart
- April 22 2019
- Metals & Minerals
Three Reasons US Iron Ore Mining is Expected to Grow
Iron ore miners have suffered for a while. Cheap imports and global steelmaking overcapacity have dragged down prices for domestically manufactured steel, thereby reducing demand for iron ore. However, the industry is expected to see robust growth through 2023 for three reasons.
- by Chris Dyer
- April 22 2019
- Recreation
- services & miscellaneous
- Spectator Sports
How the NFL Survived a Boycott
The NFL was alarmed in August 2016 at the outset of a string of player protests, which resulted in declining viewership and boycotts by some consumers – both in support of and opposition to the protest. How have the NFL and the spectator sports industry as a whole fared through all this turmoil?
- by Leon Mengri
- April 15 2019
- Consumer Products
- Healthcare & Biotechnology
Looking for Solutions to Digital Eye Strain
As individuals spend more time facing computers and smartphones at home, work, school, and elsewhere, digital eye strain is becoming commonplace. Digital eye strain can be worse for eyeglass wearers due to potential reflections from the screen or other light sources onto the lenses. As a result, most major suppliers of eyeglass lenses to the US market – including EssilorLuxottica (via Essilor), Carl Zeiss (via Zeiss), HOYA, and Nikon (via Nikon Optical USA) – are marketing products specifically aimed at reducing eye strain for heavy users of digital devices.