Recession // Current

U.N. Investigator Blasts U.S. For Neglecting Homeless

A United Nations special investigator has accused the US government of pouring... more

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Public Enemy Raises money for a D.C. youth shelter

Public enemy, led by Chuck D and Flavor Flav, came to D.C. November 18 in an effort to... more

Jenime
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A Kinder Gentler Capitalism

Greetings!

It's official. Japan's long recession has finally ended. The small but highly productive nation has suffered enormous economic set-backs over the past two decades. To pull themselves out of the downturn, the Japanese business community and its government have followed a consistent and socially responsible course to economic recovery. The Japanese business model has emerged as an important example for how to create long-term profits while maintaining a clear code of ethics and honor.

No Apeing of America

Japan's new Financial Services Minister, Shizuka Kamei took office this past month and vowed that, "There would be no apeing of America." Kamei declared the official Japanese business model would embrace "social meaning." Mr. Kamei called for Japanese corporations to turn away from the American model of "self-interest" and return to the old spirit of "unity and cooperation" that once made Japan's economy great. "Japan became No 1 in the world and it is an objective and historical fact that Japan achieved that because of a typically Japanese style of corporate management...I insist that we should return to the traditional Japanese style of management."
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Sampoh-Yoshi: Happiness Times Three

Sampoh-Yoshi, loosely translated as the "Trinity of Bliss...of buyers, sellers, and the general public" is a business code for Japanese merchants dating back to the 12th century. In the medieval district of Ohmi, an area near Kyoto, the ancient business model of "Sampoh-Yoshi" lasted over eight hundred years." The code declared that Ohmi merchants were honor bound to customers and society alike to sell items of quality at a fair price. If customers were not happy, then merchants had failed in their basic responsibility. Equally important was the seller's obligation to the community it served. A product or business service must serve the greater society or the promise of "Sampoh-Yoshi" was unfulfilled.
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Jobs for Life

Jobs for life are becoming as quaint and old-fashioned an idea in modern Japan as they are in the United States. For three decades, the old concept of "Jobs for Life" has eroded in the U.S. only to be replaced with a brutally harsh job-cutting culture that is corporate America. In the US, companies increase earnings by slicing staff with abandon. Long term employees are famously given 10-20 minutes to pack up years of belongings and "exit the premises." To ensure compliance, uniformed security guards escort them to the door. Not so in socially conscientious Japanese corporate culture where dignity remains the word of the day.

http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Kinder-Gentler-CapitalismGreetings! It's official. Japan's long recession has finally ended. The small... more

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Giant holes in new banking rules

Ferguson: Admin. asked for too little in the banking bill, nothing is preventing... more

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Surviving as a freelancer - Real Recovery

John Henion is a freelance video producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was laid off from a staff position in 2008 (full disclosure: at Current) and entered into the freelance world. He blogs about unemployment at Unemploymentality. We spoke yesterday for The Real Recovery.

Life for a freelancer can be tough - especially at the beginning. John Henion moved out to California from Michigan where he'd already established himself with freelance work. In California he had none. He said the move made him "take a step back and do things I didn't want to do." For example, John was about 30 when he moved here, had already produced his own independent documentary, but found himself taking a production assistant role on "Wife Swap" just to be working. "I was beyond the point where I wanted to pick up trash on the set and being told to go get lunches," he said. "After that experience I realized I didn't need to lower the bar that much."

The goal as a freelancer is to have steady work. There are some great benefits - like being your own boss and scheduling your own time off - but there are somethings that are definitely not benefits - like not having benefits. John was lucky to have insurance through a domestic partnership with his girlfriend, but he said for many freelancers the decision about whether or not to get insurance is just whether or not you want to take your chances.

After being laid off, John said it took him about 6-8 months before he was getting steady work again. These days, he has about 5-6 return customers and pulls in a lot of one-off projects. He's been able to work himself back up to an income level comparable to having a full-time staff position. But that comes with a lot more work than just the actual time spent working. "The worst part is...I have to deal with chasing down money. Some people wait until the last minute to pay you or wait until you raise a stink. You know, they want to keep that money on their books as long as they can."

The most important thing John has found to remember freelancing is that no matter how much time he spends at an office, no matter how many new friends he makes in a workplace, being a freelancers puts him in a different position. "As a freelancer they can just stop calling. First time that happened I thought I did something wrong....When they stop calling it's not personal....They're not supposed to roll over and kiss you in the morning, just leave some money on the bedstand."

Are you a freelancer? Have a recession story to tell? Post it to The Real Recovery.

FROM THE BLOG: http://blogs.current.com/news/2009/11/19/surviving-as-a-freelancer-real-recovery/

John's site: http://unemploymentality.com

The Real Recovery: http://current.com/groups/the-real-recovery/John Henion is a freelance video producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was laid... more