Drones Relay RFID Signals for Inventory Control

– MIT Technology Review 

The MIT Technology Review looks at how drone technology could save retailers billions by improving the way inventory is tracked and recorded.

 

The Retailers That Can Resist the Amazon Onslaught

– The New York Times

Among potential competitors to the e-commerce juggernaut founded by Jeff Bezos, some — including Ross Stores, Home Depot and AutoZone — may have the wherewithal to withstand Amazon. The market is conferring on them valuations commensurate with, or better than, the one accorded to Amazon.

 

Move Americans to Jobs, Not the Other Way Around

– Bloomberg

For far too long, U.S. politicians have been promising to bring jobs to Americans. Bloomberg columnist Mihir Desai believes they should instead be encouraging Americans to move to jobs. In a global setting, efforts to attract jobs with subsidies will only become more and more expensive, and will likely result in outsize gains for those companies most willing and able to move. Desai concludes that “if we’re going to subsidize something, we should use the money to jump-start the geographic mobility of Americans.”

 

Hospitality Industry Needs More Immigrant Workers to Survive, Report Says

– The Chicago Tribune 

As the hotel and restaurant scene booms, so, too, does the scramble for workers, and some businesses say they need more immigration, not less, to meet their labor needs. Those were among the sentiments captured in a new report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs that analyzed the hospitality industry’s reliance on immigrant labor across the Midwest, which comes as the Trump administration moves to reduce immigration. As hospitality job growth expected to continue and the region’s U.S.-born population graying, shrinking and opting for higher-skill jobs, the report says the sector needs access to an immigrant workforce to keep the doors open.