What should Apple Corp do?
They, and their manufacturing subsidiary employ some 700 thousand people in China I believe. So, is Apple good? Or is Apple bad?
(warning: I have baited you into an argument you cannot possibly win…..so enter at your own risk)
I think it is our government who should act.
We need a global import tariff. But I stress, this must be global. NO EXCEPTIONS.
On all imports. I say we should start with 10%. Every single good, service or product. Oil. Food. Produced goods, such as your example of Apple.
America needs to build things.
Apple is a company that sells its products all over the globe and happens to manufacture many of them in China. They're also unusual in the context of any discussion about manufacturing because they have enormous global sales figures but don't really employ a lot of people because they manufacture small things in highly automated processes. Because of those considerations, they're actually one of those companies that could manufacture things in the U.S. and still be very competitive.
“What should Apple Corp do?
They, and their manufacturing subsidiary employ some 700 thousand people in China I believe. So, is Apple good? Or is Apple bad?”
Apple is neither good nor bad. It is acting in the best interests of its shareholders, as perceived by management. Management develops its strategy and deploys resources based on market forces and government incentives/disincentives. The 25 year US experiment with open markets, while its trading partners continue acting in their self interest with mercantilists trade policies, has resulted in Apple deploying a huge segment of its supply chain in Asia. From its Asian, primarily Chinese, supply chain it supplies its marketing organizations in Asia, the Americas, Europe and other regions.
There should be a distinct difference between the strategies of corporations and the strategies of government. What is good for GM (or Apple) is not necessarily good for America. China understands this concept. Unfortunately the US government today does not seem to understand how to use its tax and trade policy to further the long term security interests of the nation and promote the general welfare of the people. Instead our nation’s economic policies promote the welfare of large multinational corporations and a few too big to fail Wall Street banks at the expense of job creating small business and middle class citizens. Witness the destruction of the dollar and the savings of the middle class via the Federal Reserve easy money policies, the fiscal irresponsibility of the federal government, and regulatory policies specifically designed to force production offshore. Meanwhile the manufacturing base continues to erode and with it the tax base and the potential for the next generation to enjoy a middle class lifestyle.