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Chinese producers of plastic Christmas trees and other festive decorations say orders from U.S. clients, which are crucial for their business, should have started to come in by now. But because of surging import tariffs, they haven’t. U.S. President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on Chinese imports by 104% so far this year in an escalating trade war that threatens great pain for the world’s largest exporter of manufactured goods. U.S. retailers are almost completely reliant on China for Christmas decorations, where they source 87% of such goodsworth roughly $4 billion. Chinese factories are also heavily dependent on the U.S. market, where they sell half of what they make. If Americans want new Christmas decorations this year, they will have to pay a lot more for themif they can find them on the shelves at all. “So far this year, none of my American customers have placed any orders,” said Qun Ying, who runs an artificial Christmas tree factory in the eastern city of Jinhua. “Of course it’s about the tariffs. By mid-April all the orders are normally finalized, but right now . . . it’s hard to know if any orders are coming. Maybe American customers won’t buy anything this year.” In Shaoxing, some 160 kilometres (100 miles) away from Jinhua, factory owner Liu Song was confident his business can cope by trying to sell more to Russia, Europe, and Southeast Asia, which together take 75% of his products already. “We are worried that U.S. orders will come down,” he said, while adding: “We will definitely win this trade war.” Jessica Guo, who also manages a Christmas tree factory in Jinhua, said she was just notified by an important U.S. customer that it is pausing a 3 million yuan ($408,191) order for which she had already spent 400,000 yuan on materials. She expects that order will soon be cancelled and worries about her business. “My peers and I rely on U.S. orders to survive,” Guo said. “This will inevitably affect a lot of people. No one can escape.” Economists say the trade war will shave 12 percentage points off Chinese economic growth this year, exacerbate industrial overcapacity issues, threaten jobs, and further fuel deflationary forces. As Chinese exporters sell less to the U.S., which last year bought goods worth more than $400 billion, they will have to compete ever more intensely on prices in other markets. This will hit their already-thin profit margins and force them to cut costs at home, economists say. Guo’s 10,800-square metre (116,250-square foot) factory employs 140 people regularly, but that number can hit 200 in peak production season over the summer. This year she does not expect to need extra workers. “Losing the U.S. market will definitely impact many peoples jobs,” said Guo. Domestic demand for Christmas decorations in China is insignificant, she added. SILENT NIGHTS Sourcing from countries other than China will be difficult. The second-biggest exporter of Christmas decorations to the U.S. is Cambodia, which makes 5.5% of the goods, and last week Trump imposed a 49% tariff on Cambodian imports. Shifting production to the U.S., one of Trump’s goals in imposing tariffs on China and almost every other country in the world, is not feasible, says Jami Warner, executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association. “They certainly can’t be made in the United States. There’s no manufacturing, the technology isn’t here, the labour market isn’t here,” said Warner. Warner, who expects significant, but hard to estimate, price increases, says 80% of all Christmas trees displayed in the U.S. are artificial. The pre-lit trees, which is most of them, are only made in China. She decries her industry becoming collateral damage in a geopolitical fight. “What our members make and sell are not strategic products,” said Warner. “We’re not threatening. We’re a happy, joyful business. We’d like to stay in that joyful business.” ($1 = 7.3499 Chinese yuan renminbi) (This story has been refiled to change additional reporting credit to Xiaoyu Yin from Xihao Jiang) Andrew Silver and Casey Hall, Reuters
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Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Companys work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions. Q: How should I respond to rude comments at work?A: If I were to make a pie chart of most peoples complaints about work, the actual work would be one of the smallest slices. Bad bosses and annoying coworkers would take up the biggest slices, for sure.There are a few factors to consider if someone in your office is making rude comments. Is it a one-off or part of a pattern? If someone who is usually pleasant to work with says something rude out of the blue, its likely not worth making a huge deal out of it. You can respond with humor, as contributor Mita Mallick suggests. This can sometimes deflect the situation, disarm and catch the bully off guard. Using humor can shift focus away from the hurtful comment that was made in the moment. A well-put sarcastic response to a rude comment can serve the double purpose of calling it out and shutting it down. Give them the benefit of the doubt that some other stress is impacting their behavior or they just put their foot in their mouth. If its part of a pattern If the rude comments are part of a pattern and are directed at you, and you feel comfortable, you can call the person out either publicly or privately. A public callout: A callout can be as simple as just repeating the comment back to them: “Did you just tell me I should smile more?” or as direct as “Calling my idea lowbrow is pretty insulting.” This approach certainly puts them on the spot and will likely cause them to get defensive, but it will probably make an impact.A private chat: If you want to be a little less confrontational about it, you can discuss the issue with them privately after. Start simple: Ask if you can speak with them at a time when you feel calm and there are no distractions. Then be direct but dont make assumptions. Try something like, When you call my ideas ‘lowbrow’ in a meeting, it feels really insulting. Is there a reason why you say things like that? Or, Please dont comment on my appearance. Again, its likely that they will get defensive, but dont engage in an argument. They might say, It was just a joke, or, It wasnt my intention to offend you. Neither of those things matter; what matters is they said something that you found offensive and they shouldnt say it again. Let them know that and end the conversation. If it’s still happening If you confront the person insulting you and it keeps happening, or if you dont feel comfortable confronting them, go to your direct manager. Its a managers job to deal with these kind of uncomfortable interpersonal relationships and sometimes people are apt to take things more seriously if it comes from someone slightly higher up on the org chat. Talking to your manager about it also creates a record if the issue ends up needing to be escalated to HR or upper management. Need more advice on dealing with rude comments at work? Here you go: 5 questions to ask before you take that comment personally Why rudeness at work Is so contagious How to respond to public bullying at work Stung by your bosss comment? Heres what to do next How to deal with a passive-aggressive coworker
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As one of the worlds leading charity auctioneers and a seasoned keynote speaker for companies like Goldman Sachs and Google, I have spent 80 to 100 nights on stage every year for over two decades. Since I am typically one of the last people to take the stage at a fundraising event, I have watched countless people in various stages of panic just moments before they go on stage. After they find out my role, I usually receive a predictable set of rapid-fire questions from upcoming speakers in the hopes that some last-minute tips from a pro can help them do more than keep from passing out when they hit the stage. Here are five things I tell people in the final moments before they take the stage to help them walk out looking and feeling confident, collected, and ready to rock the room. Reframe Your Story It doesnt matter how many times you go on stage; you will still get an adrenaline rush in the final moments before you walk out. Instead of thinking of that shaky, nervous, finger-tingling sensation as nerves, think of it as energy that you will bring to the room. You want to fire up the audience? You need that energy. The next time you start worrying that your nerves are going to get the best of you, reframe the narrative: This energy is going to fire me up, and Im going to use it to fire up the audience. Find Your Strike Method When I first started taking auctions, I realized that to calm my nerves and center my focus, I needed a solid routine. I decided to start every auction in the same way; banging down my gavel three times before I launch into selling. This movement allows me to channel my nerves into one action that grabs the audiences attention at the same time. I also came to understand that this personal routine which Ive since dubbed my Strike Method had an unexpected benefit. By doing the same thing every single time, I took away the guesswork. Now, every time I go on stage, I know the gavel will go down. This predictability allows me to focus on other things beyond myself, like strategically garnering bids and engaging with an audience that wants to be entertained. To define your own Strike Method, look for something that feels authentic to you. Is there a mantra, a phrase, a physical movement that helps you focus and bring yourself to a point of strength? Spend time figuring out what you can do and do it every single time you get onstage. Own the room The first seven seconds of any presentation are the most important because seven seconds is how long it takes for people to make up their mind about you. You want to grab their attention in those seven seconds and keep them focused on you. When you are walking to the place where you present, whether it be a podium, center stage, or among the crowd, you want all eyes on you. Keep your shoulders back, make sure your eyes are level, and make eye contact with people as you walk out with purpose. Do not slouch, cower in fear, or look down at the ground that will only make people fearful that your speech or presentation will be painful to listen to and even more painful to watch! Sell as yourself When you get on stage, do everything you can to act as natural as possible. An audience can sense when someone is playing a part which can immediately turn them off as it seems fake and, quite frankly, boring. Use your own words, your own voice, and communicate in a way that feels authentic to you. Now is not the time to try on a new character. Authenticity will always win on stage and in life so be yourself and sell your message as the trustworthy communicator that you are. The audience wants you to succeed Never forget that the people sitting in front of you are rooting for youthey are your biggest cheering section. The audience doesnt want to sit through an hour-long presentation with a terrible speaker. They want you to do a great job. Get on stage ready to give them a great show and they will be asking for you to come back every single time!
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E-Commerce
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