Despite economic weakness since the end of
2007, worker productivity, or output per hour, is estimated to have
grown an average 2.5% at an annual rate. By contrast, in the six U.S.
recessions since 1970, worker productivity, or output per hour, grew
only 0.8%, on average, a trend that is contrary to typical productivity
behavior of going “up in good times and down in bad times,” says
Georgia State University forecaster Rajeev Dhawan in a recent edition
of the Wall Street Journal. Brian Blackstone, who filed the story,
writes that, “Unlike in the 1970s, the recent rise in energy prices is
unlikely to dampen productivity,” referencing a paper written for the
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta by Dhawan and two Atlanta Fed
economists, in which they presented findings that, prior to 1982,
higher energy prices negatively affected productivity as measured by
total factor productivity. Dhawan and his coauthors wrote that, “This
spillover has since disappeared.”
A Drink with Dinner
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that
dismal sales growth and flat case volume among the Michelob family of
beers spurred its marketing team to land the brand a starring role on
“Dinner: Impossible,” a popular series that airs on the Food Network.
The episode featured three of the craft-style beers as ingredients in
the meal, showcasing the variety in Michelob’s lineup and the intensity
of flavor - a strategy that Robinson College’s Ken Bernhardt told the
Post-Dispatch can be an effective method for attracting young adults
who are beginning to form brand loyalties.
Office of Communications and Marketing
Robinson College of Business,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Tel: 404-413-7080; Fax: 404-413-7076; E-mail: Communications
Despite economic weakness since the end of
2007, worker productivity, or output per hour, is estimated to have
grown an average 2.5% at an annual rate. By contrast, in the six U.S.
recessions since 1970, worker productivity, or output per hour, grew
only 0.8%, on average, a trend that is contrary to typical productivity
behavior of going “up in good times and down in bad times,” says
Georgia State University forecaster Rajeev Dhawan in a recent edition
of the Wall Street Journal. Brian Blackstone, who filed the story,
writes that, “Unlike in the 1970s, the recent rise in energy prices is
unlikely to dampen productivity,” referencing a paper written for the
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta by Dhawan and two Atlanta Fed
economists, in which they presented findings that, prior to 1982,
higher energy prices negatively affected productivity as measured by
total factor productivity. Dhawan and his coauthors wrote that, “This
spillover has since disappeared.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that
dismal sales growth and flat case volume among the Michelob family of
beers spurred its marketing team to land the brand a starring role on
“Dinner: Impossible,” a popular series that airs on the Food Network.
The episode featured three of the craft-style beers as ingredients in
the meal, showcasing the variety in Michelob’s lineup and the intensity
of flavor - a strategy that Robinson College’s Ken Bernhardt told the
Post-Dispatch can be an effective method for attracting young adults
who are beginning to form brand loyalties.
