Posts Tagged ‘economics’
A lot of reasons exist why you should not only get into business, but also endure in business. You may want to take any of these decisions because of the love of a particular business, because of a need to do so, because you are bound to continue from where someone stopped or because you simply have a feeling to do so. In almost every country of the world, people are looking at the business sector as one of the bests. There are always statistics of these found in all countries. For example, the United States Department of Labor produces statistics which indicate that for almost the first three quarters of last year, unemployment was very high and a lot of people resorted to doing business.
There is no need to trouble yourself on the way your business is going to look like. All that is necessary for you to do is to develop a plan and seek for any of the so many options of securing finance for the business. The following lines are meant to encourage those coming into business and even those already in business to seek for means of financing their businesses:
Loans
This type of finance for a business is common all over the world and it can easily be gotten. In some cases, there is often a belief the loans can easily be gotten by everyone who applies for it. This may be true or false. It all depends on your business plan, the lending policy of the bank and the type and value of security you have. What makes this source of finance much considered is that interest rates on the loans are also reasonable. It should be warned that you should not get into taken of loans without seeking for proper recommendations from experts. Remember that it is always good to know the ins and outs of every type of loan ahead of getting into it.
Angel Financing
This is also another common source of finance that is common among new businesses and even those that are already in existence. What obtains here is that there are so many people who have the willingness and ability to pump finance into any business which have potentials to grow. Angel financing can be a family type. This will involve members of the same family pulling their resources together and investing it to develop a business plan. This is good but not preferable because of the close ties that the members may attach to each other, which may not be best for the health of a business. Angel financing can also be an affiliation angel. This will involve an association of friends willing to see a business plan from conception to completion. Another strand of angel financing is idea angel. These are financiers who are involved at the conception and actual progress of the business. Whatever the form of angel financing that you may opt for, you must get into the set of connections that these angels operate before you can benefit from financing.
Equity Financing
This involves raising money for the business by using what the business owns and can give out to the public. There are individuals willing to pay for equity in the business and even take part in the running of the business. Although this type of financing is common, it may not be available to every type of business. This is the more reason why every business owner must always carry out enough research in order to get the appropriate financing for his or her business.
Finance Job Related articles :
Asset finance means a lot to people or companies who are in the business of purchasing assets for running their business with success. Put in other words, asset finance enables in saving your working capital for other good uses by letting asset finance do the purchasing. Asset finance is especially useful for small and medium enterprises as for them it is a great lending source of working capital.http://finance-info.synthasite.com
Through asset finance you can purchase a property by way of hire purchase, lease purchase and leasing. Usually it is for vehicles such as cars, light commercial and heavy goods vehicle, plant and machinery or equipments like manufacturing, engineering and construction that asset finance is availed. The amount one can borrow under asset finance ranges from £10000 to £10000000 depending on equity in collateral. Lender will offer asset finance against any property which has greater equity in it. Since huge finance of the lender is at stake, asset finance is essential a secure financing. The property to be purchased also can be the security of asset finance.
Asset finance comes mainly in two options of hire purchase and leasing. The higher purchase option allows you to take ownership of the new asset you purchase. You can choose between fixed rate and base rate hire purchase. On the other hand under leasing agreement, the company offering asset finance agrees to purchase the asset and gives it to the customer on lease for agreed period of time at an agreed monthly or quarterly rental.
It is very important to first search for a suitable asset finance company. The field of asset finance is vast and there are companies who may be offering asset finance for a specific property purchase with specific conditions. So you shall have to extensively search and read the terms-conditions of the finance providers first. You should be very sure of your requirements from asset finance. Then only you can locate a suitable asset financer for your business.
Boris tomson is offering loan advice for quite some time. Asset Finance UK has a vast network of lenders who provide loans to the borrowers at lower APR. To find asset finance UK,asset based finance,All asset finance,Asset Finance,asset finance leasing,structured asset finance,asset finance management,fixed asset finance visit http://finance-info.synthasite.com
The US Banks
Some of the largest and most innovative banks in the whole world are found in the US. Banks in the US are watching one another, the rest of the banks in the world always seeking what to do next.
US banks provide financial support to the most developed economy worldwide, and so their importance has grown within the global financial market. They range of products and services they offer, is wide and varied, be it personal business or corporate, institutional banking or any other type. With the use of the most advanced internet services on the market, banks in the US can easily be accessed anywhere and at anytime.
Among other, here is a list of services US banks provide:
• Personal Banking Services of Banks in USA
Personal banking services have been created to cater to daily requirements of consumers, such as checking products, plus internet banking free of charge, ATM/debit card facilities, online bill payment, monthly statement, opening deposits, etc. Loan products available in the US banks come in the form of home equity loans, car loans, or personal loans. Among the most common forms of saving money are the certificates of deposit or passbook savings.
• Mortgage Services of US Banks
US banks also offer a range of mortgage services, carefully designed to take care of the various mortgage needs of customers. Together with standard mortgage services, banks also provide mortgage calculators for clients to easily calculate the payment schedules they will have as well as monthly payments, mortgage amounts, and many more. Besides online mortgage services are also available, making the process of mortgage even easier and hassle-free.
• Business Banking Services of Banks in the USA
US banks also offer business banking support for corporate clients. Checking business accounts or seeing to all other financial needs businesses, such as commercial loans or construction loans, offered for business operation, equipment, or commercial real estate purchases are just a few operations US banks deal with.
• Other Products and Services of Banks in USA
Other banking products the US banks offer include agricultural loans or checking accounts. There loans help investors purchase machinery, livestock, and even real estate. Besides being cheap, checking accounts are also easy to operate. Among the facilities offered by online banking there is checking balance, funds transfer, or bill payment anytime and anywhere.
The largest banks in the US by deposits, are Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Wachovia Bank, Citibank, Washington Mutual Bank, SunTrust Bank, US Bank , Regions Bank, and so on.
A Recession-Proof Business Is the Security Your Future Needs
It’s no secret that the economy is in trouble. Professionals debate daily as to whether we are in a financial recession, or whether we are just headed in that direction. All of a sudden, we feel insecure about our jobs, our savings, and even our retirements. With so many businesses failing, it’s hard to imagine that starting a business of your own would be a good idea. The fact is, there has never been a better time to start your own recession proof business at home.
How Can A Business Be Recession Proof?
One characteristic of a recession-proof business is that it provides a product or service that will not go out of demand. Certainly, plenty of people are having to make sacrifices on how much they spend not only on the “extras”, but also on the necessities. Finances for many of us have taught us to set up priorities on how we use our money. That means giving up unnecessary purchases but not the things we need in order to survive. If you provide a necessary product or service, you will have a recession-proof business.
It also depends on your target group for which you provide you product or service. Not everyone is in the market for the same things at the same time. Everyone’s finances aren’t affected in the same way and by having the right target group, you can recession-proof your business.
Some Advantages to Having a Home-Based Recession-Proof Business
Flexibility is always one of the most attractive features to any home-based business. For parents of young children, this could mean not having to pay for child care while getting to spend more time with your children. If a student has classes and needs to work around them, a home-based business will let them work around their own schedule without worrying about someone else’s priorities. Whatever you need to find time for, a home-based business will give you the freedom to spend your time where you need to spend it. A home-based recession-proof business will not only provide flexibility of your time, but will also provide you with financial security.
Another advantage to having a home-based recession-proof business is that you will never have to pay for the gas to drive back and forth to the office again. Many people commute long distances for their jobs and over the last couple of years, this has gotten to be a financial burden for many. When you work at home, there’s no fuel used, no wear and tear on a vehicle, and you don’t even have to go out to eat lunch!
Of course, one of the biggest advantages you will have from starting your own home-based recession proof business is not having a boss to answer to. You don’t have to worry when the economy worsens that you will go into the office one morning to have your boss tell you that he is “letting you go”. A recession-proof business is one that will give you the security to make your own decisions and to benefit from your efforts.
Private banking is derived from Swiss, specialized in the fortune management business of providing special financial services, promoting the cooperative value between commercial banks and customers and prolonging customer relationship value chains. The concept of private banking came out in China after 2005. In September, 2005, Swiss Friends Bank Co Ltd started its business in Shanghai and brought the concept of private banking to Chinese market. Since 2007, the profits of private banking were ten fold of other retail business. Therefore, more and more domestic banks began to involve in the private banking.
In recent years, many banks announced to set up their private banking centers. It is without doubt for these banks to occupy some rich men gathering places as their focuses, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen etc. The customers of private banks from China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd grew by 35% than that in 2008. Compared with less than 0.02% private banking customers in the whole customers of China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd, the total assets of private banks accounted for more than 10%, the highest level in all commercial banks. The private banking of China CITIC Bank also rose fast in 2008. Now its customers of private banking are two thousand. The condition of private bank in China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd is 10 million Yuan (1.46 million USD), but China CITIC Bank is 8 million Yuan (1.16 million USD).
In 2007, Chinese private banking rose. Chinese funded banks mainly concluded Bank of China, China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, China CITIC Bank, Bank of Communications, Construction Bank of China and China Minsheng Bank etc. The foreign funded banks concluded Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
, Citi Bank, Bank of East Asia, Deutsche Bank Group, Swiss Friends Bank Co Ltd, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered Bank and Edmond de Rothschild.
Chinese private banks are mainly located in the economically developed areas, such as Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen etc. foreign funded banks are in Shanghai and Beijing. Some Chinese funded banks, because of its local advantages, also set their private banks in big cities with huge customer potential, their business spreading a wide area.
By the end of 2008, Chinese millenaries were about 0.5 to 1 million. The reason for uncertain numbers is that Chinese millionaires were accustomed to investment in real estate, such as living houses and shops etc. they expected to benefit from revaluation in real estate, so the numbers fluctuated sharply. The definition of millionaire is that individual floating assets are more than one million USD Except housing.
The global financial crisis, stemmed from the sharp decline of American real estate market, seriously stroke the large European and American banks. Although most private banks escaped from direct hit, they were influenced by the financial fluctuation. The crisis made some investors to transfer their investment to more conservative products, leading to the profit reduction in some private banks.
Taking consideration of the infancy of local financial market, many riches are preferential to manage their fortunes offshore in previous Chinese emerging market. The foreign funded banks occupy the most part of market share. The occurrence of financial crisis makes Asia especially China become the minimal negative influential country and the safest market. In the future, Chinese rich families are even preferential to invest at home, which brings huge development opportunities for Chinese private banking.
In the developed countries, the success of private banking is inseparable with politics, society, economy and law, such as steady currency value, natural advantages of tax rate, long financial history, prosperity in financial market, steady bank systems, sound legal and confidential systems and massive rich experienced financial talents.
By contrast, Chinese private banking market, with huge market potential, needs perfection of supporting infrastructure in its infancy. Chinese private banking market mainly faces the following problems: strictly supervision of finance and the adoption of separate supervises models is unfavorable to the promotion of various businesses; Underdevelopment of financial market (regardless of business tools or means); lack of strong investment bank supports; shortage of necessary systems and organizational structures of private banks.
From the part of Chinese private banking, international financial crisis is not only strikes but also opportunities, on the one hand, the slowdown risk existence in the private banking market, on the other hand, the development opportunities of organizations and talents transferring to Chinese market.
As a whole, Chinese private banking market is still in its infancy and hugely demanded for customers. In two to three years, Chinese private banking market will rise explosively.
The author of this report made a profound investigation and investigation of Chinese private banking, and then wrote this report. Readers can obtain more following information:
- Present situations of Chinese private banking
- Analysis on the market demands of Chinese private banking
- Analysis on the foreign funded banks with private banking in China
- Analysis on the local banks with private banking in China
- Analysis on the factors affecting the development of Chinese private banking
- Analysis on the development trends of Chinese private banking
- Analysis on the influences of international financial crisis on Chinese private banking
To get more details, please visit Research Report on Chinese Private Banking Market, 2009
Are you searching for some bucks to meet your debts, are you in need of money because you have a home repair ahead? Or you may be in need of money because of certain business need. Well, all these needs require you to have money and that you may not have in your pocket. So, are you interested in finance scheme? Just don’t go by any finance scheme for this. There is cheap personal finance available for any of these purposes.
Cheap Personal Finance is available for any of the above mentioned needs. Well, you can also buy a car or can go for a holiday with the aid of cheap personal finance. As most of these needs are personal in nature, they have termed this finance as cheap personal finance.
Cheap personal finance is available at affordable rates of interest, indeed, at cheap rates because there is the collateral pledging in the secured cheap personal finance. Collateral makes your go cheap because it assures the lender that his money will be paid back timely. In lieu of this, he advances the cheap personal finance at cheap rates. Cheap personal finance of secured tag is available for a term of 5 years to 25 years while the amount varies between £ 5000 and £ 75000.
Yet, there is another type that sparks another luminous side of cheap personal finance. It is the unsecured options of cheap personal finance, where you are not pledge any collateral for the money. Here, you can grab the amount ranging between £ 1000 and £ 25000. The term for the advance of this finance goes up to 10 years from 1 year. Cheap personal finance is available for the bad credit holders also. Only they have to pay slightly higher rates of interest.
Well, cheap personal finance is available online where every click of your mouse makes your move smoother and this also works to make the finance scheme cheap enough. Applying online is free and one has to fill in only a small application form to apply. Personal finance becomes cheap here because there are more choices you have here. Cheap personal finance is real cheap as the lender claim and the one who chooses this, is sure to earn a rainbow.
The old saying “History doesn’t always repeat itself, but often rhymes”, is based more on fact than fiction. By studying the US Economic Recession History, you should better understand how current recessions may affect your financial life today.
I focus on recessions simply because they have a dramatic effect on 401k balances and investments in general. During the last recession, which was officially from March of 2001 through November 2001, the major market indexes plummeted. The Nasdaq Index declined over 70% from it’s high within a year surrounding the recession. This index still hasn’t recovered. It is still only half of where it once was.
Could you have avoided this downfall by studying the US Economic Recession History? Maybe, but maybe not. Let’s look at the problem. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is the official agency that determines when recessions begin and end in history. Since recessions have such a detrimental effect on our investments, wouldn’t it be nice if they would notify us when one is beginning? Yes it would, but they don’t. The Nasdaq Index lost over 43% from its high before the NBER determined we were in our last recession. It took them 9 months after the beginning of the recession to announce it had begun. Is this a fluke? Unfortunately not. The official notification of the beginning of the last 4 recessions came an average of 228 days after they had already begun. This is an 8 month delay.
The way numbers work, if you lose 50% of your portfolio, you must earn 100% just to break even. If you had $100,000 and lost 50% ($50,000), you are left with $50,000. You must double this (100%) in order to break even. This is why it seems to be twice as hard to regain money after losing it. It took the Dow Industrial Index and S&P 500 Index around 6 years to get back to even after the last recession.
Let’s pretend you’ve lost 43% of your portfolio and are determined NOT to lose any more. You sell your stock funds and put your account into the safety of the money market. Your account is now safe for the rest of the recession. Will knowing the US Economic Recession History help you determine when the recession is over? Once the recession is over, you definitely want to move back into stocks so that you don’t miss the next increase in the market. After all, you need to make almost 100% just to break even!
NBER announced the last recession was over on July 17, 2003. Unfortunately they announced it was over in November of 2001! Yes they didn’t determine the last recession was over until nearly 2 years later. Had you had your investments strapped down for the winter winds of recession, you could have missed the excellent recovery period that typically follow recessions. The end of the last 4 recessions were officially announced an average of 522 days (17 months) after they were over.
Studying the US Economic Recession History may be helpful for some, but I don’t find it very helpful in managing investment portfolios. I find that tracking Supply vs. Demand in the investment markets is a much better way to protect assets. When supply begins to outweigh demand, simply change the portfolio to a more conservative stance. This usually happens near the beginning of recessions and you have plenty of time to switch your portfolio to safety. The opposite occurs near the end of recessions. Demand shows back up and you begin to change the portfolio to one of moderate risk.
The upside to recessions is the fact that periods of expansion last about 5 times longer than recessionary periods. There were 10 Recessionary cycles since 1945. The recession side of these cycles lasted on average 10 months. The expansion side lasted on average 57 months. If you can protect your money during the 10 recessionary months you won’t have to spend a lot of the expansion months trying to get back to even. You can instead be exploring new highs for the portfolio.
It is not the end…yet. Dark clouds of recession are certainly hovering around the financial horizon. The economic indicators point towards a downtrend in business, which means problems for real estate investors, job seekers and what have you. Gas prices have hit an all time high. It is certainly time to prepare for a rainy day.
Banks are reeling under subprime losses. Real estate seems so unreal. The U.S. Government is finally seeing red in their economic predictions. What options do individuals, investors and regular employees have in this economy? What should small businesses do to prepare for the recession? Certainly none of us can afford to take things lightly.
Survival tips for employees
Recession means the axe will fall on the employees first. What we are going to witness is an exodus of sorts. Keeping our job intact will itself be a full time job. The best advice during recession is to find ways to make yourself indispensable. You should take on some more work load which ultimately would mean savings for the company. Your job would pay for itself and would make sound financial sense. It is another matter that someone else’s job would become redundant. But that’s least of your problems. Your company’s financial situation would dictate whether you keep your job or not. It is possible to keep your job safe from recession.
Every employee should start behaving like owner of the company. Your job depends on it. Where can you cut costs? What innovations can be implemented? How to sell? All these questions need to be addressed by you. This will not only mean survival of your company but yours as well.
There are hundreds of job aspirants out there. Among these many have spent a small fortune educating them to be MBA’s, engineers and what not. A bleak economy is something they have to prepare for. Forget about huge pay packets. Look at the ground reality and grab whichever job you can get. Financial security should be your first aim. Climb the job bandwagon first, secure a job. During recession, you can’t wait for manna to fall from heaven.
Survival tips for investors in the stock market and real estate
Investors in the stock market have to be extra careful during times of recession. The economic indicators will bring down the market and the investors along with it. That’s for sure. An investor should therefore have a serious look at his portfolio. Get rid of the junk stocks quickly, if you have already not done so. These penny stocks appreciate smartly during the good times. They also fall flat like a fat puppy during an economic downturn. Many millionaires have become paupers overnight due to holding on to these stocks. Stop loss if you have already lost. The economy is in bad shape; don’t let it drag you along. Go for the blue chips. Even in recession they are likely to hold on to their price. Over a period they would give reasonable returns. You may not become a millionaire but then you never know.
Another piece of advice for investors is not to purchase stocks with borrowed money. We are all optimists at heart and a hardcore investor is the biggest optimist of all. This sometimes forces them to borrow, in the hope that they will make a killing. A hot tip here, a slight upward movement in a certain stock or a credible rumor. All are sure signs of big bucks for a compulsive investor. This is a recipe for disaster. Reign in your financial horses and wait for better days. Economy will rebound sooner than later.
Subprime losses are the engine which drove the economy into recession. Gross avarice and greed on the part of Bankers and a knowing wink from policy makers has lead to this situation. It is therefore unlikely that real estate investments would pick up in the near future- if ever. It is best to cut losses and move away from the real estate market. Sale of property at prevailing rates is the only option even if it means loss.
Many of us have purchased real estate as an investment. Some use them as weekend gateways. Letting out your second home is a good option you must consider. This will bring you a steady monthly income while you wait for the real estate to appreciate. Idle real estate is no longer viable. If you have a farm house you should explore the possibility of growing fruits and vegetables. This can fetch you a tidy income.
Survival tips for the common man
Many highly popular books have started giving the impression that one can become rich only by investing passively. This mindset has taken root in many US citizens. Work is only passé. Taking financial risks means rewards. It is only now that millions have realized the fallacy of it all. For some it is too late. We have to get out of this apathy and disregard for hard work. In good economic times even the craziest ideas seem to work. But during recession one has to tighten ones belt.
It is an age old saying that money saved is money earned. Save a part of your income. Even ten percent is enough. You must not touch any of it for a whimsical expenditure like a holiday or on a luxury. Your credit card is your biggest enemy. You must bring your credit card liability to zero and then keep it away altogether. You must live within your means even if it hurts and pinches your lifestyle. Look at the recession on its face. Bad economy does not mean becoming poor. It is simply a warning to get your act together.
It is a great idea to start planning for early retirement. This will force you to think about your economic future. Investment in pension and retirement funds will secure your future. If you get laid off, at least you can retire to your little financial nest. Retirement is not a bad word any longer. It may even turn out to be the best part of your life.
Survival tips for businesses
The small businesses would be the hardest hit due to the worsening economy. It may sound depressing, but the truth is that many would be closed down. But one need not take it lying down. The smart guys have already started preparing for the days ahead by doing secretarial work on their own.
Modern technology is a boon for small businesses. Rather than renting out an expensive office, one can innovate and work from home. Finance and investment consultants, CPA’s, real estate agents and a host of other business can operate from home.
It is time to look at your accounts receivable. Businessmen should closely monitor their outstanding and reduce it as much as possible. If you hold stock, inventory should be minimized. Shift the cost of carrying inventory to your principal by using ‘Just in Time’ policy, which will save you from investing in dead inventory.
Have another look at your fees. Can you become more competitive? Instead of charging $100 can you get by with $75? Customers are looking for a bargain and reducing your professional fees will make them happy. Consider this to be one of your effective marketing tools during times of recession.
Recession is a big economic bully. It can make you do things which you would not otherwise consider. At the same time it is not necessary to surrender and succumb to it. Taking measured, well thought out steps to counter the threat is the only prudent way out. It is all a question of managing your finances.
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Boost The Economy is a social networking community focused on economic issues; designed for businesses of all sizes, real estate professionals, investors, job seekers and the common man.
The recent downturn in the economy has many people playing armchair quarterback over decisions made by the Federal Reserve during the last few years. These guys are supposed to be geniuses when it comes to economics, right? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that there may have been errors in judgment regarding interest rates and home financing. Think you could do better than Bernanke or Greenspan? Don’t even think about being considered for such a high ranking position until you have an MBA Business Economics Degree.
An MBA Business Economics Degree goes beyond basic economics. The person in charge of making decisions regarding one of the strongest economies in the world will be required to have knowledge and expertise in the following areas: monetary policy, advanced economic theories like macro and micro economics, international markets and foreign trading, an understanding of leading economic indicators, – just to name a few. This person would need to be able to analyze economic issues quickly and accurately, as well as be able to assess and consider alternative economic policies to help achieve stability in a tumultuous economy.
Still want to pursue your dream of chairing the Federal Reserve? Then you definitely want to start looking at schools that have serious MBA Business Economics programs. There are several institutions of higher learning that offer such a degree program. Take the time to investigate several of them and the coursework they offer to ensure that their curriculum is in line with your career goals. In addition to accounting and finance coursework, they should offer courses that cover trade and finance theory, past and current trade issues, international economic organizations and their agreements and impacts on the world economy, econometrics and statistics.
The program should also offer hands-on experiences which will allow you to experience real world obstacles and challenges in the world of business and finance. It should provide opportunities for you to work with companies that will teach about corporate mergers and acquisitions, supply chain management and product development. By the time you are finished obtaining your degree, you will have knowledge and expertise in all of these areas, along with managerial skills and a firm knowledge and understanding of business ethics and economic practices and theory.
If you decide you want to focus on a particular area of economics, look for MBA programs that offer areas of specialized interest, such as the study of poverty economics, which deals with the effect that poverty has on overall economic stability or economic crime investigation and management, which prepares graduates to deal with economic fraud and corporate crime. These types of specialized programs make an MBA graduate highly marketable.
If the Federal Reserve is not high on your priority list once you have finished obtaining the MBA business economics degree, start looking in areas such as economics research in both the government and private sectors. Most advanced degree holders will find themselves in high demand for upper management positions in both the government and private sectors, as well as with non-profit organizations. A person may also decide to pursue an academic career by becoming an Economics Professor at a university.
MBA Business economics graduates are ahead of the curve in terms of earning potential too, with starting salaries around 75,000 per year, depending on the area of study.
When all is said and done, obtaining an advanced degree can definitely help your career, especially if you really do aspire to helping set economic policy on a federal or global level. An MBA Business Economics degree will set you on the right path by giving you knowledge and expertise regarding economic practices, theories and issues that can have a great impact on a corporation’s bottom line. And who knows? Maybe your expertise will eventually put you in line for Bernanke’s seat as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. After all, knowledge is power.
Whether it is for family matters or to commute to work, most of us depend on a car every day. And, while new cars, domestic and foreign, have become more reliable and require less maintenance than older models, the fact is that cars break down and must be repaired. An individual who needs his car repaired promptly is susceptible to being charged for unnecessary repairs. Moreover, most consumers are not sufficiently knowledgeable to know when what a mechanic is recommending to them is an unnecessary repair.
Even if a consumer thinks he has been defrauded, it is virtually impossible to prove that a repair facility did anything improper once a repair has been made. State law enforcement efforts, using stings and inside informants, can identify wrongdoers, but these efforts are unlikely to lead to redress for consumers who have been defrauded.
Traditionally, the automotive repair industry has been licensed and regulated at the State and local level. Some States, for example, require auto repair facilities to give consumers a written statement estimating the cost of repairs, and also require the repair facilities to obtain further authorization from the consumer before proceeding with work not listed on the estimate or if the cost of the repair will exceed the estimate by a specified amount. Other States impose licensing or certification requirements on auto repair facilities and on auto repair mechanics.
While recent cases have drawn much attention to national auto repair chains, these chains constitute a limited portion of the industry. For example, in 1990, mass merchandisers accounted for only 4 percent of the automotive after-market service outlet market share. The three greatest market share segments, together accounting for 62 percent of the market, were service stations, with 25 percent, new car dealers, with 22 percent, and general repair shops, with 15 percent.
Most auto repair problems continue to be local in character. Nevertheless, this is an important consumer issue, and the Consumers Commission is committed to assisting State and local law enforcement efforts whenever it is feasible, and to identifying cases that can more appropriately be addressed by the Consumers Commission, rather than by State and local agencies.
There are some proposed changes that will make this industry fairer, and reduce the problems faced by consumers.
First, the widespread use of flat rate manuals, which list the average length of time needed to make specific repairs. Repair shops may charge consumers labor costs based on those averages, even though the actual repair times may be substantially less.
A second area of interest involved incentive compensation systems in the auto repair industry. These systems, which include the use of quotas, commissions, or similar compensation may provide incentives for sales personnel to sell unnecessary auto repair services in order to meet quotas or receive larger commissions.
The final concern is low-balling, a practice where repair shops advertise deceptively low prices to lure consumers into the repair shop, even though only a few vehicles will be eligible for the advertised price. The staff of the Commission is in the process of examining these factual, legal, and economic issues.
Another possible law enforcement approach that has been identified is to focus on national franchised auto repair outlets, such as tune-up, transmission, and brake repair shops. These types of specialty repair shops held about 13 percent of the automotive aftermarket service outlet market share in 1990.