Posts Tagged "Finances"

Disappearing Collection Boxes

on Nov 9, 2009 in Delivery & Collection | 64 comments

News about disappearing collection boxes is everywhere these days. Even BBC News ran a story on the decline of the blue collection box in the United States.

The Postal Service argues that picking up mail from collection boxes is expensive. Removing underused boxes is a cost savings move and a reasonable response to the economic crisis. The Postal Service is removing boxes with less than 25 stamped mail pieces per day.

Critics wonder if there is adequate analysis to support the 25-piece minimum and whether one reason for removing collection boxes — in addition to the minimal cost savings — is that the Postal Service does not want to be criticized for poor service. Fewer boxes mean fewer opportunities to miss a collection or to pick up mail too early.

Brainstorm Ideas Part 2

on Jul 20, 2009 in Ideas Worth Exploring | 127 comments

As noted in the update on Wednesday, there was a tremendous response to last week’s brainstorming exercise! As of Friday afternoon there were almost 350 comments posted — many more than usual! If nothing else, this shows widespread and heartfelt concern for the well-being and financial viability of the Postal Service. Not only was the quantity of postings notable, so was the variety of ideas; they covered a broad spectrum, from cost-cutting possibilities to new lines of business. And many of the postings received replies, for instance Nostradamus’ original posting received 13 replies, which is a testament to the thoughtfulness of everyone involved. The creativity shown by the participants makes categorizing the ideas difficult, but we’ve attempted to develop poll questions to highlight the common themes, and get your reaction as to the relative importance of these items.

Brainstorm Ideas to Help the Postal Service

on Jul 13, 2009 in Ideas Worth Exploring | 527 comments

Wednesday Update:

Wow. Thanks for the fabulous response to the brainstorm. We’ve been overwhelmed by the sheer number of thoughtful responses. To give everyone enough time to comment and us a little time to read through everything, we’ve decided to extend the period for taking comments and post a blog about the brainstorm with the poll on Monday. Until then, please keep sharing your ideas. All suggestions received by Friday morning will be candidates for the poll.

Oh, a word about moderation, we moderate every comment, and our policy is not to include comments that include vulgar words (even if the words are partially obscured with other characters) or involve name calling. We have not been able to approve a few comments that were otherwise very interesting because they violated our comment policy, so please double check your comment before you submit it.

A Look at India Post

on Jul 6, 2009 in Strategy & Public Policy | 27 comments

This post office is located in Goa, a former Portuguese colony in India.

In developing countries, postal services are often critical to reaching a vast underprivileged populace. How do posts in these countries cope with the tension between their universal service obligation and financial viability? A look at today’s India Post offers some insights.

First founded under British colonial rule 150 years ago, India Post connects India’s people through a network of more than 150,000 post offices. More than 80 percent of these post offices are in rural areas, where residents primarily depend on postal services to communicate with the outside world. In India’s urban areas, however, middle class consumers have options. They also rely on the professional services of private couriers or the Internet.

What’s the Right Level of Financial Reporting?

on Jun 29, 2009 in Finances: Cost & Revenue | 24 comments

If you’re reading this blog, you likely have an interest in the Postal Service and its financial welfare. How can the Postal Service provide you and other stakeholders with the most appropriate financial information?

When the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (the Act) was enacted on December 20, 2006, it made significant changes to the Postal Service’s financial reporting responsibilities and governance. Although the Postal Service is not subject to regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Act required the Postal Service to file with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) a number of financial reports containing information prescribed by the SEC (i.e., information contained on SEC Forms 10-Q, 10-K, and 8-K). The Act also specifically required the Postal Service to report certain financial information concerning pension and postretirement health obligations in its SEC-type 10-K annual report based on data provided by the Office of Personnel Management.