September at-a-glance…advocacy general resources

Manufacturers cautiously optimistic about growth, recovery

The National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Third Quarter Outlook Survey shows that manufacturing optimism is up to 66 percent, nearly double the 33.9 percent reported in Q2. However, the overall outlook remains below the historical average of 74.4 percent with 62 percent of manufacturers expecting that their firm’s revenues will not get back to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2021 or later.

Expert perspectives on business decision-making during the pandemic

Harvard Business Review continues to offer free COVID-19-related content. Here are three recent articles of interest.

1. Don’t cut your marketing budget in a recession includes an insight that products launched during a recession have higher long-term survival rates and higher sales revenues.
2. How to make rational decisions in the face of uncertainty offers tips for making decisions systemically and analytically during challenging times.
3. An agile approach to budgeting for uncertain times is timely as many companies enter annual budget season.

Congressional schedule

Both chambers of Congress are in session Sept. 25 and Sept. 30 – Oct. 2. Additionally, the Senate is in session Sept. 29 and the House is in session Oct. 5-9. The government’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1.