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American bosses are again demonstrating that they are less squeamish about lay-offs than their European counterparts.
美国老板再一次证明，他们对裁员不像欧洲老板那么紧张。
In a memo sent to employees this month Elon Musk revealed plans to trim salaried headcount at Tesla, his electric-car company, by 10%.
在本月发给员工的一份备忘录中，埃隆·马斯克透露，他的电动汽车公司特斯拉计划裁员10%。
Digital darlings, many of which had boomed during the pandemic, collectively sacked nearly 17,000 workers in May alone.
数字宠儿公司中有许多在疫情期间蓬勃发展，但它们仅在5月份就总共解雇了近1.7万名员工。
After tempting workers with increased pay and perks, in the latest quarterly earnings calls more American CEOs have been talking up automation and labour efficiencies.
通过加薪和福利来吸引员工之后，在最近的季度财报电话会议上，更多的美国首席执行官一直在谈论自动化和劳动效率。
In the current climate, though, hard-headed (and hard-hearted) cost control won’t be enough to maintain profitability.
然而，在当前环境下，头脑冷静（且铁石心肠）的成本控制不足以维持盈利能力。
The remaining cost inflation must be pushed through to customers.
剩余的成本膨胀必须转嫁到消费者身上。
Many businesses are about to learn the difficulty of raising prices without crimping demand.
许多企业即将认识到，在不抑制需求的情况下提高价格有多么困难。
The companies that wield this superpower often share a few attributes: weak competition, customers’ inability to delay or avoid the purchase, or inflation-linked revenue streams.
掌握这一超能力的公司通常有几个共同的特征：竞争力弱，消费者无法推迟或避免购买其产品，或者其收入流与通胀挂钩。
A strong brand also helps.
一个强大的品牌也会有所帮助。
Starbucks boasted on an earnings call in May that, despite caffeinated price rises for its beverages, it has struggled to keep up with “relentless demand”.
星巴克在5月份的一次财报电话会议上夸口说，尽管其饮料的咖啡因价格上涨，但它一直难以满足“无休止的需求”。
Recent data hint at softer consumer sentiment, however.
然而，最近的数据显示消费者信心疲软。
This makes it riskier for firms to roll out frequent price increases.
这导致公司频繁提价会冒更大风险。
Amber lights are blinking, from McDonald’s, which has speculated about “increased value sensitivity” among burger-munchers, to Verizon, which detected customer “slowness” in the most recent quarter.
从麦当劳到威瑞森，都正闪烁着黄灯。麦当劳已经推测到吃汉堡的消费者“对价值的敏感度有所提高”，而威瑞森在最近一个季度察觉到了消费“放缓”。
The ability to push through price increases as customers tighten their belts requires careful management.
要想具备在消费者勒紧裤腰带的情况下推动价格上涨的能力，需要谨慎管理。
In contrast to the last high-inflation era, managers can use real-time algorithmic price setting, constantly experimenting and adjusting as consumers respond.
与上一个高通胀时代不同，管理者可以使用实时算法设定价格，根据消费者的反应不断进行试验和调整。
Nonetheless, all firms will still have to take a longer-term view on how long high prices will last and on the limits of what their customers will tolerate.
尽管如此，所有公司仍必须从更长远的角度考虑高价格持续的时间，以及他们的消费者可以容忍的极限。
That is finger-in-the-wind stuff.
这样能帮他们判断风向。
美国老板再一次证明，他们对裁员不像欧洲老板那么紧张。
In a memo sent to employees this month Elon Musk revealed plans to trim salaried headcount at Tesla, his electric-car company, by 10%.
在本月发给员工的一份备忘录中，埃隆·马斯克透露，他的电动汽车公司特斯拉计划裁员10%。
Digital darlings, many of which had boomed during the pandemic, collectively sacked nearly 17,000 workers in May alone.
数字宠儿公司中有许多在疫情期间蓬勃发展，但它们仅在5月份就总共解雇了近1.7万名员工。
After tempting workers with increased pay and perks, in the latest quarterly earnings calls more American CEOs have been talking up automation and labour efficiencies.
通过加薪和福利来吸引员工之后，在最近的季度财报电话会议上，更多的美国首席执行官一直在谈论自动化和劳动效率。
In the current climate, though, hard-headed (and hard-hearted) cost control won’t be enough to maintain profitability.
然而，在当前环境下，头脑冷静（且铁石心肠）的成本控制不足以维持盈利能力。
The remaining cost inflation must be pushed through to customers.
剩余的成本膨胀必须转嫁到消费者身上。
Many businesses are about to learn the difficulty of raising prices without crimping demand.
许多企业即将认识到，在不抑制需求的情况下提高价格有多么困难。
The companies that wield this superpower often share a few attributes: weak competition, customers’ inability to delay or avoid the purchase, or inflation-linked revenue streams.
掌握这一超能力的公司通常有几个共同的特征：竞争力弱，消费者无法推迟或避免购买其产品，或者其收入流与通胀挂钩。
A strong brand also helps.
一个强大的品牌也会有所帮助。
Starbucks boasted on an earnings call in May that, despite caffeinated price rises for its beverages, it has struggled to keep up with “relentless demand”.
星巴克在5月份的一次财报电话会议上夸口说，尽管其饮料的咖啡因价格上涨，但它一直难以满足“无休止的需求”。
Recent data hint at softer consumer sentiment, however.
然而，最近的数据显示消费者信心疲软。
This makes it riskier for firms to roll out frequent price increases.
这导致公司频繁提价会冒更大风险。
Amber lights are blinking, from McDonald’s, which has speculated about “increased value sensitivity” among burger-munchers, to Verizon, which detected customer “slowness” in the most recent quarter.
从麦当劳到威瑞森，都正闪烁着黄灯。麦当劳已经推测到吃汉堡的消费者“对价值的敏感度有所提高”，而威瑞森在最近一个季度察觉到了消费“放缓”。
The ability to push through price increases as customers tighten their belts requires careful management.
要想具备在消费者勒紧裤腰带的情况下推动价格上涨的能力，需要谨慎管理。
In contrast to the last high-inflation era, managers can use real-time algorithmic price setting, constantly experimenting and adjusting as consumers respond.
与上一个高通胀时代不同，管理者可以使用实时算法设定价格，根据消费者的反应不断进行试验和调整。
Nonetheless, all firms will still have to take a longer-term view on how long high prices will last and on the limits of what their customers will tolerate.
尽管如此，所有公司仍必须从更长远的角度考虑高价格持续的时间，以及他们的消费者可以容忍的极限。
That is finger-in-the-wind stuff.
这样能帮他们判断风向。
