Monthly Archives: February 2011

Eliminating a Shared Public database of Injury Report

Posted on February 22, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (February 22, 2011) describes an effort by the US Congress to eliminate funding for a shared public database listing all injury reports for products like cribs, strollers etc. But opponents worry that the … Continue reading →

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Choosing the Apple option or the Google option – a quandry for publishers

Posted on February 21, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (February 21, 2011) summarizes two choices for publishers wanting electronic magazine sales – go through the iTunes store and pay Apple 30 % and get no consumer information, or go through Google and … Continue reading →

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Is Apple more like Zara ? How can the ipad be sold for $ 500 ?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by aviyer2010

A article in WIRED magazine (February 21, 2011, Brian X. Chen) asks the question – how can the ipad be sold for $ 500 when other manufacturers cannot attain that price ? The answer suggested is that Apple is, for … Continue reading →

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New Flu vaccine manufacturing process and impact

Posted on February 20, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (February 20, 2011) reports on a faster manufacturing process for flu vaccines – using animal cells vs using chicken eggs. The new manufacturing process is reported to be faster by six weeks and with lower … Continue reading →

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Energy, Jobs, Salmon, the river and the Environment

Posted on February 20, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (February 20, 2011) describes a tussle between energy and job creation and the river routes of the salmon along the Columbia river.  Companies in Montana want to bring coal by rail line to … Continue reading →

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The “value of a human life” and Supply Chain Choices

Posted on February 20, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (February 20, 2011) describes estimates of the value of a human life across US government agencies – $ 9.1 million by the EPA, $ 7.9 million by the FDA, $ 6 million by DOT, and … Continue reading →

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Rare Earths Supply Challenges

Posted on February 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (February 19,2011, B5) summarizes a report published by the American Physical Society (http://aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=236337) on energy critical materials mainly rare earths (tellurium, gallium. indium, germanium, lithium). They highlight a few issues (a) these rare earths are … Continue reading →

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Operational Hedging vs Currency Hedging

Posted on February 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (February 19, 2011) describes the move towards operational hedging – by shifting production across a global network of plants rather than pay for currency hedging. The article lists Nissan, Autoliv (seatbelt and airbag … Continue reading →

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Grocery Co-ops of small stores competing with Supermarkets

Posted on February 18, 2011 by aviyer2010

The Economist (January 29, 2011, pg 64) describes how a collection of small stores are uniting as a co-op to develop customer loyalty cards, negotiate with branded manufacturers and offer electronic discounts to preferred customers.  The article comments on the … Continue reading →

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Adjusting Runway designs to new material cost realities

Posted on February 17, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (February 17, 2011, D1) describes changes in runway designs to accommodate the rising prices of cotton, silk etc.  One designer describes changes in material (leather to crinkled satin), length of the dress, number of bows … Continue reading →

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