Monthly Archives: March 2011

Wal-Mart Assortment, gas prices and one stop shopping

Posted on March 21, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 21, 2011) describes adjustments to Wal-Mart’s strategies to increase the number of shoppers who do one-stop shopping at the store. Wal-Mart’s US chief, William Simon, claims that as gas prices increase, shoppers will be … Continue reading →

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Japan Tsunami and Supply Chain Resilience

Posted on March 21, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (March 19, 2011) descibes management of the global supply chain impact of the Japanese tsunami and earthquake and likens it to triage in a hospital.  Apple is quoted as having buffer inventory to compensate for … Continue reading →

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Recyclebank and consumer incentives to recycle

Posted on March 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 17, 2011) describes the operation of Recyclebank. The company serves as an interface between consumers and their municipalities by weighing garbage and providing points that can be redeemed by consumers (around $ 150 per … Continue reading →

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Brick and Mortar Retailers urge sales tax collection by etailers

Posted on March 18, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 17, 2011) describes a move by retailers such as WalMart and Target to force internet merchants to collect sales tax – a much needed source of revenue for struggling states. The move has resulted … Continue reading →

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Japanese Tsunami and Supply Chain Disruptions

Posted on March 17, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (March 17, 2011) describes the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and its consequent impact on electricity supply, ports, manufacturing plants and the global supply chain.  It describes Texas Instruments as claiming that one of its Japanese … Continue reading →

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The Projected Impact of New Kidney Allocation Rules

Posted on March 9, 2011 by aviyer2010

An Op-Ed piece in the New York Times (Friedman Ross and Hippen, March 5, 2011) contests the impact of new kidney allocation rules that would provide preference to allocate the organs of young donors to young recipients.  The authors suggests … Continue reading →

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New Rare earth supply chain

Posted on March 9, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (March 8, 2011) describes a new rare earth supply chain.  The ore is mined in Australia and concentrated (2/3 of the dirt removed) before it is put in sealed bags inside steel containers … Continue reading →

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Rebound or Backfire Effects of Energy Efficiency Mandates across the supply chain

Posted on March 8, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (March 8, 2011) describes the impact of energy efficiency mandates across products. Front loading washers, a response to energy efficient washer mandates, are observed to result in dirtier clothes and perhaps, as a consequence multiple … Continue reading →

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Recycling Cell Phones and Supply Chain Impact

Posted on March 6, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 5, 2011) describes the growing used cell phone recycling industry.   Consumers preferring old models so they do not heave to learn new features, or desiring a lower cost phone, seem to flock to these … Continue reading →

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Amazon’s Subscribe and Save Pricing and Supply Chain Impact

Posted on March 6, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (March 5, 2011) describes Amazon’s Subscribe and Save service in which consumers get 15 % off and no shipping for committing to deliveries of select products with a certain frequency .  The article … Continue reading →

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