Monthly Archives: September 2012

Google’s “RE < C" initiative and impact

Posted on September 22, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Fortune (July 23, 2012) describes an effort by Google to initiate projects to drive the cost of renewable enery (RE) to becom elower than the cost of coal (C) based sources. Server farms account for 2% of … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Allocating kidneys to improve survival years for patients

Posted on September 22, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (September 21, 2012) describes a new proposal to allocate kidneys to recipients using an index to estimate the quality of kidneys and directing 20 % of the kidneys at the top of this … Continue reading →

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The projected impact of insufficient port improvements on the US economy

Posted on September 22, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Supply Chain Management Review (Sept 17, 2012 http://www.scmr.com/article/the_american_society_of_civil_engineers_say_u.s._supply_chains_at_risk/?goback=.gde_115985_member_165825492) states that investments in US marine ports ad waterways upkeep from now to 2020 is planned to be $ 16 billion lower than required, while investments in airports … Continue reading →

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Lean increases productivity and profits at Harley Davidson’s York plant

Posted on September 22, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (September 21, 2012) describes the transformation of Harley Davidson’s plant in York, PA, from 41 buildings to 1, with workforce cut by 50 %, using 10 % temporary labor but with an operating … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Can cheap, flexible robots assist workers to make US manufacturing globally competitive?

Posted on September 22, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (September 24, 2012) describes new robots announced by Rethink Robotics, priced at $ 22,000 and reprogrammable to assist workers with repititive tasks. Teaching the robot requires simulating the steps by moving its arms, after which the … Continue reading →

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Does WalMart gain by not selling Kindles ?

Posted on September 22, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (September 20, 2012) describes WalMart’s decision to stop selling Amazon’s Kindles once its inventory runs out. Retailers are concerned about customers browsing for online prices while in the store and buying products online. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecommerce, Global Contexts, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Google and Amazon product search competition

Posted on September 17, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (September 10, 2012) describes the growing battle between Amazon.com and Google to lead in product search. As Google tries to improve its product search and provide more ecommerce services, it has decided to … Continue reading →

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Can data transparency reduce medical errors and increase coordination of care?

Posted on September 17, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article by Dr Marty Makary in Newsweek (September 24, 2012) describes medical error rates at 25%, with 100,000 people dying due to preventable errors. But he suggests that data transparency, such as the publication of heart surgery data by … Continue reading →

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Japanese multinationals importing back into Japan

Posted on September 17, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (September 17,2012) describes automobiles made in Thailand by Nissan but ported back for sales in Japan. At 1 million yen, it is 65% of the price of a Japanese made car and 34 % of the … Continue reading →

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Can faster delivery help Amazon.com compensate for state sales tax collection ?

Posted on September 17, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (September 15,2012) describes the rapid pace of new warehouses opened by Amazon.com to hold inventory close to customers and cut a day out of shipping time. Next day or same day delivery will … Continue reading →

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