Author Archives: aviyer2010

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About aviyer2010

Dean and H. William Lichtenberger Chair in Management at the School of Management, University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Bird flu and global poultry supply chain impact

Posted on March 23, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 22, 2017) titled “Bird-Flu Outbreak Brings Pain for Poultry Producers in Asia”, describes the emerging cases of H7N9 bird flu in China, with over 140 human deaths in China this year alone, … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, chicken, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, disruption, Global Contexts, Supply Chain Issues, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

Agristats and possible chicken supply coordination

Posted on February 25, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (February 15,2017) titled “Is the Chicken Industry Rigged” describes the increasing profits for chicken manufacturers and a lawsuit about possible coordination. The industry participants subscribe to an information sharing service, Agristats, owned by Eli Lilly, that … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, Collaboration, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, Liability, Operations Management, ordering, productivity | Tagged , , , , , | 53 Comments

Smartphone ordering and long lines at Starbucks

Posted on January 27, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in CNN Money (http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/27/investing/starbucks-long-lines-mobile-ordering-earnings/index.html) describes customer adoption of the Starbucks app to order and pay, but the consequent long wait to get their drinks.  The company expects over 30% of the orders at stores to move to mobile … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, Ecommerce, fairness, Operations Management, ordering, queue, Service Operations, Starbucks, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged | 20 Comments

The costs and benefits of drop shipping to customers

Posted on January 27, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (January 26, 2017) titled “Drop Shipping set to go mainstream as more retailers get on board” describes retailers use of shipping directly from suppliers to customers as a way to increase variety offered … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, consumer, Cost, delivery, Ecommerce, Operations Management, ordering, supplier, Supply Chain Issues | Leave a comment

Amazon’s patent for flying warehouses and delivery drones

Posted on January 24, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in techcrunch.com (https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/28/amazon-patents-show-flying-warehouses-that-send-delivery-drones-to-your-door/) describes a patent filed by Amazon that describes a floating warehouse that can deliver product to customers via drones. By parking the warehouse close to large gatherings (such as sporting events) the patent claims quickly … Continue reading →

Posted in delivery, Ecommerce, logistics, Operations Management, ordering, Supply Chain Issues, technology, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Sensors in grocery stores and customer benefit

Posted on January 24, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (January 20,2017) titled “Kroger tests sensors, analytics in interactive grocery shelves” describes Kroger, the US grocery chain, deploying sensors that detect mobile devices and, through LCD screens on aisles, interact with customers’ shopping … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer, Cost, Ecommerce, logistics, loyalty, mgmt5612018, Operations Management, product, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 159 Comments

What innovation lessons can one learn from LEGO ?

Posted on January 23, 2017 by aviyer2010

The book “Brick by Brick:How LEGO rewrote the rules of innovation and conquered the global toy industry”  by David Robertson describes the rebirth of LEGO and strategic choices made along the way. The book lists ideas such as a) linking … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, disruption, Innovation, logistics, Operations Management, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Is the quality vs availability tradeoff for Hatchimals a good idea ?

Posted on January 7, 2017 by aviyer2010

As previously discussed in this blog, Hatchimals have been crowned the hit toy for the 2016 Holiday season. But a recent article in Fortune (December 28, 2016) titled “Meet the Hatchimals that Ruined Christmas (For some kids, anyway) describes toys … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, Cost, delivery, logistics, manufacturer, Supply Chain Issues, toy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Will floating warehouses and drone delivery enable Amazon to deliver in minutes?

Posted on December 29, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in CNN.com titled “Amazon patent hints at floating warehouses in the sky”  (December 29, 2016) describes a plan to carry anticipated inventory in a blimp located close to customers, with drone delivery in minutes to a customer.  Example … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, logistics, mgmt5612018, Operations Management, ordering, Supply Chain Issues, technology | Tagged | 46 Comments

WalMart tests blockchain technology to track food and enable targeted recalls

Posted on December 18, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloomberg Technology (November 18, 2016) titled “Wal-Mart Tackles Food Safety With Trial of Blockchain” describes tests of a packaged produce item in the USA and pork in China using blockchain technology to track the supply chain across … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer, Cost, delivery, labeling, logistics, retailers, technology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment