Category Archives: Operations Management

Samsung vs Apple supply chains for successful cell phones

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (April 1,2013) describes Apple’s supply chain strategy which outsources all hardware but controls software access and apps to Samsung’s strategy that produces all hardware but uses the Android open source software. Does producing components for competitors … Continue reading →

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Are readmission rates a good measure of hospital quality?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (March 30, 2013) describes the impact of Medicare penalties based on patient admission rates, claiming that such schemes have resulted in decreased rates, from 19% to 17.8% in one year. But others claim … Continue reading →

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Estimating the impact of new US sulfur limits on fuel on gasoline costs

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 29,2013) describes the differing estimates of the proposed plans to limit sulfur in fuel to under 10 parts per million (ppm) from the current 30 ppm. Petroleum executives claim a price impact … Continue reading →

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Lack of coordination across governmental units and pollution in China

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (March 24,2013) describes pollution levels in Beijing and blames the lack of coordination between the ministries managing the environment and state owned enterprises managing the oil and power. Thus, while the pollution control … Continue reading →

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Why did J.C.Penney’s stable pricing not work ?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 14,2013) describes the consumer experience at retailers such as J.C.Penney and the need to enjoy the sale and anchor the value of product sold. J.C.Penney’s attempt to reduce sale items, reduce average … Continue reading →

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McDonalds “dual point” service approach and impact

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (April 11,2013) describes a new “dual point” service system that replaces the single point cashier assisted delivery. Under the new system, customers pay, receive an order number and walk over to the other … Continue reading →

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Natural gas use by the US trucking industry – how fast can it happen ?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 22, 2013) describes the growing use of natural gas in the US trucks, with the industry consuming over 3 million gallons of diesel fuel daily. Natural gas use is estimated to cut … Continue reading →

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The impact of sequestration on US supply chains

Posted on March 10, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (March 11, 2013) describes the impact of the US government sequester on food and transport. Food inspector cutbacks means that meat, poultry and egg processors may have to cut back operations as the inspectors are required … Continue reading →

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Mexican tomato floor prices increased to please US growers

Posted on March 8, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (February 4,2013) describes an agreement between the US and Mexico to raise prices for imported Mexican tomatoes by up to twice its earlier levels. The new agreement was demanded by Florida growers to … Continue reading →

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Can “Droptags” reduce damage processing costs ?

Posted on March 8, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the SupplyChainDigest(http://www.scdigest.com/ontarget/13-02-13-1.php?cid=672) describes a Droptag – a device developed by Cambridge Consultants consisting of a battery, bluetooth transmitter, accelerometer and memory chip to monitor whether packages have been dropped or mishandled. Upon delivery, the customer could detect … Continue reading →

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