Category Archives: product

Organic Cotton certification fraud

An article in the New York Times ( February 13, 2022) titled “That Organic Cotton T-Shirt May Not Be as Organic as You Think”, describes the certification challenges for organic cotton in India. Despite commanding $ 25 to $ 46 … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, competitiveness, consumer, labeling, product | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Benefits of customer flexibility during the pandemic

An article in ASCM Insights (https://tinyurl.com/yyneu93x) describes reasons why retail grocery customers might be stockpiling.  The article suggests that retailers should deal with each reason separately, with appropriate steps to reassure customers.    There is also discussion of smaller retailers … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, consumer, Cost, delivery, logistics, product, retailers | Tagged , , , , | 106 Comments

Building resilience in supply chains

A news report (https://tinyurl.com/y55ypho3) described six ways that supply chains can build in resilience to deal with the pandemic during the early days when suppliers in China were impacted. These include adjusting shipment modes, using alternate designs, building up inventory, … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, China, Coordination, disruption, logistics, product, ship, supplier, Supply Chain Issues, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 68 Comments

Tesla’s request to suppliers for assistance and associated impact

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Tuesday, August 21, 2018) titled “Some Suppliers Worry About Tesla” quotes suppliers claiming that Tesla is delaying payments and demanding cash back. They cite that Tesla is now paying production related suppliers 95% … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, cash, Collaboration, delivery, Operations Management, product, technology, Tesla | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Sensors in grocery stores and customer benefit

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

Hatchimals – the 2016 toy in demand

An article in the Wall Street Journal (December 13, 2016) titled “Hatch me if you can:Hunt for Hatchimals Goes Global” describes the 2016 hit toy wonder, the Hatchimal, a toy that hatches from an egg and is a walking toy … Continue reading

Posted in consumer, Cost, disruption, product, Supply Chain Issues, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Danish “hygge” fashion trend in Britain

An article in the Guardian (November 22, 2016) titled “The hygge conspiracy” describes the marketing of the Danish concept of “hygge”, which implies cosiness, as a fashion trend. Cashmere cardigans, sewing patterns, wallpaper etc are all linked to this concept … Continue reading

Posted in consumer, Global Contexts, labeling, product, Service Operations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Will information sharing regarding subsea oilwell bolt failures improve performance?

An article in the Wall Street Journal  (July 9, 2016) titled “New Worries over Subsea Oil Wells” describes bolt failure costs for connector units in subsea wells. The bolts were supplied by GE, Schlumberger and National Oilwell, all competitors in … Continue reading

Posted in disruption, emb2021, product, Service Operations, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

Calculating penalties for component design IP infringement

An article in the Wall Street Journal  (August, 4 2016) titled “Apple wins famed designer support in battle vs Samsung” describes the challenge of determining penalties for Samsung ‘ s violation of  Apple’s patents for display of apps and the … Continue reading

Posted in intellectual property, Liability, product, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Should food delivery focused restaurants be structured differently ?

An article in Forbes (July 1, 2016) titled “How Food Delivery startup Maple Moves Fast by starting from Scratch” describes production choices made by Maple, a company focused on food delivery. The article claims that focusing on delivery and using … Continue reading

Posted in consumer, Operations Management, ordering, Prices, product, productivity, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment