Category Archives: Service Operations

Green jobs in the US Economy

Posted on March 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

The New York Times (March 22, 2012) describes a US government report that claims that there were 3.1 million green jobs in the US economy. Green jobs were defined as those involved in activities that either decrease energy consumption or … Continue reading →

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

The impact of post office cost and rule changes

Posted on March 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (March 26,2012) describes how different industry sectors might be impacted by decisions made by the post office. Greeting card manufacturers and drug distributors claim that increased post office rates will decrease their demand … Continue reading →

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“Pay for response” model for drug payment and consequences

Posted on March 18, 2012 by aviyer2010

An Op-Ed by Sam Waksal in the New York Times (March 7,2012) suggests a pay for response model for drug payments, where the measurable impact of drugs would trigger payments. The author claims that such payment schemes would incent drug … Continue reading →

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The Jones Act of 1920 and today’s gas prices

Posted on March 18, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (March 11,2012) describes the impact of the 1920 Jones Act, that mandates use of US carriers, with US built ships and employing US cargo, for domestic cargo transport by sea. Thus, US oil … Continue reading →

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California’s Supply Chain Transparency Act and Enforcement

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Feb 27,2012) describes the California Supply Chain Transperancy Act requiring retailers with more than $100 million in sales to ensure that their supply chains do not involve slave labor. But  the article reports allegations of slave … Continue reading →

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

Fastenal’s variety competition

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Feb 27, 2012) describes the greatest growth compan since 1987 as Fastenal, a distributor of fasteners. Fastenal’s 10,261 pages of fasteners provides the greatest variety of fasteners, available at 2,600 outlets.  Does variety provide a distributor … Continue reading →

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iPad Accessory makers and race to be ready for the new version

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in USA Today (March 6, 2012) describes a race by accessory makers to be ready with products for the new iPad 3, debuting on March 7.  The market for iPad and iPhone accessories is estimated to be $ … Continue reading →

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$ 8 billion in fines but still suppliers

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in USA Today (March 7, 2012) describes the $ 8 billion in fines paid by pharmaceutical companies accused of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid, but with no impact on their supplier status – thanks to them being sole suppliers … Continue reading →

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Traffic jams in New York City and coordination options

Posted on January 31, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Jan 30, 2012) describes the impact of customer delays on the US economy as $ 100 billion, 0r $ 750 per commuter.  But adding taxis is estimated to increase congestion – the equivalent … Continue reading →

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Supply Chain Coordination issues – Book Publishers, Apple and Amazon

Posted on January 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Jan 30,2012) describes the conflict between publishers and Amazon.com ebook pricing plans of $ 9.99, the publisher controlled pricing model for sales on Apple’s iPad (termed agency pricing), and the resulting threat to without sales on … Continue reading →

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