Tag Archives: competition

The global supply chain for Michael Kors and impact

An article in the New York Times (Dec 20, 2011) describes Michael Kors Holding, an apparel company that generates 95 % of its revenues in the US and Canada, makes its apparel in Asia, and is incorporated in the British … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Business Class seat comfort based airline competition and supply chain impact

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Dec 19,2011) describes airline competition to attract business class passengers, who pay 3 to 10 times the economy fare, are 15 % of the seats but 50% of the flight revenue.Business class seats, with new features, … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Industry Impact of Loss of funds for light bulb efficiency enforcement

An article in the New York Times (Dec 16, 2011) describes loss of funds for enforcement of new light bulb standards, requiring a 25%reduction in energy use for 100 watt bulbs. Thus, while the standards kick in as planned in … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How many domestic automakers does China need ?

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Dec 19, 2011) describes China’s auto sector has having 70 automakers with 55 of them accounting for 11 % of sales.  Foreign automakers account for 58% of sales.  The Chinese government plans to further concentrate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Swatch’s plans to cut back component sales to competitors and supply chain impact

A New York Times article (Dec 10, 2011) describes a decision by the Swatch Group to cut back sales (to 85 % of 2010 levels and ultimately to zero) of components to competitors. Buying these components from Swatch had enabled … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

US Battery companies “shocked” by low demands and high costs ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Dec 5, 2011) describes the plight of US battery companies, funded by over $ 2.4 billion in Federal grants, but struggling to win contracts from automakers. In the case of Ener1, low sales … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Higher taxes for ebooks than books in Europe

An article in the New York Times (Dec 2, 2011) describes the classification of ebooks as a service in Europe, thus facing sales taxes close to 20% vs a tax close to 5% for paper books.  In addition, books a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecommerce, Global Contexts, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Orphan drug laws and attractiveness for pharmaceutical companies

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Nov 5, 2011) describes the Orphan Drug Act, a competition free seven year period for manufacturers of drugs to treat diseases affecting less than 200,000 patients.  This exclusive period enables drug prices for dosages to reach … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Impact of a Euro collapse on global supply chains

A Wall Street Journal article (Dec 3, 2011) ponders the currency impact of different Euro collapse scenarios.  It suggests that Greece dropping out will cause the euro to go from its current $ 1.34 to the dollar to parity with … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Slow down Postal delivery to save USPS ?

An article in CNNMoney (http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/05/news/economy/postal_service/index.htm?iid=HP_LN&hpt=hp_t2) describes a proposal by the US Postal service to change the delivery guarantee for first class mail from the current one to three days to a slower two to five days.  The slower delivery will … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment