Tag Archives: competition

Borders bookstore operations and its trajectory to extinction

Posted on November 16, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in bloombergbusinessweek (nov14, 2011) describes supply chain choices by Borders bookstores in its path to extinction. The company’s origins and growth were fueled by careful title sales tracking and inventory management, but its merger with Waldenbooks created an … Continue reading →

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Apple’s supply chain strategy – more insights

Posted on November 7, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in bloombergbusinessweek (Nov 7,2011) describes Apple’s plans to invest $ 7.1 billion in its supply chain and commit $ 2.4 billion in prepayments to suppliers. It describes Apple’s decisions to buy such large volumes of high-end drills that … Continue reading →

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Barnes & Noble swapping book space for e-readers

Posted on October 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Oct 29, 2011) describes a plan by Barnes & Noble to double the square feet devoted to e-readers to 2000 sq ft in a 26,000 Sq ft store. The space will be freed up by … Continue reading →

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Apple’s use of supply chain as a strategic weapon

Posted on October 25, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (24 Oct 2011) describes Apple’s low price strategy – iPhone 4GS priced at $199, iPads at $499 etc, with competitors barely managing to match prices for similar or lower specification products. The article suggests that … Continue reading →

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Estimating the firm level impact of China Imports

Posted on October 25, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Oct 15, 2011) describes attempts to understand the impact of imports from China on US jobs.  One study suggests that regions where manufacturers had a greater impact of Chinese imports showed greater job loss and … Continue reading →

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Cross State Pollution Rules and Impact

Posted on October 25, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Oct 15,2011) describes the issues surrounding CSAPR or Cross State Air Pollution Rule. The rule by the EPA requires power plants in 28 states to  decrease sulphur dioxide emissions by 27% and nitrogen dioxide by … Continue reading →

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Strategies to decrease procurement costs – not just a price focus

Posted on October 23, 2011 by aviyer2010

In a talk by Mr Haaije van der Brug, Procurement Manager for Shell in Russia, on October 18, 2011, he described the 40/40/20 practice at Shell. The claim is that cost savings are generated only 20 % of the time … Continue reading →

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Tracking the US supply chain impact of new California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Laws

Posted on October 23, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Oct 21, 2011, A25) describes recent passage of greenhouse gas emissions laws in California that aim to impose stringent caps on emissions with the flexibility to trade with any other firm across the US for … Continue reading →

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Apple iPhone model changes and planning by case makers

Posted on October 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in bloombergbusinessweek (Oct 17,2011) describes pressures faced by iPhone case manufacturers, a $ 450 million market, when new iPhones models are announced by Apple.  Rely on leaks and rumors regarding the new phone and invest in tools in … Continue reading →

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Amazon.com – the WalMart of the web ?

Posted on October 11, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Oct 1, 2011) reports that Amazon.com’s are 11 % lower than other retailers with physical stores for 100 products selected randomly.  The prices at Amazon were even lower compared to store websites. Amazon.com’s low profit margin, scale, the … Continue reading →

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