Tag Archives: competition

Legal copying, trends and demand generation

An article in the Wall Street Journal (August 11, 2012) describes how legal copying, permitted in fashion apparel, financial instruments, food etc, help those industries. By speeding up adoption of new ideas and designs, these industries benefit from the buzz … Continue reading

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The supply chain impact of shutting down the Federal Helium stockpile

An article in the Wall Street Journal (August 11, 2012) describes a plan to shut down crude helium reserves currently held by the US government that satisfy 33% of the world demand. Given that US pricing focuses on covering debt … Continue reading

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Nokia’s smartphone component costs vs Apple’s iphone component costs

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 31, 2012) describes an estimate by iSuppli that components for the Nokia Lumia 900 cost $ 209 while those for the 16GB iPhone cost $ 190. But the Lumia sells for $ … Continue reading

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Amazon requesting some of its sales tax back from California cities

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 31, 2012) describes a request by Amazon, which recently agreed to collect sales taxes for purchases soon, to get back some of the sales tax as an incentive. The company claims that … Continue reading

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Battery manufacturing capacity rampup and short and long term impact

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 31, 2012) describes the US government’s $ 1.26 billion investment in battery capacity, and demands for rapid ramp up and hiring to create 6400 jobs. The slow growth rate implied only 2000 … Continue reading

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Should GMO food be labeled ?

An artcile in the New York Times (May 25, 2012) describes an unlawful effort to put stickers identifying food conatining GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) – now prevalent in most corn or soyabeans grown in the US. Proponents of GMO foods … Continue reading

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Making TVs in Detroit ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 23, 2012) describes a decision by Element Electronics to assemble 46 inch flatscreen TVs, to be sold for $ 499 at Target, in a plant in Detroit. The company claims that the … Continue reading

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Samsung and Sony attempt to enforce their prices at retailers

A Wall Street Journal article (May 23, 2012) describes a move by Samsung and Sony to force retailers to sell at manufacturer recommended prices or risk consequences. These might include loss of financing to market new products or restricted supply. … Continue reading

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Uniqlo’s strategy for low priced apparel

An article in the New York Times (May 22, 2012) describes the Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo’s low price strategy for T-shirts ($ 9.90) and cashmere sweaters ($ 79.90). The company claims that it does not follow fashion fads but, instead, … Continue reading

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Global Twinning with a Belgian plant to improve a US steel mill

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 21, 2012) describe an approach called twinning, pairing a weaker and stronger plant to share productivity improvement methods, and thus increase productivity. ArcelorMittal paired their Burns Harbor plant in Indiana with a … Continue reading

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