Tag Archives: Consumers

Amazon’s 1 cent shipping in France

Posted on July 15, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in Slate (July 11, 2014), titled “France Banned Free Shipping. So Amazon made it cost 1 cent”, describes Amazon.com’s response to a new French law that bans free shipping and permits only bricks and mortar bookstores to offer … Continue reading →

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Should “pay to delay” launch by branded pharma be considered illegal ?

Posted on July 11, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (July 10,2014) titled “EU fines drug makers over generics”, describes the $450 million fine levied in Servier, a branded producer of the blood pressure drug perindopril. The company is accused of buying up … Continue reading →

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France’s laws to protect bookshops

Posted on July 11, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (July 10,2014) titled “The French do buy books. Real books”, describes two French laws, the “Lang Law” that says that book prices cannot be discounted more than 5%, and a new rule that … Continue reading →

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Will the US catfish inspection program derail the TPP pact

Posted on June 28, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times on June 28, 2014 (“US Catfish Program Could Stymie Pacific Trade Pact, 10 Nations Say”) describes the Agriculture Department’s catfish inspection program that is being protested by Vietnam with support from Thailand, Philippines, … Continue reading →

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The supply chain for cordovan leather and shoe prices and availability impact

Posted on May 24, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal on May 24, 2014 (http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303468704579572141307216318?mg=reno64-wsj) titled “Cordovan Shoes for Men Play Even Harder to get”, describes the over $2400 price points and six month wait times for cordovan leather shoes. The leather is … Continue reading →

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Is Amazon using Pre-order levels as a tool in negotiating higher margins from publishers ?

Posted on May 24, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal on May 23, 2014 (http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303749904579580052135901452?mg=reno64-wsj) titled “Amazon-Hachette Dispute Heats Up”, describes a complaint that no pre-orders for books by J L Rowling at Amazon.com’s website were being taken, while other sites continue to … Continue reading →

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Can Walmart get store customers to deliver online orders ?

Posted on May 19, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article published by Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/28/us-retail-walmart-delivery-idUSBRE92R03820130328) titled “Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers”, describes an idea where store customers could sign up to deliver orders to customers in their route in return for a discount on … Continue reading →

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Coffee fed cows producing milk for Starbucks in Japan

Posted on May 14, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in Sustainable Brands (http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/chemistry_materials/jennifer_elks/closed-loop_upcycling_its_finest_starbucks_sourcing?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=innovation&utm_campaign=may14&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoku6XMZKXonjHpfsX56eotX6SwlMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4DRcFqI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFTrTBMbVxyLgOXxk%3D) titled “Closed Loop Recycling at its Best”, describes the fermentation of used coffee grounds to create a cattle feed, with the milk from the cattle being used at Starbucks stores in Japan. The concentration … Continue reading →

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Will Stihl’s strategy of sales through small dealers sustainable ?

Posted on April 26, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (April 28, 2014) titled “Big-box Cutter” describes Stihl’s strategy to sell chain saws through small dealers, avoiding big box sales or internet sales. By selling through small dealers for whom they account for a significant portion … Continue reading →

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Tracking Emergency Room patients across hospitals to decrease costs and improve care

Posted on April 19, 2014 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (April 7,2014) titled “Hospitals share data to prevent ER abusers”, describes an effort in Washington state to pool data regarding ER patient treatments to prevent wasteful spending. With 20% of patients accounting for over 4 ER … Continue reading →

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