Tag Archives: Consumers

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

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 ?

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 ?

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

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 ?

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

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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Understanding the logic for Tesla’s proposed $5 billion battery plant

An article in the Wall Street Journal (April 2, 2014) titled “Does Tesla Need a $5 Billion Battery Factory” describes Tesla’s planned mass market electric cars (the GEN III) priced at $35,000 and the current $25,500 cost of the 85 … Continue reading

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Will buyers paying a penny a pound more for tomatoes help farm workers ?

An article in ozy.com (January 16,2014) titled “A Penny a Pound and so much more”, describes the push by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to get buyers like Taco Bell, Subway, McDonalds, WalMart and Whole Foods to pay a penny … Continue reading

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Why are lime prices rising in the US ?

An article in the New York Times (March 30, 2014) titled “Is the Lime an Endangered Species” describes many reasons for the rise in lime prices in the US from $25 per 40 pound carton in February to over $100 … Continue reading

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State laws regarding beer distribution and impact on small breweries

An article in the New York Times (March 30, 2014) titled “Free Craft Beer!” describes the franchise rule in many US states that requires beer manufacturers to choose one distributor in a state to distribute their product. The absence of … Continue reading

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