Tag Archives: Cost

Pepsico’s guaranteed price corn purchases from small farmers in Mexico

An article in the International Herald Tribune (February 22, 2011) describes Pepsico’s guaranteed price purchase (upfront) of corn from small farmers in Mexico. The farmers use the contract to buy seeds, fertilizer and equipment. Buying from these farms close to … Continue reading

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Eliminating a Shared Public database of Injury Report

An article in the International Herald Tribune (February 22, 2011) describes an effort by the US Congress to eliminate funding for a shared public database listing all injury reports for products like cribs, strollers etc. But opponents worry that the … Continue reading

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Choosing the Apple option or the Google option – a quandry for publishers

An article in the New York Times (February 21, 2011) summarizes two choices for publishers wanting electronic magazine sales – go through the iTunes store and pay Apple 30 % and get no consumer information, or go through Google and … Continue reading

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The “value of a human life” and Supply Chain Choices

A New York Times article (February 20, 2011) describes estimates of the value of a human life across US government agencies – $ 9.1 million by the EPA, $ 7.9 million by the FDA, $ 6 million by DOT, and … Continue reading

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Differential inspection of generic manufacturing facilities

An article in the Wall Street Journal (February 16, 2011, B1-3) describes the fact that FDA inspection of US pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities is usually once every two years but foreign plants are inspected less frequently, with 64 % of the … Continue reading

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Speeding up Medical Device Review and possible Quality Impact

A Wall Street Journal article (15 February 2011) describes a study of medical devices that received quick approval – if the device to be similar to others in the market and is intended for low to moderate risk patients.  The … Continue reading

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Growing India China Trade Flows

An article in the International Herald Tribune (February 9, 2011) describes the growing trade flows between China and India, projected to grow by 62 % by 2015, after growing by a factor of 20 in the last 10 years.  Air … Continue reading

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Egypt Unrest and Supply Chain Impact

A Wall Street Journal article (January 31, 2011) analyzes the potential impact of the unrest in Egypt on the global supply chain for oil and cotton.  If the Suez Canal were closed, oil from the Middle East would take 10 … Continue reading

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Are Boeing Dreamliner delays history ?

A New York Times article (January 27,2011, B3) quotes executives at Boeing being optimistic that production of Dreamliners can be ramped up significantly over the next three years. The company claims that problems for the first few planes were due … Continue reading

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Choosing Inventories when Economy Recovery is Uneven

A Wall Street Journal article (January 27, 2011, B6) describes the challenges associated with choosing the right level of inventory given uncertainty in the US economic recovery. The article claims that Kimberly Clark managers cut production in the fourth quarter … Continue reading

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