Tag Archives: Margins

Should patent length vary by industry to spur innovation ?

Posted on April 27, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (April 24,2013) describes a proposal to vary patent protection length by industry, rather than the US standard of 17 years. It reports the chairman of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, as suggesting 3 years as … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged competition, Consumers, Cost, iinovation, Legal, Margins, patent length, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

The competitive retail supply chain impact of online US sales tax collection requirements

Posted on April 27, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (April 22,2013) describes the proposed impact of a Senate bill requiring online retailers to collect sales taxes based on buyer location. The goal is to level the playing field for brick and mortar … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged competition, Cost, Ecommerce, Margins, online, Retail, Service, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Samsung vs Apple supply chains for successful cell phones

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (April 1,2013) describes Apple’s supply chain strategy which outsources all hardware but controls software access and apps to Samsung’s strategy that produces all hardware but uses the Android open source software. Does producing components for competitors … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged cellphones, Consumers, control, Cost, Design, Margins, software, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Why did J.C.Penney’s stable pricing not work ?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 14,2013) describes the consumer experience at retailers such as J.C.Penney and the need to enjoy the sale and anchor the value of product sold. J.C.Penney’s attempt to reduce sale items, reduce average … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Capacity, Consumers, Cost, Inventory, Loyal Customers, Margins, Retail, Risk, Supply Chain | 1 Comment

“Earth’s Balance Sheet” discussion by Nestle

Posted on January 26, 2013 by aviyer2010

A discussion with Nestle’s Jose Lopez (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulB-ETDI2wA) focuses on the idea of the Earth’s balance sheet, a concept described by Solomon Darwin in (http://openinnovation.berkeley.edu/Solomon_Darwin_Balance_Sheet_Earth_Executive_Summary.pdf). The idea is to account for the assets that are removed from the earth and not … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Cost, Earth's balance sheet, Environment, Global, manufacturing, Margins, Supply Chain, Sustainable | Leave a comment

Supply Chain Transparency for apparel by Bruno Pieters in honestby

Posted on January 24, 2013 by aviyer2010

The fashion apparel store (http://www.honestby.com) by Bruno Pieters promises to provide a full description of the supply chain associated with the garment including prices paid at each stage, material details etc. An example look at a 100% silk short sleeved … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Global, manufacturing, Margins, Retail, Supply Chain | 2 Comments

Nokia’s sharing of 3-D print files for cellphone cases and the future

Posted on January 20, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21084430 describes plans by Nokia to make 3-D print files available to customers so they can print cases on demand on 3-D printers. The ease of access to customizable cases thus lowers the customer’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged competition, Consumers, Cost, Global, manufacturing, Margins, Outsourcing, Service, Supply Chain | 1 Comment

Achtar drug price rise from $50 to $28,000 and impact

Posted on January 18, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (December 30, 2012) describes the rise in price for a vial of the anti-inflammatory drug Achtar from $50 to $28,000. But patients who cannot pay given the drug free. The drug is off … Continue reading →

Posted in Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, drugs, Global, manufacturing, Margins, regulation, Risk, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

The elections, toy introduction delays and preorders this holiday season

Posted on November 23, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times ( November 20, 2012) describes the increased media buys by candidates this election and thus delays in advertising toys. The focus on detecting hits by manufacturers and retailers is thus claimed to require … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecommerce, Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, disruption, Ecommerce, Margins, Retail, Risk, Trends | Leave a comment

The retail supply chain impact of Hurricane Sandy

Posted on November 10, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (November 4, 2012) describes the impact of hurricane Sandy on the retail supply chain, action taken by companies and the possible consequences. With fuel supply shortages, FedEx started using fuel tankers to supply … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecommerce, Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Coordination, Demand Surge, disruption, Dual Sourcing, Infrastructure, Inventory, manufacturing, Margins, Retail, Risk, Supply Chain, Water | Leave a comment