Tag Archives: Retail

Toys “R” Us retailing challenges – competitor impact

Posted on April 15, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 7,2012) describes competitors to Toys”R” Us, and the resulting sales challenges. Target and Wal-Mart have slashed toy prices, with Wal-Mart allowing layaway. Amazon.com continues to be aggressive in the toys category while … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecommerce, Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Capacity, competition, Cost, Ecommerce, private label, Retail, Service, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Wal-Mart, the Environmental Defense Fund and sustainable supply chains

Posted on April 15, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 14, 2012) describes a partnership between the Environmental Defense Council (EDF) and Wal-Mart, as the retailer attempt to make its supply chain more sustainable. Wal-Mart would like to get to zero waste, … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Design, Margins, Retail, river transport, Suppliers, Supply Chain, Sustainable, Trends | Leave a comment

“Good African Coffee” – its supply chain and sustainability

Posted on April 8, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 8,2012) describes the efforts by Good African Coffee – a company that roasts coffee grown in Uganda, and brands the coffee rather than sell commodity coffee beans. Going up the value chain … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Coordination, Cost, Environment, Global, Retail, Supply Chain, Survival, Trends | Leave a comment

Wal-Mart’s ecommerce approach to combat Amazon.com

Posted on April 3, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (April 2, 2012) cites WalMart’s 8 % growth in 2011 vs Amazon.com’s 41 % growth as reason for WalMart to innovate in the ecommerce space. The result (a) Endless Aisle – which permits customers to order … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecommerce, Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Capability, competition, Consumers, Cost, Ecommerce, Growth, regulation, Retail, river transport | 1 Comment

The reuse vs recycling decision at Starbucks

Posted on April 2, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Sustainable Brands (http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/articles/starbucks-increases-recycling-backs-away-reusable-mugs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=businessweekly&utm_campaign=april2) describes a decision by Starbucks to shift from reuseable to recylclable cups. Reuseable mugs were related to a 5 % increase in water usage in 2011, after and 17 % drop from 2008 to … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Collaboration, Consumers, Cost, Design, Environment, Infrastructure, Retail, Service, Sustainable | 1 Comment

Ban “pink slime” or let the market decide ?

Posted on March 29, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 29, 2012) describes a move by supermarket chains to ban ground beef containing “pink slime”, an additive made from leftover beef trimmings, that is used as a filler in beef. Iowa’s governer … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Margins, regulation, Retail, Supply Chain, Trends | Leave a comment

Uniqlo’s global expansion

Posted on March 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (March 24, 2012) describes the Japanese retailer’s expansion into the US and China. The company focuses on producing large volume, low cost items that are sold across the season. Given that weather patterns in China … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Capability, Capacity, Cost, Global, manufacturing, Margins, Retail, Risk, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

EPA Dioxin limit proposal and food supply chain impact

Posted on January 10, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Jan 4,2012) describes a propsal by the EPA to recommend a 64 picogram limit of dioxin for a 200 lb person. The EPA wants to ensure that prolonged exposure at this limit is … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Food, regulation, Retail, Risk, Supply Chain, Sustainable | Leave a comment

Dynamic Pricing of taxicab fares and fairness

Posted on January 10, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Jan 9,2012) describes taxi pricing at Uber, a company that charged $27 per mile at the start of New Year’s Eve and $135 per mile late night. Prices were revealed at the wnd … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecommerce, Service Operations | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Ecommerce, Margins, pricing, Retail, Risk, river transport, Service, Suppliers, Survival | Leave a comment

The “hourglass economy”, WalMart and “fishing equipment” assortments

Posted on December 25, 2011 by aviyer2010

An interview with Stephen Quinn, Chief Marketing Officer at Walmart, in Fortune (Dec 26,2011) describes the “hourglass economy” in the US in 2011, with a decrease in the size of the middle class, lowered spending capability for the lower percentiles … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Assortment, Consumers, Cost, Retail, Supply Chain, WalMart | Leave a comment