Tag Archives: Suppliers

Will modular smartphones help reduce e-waste ?

An article in CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/19/tech/innovation/phonebloks-the-smartphone-for-life/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5) describes a proposal by the company Phonebloks (www.phonebloks.com) to create smartphones with a modular design that enables individual phone owners to customize the phone. With individual units such as the camera, battery, storage etc that … Continue reading

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Will a flat-fee model by publishers for ebook access work ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (September 3, 2013) describes a proposal by two companies, eReatah and Oyster, to provide a flat-fee access to ebooks. eReatah plans to offer 80,000 titles and offers a $16.99/month for two books or … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Disruption clauses” by Mississippi barge operators in contracts with shippers

An article in the Wall Street Journal (August 27, 2013) describes the worries of barge operators on the Mississippi river who have been hurt by floods and the drought. The new disruption clauses shift the cost of delays and the … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shipping HP computers by rail from China to the Netherlands

An article in the New York Times (July 21, 2013) describes Hewlett Packard’s shipment of computers, produced in Chongqing to Oostrum in the Netherlands. The trip takes 21 days, compared to 5 weeks by sea, and is cheaper than air … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Will shuffling aluminum ingots between warehouses increase commodity prices ?

An article in the New York Times (July 21, 2013) claims that commodity traders, who have purchased large stocks of aluminum ingots, but are required to ship out from warehouses at a rate of 3,000 tons. But these traders are … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will the US govt proposal to the Bangladesh govt improve garment factory conditions

An article in the New York Times (July 20, 2013) describes a proposal by the US govt to Bangladesh for the country to regain its suspended trade privileges with the US. The plan includes creation of a public database of … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The US alliance vs the European accord’s plans for Bangladesh garment factories

An article in the New York Times (July 14,2013) describes plans by an alliance of the US retailers to offer shared inspection reports of over 500 factories in Bangladesh, loans from a pool of $100 million to factory owners to … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

On to the next legal round regarding Apple’s role in ebook pricing

An article in the New York Times (July 10,2013) describes the judge’s ruling that Apple coordinated with competing publishers to increase ebook prices. Apple is said to have offered publishers an agency pricing scheme by which it would be paid … Continue reading

Posted in Ecommerce, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Thai mountain of rice inventory and global supply chain worries

An article in the Financial Times (July 18, 2013) describes the impact of the 50% price premium offered by the Thai government to rice farmers that last few years, leading to a drop in Thai rice exports and a surge … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The global supply chain that clothes US consumers

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (July 1,2013) displays data from the Office of Textiles and Apparel at the US Department of Commerce to show exporting countries that clothe US consumers. The participants range from China (exporting $553 million pairs of cotton … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment