Tag Archives: Supply Chain

Should “pay to delay” launch by branded pharma be considered illegal ?

An article in the International Herald Tribune (July 10,2014) titled “EU fines drug makers over generics”, describes the $450 million fine levied in Servier, a branded producer of the blood pressure drug perindopril. The company is accused of buying up … Continue reading

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France’s laws to protect bookshops

An article in the International Herald Tribune (July 10,2014) titled “The French do buy books. Real books”, describes two French laws, the “Lang Law” that says that book prices cannot be discounted more than 5%, and a new rule that … Continue reading

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Will the US catfish inspection program derail the TPP pact

An article in the New York Times on June 28, 2014 (“US Catfish Program Could Stymie Pacific Trade Pact, 10 Nations Say”) describes the Agriculture Department’s catfish inspection program that is being protested by Vietnam with support from Thailand, Philippines, … Continue reading

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Surging prices for railcars as demand runs up against supply shortages

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 30,2014) titled “Driller’s Pain is Railcar Owner’s Gain”, describes 33% price increases for tank cars, 50% increases for cars hauling sand and 40% increases for grain hoppers. These price increases reflect the … Continue reading

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Will drone ships become a reality anytime soon ?

A report in Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-25/rolls-royce-drone-ships-challenge-375-billion-industry-freight.html) on February 25, 2014, titled “Rolls Royce Drone Ships Challenge $375 Billion Industry”, suggests that drone ships controlled by land based captains can disrupt existing maritime shipping. By eliminating crew quarters and associated services, ships … Continue reading

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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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Panasonic’s plans to move production back to Japan

An article in the Financial Times (http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b22e772a-e1a2-11e3-9999-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=intl#axzz32YPzdZCV) titled “Panasonic considers bringing production back to Japan) describes the weak Japanese yen (which has fallen 20% since 2012 against other currencies) improving the economics of production of rice cookers, washing machines and … 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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Nike’s water footprint across the supply chain and reduction efforts

Nike’s Materials Sustainability Index discussion (http://www.nikeresponsibility.com/report/content/chapter/water) focuses on the 217 billion gallons of water consumed across its supply chain, with 7% generated by raw material production and cotton accounting for 87% of that use. A focus on reducing the absolute … Continue reading

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