Even if you are professionally uninterested in supply chains or risk management you should have heard of Hurricane Irene hitting the US East Coast including New York. The very unusual prospect of New York tunnels being flooded (with animation being shown on several TV stations ) has cancelled trains,airplanes and closed colleges and there isContinue reading “Hurricane Irene: understanding risk management and supply chains for the uninterested”
Author Archives: StratoServe
StratoServe nominated for CBS Connecticut’s Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011
StratoServe has been nominated for CBS Connecticut's Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011. The nomination reads: StratoServe helps organizations "Get Innovation from your B2B and Supply Chain" for economic renewal in Connecticut and USA. Please vote with just one click ( till September 9 , 2011 ) at the CBS Connecticut website here or on theContinue reading “StratoServe nominated for CBS Connecticut’s Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011”
Are you caught up in a commodity business like HP ? Try branding and digital distribution
Every business is feeling like a commodity business, all the buyer seems to care about is price and this was brought to sharp focus with HP exiting the hardware business. The HP brand was great but what margin can you really make at final retail prices of $500 for laptops. So branding does not workContinue reading “Are you caught up in a commodity business like HP ? Try branding and digital distribution”
Feedback is really important in the ICT Model of input-process-output
Given the interest of blog readers on the ICT model based on a past post, it’s important to emphasize the value of feedback to the inputs and process part of the ICT model. To recall the ICT (or Information Communication Technology) model is depicted as input—> process—> output with a feedback loop to input from the quality of the output as depicted in the ICT diagram above. The feedback is really important.
Google Motorola and the Android partners : should you acquire an upstream customer?
Since Google offers the Android operating system free to cell phone makers like Samsung and LG there is much debate on whether cell phone makers who use Android will start feeling sidelined. Apparently the cell phone makers using Android were given a heads up on the acquisition of Motorola and everyone congratulated Google and atContinue reading “Google Motorola and the Android partners : should you acquire an upstream customer?”
Google Patent Search helps acquisitions and defend IP- as in Motorola
If you use Google Patents (Beta) , you can search patents and that allows you to find patents around a technology and who else is citing a patent. So let us say Apple cites a Motorola patent and Google acquires all of Motorola's patents its hard for Apple to prove that Google Android or MotorolaContinue reading “Google Patent Search helps acquisitions and defend IP- as in Motorola”
Organizations get global but Governments struggle local : French downgrade and London riots
Americans secretly admire French style and wine but publicly deride French fries – so its particularly unsettling that a French credit downgrade is affecting Wall Street and millions of Americans' retirement savings. And then you have the London riots where Prime Minbister Cameron is talking about learning how the leadership in Boston (USA) and BelfastContinue reading “Organizations get global but Governments struggle local : French downgrade and London riots”
The “stability predictability” challenge : why the Fed’s action might help jobs
The stunning decline of the stock market on Monday after the S&P downgrade left one wondering as did the waiting with bated breath of the stock market to the Fed announcement. Coming out and saying that interest rates will not change till 2013 does a lot to help both the market and organizations feel less Continue reading “The “stability predictability” challenge : why the Fed’s action might help jobs”
US credit downgrade : dealing with the no-college degree unemployed
This blog is not particularly worried about Standard and Poor's dire prognosis of AA+ for the US Government although it is a temporary set back for the stock market. However, I am concerned about the underlying message of of the S&P downgrade -which is not so much about the US Government's solvency but more aboutContinue reading “US credit downgrade : dealing with the no-college degree unemployed”
A town level SEC for investing in local small business
With globalization it is easier and easier to buy stocks in a variety of growth markets or in large US companies who are under pressure to turn a profit and therefore outsource jobs for lower costs. Meanwhile the most stellar small businesses have a hard time in finding small money to finance a website upgrade,Continue reading “A town level SEC for investing in local small business”