Michigan Auto Industry is changing

Somehow Michigan fascinates me for its auto industry and what it has given to the study of management,innovation and the wrong way to manage buyer seller relationships. When I heard on the radio about the leading rate of job losses and foreclosures in Michigan, I felt bad for the folks in Michigan. But this mayContinue reading “Michigan Auto Industry is changing”

Mature Global design Strategies improve profits

I was rather happy to read the Aberdeen report’s summary which highlights that global product design and development leads to reduction in product development time and time to market while allowing the protection of intellectual property through Digital Rights Management. This blog and my research has been investigating these issues for some time and IContinue reading “Mature Global design Strategies improve profits”

Crib Recall – New Product Development meets Supplier Involvement

Walk into any furniture store in the US and almost all products are made in China. You order anything and the boxes arrive with instructions and you do as best as you can. I , for example, have a desk with a hutch that I could not install very well and just did not wantContinue reading “Crib Recall – New Product Development meets Supplier Involvement”

NECON 2007 my Knowledge Based Services – Low Cost Country Sourcing talk

The NECON Conference is a great event and will be will be inaugurated   by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley  with a whole lot of great speakers. NECON is a collaborative initiative of  the Boston and North Shore Chapter of APICS ,The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the CSCMP New England Roundtable, the NEContinue reading “NECON 2007 my Knowledge Based Services – Low Cost Country Sourcing talk”

Apple iPod early adopters receive iPology

Less than two months ago this blog discussed the spectacular iPhone launch. Today the early adopters who had signed up for the $599 iPhone are furious. Apple decided to reduce the price to $299 to enhance adoption by mainstream consumers, in time for the holiday season. According to Steve Jobs the price cut will makeContinue reading “Apple iPod early adopters receive iPology”

Dell available in Wal Mart – end of pure online business models?

Ever since I saw some Dell computers in my local Wal-Mart, I have been well, shocked! Shocked because like so many others, I have believed that Dell had a unique end to end supply chain that linked its customer preferences directly to its supply chain partners through a very visible and transparent global supply chainContinue reading “Dell available in Wal Mart – end of pure online business models?”

Toy recall , tire recall and the supply chain

Tell me frankly- if you have children are you worried about brain damage caused by lead paint from toys ? If you changed a tire recently, did you look for the "Made in" label – discreetly but anxiously.Globalization is really catching up with everyone and I feel bad for the supply chain managers at MattelContinue reading “Toy recall , tire recall and the supply chain”

So what is the big deal with “Sterling Service Contracts” ?

Well for one,  the new Sterling Service Contracts , gets linked to many of the categories that I blog about! And that is a lot of categories… Some of the things that Sterling Service Contracts will do includes, and I quote from Sterling’s press release: START QUOTE: Storefront capabilities that provide customers and partners withContinue reading “So what is the big deal with “Sterling Service Contracts” ?”

SAP Sapphire 07 Atlanta- creating a platform and applications

These days , my organizational studies and interactions encourage me to think as to what would be the situation if every organization had every process completely captured on an ERP system that was web based. These include internal processes like production planning, procurement, manufacturing, accounting and finance, sales and distribution. Also could include external stakeholdersContinue reading “SAP Sapphire 07 Atlanta- creating a platform and applications”

Globalization – the perennial China India question

Globalization as we treat it in textbooks and the classroom seems pretty exciting and don’t get me wrong- it is! But what amazes me is the wide mis-understanding among faculties, company executives and small business owners about what globalization offers as opportunity to the American enterprise. Let’s face it , notwithstanding every criticism lately inContinue reading “Globalization – the perennial China India question”