ADW's Profile

I’ve been meaning to try Clover for some time now, and this just further reinforces why I need to! I knew tat 1he food was supposed to be quite good, but had no idea the company was so innovative beyond its food. There are a lot of restaurants that have frequently changing menus and rely on chalkboards or tape and markers to make these adjustments. I can only imagine how much of a pain operating POS systems for those restaurants can be.

At 11 restaurants, the Clover operation is much larger than I expected. That being said, with the stress placed on locally sourced ingredients, it may be difficult to continue to expand. Chipotle and many other restaurants are using locally sourced ingredients where possible, but they don’t have as strict sourcing regulations as Clover.

Who wants to go for dinner, tomorrow?!

The concerns raised by commenters regarding insurance are among the largest immediate issues facing Getaround. New York State, for instance, doesn’t allow for Getaround (or its main competitor, Turo) to operate due to insurance concerns. Assuming insurance issues get worked out, the benefits and proliferation of vehicle sharing programs like this will only be accelerated by the introduction and spread of autonomous vehicles.

Autonomy will remove the largest pain point associated with sharing cars, which is the delivery and return of the vehicles. In the future, you will be able to schedule a rental and have the car pull up in front of your building exactly when you need it. I think @bl1884 makes the correct point that autonomy will change the nature of vehicle ownership in ways that we don’t yet know. Fleet owners may become the norm, but surely there will be some individuals for whom it still makes financial sense to own their own cars. However it shakes out, I do believe that companies like Getaround and Turo will have a short life unless they can prevent disintermediation or purchase assets.

I, too, am a huge fan of Domino’s. I personally believe that it is in a different category of food than pizza, it’s more a ‘pizza-food’, much as nachos at a ballgame are topped with ‘cheese product’. The Pizza Tracker was indeed brilliant and ahead of its time.

Kristina, you failed to mention my favorite tech integration by Domino’s – my Alexa! Just like you can tweet or text Domino’s to get your favorite pizza ordered, I can tell my Amazon Echo to do the same with a simple voice command.

I’d be interested to see what Domino’s breakdown of in-store sales are compared to delivery – I would think delivery is much larger than in-store. As such, I agree with Kristina’s evaluation of the firm into a tech company. Should Domino’s completely abandon their brick-and-mortar locations? That would undoubtedly save on costs, but would the firm still be able to operate without these stores serving as marketing and promotion hubs.

(Also @RitaSkeeter, I’m watching HP right now)

Awesome topic, Jess. I grew up in a household where we only went to services on special holidays. My synagogue has been slowly losing membership as the ‘old guard’ has been passing away and they struggle to sign up new families with young children as they move into town. They have tried many different methods to attract these younger families, such as the playing of instruments during Friday night services (gasp!). Sermons during the High Holidays constantly remind us to put our phones down and log off social media – clearly the rabbi is trying to connect with the younger members of our community.

Though my synagogue has not yet entered the digital space (and it may be too far gone to do so at this point), it is clear that there are many advantages to doing so. Collecting money is an easy benefit to realize, but I especially like the use of technology to continue education. Though it seems like our generation is too busy and overcommitted, it always amazes me that we always find ways to consume more content and spend more time doing so. I think an interesting discussion could be had over streaming services, where I see people’s opinions varying greatly on whether or not it is appropriate.

Thanks for the post, Taylor. KP’s payer/provider model is something that the rest of the healthcare industry should strive towards. I’ve done some work with them and find their ambition to be inspiring. For sure, they don’t plan to rest on their laurels, as you put it. Telemedicine is an easy and effective way to reduce costs, and it makes perfect sense that Kaiser is pushing the limits here. The concerns that some technicians will lose their jobs is understandable, but I believe it is already happening in fields such as radiology which can be easily outsourced.

Improving technology and connectivity are also facilitating the shift to telemedecine beyond just video doctor visits. Labs (both third-party and within the hospital setting) can do blood work in advance or after a telemedicine visit so that the doctors will have all necessary diagnostic information at their fingertips. Though Theranos has been a pretty visible failure, I believe the day will soon come when you can do blood tests at home and send the results directly to your doctor. I don’t know if the product has hit the market yet, but there was an announced toilet that could analyze urine and send the results to your doctor – so we’re pretty close! [1]

[1] The General Practitioner Toilet. http://www.yankodesign.com/2012/05/04/the-value-of-pee/

Que interesante, Mace (even though you cited Yale just before the big rivalry game).

I did not know that El Nino affected rainfall around the globe and I find it interesting that you chose to profile a mining company. Though necessary to provide the world with natural resources, mining is one of the more ecologically disruptive industries. Thus I find it refreshing that Amplats is working not only to reduce it’s water consumption, but also help bring water to areas that may not have reliable access. As with some other companies profiled, I would be encouraged to see Amplats take an even more aggressive approach. The company has a market cap of over $6B, and I would like to see it take a more active role in pushing for regulatory changes.

Other companies should look to Patagonia as a prime example of how to help fight climate change. Patagonia has done an incredible job marketing their products and is positioned as a company that provides outstanding outdoor clothing, is environmentally conscious, and even as a fashion brand for some. Patagonia’s largest competitor, The North Face, has demonstrated a significantly lower enthusiasm and push for sustainability despite serving the same customers and pushing out the same message.

I did not know that Patagonia was so actively fighting against climate change. I’m glad the HBS section clothing is made by Patagonia, I just wish the sleeves on their clothing weren’t so darn long!

Thank you for your article Shray. McDonald’s has a bad reputation based on the quality of their food and we often don’t realize that their hamburgers actually start with real cows! Dealing with the methane from beef cattle is certainly a start and I would very much like to see some of these measures taken (even if it means raising prices). Methane is a very dangerous prorduce if released into the atmosphere, but also very useful as a biofuel. Capturing this valuable resource could help farms become energy-neutral or even net energy producers.

But though actions related to cattle raising are important, I wonder if you have thought through any solutions to some of the other issues you brought to light. I’ve noticed in our cafeteria, all of the packaging and cutlery are compostable. Though much, if not most, of McDonald’s is consumed out of the store, I wonder if composting meals consumed in-store would help reduce waste. Additionally, cars waiting in drive-thru lanes are idling and wasting gas. Though I don’t have a solution, perhaps this is another area where emissions can be reduced.

Just last year I was at a Vail resort and saw the impact of climate change on the resort first hand. I completely agree with the author’s point that the company could do more. Simply reducing the company’s consumption and emissions will not have a significant impact on climate change.

Operating ski resorts requires significant fixed costs, which leads to the higher lift-ticket prices referenced by asafina. Rather than simply continuing to increase prices, it would behoove Vail to make a broader push to combat climate change. I’m not sure Maniglass’s solution of year-round activities will help anyone other than Vail, not to mention that ski resorts have long tried (and largely failed) to offer year-round entertainment and activities. Unless the broad shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns that are being brought about by climate change are at least stopped, Vail and the rest of the recreational skiing market may be in grave danger.

Having lived in New York City through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I learned firsthand just how impactful extreme weather and rising sea levels can be and appreciate you bringing this to light. I am glad to hear that PlaNYC is evolving from a reactive to a proactive policy in OneNYC. While examining best practices from other cities can be helpful, I am not as concerned as Jessie or GB with New York’s ranking by Arcadis. New York City has 8 most densely populated incorporated places in the US (and 11 of the top 12), including areas in New Jersey and Westchester that are considered part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area [1].

Clearly, the challenges faced by such a densely populated location are unique. The 80×50 campaign creates concrete goals without having to compare progress to other cities. I agree with MAW that legal enforcement of mitigation policies is necessary. Hopefully policymakers in New York agree with us and enact the changes required to make New York City a vanguard of efficiency.

[1] 2010 US Census. http://www.census.gov/2010census/