Investor in Brad's Bags's Profile

Nice article! It seems like in the short-term, the Kerry Group will have to pass on some expenses to various stakeholders throughout the supply chain, particularly if ultimately we experience a “hard” Brexit. However, should the hard Brexit be the case, it seems to me that the Kerry Group should explore alternative suppliers and locations in the EU. While the CapEx initially would be high, eventually this figure would be dwarfed by the amount that the Kerry Group would pay in tariffs imposed both by the UK and the EU. It’s also interesting to consider just how proactive the Kerry Group can actually even be in this scenario; as they don’t yet know the policy implications of Brexit, it’s hard to take concerted steps to preempt it. However, it seems like that should work to map out a set of most likely scenarios and a corresponding plan of action for each. That way, the Kerry Group can hit the ground running once the details are finalized to minimize supply chain disruption caused by Brexit.

Nice article, Mike! You’ve provided a helpful summary of some of the key environmental issues looming for Nestle’s supply chain going forward. I had not realized how massive and extensive the worldwide Nestle supply chain was until reading your piece. It’s encouraging that in this case Nestle’s incentives are aligned with the incentives of some of the farmers and suppliers who will be most adversely effected and who are in the most vulnerable regions of the world to climate change. I wonder, though, if many of these actors can actually rely on the goodwill of corporations like Nestle in the long-term. In any case, given that this global supply chain is already in place, Nestle has a massive platform to deliver the best agricultural solutions to farmers worldwide, and it seems like so far they are putting that supply chain to good use.

Great article, Mike! The mortgage process certainly seems to be an area ripe for technological disruption. It’s interesting that this startup has devised a solution for the notary component of the mortgage process, as it seems to be a relatively low-time endeavor with massive downside if a mistake is made. I can imagine management at Wells Fargo (and potentially even consumers) are uncomfortable with upending a process that some view as essential for anti-fraud and security. How can consumers and lenders be sure that this technology is impervious to hacking or malware? In any case, it’s interesting to see how much digitalization has enhanced the homebuying experience overall. Websites like Trulia have enabled consumers to view price history, features, etc. of homes with a level of transparency and granularity that should make the market more efficient overall.

Nice article! I agree that building the FA-18 fighters in a foreign country is concerning to an extent from a security perspective. However, it seems like the nationalist trends which you have outlined in this piece have forced the hand of Boeing management. Also, as you’re of course aware, we already sell FA-18s (and a number of other advanced military aircraft) to allies across the world. Moving the manufacturing operations to an ally seems like a reasonable step. I think your suggestion that Boeing should lobby the U.S. government for support is interesting, although it seems like the federal government must have already known that this type of outsourcing was a potential outcome. In any case, as an organization built on a global supply chain, I imagine that leadership at Boeing are deeply troubled over these burgeoning nationalistic trends.

Nice article! I enjoyed the perspective on how Facebook has evolved from a straightforward social networking platform into a medium to connect goods and services with consumers in a targeted, efficient way. This “targeting” reminds me of an interesting standpoint I heard on advertising while doing a pre-MBA program at Google. I asked someone on their advertising team how they could generate so much in ad revenue through platforms like youtube, for instance, given that the consumer can easily click through (and therefore not view) the ad at all. The response was interesting; essentially, they endeavor to make the ad so effectively targeted to the consumer that he or she will actually enjoy watching the ad! We certainly live in a brave new world. In any case, will be interesting to observe how much further Facebook drifts away from the pure social media space into the world of e-commerce.

Great article! I agree that 3-D printing is going to have a significant impact on supply chains, and it will certainly represent a huge value add for medical technology as well as other industries across the spectrum. One question I have though is how soon we can actually expect this technology to engender significant disruption in industry. Research has been conducted into developing 3-D printing technology for over a decade; while undoubtedly there have been advances, it’s unclear that we should expect genuine disruption anytime soon. Still, once the technology is developed at scale, I agree that supply chains (and many industries) will benefit immensely.