JAH's Profile

It is fascinating to learn how WeWork uses data analytics to inform the optimal layout and operation of office buildings! While WeWork currently targets small businesses, I wonder if there is an opportunity for WeWork to provide consulting services for medium and large-sized companies. For these larger businesses, office space is added on an ad-hoc basis as space opens up or the budget is available. This often results in a disjointed office layout instead of well-designed spaces which allow for both collaboration and productive individual work. Few companies have the resources to build such internal capabilities, but WeWork consulting would enable growing companies to leverage its research on hundreds of spaces and thousands of companies.

While recruitment firms previously differentiated themselves through access to job candidate information, such firms now need to offer unique methods for analyzing this data to target and retain candidates. Recruitment firms should build their internal capabilities for data management and analytics as the industry evolves from relationship-based firms to technology-based firms. For example, recruitment firms could build a predictive analytics model to evaluate a candidate’s likelihood to enter the job search in the next six months based on recent activity on social media, LinkedIn, and Monster.com. Recruitment firms could sell such services to clients for sourcing new candidates and retaining existing employees. Clients may choose to promote an employee or offer a significant bonus if they identify that they are very likely to enter the job search within the next year. Joberate is one example of a company which tracks over 330M people globally to help clients identify prospective candidates. (http://www.joberate.com/platform/)

While I agree with Canon’s current shift to focusing on professional photographers, I question whether Canon should launch a sub-brand to experiment with technologies for smartphone photographers. There are hundreds of free or low-cost smartphone apps for post-processing of images; this demonstrates that smartphone users value image quality. However, even the best app can’t correct for photos which are blurry or shot in extremely poor lighting conditions. Smartphone accessories offer consumers a low-cost way to improve image quality and experiment with more advanced photography techniques. For example, Canon could sell smartphone accessories such as add-on lenses, external flash, wireless remotes, and mounts for time-lapse photos. A fraction of the smartphone photographers may trade up to entry-level DSLR cameras after exposure to the improved quality and flexibility offered by such accessories.

Even if dash buttons do not become a staple of American households, launching dash buttons was an excellent marketing campaign for Amazon. Amazon gained free earned media from hundreds of reputable news sources after the product launch. Furthermore, this sparked conversations which normalize online shopping and show how it can be integrated into a family’s offline life.

For CPGs, Amazon dash buttons give companies direct access to individual consumers. The dash button makes the brand highly visible in the pantry and encourages repeat purchases. Furthermore, it offers CPG valuable data on the consumption and purchasing patterns of its goods. This data could inform package sizes and targeted marketing campaigns by customer segment.

I am a huge fan of the MagicBands! I’ve used them twice in recent WDW trips.

While Nate does raise valid privacy concerns, the potential safety benefits of MagicBands should not be overlooked. For parents with young children, losing a child in a sprawling theme park with 50,000 guests is a huge concern. If a child goes missing, security personnel can locate him via the MagicBand signal. This greatly reduces the time the child is lost and the anxiety of his family. Additionally, if a guest with a gun or bomb managed to sneak into the park, security staff could send notification to guests in the vicinity of the safety threat through the Disney World app linked to MagicBands. The Disney World app could be expanded to include basic medical information, such as risk of seizure, anaphylactic shock, or other conditions. If a guest needed immediate medical treatment and was separated from her family, emergency personnel could view the basic medical information stored on the MagicBand app to respond quickly and appropriately.

In addition to reducing its water consumption in the manufacturing process, Coca-Cola has promoted water conservation at the individual consumer-level. Coca-Cola is recognized for its logistics, supply chain, distribution, and marketing expertise which enables the company to deliver products in rural communities with poor infrastructure. Through the “Last Mile Project”, Coca-Cola has started to distribute small-scale household level water purification technologies in excess space in the crates used to deliver Coca-Cola bottles. Through partnerships with global nonprofits, Coca-Cola can continue to expand its water stewardship strategy.

Bea Perez, “CGI: TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION,” Coca-Cola: Unbottled Blog, September 26, 2012, accessed November 7, 2016.
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/coca-cola-unbottled/cgi-turning-ideas-into-action

I remember living through Snowzilla last winter in DC – it was brutal!

In addition to the economic argument presented above, cities should advocate for prompt snow removal to promote the safety of local citizens. Treacherous roads and sidewalks covered with ice and snow can lead to increased emergency room visits. Consequently, some states have enforced fines to mitigate accidents. New Jersey and Connecticut have passed laws to fine drivers who have not cleared snow from the roof of their cars. Additionally, states could consider fines for driving on the road during a “state of emergency” or not promptly shoveling the sidewalk.

Jeff Brady, “Not Clearing The Snow Off Your Car Before Driving Could Cost You,” NPR, March 3 2015, Accessed on November 7, 2015. http://www.npr.org/2015/03/03/390410217/not-clearing-the-snow-off-your-car-before-driving-could-cost-you

Fascinating read on Walmart’s efforts towards sustainability! In addition to lighting and heating, refrigeration is another key energy cost for big box retailers. Especially as Walmart expands its footprint of Neighborhood Market Stores with large grocery departments, Walmart will need to continue exploring energy-efficient refrigerated display cases. According to ACEE studies, open refrigerator cases consume three to four times as much energy as closed-door refrigerators. Walmart should test installing more closed-door refrigerators to see how it impacts sales of frozen products, customer time in the store, and levels of customer satisfaction.

Joanna Mauer, “New Refrigeration Efficiency Standards To Take a Bite out of Supermarket and Restaurant Energy Costs,” American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. 28 February 2014, Accessed on 7 November 2016.
http://aceee.org/blog/2014/02/new-refrigeration-efficiency-standard

I agree with your analysis that leaders in the hospitality space could be doing more to promote environmental sustainability. Partnerships with other companies may be a more cost-friendly approach for introducing technologies to reduce energy consumption. For the past year, Hilton has partnered with GE and Tesla to add electric vehicle charging stations to 100 hotels. While the potential guest pool that can use these charging stations is small, this sets the tone that Hilton is willing to invest in alternative energy technologies and less carbon-intensive transportation methods are available for guests.

Hilton Worldwide. “Hilton Sparks Major Expansion of Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles.” October 8, 2015, accessed on November 7, 2016. http://news.hiltonworldwide.com/index.cfm/news/hilton-sparks-major-expansion-of-charging-stations-for-electric-vehicles

It is exciting to read about Avery Dennison’s collaboration with L’Oreal on new product labels with reduced environmental impact. For such collaborations, who bears the increased cost associated with the modified materials and production processes? If L’Oreal shares the increased costs with Avery Dennison, are such costs passed along to consumers? Pricing can be a powerful tool to incentivize clients to modify their packaging orders.