Lev's Profile

Goodyear’s new plant opened in Mexico is a good example showing how overprotected tariffs can be detrimental to competitiveness of American manufacturing companies. I agree with MC that Goodyear and the rest of American companies in tire manufacturing industry should combat trade barriers and increasing competition with market entrants from China or Korea by focusing to improve its technical innovation and customer service to secure its market share. Improving its competitive advantage and pursuing continuous improvement for US customers will help Goodyear resist to unpredictable changes in trade barriers in the long run.

Very insightful and balanced read! Given the fierce competition with its rival Airbus, Boeing’s movement to open its first completion and delivery factory is inevitable path to expand supply chain in China, the fastest growing market for aviation industry. It can help Boeing improve its margin on 737 by reducing hefty manufacturing cost and designating Chinese plant as a hub for international delivery of finished 737 planes to various countries, including China. However, as we learned from Bombardier, Boeing should be prepared itself to defend its market leading position in world aviation industry by continuing its excellency in innovation in order to prevent itself from possible future threat from Comac.

In addition to the example of LCA mentioned in the article, there are other options that Nestle may need to consider: a reduction in green house gas emission during manufacturing or transportation, utilization of environmentally sustainable packaging, and minimization of deforestation from its raw material suppliers. In order to maintain as a leader in “greening supply chain,” it would be crucial for Nestle to maintain partner relationships with its suppliers and proactively collaborate with suppliers to identify new opportunities for continuous improvements.

I certainly agree that this is a very ambitious goal that Walmart has set itself up for! I really like the clarity of Walmart’s communication regarding its long term plans to public and its shareholders. One of immediate challenges for Walmart I could think of is to gain buy-ins from sufficient number of suppliers by incentivizing them economically. In order to sustain the momentum of making significant progress in this project, Walmart should also continue to invest in building a partner relationship with suppliers to help them develop clear and tangible set of goals with detailed action plans.

Insightful and interesting read! I agree with Tom Richardson that it is not very feasible for CVS to enter the pharmacy delivery market and compete with Amazon in a short term horizon. For CVS, I would suggest automating its supply chain by improving big data analytics to make accurate predictions on customers’ next prescription and its frequency. Automation may require a large up-front investment but will effectively equip CVS with an integrated order traceability from manufacturing to customers. Additionally, automated handling and distributing prescription medications will reduce labor cost and speed of prescription fulfillment significantly, which will bring a large return on investment in a long run.

(please disregard my previous post. see below for the re-post)

Insightful and interesting read! I agree with your point that Macy should sell or lease back its physical stores and invest to grow its market share in e-commerce. This strategy will help Macy not only secure steady cash flow from store leasing but also free up capital for large investments in e-commerce.
In order to stay profitable and avoid erosion in market share, I think Macy should move quickly and improve customer shopping experience by incorporating existing offline and online venues. For example, Macy can provide free return and exchange services for online orders at its offline stores. Additionally, Macy should turn offline stores into online order fulfillment centers. Macy can should enhance its data analytics to effectively make a prediction based on understanding local shoppers’ shopping histories or product preferences to improve speed of order fulfillment or avoid depriving offline stores from fulfilling orders.

Insightful and interesting read! I agree with your point that Macy should sell or lease back its physical stores and invest to grow its market share in e-commerce. This strategy will help Macy not only secure steady cash flow from store leasing but also free up capital for large investments in e-commerce.
In order to stay profitable and avoid erosion in market share, I think Macy should move quickly and improve customer shopping experience by incorporating existing offline and online venues. For example, Macy can provide free return and exchange services for online orders at its offline stores. Additionally, Macy should turn offline stores into online order fulfillment centers. Macy can should enhance its data analytics to effectively make a prediction based on understanding local shoppers’ shopping histories or product preferences to improve speed of order fulfillment or avoid depriving offline stores from fulfilling orders.

and use the data to quickly fulfill its offline stores with improve its ability to predict popular items and
its offline stores
Ramis Junnarkov and had a similar thought as I was reading the article. Wine consumption is such an emotional experience, it is unclear to me whether companies will be able to make the adjustments required to combat climate change without entirely alienating their customer bases. For example, you mention the hybrid Chambourcin grape as a potential solution, but I can’t help but wonder if the idea of a hybrid grape tarnishes the brand equity of Nederburg. For true wine enthusiasts, I imagine many of the innovations or solutions proposed above will be perceived as diminishing the integrity of the wine, so companies must be thoughtful in how they a) execute and then b) communicate climate-change initiatives.