Maria_Camila Saad's Profile

Aparna, what a very interesting post! I love this transportation solution because it is built-on an existing Indonesian classic: the ojek!! I have only two concerns: competition and environmental impact. Given the information you provided, it is not very clear that there is a high barrier that will prevent a competitor entering the space. Second, I do not know if tis is true in Indonesia, but most governments tax taxis for environmental impact (i.e. CO2 emissions). Moving forward, as Gojek and similar solutions evolve (including Uber!), it is important to understand how governments will be able to regulate these companies’ environmental impact.

Alex, thank you for a very interesting post. I agree with you, digital technology in banking can improve the banking experience in many aspects. My only concern is if reducing face-to-face interactions in the banking experience, can end up negatively affecting the bank’s value proposition. This could play out especially in situations when a client needs to make a financial decision in which the level of understanding is very low. Thoughts?

Christie, great post! I really liked how you frame the technology solution not as a substitute for personal relationships, but rather an enhancer of existing human transactions. Second, I found very interesting your proposal of potentially developing a tool that can perform a comprehensive risk analysis for a company. Given all the data that Zenefits is and can accumulate, this tool’s accuracy can improve over time, and potentially create some network effects. My question for you is: will it be possible to create another avenue of revenue by partnering with insurance companies to understand how they can serve their clients better? or by providing to these same insurance companies market research?

Akyaa, I loved this post! Thank you. It is very interesting how something as simple as a text message can have such an impact on fighting the counterfeit drugs market. My only question / concern is regarding the timing of the text message. Is the text message sent once the consumer has brought the drug? If the answer is yes, it is unclear how this can impact the drugs black market. In other words, how knowing that the drug is not fake, will help the consumer not buy a fake one next time?

Pooja, this was a very interesting sneak peek into an industry I do not know anything about. I agree with how Manufacturing Execution System (MES) improves the communication between the shop floor control and the enterprise system layer. If possible, I would recommend you to quantify the impact of that in-house digital innovation of Tata Steel. What there the supply chain efficiencies that were captured? What was the USD cost savings?

Awesome post! As someone that cannot function without coffee, coffee is very close to my heart. This is why your post headline “Melting polar caps or not having your morning coffee: what’s worse?” really caught my attention. I found very interesting Coffee Made Happy. Looking at their website, I was positively surprised about the emphasis they make on the importance of training smallholder farmers. That been said. I am concern that this strategy, an adaptation rather than a mitigation strategy, does not have the necessary scale to really combat climate change.

Great post! I enjoyed a lot learning about Maersk; the container ship industry is very distant from my previous work experiences. I found very interesting that you mention how until recently Maersk and other similar players had taken advantage of flexible fuel protocols. The fact that the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris climate treaty had actually triggered mitigation climate change responses speaks to the power of policy and cross-country partnerships. Moreover, I agree with all the alternatives you propose to increase Maersk’s fuel efficiency. I will add that given the significant capital expenditures ($3-$11 billion USD) to move the needle, I think that Maersk should partner with its competitors to see how they can catalyze the entire system. Hopefully, players in the industry will realize that if they not join forces, they will not be able to survive in a less lax fuel protocols.

Amazing post. I love the fact that you chose a governmental organization! It is very inspiring to see how this community stand-up against one of the major threads we are facing as a civilization. In particular, I found very enlightening the point you make about the ripples of impact due to the purchasing power the District has over the building industry. This is true story on how the “big players” in a system, can positively catalyze the entire system. My question will be, is it possible to quantify these “ripples of impact”? In other words, will it be possible to quantify the positive externalities of the LAUSD initiative? That quantification will empower policy makers to write polices that potentially can change the history of our planet.

Great post! I am New Belgium fan. Not only because its great beers, also because how they have positioned their brand. I found very interesting the fact that they have donated $8M to charitable organizations. Even though I imagine the recipients of those funds have been able to fund interesting projects, I am worried that this $8M are a mere PR stunt. In my professional experience, I have seen how in most cases it is better to use funds in fewer bigger projects than in more of smaller ones. I would recommend New Belgium to keep investing in on-site water treatment plants and/or landfill collection points. In the long run, these type of investments, if advertised properly, will be rewarded by end-consumers.

I was shocked when I read that the California wine industry generates $114 billion dollars in annual income, and employees 800,000 Americans! As a non-America, I hadn’t grasp how important this industry is for the country. Regarding your proposal, I agree with the two crucial steps you articulate. However, your first proposal, introducing new varietals, presents a significant dilemma: in order to succeed, will traditional Californian vineyards need to introduce GMOs? If they have not done it, and they decide to do it, how will they market these new seeds to their clients? My initial hypothesis is that this will create a marketing challenge for the most traditional (i.e. old-school) vineyards.