In a digitized retail world, brands are coming up with new ways to service the increasingly demanding consumer. Macy's shows us one solution for big box, traditional retailers: add fulfillment capabilities to existing retail locations.
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Climate change poses significant questions about the viability of Rio Tinto's current operations. In the face of these challenges, Rio Tinto is working to adapt their operations and processes to assist in the process of stemming climate change.
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BFM – amazing post! As a consumer of Nike and NikeID, I’ve always loved the customized product. Not only did Nike make customizing easy for consumers, but they also did a great job of incorporating tech into their nike and nikeID product by allowing users to track their run. By uniting technology and function, Nike created a new usage for the shoe and made the product even stickier. Nike became even more synonymous with working out, athletics and living a fit lifestyle. I wonder if Nike is going to be able to maintain its edge against competitors as more tech-enabled workout products and performance tracking products are introduced by existing competitors and new market entrants.
MD! Great post on one of my favorite products. It’s very interesting to read how Netflix leverages data to determine what content to purchase and produce. In my view, the data-centric method for content development has really cemented Netflix’s spot as the top streaming service. Initially it was about access to movies and TV shows, but I believe the tables have turned and original content has become the biggest driver of views. With Amazon and other competitors leveraging data to buy the right content, what will Netflix do next to stay ahead of the competition?
Tuyee – what an interesting post! I really enjoyed learning about this amazing company that is working to solve a major issue. One question I had was around access: how do the doctors become part of the mclinic network and what kind of IT set up is required for use? I wonder if the initial start-up costs for accessing the network and using the platform are prohibitive for some. To that end, is mPharma profitable or supported by donations? It would be interesting to see if multiple tiers of product could work in this model.
Great post! I now have a much better understanding of the opportunity that autonomous vehicles create for the shipping industry. What intrigues me is 1) The shift in labor cost from low-cost drivers to high-cost engineers and 2) the availability of labor for high quality engineers that are needed to build this business. Shifting from low-cost drivers to expensive engineers demands significant upfront investment. It seems like Uber was willing to pay for the foundation of the platform in the Otto acquisition, but how much more investment is needed and are they willing to commit? Further, given the small size of the market of robotics engineers, how will Uber attract and retain the talent needed to pull this off? Lastly, great photo!
Great post! I agree that Coca Cola is doing a good job getting ahead of the issues to come and partnering with the right groups to mitigate potential operational issues. I think there is a branding opportunity here for Coca Cola that I would like to seem them undertake: with consumer trends focusing on the detriments of sugar which is creating a lot of negative press for Coca Cola, there is an opportunity to make Coca Cola stand for a positive message again by promoting its investment in mitigating climate change. This would also help increase awareness of the issues at hand!
Great post! I find it fascinating that despite the widely known threats to South Florida, there continues to be significant real estate development in the region (specifically in South Beach). Presumably some of the world’s savviest investors and real estate professionals are bankrolling the development of these hotels, condos, etc. in an area that may be underwater within the next 50 years. It makes me wonder if my very basic view is missing some key point.
Also, I agree that the mayor is doing a great job of leveraging this environment to generate investment in mitigation and recovery programs but I wonder if it’s too little, too late. Further, if there is no solution and doomsday is inevitable, what happens to the billions of dollars of property that currently sits on the sandy beaches. Does the value of that property go to zero? Are we expecting some mechanism to be discovered that can maintain the viability of these buildings if South Beach is under water? No matter what the answer is, it will be an interesting next 30-50 years in South Beach.
Zach – thank you for your article. As a long-time Starbucks consumer I was aware that they are very focused on the environment and creating a more sustainable model. However, I did not realize that their introduction of hot food products was at odds with the goal of reduced emissions. I really find it interesting because it underlines the questions we’ve been debating in class: can you have a for-profit and save-the-world model in the same business. With their hot food offering, it is clear that Starbucks has higher emissions and does run the risk of losing brand equity in the mind of the climate-conscious consumer. However, I wonder how big of a risk it it is. Said differently, why do you think Starbucks felt that their consumer “allowed” them to offer hot food in direct competition to the goal of lowering emissions? To me, this implies that the value of the hot food outweighs the potential risk of losing the climate-conscious customer. How long do you think we have to wait until that equation shifts and the threat of losing the consumer outweighs the profit generated from hot food sales?
What an interesting paradox: climate change increases the amount of land where bananas can grow while, at the same time, reduces the amount of a critical resource (water) to grow the bananas. However after reading the article, I found myself asking is Dole doing enough? For being the largest producers of bananas, I would have expected a more thoughtful and calculated approach to reducing the impact of climate change on its business. A restricted supply of water would significant hamper banana production in any region so I do not think that the increase in workable land will offset the reduction in crops due to water restriction. I wonder why Dole is not testing additional solutions for growing bananas with less water?
Very interesting article! When I think of companies facing issues due to climate change I do not immediately think of insurers but it is clear that they are significantly impacted. I wonder how this impacts investment in high risk areas like South Florida. Are AIG and other insurers with the same point of view choking entrepreneurial growth in Florida by refusing to offer insurance? Further are investment firms less likely to invest in Florida-based businesses because securing insurance is becoming more and more difficult? I agree that AIG and other insurers’ decisions to stay out of this market will have the effect of driving innovation in insurance while also opening the door to less risk-averse insurance firms that can charge a high premium to insure against the climate risk. It will be very interesting to watch this industry evolve!