A few days back James Surowiecki had a question about where the COVID vaccine inventory is located and how many doses we have in each location. It is a pretty good question as it is one of the things that “seems obvious” that we should know, but is just vexing problem in inventory control.
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When I heard the story of Tony Hsieh’s tragic passing, the meaninglessness of the tragedy struck me deep. The death not only cut short his young life but also culled the dynamism of his ideas and a promise of a better future. I did not know Mr. Hsieh, but many whom I respect knew him and held him in high regard. Om Malik wrote a beautiful, heartfelt essay on what Tony Hsieh meant to people pursuing their ideas. I will write about the brilliance of Zappos, which was perhaps the biggest e-commerce acquisition of Amazon (1.2 billion USD in 2009), the first of their billion-dollar acquisitions. Zappos was not a run of the mill internet retailer. It was a strikingly…
Leave a CommentSince Brexit, I had always wanted to read about the peculiarity of Euroscepticism in England, and the reasons England voted in stark difference from Scotland on the Remain/Leave referendum. I started with the single-volume history of England — The English and Their History by the historian Robert Tombs. As an engineering grad, I did not take a formal course in history. Reading this book would be an enjoyable learning experience and rectify that mistake. The Brexit referendum would impose that the whole of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) exits Europe. The term Brexit, of course, refers to the exit of Great Britain. In truth, it was a slim majority of older, working-class England that was itching…
Leave a CommentUnited States’ global market share In chip manufacturing has shrunk from 35% to 12% in the slow march of supply chain capability moving up the value chain in China. I point out the need for building skilled labor force.
Leave a CommentIn the true style of an armchair researcher, I write about furniture. I evaluate the goals and purpose of the IKEA’s buyback program. In the name of fighting “excessive consumption”, IKEA makes a serious attempt to rejuvenate their stores in the Covid world.
Leave a CommentMukesh Ambani’s Jio, launched in 2016, with its aggressively underpriced service has risen to meet the increasing appetite of massive internet consumption in rural and suburban India. Jio is the Amazon of India, dominating the internet market and also making massive inroads into the granular retail market. Competitors in hushed tones are wary of Jio’s size and dominance, but customers absolutely can’t do without it due to price and convenience. Personally speaking, Jio absolutely transformed my travel experience in India.
Leave a CommentGreat moment when Theory wins the prize. Market Design is an exciting confluence of Economics, Operations Research and Computer Science.
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