Production & Operations Monthly Newsletter in the field of Operations Management
April 01, 2007 Volume 2, Number 1 Back to POM website
In This Issue · Editor’s Note · EcoDesign ABCs · Research: Gaining strategic advantage through green SCM · Point of view: Driving value through life-cycle assessment and green procurement strategies · Book Review: The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid Contact Us http://www.pomonthly.com info@pomonthly.com Editor Ehsan Ehsani ehsan@pomonthly.com SupplyChainer.com Your ultimate guide to supply chain Management RFID Weblog Serial Entrepreneur, Anita Campbell writes about Information Technology and RFID MoreRFID.com Be informed about the world of RFID Buy the book online from Barnes & Noble:	Special Issue on Green Operations Editor’s Note: Why should companies go for sustainable operations? By: Ehsan Ehsani, POMonthly Editor Today, half of Europe’s energy consumption derives from imported fossil fuels. And on current trends, over two-thirds of our energy consumption will come from outside the EU by 2030. Fossil fuels, used in both the energy and transport sectors, are also the main cause of CO2 being released into the atmosphere, which is the most important greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. Such issues might seem like a threat but companies can turn these to opportunities and create value both for themselves and the society… Read the Full Foreword EcoDesign ABCs: How to develop a sustainable product design? By: Hesamedin Ostad Ahmad Ghorabi Technical University of Vienna Institute for Engineering Design – Ecodesign When thinking about the quality of a product, what considerations are usually taken into account? What qualities of a product are evaluated before it is bought by the consumer? What properties of a product give direction to this decision? Beneath the sales price, the design and appearance of the product sometimes are the two most important parameters which are taken into account when a product is bought. … Read More Research: Gaining Strategic Advantage through Green Supply Chain Management By: Dennis Taylor, MBA, Michigan Technological University The greening of supply chain management is an idea, which consists of a portfolio of strategies through which firms can develop green practices. These practices are aimed at decreasing negative environmental impacts and reducing waste while also increasing profitability and value for the consumer. In order for these practices to be successful for both the environment and for the firm they must be based on competencies already existing within the firm or upon new capabilities able to be developed that are consistent with the firm's mission and vision. Read More Point of view: Deriving Value through Life-cycle Assessment and Green Procurement Strategies By: Dennis Taylor Taking a value driven approach to the greening of supply chain management can also aid in the implementation of green practices. This approach is centered on the goal of delivering value through providing high quality, sustainable, durable, and reliable products at low cost to consumers Read the Full Article Book Review: The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid A book written by C. K. Prahalad Unlike what most of the companies think, the profitability opportunities in today’s competitive markets don’t lie in luxury high-end segments but in the markets consisting of people who earn less than $2 per day. C. K. Prahalad, one of the world’s well recognized strategy thinkers, shows in his recent book that the world’s fastest growing market is at the bottom and not the top of the fortune pyramid: countries like China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey, South Africa, and Thailand. Collectively, these countries have a GDP of $12.5 trillion, larger than the GDP of Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and the UK combined. Value creation at the bottom of the pyramid not only will lead to profitability on companies’ side but also is an effective and sustainable solution to the dilemma of poverty in third world countries...Read the Full Review