N. Lang's Profile

Hi Sarah,

I though this was a really interesting article about isolationism policies. First, I just have to say that I’m shocked that the e-verify agency did not face any repercussions regarding their actions. I am wondering if because this is a private case if LFP is simply unaware of the larger penalties that the e-verify agency is facing. Besides that point, I’m very disheartened to see how this policy has affected valued, long-term employees at LFP. The employees and their families are the biggest victims in this case. But the firm as a whole, it’s customers and the other stake-holders in its value chain also suffer.

The signifacnt labor shortage that you reference makes me wonder if LFP will eventually have to turn to robotics instead of skilled labor. I like your idea of utilizing high school students – but I see a nubmer of issues in that plan. Mainly are they going to be mature enough to cover the responsiblities and will their be untenable levels of turnover due to them leaving for college or other jobs. I’m afraid that LFP and others in their situation will invest in robotics because of the labor shortage caused by these isolationist policies.

Hey Kenya, I love that Coca-cola is setting sustainability goals – but rather than wonder whether they are too ambitious like you asked, I was wondering if they were enough. It seemed to me like they should try for loftier goals than for 25% reduction of the “drink in your hand” carbon footprint over the course of 10 years. Other large companies that we’ve studied, like Ikea, have had much more ambitious sustainability goals.

I’m left wondering if Coca-Cola is actually trying to have an impact on the environment or if this is just a marketing / CSR strategy. One of my biggest questions is why only 8% of their drinks are made out of the “Plantbottle” material. It makes me very skeptical about when and how pervasively they will actually implement their new “Plantbottle” design. I’m also wondering what it actual means to “replenish” the water sources that they use. Also – just wanted to say that I think your article is very well-written and well-sourced. It is not your post that I’m skeptical about, but Coca-colas motivations / intentions.

Hey Sakshi – Great post! My most recent consulting role prior to HBS was working with a hospital system in the Midwest to decrease their clinical supply chain costs. That system only had 7 hospitals and they had zero communication between them as far as supply chain went! They had separate people purchasing for each of the hospitals and sometimes even different people for individual departments within the hospitals. I can’t imagine how much more money they could have saved if they had a system like Mercy’s. I know Damir mentioned partnering with EHRs but I’d be more intrigued about partnering with other hospitals. I’m wondering if they could sell or license this system to other hospitals / clinics across the country. Could be a unique way for the hospital to make money and also contribute to a lower cost of care across the country.

Hey Laura,

Thank you for bringing this company to our attention, clinical trials are very important. If you are interested in clinical trails and how technology can help facilitate them – you should check out some of the work that Apple is doing. It’s not a perfect system, but a lot of the things that Apple is trying with ResearchKit are pretty cool. As for Antidote – I definitely agree with you that they need to do more direct to consumer advertising. I could see this company really have an impact if they can reach more patients. As for your second question, I’m not exactly concerned about it at the moment. Clinical Trials are so supply-deficient that I don’t see it being a problem very soon.

Hi Kimberly –

Thank you for writing this article and for asking us to consider our consumer habits and how Amazon Prime is affecting our purchasing and decision making. Personally, I have been an Amazon Prime customer since almost the very beginning. Until about the last two years or so I have been extremely happy with the service. Up until that point, I was still surprised and delighted that I could receive just about anything that I could imagine from Amazon Prime in exactly two days – no more, no less. However, in the last few years as Amazon has been experimenting with same day and one day delivery, it seems as though their standards have slipped. It is now becoming a 50/50 chance that I actually get my items within two days. In your post, you talk about adding more vendors to the prime program and adding new technologies like drones. I am hoping that while Amazon focuses on expanding, that they make sure they aren’t leaving their former core competencies behind.

Hey TOM Lover,

Thanks for writing about Cimpress! I’ve seen Vistaprints advertisements and I’ve always wondered how they can sustain a business while offering customized business cards at such a low price point. I’m starting to get a better idea of how that is possible with the statistic you provided stating that a 250 card job at cimpress could only take 13 seconds compared to an hour elsewhere. Your post does bring up some questions though. I am a bit confused as to what the exact logistics / business plan that the CEO envisions could be. I’m having a very hard time conceptualizing how you could take an amazon or uber-like platform and apply it to the printing / customization business. Maybe we can discuss in class!