Denzil

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On November 20, 2016, Denzil commented on IoT – Internet of Trash?! :

Wow! Smart Cities seem so tangible after reading this article 🙂 I love this idea and I can’t wait to see this initiative propagate across the country/world! The idea of combining it with other civic goods and services (like street wifi) seems just one of many possible dual purposes. I hope that the company continues to investigate partnerships and commits to R&D. I see a great future if the company continues to stay one step ahead when it comes to Smart City value propositions. They should definitely try to leverage the data they can collect and move into other smart ways of managing waste. I’m excited to see where this company goes!

On November 20, 2016, Denzil commented on Getaround: Using Digital Technology to Maximize Car Utilization :

Wow, I didn’t realize GetAround was founded 7 years ago. I really like the concept of GetAround and it was super useful to my life in San Francisco. While Uber and Lyft and other car-sharing options are great in the city, I often needed to take trips that were out of the immediate vicinity. While ZipCar is an option, there are more advantages with a service like GetAround. Often cars are much closer, you have a much large range in what you can pick, the experience is cheaper, and it feels like your own car. I totally agree that having a telematics box that can be self-installed would be a game-changer and may lead to the company’s rapid growth. I’m interested to see what the company does in the near future and if they will still be around. I am not sure how well-positioned they are to compete in the self-driving cars sector, so I think their best bet is to try and acquire as many users as possible. Thanks for a super interesting read!

On November 20, 2016, Denzil commented on OverDrive and the Digitization of Public Libraries :

Super interesting article! I love OverDrive and use it all the time! I agree that OverDrive is uniquely positioned to have an impact on the rapidly changing publishing industry and they could have a huge say on what the authoring process looks like a decade from now. I personally believe that data is the key for a successful business in the future and OverDrive has a really interesting collection of points expressing users’ interests and tastes. If they can understand how to leverage that and make key partnerships, then I think they can continue to stay ahead of this Internet of Things revolution.

On November 20, 2016, Denzil commented on Domino’s: Pizza Giant, or Tech Startup? :

Great article! I started ordering from Domino’s in college after Doyle was already CEO. Even then their website surpassed my expectations. I found the Pizza Builder super engaging and it made online order a more fun chore. It was the first delivery service that I used online with ease. I’m not at all surprised to see Domino’s staying ahead of the Internet of Things revolution. Recently, I’ve heard that Domino’s invested in even drones for delivery. They also partnered with Messenger for delivery options. Clearly staying ahead with technology is important to them. I have faith that as they continue to invest in partners, Dominos will still be a staple in our future.

Great article, Kristina! I ordered from Domino’s all the time in college and even then their website surpassed my expectations. Their site is engaging, and their online ordering system is easy to follow and it lets you easily track your delivery. I’m not at all surprised to see Domino’s staying ahead of the Internet of Things revolution. It’s cool to see Domino’s investing even in drones. Clearly staying ahead with technology is important to them. I wonder if in the future they will have less need for their brick and mortar stores and if they will switch to just delivery. They are integrating with more and more partners, so I have faith that Dominos will succeed with its technological innovations and will continue to be a staple of our future.

On November 7, 2016, Denzil commented on Your Morning Cup o’ Joe: Yesterday’s Luxury? :

haha so many coffee lovers in the comments <3 While I am not as dedicated to my daily coffee fix, it does terrify me to think that climate change can take away so much of what we hold as staples in our daily lives. Not knowing much about the industry, can Starbucks start focusing in other regions of the world outside of Costa Rica and invest more in the growing process in order mitigate the issues seen here? It's awesome that Starbucks is working directly with the growers and with the strains of coffee to change the entire story around the hot beverage to be something new and sustainable. Is there more that can be done at the grower level? I feel like more research needs to be done into actually technology and perhaps agricultural genetics because they have the best chance of creating large impact as they are at the beginning of the long chain that is between bean to drink. Education for farmers to manage the scarce resources as well as creating more robust coffee varietals will be key in changing the conversation and starting investments by other industries or players in the coffee sector to create progress. It's crazy to me that Starbucks is so vulnerable to climate change!

On November 7, 2016, Denzil commented on McDonald’s – is the Big Mac in BIG trouble? :

Super fascinating read Shray! Great job! The company is definitely not taking the issue seriously enough at this point, and I’m curious to see where they will go from here. There is clearly not enough accountability. Perhaps in addition to the suggestions you provided above, McDonalds should also consider more aggressively promoting non-beef options (in return for more positive PR around health?). Methane emissions from beef cows alone represent about 20% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions [1]. McDonalds is one of the few companies that has real power to influence how the fast food industry develops moving forward, and it is in their best interest to get this conversation around climate change right and in their control. Only a year ago McDonalds committed to shrinking its carbon footprint with President Obama’s American Business Act [2]. Even though they have committed, until they actually start sustainably sourcing beef, it is just false promises. Who knows what the future holds?

[1] http://www.fao.org/docrep/019/i3671e/i3671e.pdf
[2] http://corporate.mcdonalds.com/mcd/sustainability/planet/climate-and-energy/mcdonald_s-participates-in-climate-pledge.html

On November 7, 2016, Denzil commented on Global warming in the Alps: a modern tale of Atlantis? :

Super fascinating read! From my perspective, ski resorts are probably very interested in ensuring that they can be used all four seasons so anything that they can do to mitigate climate change means more benefits throughout the year. It was interesting to learn what Verbier is doing. They need to invest in whatever makes them successful in the off-seasons (or attempt to become more popular in the off-seasons) in order to keep themselves relevant as we move into the future.

While making snow is expensive, it seems inevitable. Snow resorts should definitely be investing more into R&D about how to best (and cheaply) manufacture snow as well as retain it in ideal form (soft and mushy rather than hard and icy). The more research and investment they into technology here, the better prepared they will be for the future.

On a related note, I feel like Snow Resorts are in a unique position where they can make investments in other areas outside of skiing/snowboarding technology to have an impact on climate change. For example, the city of Zermatt in Switzerland has transportation that is a fully battery driven and almost completely silent. Their concern was air pollution related to the Matterhorn and tourism, and they invested in that very early but now I believe that all snow resorts should be thinking about creating ski towns that are filled with only combustion-engine car-free zones [1]. It’s another draw to these little towns, and it could help continue to keep these snow towns successful while sustainable.

Awesome post! Thanks!

[1] http://zermatt.com/history-of-electric-bus-in-zermatt/

On November 7, 2016, Denzil commented on Make Chamonix ski slopes white again :

Super fascinating read! I love that you wrote about Chamonix as it is one of the few resorts I’ve ever visited and I fell in love. Totally agree with HBS2018, that the resort is probably very interested in ensuring that they can be used all four seasons so anything that they can do to mitigate climate change means more benefits throughout the year. Snow resorts should definitely be investing more into R&D about how to best manufacture snow as well as retain it in ideal form (soft and mushy rather than hard and icy).

On a related note, I feel like Snow Resorts are in a unique position where they can make investments in other areas outside of skiing/snowboarding to have an impact on climate change. For example, Zermatt’s transportation is a fully battery driven and almost completely silent. Their concern was air pollution related to the Matterhorn and tourism, and they invested in that very early but now I believe that all snow resorts should be thinking about creating ski towns that are combustion-engine car-free zones [1]. There’s a lot that snow resorts can do to keep the industry successful while sustainable.

Awesome post! Thanks!

[1] http://zermatt.com/history-of-electric-bus-in-zermatt/

On November 7, 2016, Denzil commented on Tesla talks Climate change :

Great read! I think Tesla is an inspiring company with the big picture in mind when it comes to climate change. They are working to redefine what transportation in the future looks, but as you mention in your article, their in-progress acquisition of Solar City is what shows their true goal of vertical integration. With the SolarCity acquisition, Tesla is defining what the future of energy is in our world. The company is taking a leading stand in this conversation about climate change, and they are creating an opportunity for themselves to drive solar energy adoption. The combination of the two companies builds this dream of offering “end-to-end clean energy products”, where society can minimize our dependence on fossil fuels and the utility grid while also lowering costs [1]. Tesla is already clearly “catalyzing the transition to sustainable transportation”, but with SolarCity, they take their vision further by creating a comprehensive sustainable future in all aspects of our life where energy plays a role [2].

I would like to disagree with CaptainKoloth above comment though about whether Tesla’s contribution to climate change discussion is questionable. “Even when you factor in the carbon emissions and pollution from the power plants that produce the electricity to power the cars, and from manufacturing and disposal, electric cars produce about 40 percent less carbon dioxide and ozone than conventional cars,” and all of these benefits are provided without sacrificing the sleek style and luxury of a high end brand [2]. Tesla is clearly doing more than a minimal net savings of CO2 emissions, and by discounting the work that they have done and continue to do is the opposite attitude of what is needed to continue the conversation around Climate Change issue seriously.

[1] Tesla. Tesla Solar City Investor Presentation. N.p., Oct. 2016. Web. 3 Nov. 2016
https://www.scribd.com/document/328897063/Tesla-Solarcity-Presentation-Investor#fullscreen&from_embed
[2] Bullis, K. How Tesla is driving electric car innovation. MIT Technology Review. 7 August 2013
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/516961/how-tesla-is-driving-electric-car-innovation