Konstantin's Profile

Great read, thank you! I think the question in your last sentence is absolutely critical in this situation. Even if China returns to previous production levels in the future, would Ford want to accept the risk of a similar disruption in aluminum supply in the future? I guess the answer is no. Even if the current situation in China is temporary, Ford got a very clear message and should develop a long-term plan that will allow undistributed manufacturing process.
Regarding introduction of carbon fiber-bodied vehicles, my major concern would be safety. Ford will need to execute extensive and compelling research in order to demonstrate acceptable risk of safety of such carbon fiber-bodied vehicles. They will need to convince customers that these new carbon cars are no different to traditional metal cars.

Super interesting article! I would like to add another perspective on adoption of ITC recommendations. If the government approves minimum import price for modules and cells, US-based manufactures will have little incentives to invest in new technologies in order to reduce price of modules and cells. In absence of external competition, the growth of the US solar industry is likely to drop, leaving US behind the global solar industry. High prices of solar energy and high prices of coal energy (as mentioned in the article) will not make US customers happy. So while current US administration might deliver it’s promise to support coal industry, it will do so at the expense of the US energy consumers by making electricity more expensive than it costs today.

Emily, you touched on a very important subject. I would like to add one more consideration to this challenge. We, customers, have a lot to say in this circumstances. If the general population is educated and aware that over-fishing in Arctic Region can cause significant long-term issues for future generations, people might just stop buying fish that was caught in Arctic. I know many people who prefer farmed fish that was grown in controlled environments where customers know what they are getting. These will be huge incentives for management of fishing companies. If they optimize costs, improve technology and reduce the use of antibiotics – farmed fish can reduce the need for expensive fishing in Arctic.

Very exciting and super important topic not only to the city of Dallas but also to the entire country. Whilst I agree that the city of Dallas can and should drive climate change agenda on a city level, the city of Dallas doesn’t exist in isolation from the rest of the US (and the rest of the world). I believe current initiatives implemented in Dallas will certainly have a positive impact on rising temperature problem. One major recommendation I would like to make for the city of Dallas is to engage its neighboring cities in similar initiatives. I have never been to Dallas myself, but by looking on the map, it becomes clear that Fort Worth can have a huge impact on climate change efforts implemented by the city of Dallas. If Fort Worth doesn’t set aggressive emission reduction agenda, doesn’t engage its residents in waste reduction program, doesn’t build strategic partnerships with business to focus on energy goals – all the great job that the city of Dallas does will be made redundant. Fort Worth is an obvious example, but there are other industrial cities in the US that need to be involved in order to make an actual difference.

Miguel, excellent article! Reading your article I got so excited that I actually went to Filippo Loreti website to check out if I can find a Christmas present for my father in law who actually lives in Lithuania!
My major concern with Filippo Loreti’s business model is that at $200-300 prices these watches won’t be considered luxury high-end watches by many customers. I agree that many customers value transparency and fast delivery, but if Filippo Loreti wants to be viewed as luxury watches they need to build that luxury ambiance around the brand. One way of doing that is to have a high price model that customers can try in a physical shop. Otherwise, these are just one of those above average watches that you can buy on Amazon or Ebay.
Also, Filippo Loreti needs to be careful who much data they share with customers. Some customers like dreaming that their luxury watches were produced by a group of talented Italian watch makers who spend months of time delivering this piece of art. When they find that a watch was produced in 5 days on a factory somewhere in SE Asia, this might be the end of a customer dream.

Mykola, great job! I enjoyed reading your article. It feels super relevant to our everyday life. I absolutely agree that Delta needs to be selective with partners and only work with those following strict IT security procedures. However, IT threats and risk of hacking attack are also coming from Delta’s customers. For instance, it’s becoming more and more popular among customers to check-in to a flight using a mobile app. When people travel they often don’t have 4G on their phones and they use some unsecured public Wi-fi to check-in. As a result, customer personal data might leak through Delta app. So Delta has a choice: either to educate customers and invest in the extra security of its app or to encourage customers to check-in in person at the airport. In the former case, customer personal data might be compromised; but in the latter case, Delta will have to deal with big check-in queues at the airport that might delay flight departure.