From the category archives:

apple iphone

Lean Thinking and the Amazon Kindle

by Pete Abilla December 11, 2009

I receive emails from recruiters – frequently.  So, as a favor to them, I am posting a job for your interest: the hiring company is Amazon.com. Below is one job description and contact information, but if you go to the Amazon.com website, there are over 50 open positions looking for people with experience in Lean [...]

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Customer Service and the iPhone

by Pete Abilla March 13, 2009

related update: Jeff Bezos on Root Cause Analysis In some organizations, the Customer Service function is largely viewed as a cost center, draining resources of the firm.  I maintain that this viewpoint is largely false and is one that less mature companies support.  I believe that Customer Service is an accurate litmus test of the [...]

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Necessary but Insufficient

by Pete Abilla June 7, 2008

Motorola (MOT), the inventor of Six Sigma, is in big trouble. Even though it invented Six Sigma, this is a clear example that shows how Lean or Six Sigma are not a cure-all for corporate woes, but that good leadership and a winning strategy are key in a competitive world — Lean or Six Sigma [...]

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Reducing Customer Service Contacts

by Pete Abilla May 26, 2008

In some organizations, the Customer Service function is largely viewed as a cost center, draining resources of the firm. I maintain that this perspective is what less mature companies support. More mature companies and, subsequently the more successful ones, understand the strategic fit of Customer Service in the overall value chain and it’s functional role [...]

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Customer Service: an iPhone Case Study

by Pete Abilla March 16, 2008

In some organizations, the Customer Service function is largely viewed as a cost center, draining resources of the firm.  I maintain that this viewpoint is one that less mature companies support.  In what follows, I’ll take a hypothetical iPhone defect case and show how customer service in this example plays a pivotal role in the [...]

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On The Verge of Buying an iPhone

by Pete Abilla July 9, 2007

The Applie iPhone, in my view, is such a big step toward more friendly computing.  The interface is refreshing, the device is beautiful, and the interaction is, for the most part, intuitive.  Indeed, in a world of quick-to-be discarded phones and devices, I’m on the verge of buying one, but not yet. But, First Some [...]

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The Apple iPhone Supply Chain

by Pete Abilla January 18, 2007

I am teaching a class in Operations and Supply Chain Management at the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. As part of that class, we discuss global supply chain strategy as well as other things pertaining to Operations.  I thought it might be fun to map the supply chain of the new Apple [...]

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