Professor Elam

Apps Move Restaurants to Virtual Reality

Monday Nov 6, 2017

An article in today's WSJ describes how virtual restaurants exist online.No take out window, no waiters,no bus boys, no dish washers.

That eliminates20% of the labor cost.

And it allows them to locate in far less expensive locations that would probably be otherwise unused.

I logged on to Grubhub which features known SA restaurants who have branched into online delivery.

Doordash did not call up any restaurants but wanted me to download their app.

Scroll down and click on San Antonio at Postmates.

In ACCT 3314 and ACCT 3301 we study managerial accounting, ways to become more efficient in product creation and delivery.

Americans are cooking less and spending on take out more. Here is a trend worth watching

 

 

More Production Woes at Tesla

Wednesday Nov 1, 2017

In early 2016, a crisis unfolded at Tesla Inc.’s TSLA 3.58% electric-car factory. The company’s new Model X sport-utility vehicles were stacking up in the repair yard with misaligned parts.

Tesla took the unusual step of placing more than a dozen workers at the end of the assembly line who whacked doors and side panels into shape with rubber hammers, according to people familiar with the matter. The company suffered months of delays as it learned to build the Model X, leading to long hours and injuries as factory workers rushed to meet lofty goals, say people familiar with the effort.

SHLD Running Low in Inventory

Wednesday Nov 1, 2017

Shoppers hunting for this holiday season’s hot toy, the L.O.L. Surprise, may have trouble finding it at Sears or Kmart stores. Worried about the financial health of the retail chains, the company that makes the toy, a ball that children unwrap to reveal small dolls, has reduced shipments to Sears Holdings Corp. SHLD -2.30%

“We cut their credit line and shortened payment terms,” said Isaac Larian, chief executive of toy maker MGA Entertainment Inc. “If they pay one day late, we will cut them off.”

Sears once dominated American retailing and helped build famous brands, including Whirlpool appliances, Craftsman tools, Schwinn bicycles and Allstate insurance. Now, bleeding cash and losing shoppers, the 124-year-old company is scrambling to keep suppliers—the lifeblood of any retail chain—from bolting.

To guarantee shipments from LG Electronics Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. , Sears is paying them cash up front for some goods, said people familiar with the matter. Levi Strauss & Co. has stopped supplying women’s jeans to the chain, said another person. At Clorox Co. , “We have certainly adjusted our payment terms,” said CEO Benno Dorer.