Two (2) occupants of two (2) condominium residences were refusing to pay their share of association and water bills. They, in fact, haven’t paid for over a year despite repeated follow-ups from the condominium’s treasurer. The rationale of both occupants (who happen to be sisters, by the way) was that the condominium association wasn’t legal,Continue reading “Two Kinds of Customers”
Author Archives: Ellery
We are Consumers in a Take-It-or-Leave-It World
I’ll never fly, Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, ever again. At least I’ll avoid it as much as I could. The Emirates flight I took from Manila to Dubai was horrible. I had a economy seat in which I could not get the in-flight entertainment system to work. The flight attendants ignored my requests for assistance. Continue reading “We are Consumers in a Take-It-or-Leave-It World”
Attaining Flow via Systems & Platforms
We complain how little time we have. Or we complain about how long we have to wait. Either time is too short or too long. We lose track of time when we’re engrossed in a task. But we use a lot of it when we distract ourselves from our jobs. Time is an intangible resourceContinue reading “Attaining Flow via Systems & Platforms”
Three (3) Real-Life Cases of Demand Fulfilment
We fulfil demand in different ways. For instance, we make products available such as at store shelves. Another example is we customise and deliver based on what our customers order. We encounter challenges in fulfilling demand, however. And we sometimes don’t know we do. I went to a newly opened convenience store one SundayContinue reading “Three (3) Real-Life Cases of Demand Fulfilment”
Demand Fulfilment Begins Before the Order, Not After
As managers of our enterprises. we entice our customers to select our products & services. Once our customers show interest in the items we are selling, the demand creation process comes closer to ending, and the demand fulfilment comes closer to beginning. Hence, we don’t wait for customers to order when we start the fulfilmentContinue reading “Demand Fulfilment Begins Before the Order, Not After”
The Order-Winning Operations Strategy
We, whether we are executives, entrepreneurs, or employees, face challenges and disruptions every day. Most of us have goals or at least have things we want to realise or get done. We hate it when we run into obstacles. We therefore develop strategies to anticipate and overcome them, if not get around them. Goals areContinue reading “The Order-Winning Operations Strategy”
Formulating the Operations Strategy
Every enterprise has a strategy. Not all have an operations strategy. A strategy is not a vision nor is it a mission. A strategy is also not a goal and nor is it an action plan. A vision is a desired future state. Where do we want to be 1 to 5 years from now?Continue reading “Formulating the Operations Strategy”
Dissecting Demand and Its Four (4) Stages
What do we think of when we discuss demand? We tap it, capture it, deliver it, and get people to pay for it, but do we really know what it is? We equal demand with how long a line is at a restaurant, or by the sheer number of customers at a shop. We sayContinue reading “Dissecting Demand and Its Four (4) Stages”
Compliance is Not Service
Every year, banks notify us that we need to update our background information for the accounts we opened and deposit our money in. They say it’s a rule of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP, the governing monetary authority of the Philippines, where I live & work. All depositors must comply to enjoy theContinue reading “Compliance is Not Service”
The Supply Chain Orchestra
In August of 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. The United States of America led a coalition of nations to counter the invasion via a military campaign that started with Operation Desert Shield and then with Operation Desert Storm. In November 1990, General Fred Franks, Jr., commander of the US Army VII Corps, deployed the Corps’ fiveContinue reading “The Supply Chain Orchestra”
Ellery's Essays 