Category Archives: Management

Management Advice from Warren Buffet

Posted on March 4, 2008 by John Hunter

As usual, Warren Buffett’s letter to shareholders is packed with wisdom. He is best know for his investing genius but his writing provides great thoughts for managers also: Berkshire Hathaway 2007 Letter to Shareholders: We will soon purchase 60% of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Investing, Management | Tagged economy, Investing, Warren Buffett | 1 Comment

Stupid Bureaucratic Requirement

Posted on March 3, 2008 by John Hunter

Quaker teacher fired for changing loyalty oath California State University East Bay has fired a math teacher after six weeks on the job because she inserted the word “nonviolently” in her state-required Oath of Allegiance form. … “I don’t think … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Public Sector | Tagged aim, government | Comments Off

Lean Manufacturing Saving Jobs Again

Posted on March 2, 2008 by John Hunter

Lean manufacturing saving jobs Keiper Automotive has slashed more than $2 million in costs and saved 100 jobs from layoff — all by reducing waste. Bob Cook, plant manager at the Scanlan Street auto parts manufacturer, hosted a lean manufacturing … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Lean thinking, Management, Systems thinking, UK | Tagged jobs, open access, UK | 1 Comment

Management Improvement Carnival #30

Posted on February 29, 2008 by John Hunter

Please submit your favorite management posts to the carnival. Read the previous management carnivals. How not to improve a process – “It is not enough to think you know what’s right for the process, if you don’t understand how the … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Management | Tagged Carnival, Deming, IT, lean management, management tools, one piece flow, Toyota | Comments Off

Customers Get Dissed and Tell

Posted on February 28, 2008 by John Hunter

There are those rare companies where interacting with them is not a dreaded experience: Trader Joe’s, Southwest Airlines, Ritz Carlton, Crutchfield, Cannon, Groovix. There are not many. And even just providing something that just works is seen as a treat. … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer focus, Deming, Management, Psychology | Tagged bad service, blogs, Customer focus, Deming, inspection, internet, overpaid executives, Psychology, Systems thinking | 7 Comments

Lean Six Sigma Case Studies

Posted on February 27, 2008 by John Hunter

ValuMetrix Services provides some really nice lean six sigma case studies. Simple short but still with enough detail to actually provide some sense of what is going on. While on the topic of online case studies let me plug the … Continue reading →

Posted in curiouscat.com, Health care, Lean thinking, Management, Quality tools, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged lean, management tools, online resources, Six sigma | 1 Comment

Corporations Do Not Exist Solely to Maximize the Bottom Line

Posted on February 26, 2008 by John Hunter

Do corporations exist solely to maximize their bottom lines? We don’t think so., Forbes Magazine: When Bill Gates suggested recently that corporations should sacrifice profits to the public welfare, practicing what he called “creative capitalism,” he wasn’t the first robber … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Economics, Management, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged Deming, Economics, purpose, stakeholders, stockholders, suppliers | 3 Comments

Car Powered Using Compressed Air

Posted on February 25, 2008 by John Hunter

Jules Verne predicted cars would run on air. The Air Car is making that a reality. The car would be powered by compressed air. Certainly seem like an interesting idea. Air car ready for production: Refueling is simple and will … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, India, Innovation, Lean thinking, Management, Science, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged cars, cool, engineering, France, global, green, India, Innovation, lean manufacturing, Manufacturing, pollution, Toyota | 11 Comments

Toyota Presses On

Posted on February 24, 2008 by John Hunter

At Toyota, a Global Giant Reaches for Agility With plants in 27 countries, more new factories under construction and workers speaking languages that include Russian and Turkish, Toyota’s top executives are trying a difficult balancing act – replicating the company’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged cars, global, Japan, Manufacturing, Toyota, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Comments Off

Losing Consumers’ Trust

Posted on February 24, 2008 by John Hunter

Last week their was a recall of 143 million pounds of beef in the USA. Lets take a short systemic view at what is going on. The public has an interest in a safe food supply which is difficult to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Management, Psychology, Science, Systems thinking | Tagged Customer focus, export, food, government, health, Psychology, regulation, safety, Systems thinking, trade | 5 Comments