Featured Article

Trump’s Tariffs

By Tim J. Smith, PhD March 12, 2025

Trump initiated tariffs with major U.S. trading partners on 1 February, then retracted them on 3 February. Executives across the North American continent expressed uncertainty regarding their preparedness for the possible supply chain and economic shocks. For executives at manufacturing and distribution companies with supply chains that stretch across borders, pricing decisions must be made at a highly accelerated pace to manage the economic shocks associated with new tariffs. Today, more than…

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In This Issue

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Is Amazon No Longer a Low-Price Ecommerce Leader?

By David Dalka April 30, 2013

There is a long-standing perception that dates back to the earliest days of the Internet that prices are always cheaper on the web at places like Amazon.com (AMZN).  Today though, this may be a myth.

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Economic Price Optimization through A/B Tests: Limited Applicability, Part 4 in our Series

By Tim J. Smith, PhD April 30, 2013

Which is a better price: $15.99 or $16.49? To answer this question, we have A/B testing and price optimization, but this approach doesn’t work all the time.

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Why J.C. Penney’s New Strategy Won’t Work

By James T. Berger April 1, 2013

A few months ago I reported on a visit to J.C. Penney and commented on my disappointment with the look and feel of the store. What I saw was CEO Ron Johnson’s new strategy. The basis of this strategy is a return to the roots of the company through its “Fair and Square Every Day” philosophy. The problem with this strategy is that it is, in the words of Wharton Professor George S. Day, an “inside-out” strategy instead of an “outside-in” approach.

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J.C. Penney – Love the Vision But You Chose the Rocky Path

By Tim J. Smith, PhD April 1, 2013

JC Penney’s CEO Ron Johnson has had a tough go at it. Stock valuation is down roughly 40% since the time Johnson took over. Customer sales are down 20% from last year. Some are calling for his resignation. But before we chant “off with his head” with the Twitterati, let’s see if we can’t help him find a way out of his quandary.

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