Operations & technology

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has hit global trade and investment with devastating force and speed. Why did the world fail to learn the lessons of SARS, H1N1 or other major disruptions? What’s behind the fragility in supply chains that can derail global trade and transactions when the unexpected strikes? How can we guard against future shocks?

Traditional retail remains in a period of widespread transformation. Many suburban malls have shuttered, or limp along with few tenants. The rapid transformation even has its own doom-and-gloom shorthand: the Retail Apocalypse. Amid the turmoil, there is also transformation and growth. Darden Professor Vidya Mani shares what's next.

Despite its origins in manufacturing, lean thinking has shown the potential to transform other process-oriented industries, including healthcare. According to Darden Professor Elliott N. Weiss, when it comes to process improvement and eliminating waste, lean is as effective in the hospital as it is on the factory floor.

China’s marketing landscape is a different machine than Western companies may be accustomed to. How a country evolves impacts consumer habits — which, in turn, should impact marketing practice. Western multinational firms seeking to expand need to shift their strategies — and might find they can apply some lessons to other markets.

With a global population projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, food production will require innovative new methods for producing more food, more sustainably. Here, Darden Ideas to Action highlights one company trying to do just that: Beanstalk, founded by brothers Mike and Jack Ross in 2017.

Visitors to hospital Emergency Rooms wait, on average, more than two hours—some even leave without treatment because of the time. New research by Darden Professor Ozlem Yildiz shows how hospitals can be incentivized to make the process more time efficient.

To compete in today’s complex business environment, executives must excel at making decisions with an enterprise perspective. Darden Professor Elliott N. Weiss’ 9 Cs Enterprise-Perspective Model offers a useful decision-making framework.

E-commerce has changed the way business is done — and what consumers expect. But transporting goods from distribution points to customers’ homes is expensive and inefficient — especially in suburban and rural areas. What might the future bring in the way we shop?

To compete in today’s complex business environment, executives must excel at making decisions with an enterprise perspective. Darden Professor Elliott N. Weiss’ 9 Cs Enterprise-Perspective Model offers a useful decision-making framework.