technology – OM in the News

Fully-Autonomous Restaurant in San Francisco

Mezli, which just opened its first restaurant in August 2022, utilizes technology to bring healthy Mediterranean grain bowls to the market.

The initial restaurant is fully-autonomous and housed in a 20-foot shipping container. Their Mediterranean bowls are priced to be affordable, with the flagship bowls starting at $6.99. A Michelin-starred chef assisted with the creation of their menu.

The process begins each day at Mezli’s central kitchen with food preparation. Food is then delivered to the restaurant. Robots at the restaurant receive customer […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-09-25T23:56:43+00:00September 27, 2022|Tags: apps, automation, location, process design, processes, robotics, robots, technology|

Amazon Prescribes Bigger Investment in Healthcare

The acquisition of One Medical for $3.9 billion by Amazon signaled the intent of the e-commerce giant to compete in the healthcare industry, in particular, the telehealth sector.

Amazon has grown from operating as an online retailer to becoming a key player in entertainment, groceries, and pharmacy with the acquisition of MGM, Whole Foods, and PillPack respectively, in recent years.

Video Spotlight:

Amazon to buy One Medical in healthcare push (July 21, 2022, Reuters)
Amazon […]

By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2022-09-05T19:50:24+00:00September 6, 2022|Tags: competitiveness, ecommerce, innovation, technology|

1099-K Changes Impact Small Firms and Individuals

With the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, an important provision related to the 1099-K tax form affects those who receive payments through third-party networks. Just a few examples of those who may be affected: anyone paid for a side hustle through Paypal, who sells on eBay, or who contracts with companies such as Uber and Lyft.

In this post, we’ll focus on the capacity and productivity impacts of this tax law change on a variety of stakeholders.

WHAT […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-08-15T04:27:35+00:00August 18, 2022|Tags: automated processes, capacity, gig economy, regulations, service processes, technology|

Self-Serve Stores Moving to Small Towns

Self-serve stores are becoming more commonplace. We shared in an earlier post that Amazon Go was one of the first implementations of this concept.

Amazon has continued to expand the self-serve store concept in several Whole Food stores utilizing its “Just Walk Out” technology.

Amazon isn’t alone. A variety of companies are offering the technology to create a self-serve store. However, most of these stores or applications are in larger cities.

One problem many small towns face is a lack of […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-07-27T03:53:04+00:00July 29, 2022|Tags: automation, food supply chain, retail, service blueprint, service processes, technology|