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Home Renovation for M.B.A.'s

Jul 18 2008

Back to: Karl's Kitchen

Living Room
Guest Bathroom
Bathtub in Master Bathroom
Bedroom
1 of 12
Gutted
While doing a total renovation of their loft in downtown Manhattan, writer Karl Taro Greenfeld and his wife encountered several business issues that should be familiar to today's corporate execs. Here, a look at what they encountered as they watched their plans for an ultra-efficient, just-in-time delivery system hit one roadblock after another.
Supply-Chain Management
Greenfeld and his wife opted for a just-in-time delivery system for their materials, but nothing, including these tiles for the guest bathroom, ever arrived on time.
Regulatory Issues
Greenfeld's new bathtub finally arrived, but because of problems with approvals, he still doesn't have hot water in his unit.
Staffing
Greenfeld's previous human resources strategy resulted in low worker retention and delays. Here, a shot of his incomplete bedroom.
Karl's Kitchen

Karl's Kitchen

Sloppy accounting, pesky regulation, process inefficiencies—not just issues a C.E.O. faces. So does a guy trying to redo his apartment. Read more
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