I think this question depends heavily on the business being started. In my case, I have an interest in medicine and would probably open a clinic as an LLC. As an LLC, my company would be separate from my personal liability, and there would be a benefit in terms of taxation when compared with an Inc. or corporate classification. LLCs also allow me…[Read more]

Using data published by the Wall Street Journal on Tesla Inc. (TSLA) I have found the following metrics to be very interesting.

Earnings per share: -4.68
Gross Margin: +22.48
Operating Margin: -9.86
ROA: -4.39
ROE: -23.11
ROI: -8.7
Revenue: 2.79 B
Revenue Growth: +119.65%

Based on the metrics, one would be alarmed by the negative ROI, ROA, and…[Read more]

A company of that size would need to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of both of the choices. An LLC is excellent for smaller operations at it offers protection in the form of reduced personal liability as well as reduced taxation. For a company looking to continue steady growth in its field, this is an excellent option. Becoming an Inc. opens the…[Read more]

Quality control is similar to an insurance policy for a company’s product. It is expensive, burdensome and, for younger companies, not obviously necessary. However, as the company grows, the need for quality control becomes increasingly important. Public trust, safety and, of course, the risk of a lawsuit, are all considerations that need to be…[Read more]

While I haven’t been witness to any exceptional quality practices, I remember reading about how the auto industry handles mechanical defects in some of their parts. Apparently, if a defect is discovered (usually through an injury or malfunction report) the data gets collected by the company. Once the issue is determined to be a manufacturing…[Read more]

In my opinion, the best quality departments can work with both the company’s and the customer’s needs and wants in mind. In order to mesh well with the vision of the company, and allow for a synergistic approach to getting the product to the market, the QA and QC department should be communicating with other departments and making sure there are…[Read more]

Although e-cigarettes are currently regulated by the FDA, they come with hazards that are overlooked because they are viewed as a “healthy” alternative to smoking. The combination device works by vaporizing water with organic compounds including nicotine and delivering it to the lungs of the user. While this does not involve smoke inhalation,…[Read more]

The net effect of the increased user fees seems to be pointing to increased cost for small to mid-sized businesses in the medical device field and a greater burden on the end user of the device.

Small companies that produce potentially life-saving innovations already get bullied out of the marketplace due to a lack of the vast resources that…[Read more]

I agree with the points you made; the regulations of the FDA do, indeed, protect us and the compromise is worth the lives being saved.

However, I feel that there is still room for improvement in the system that is in place. The two biggest drawbacks to regulation are the incurred cost and the lengthy timeline of approval. Without compromising…[Read more]

In academia, research is approached with a sense of curiosity and passion for the field. The work is driven by grants and the hierarchy is structured in a way such that a professor or senior researcher leads a team of students and academics to answer questions relevant to the field. On the other hand, industry research is approached as a means to…[Read more]

Although I haven’t had any experience working in industry research, it seems that industry research is the most impactful work in terms of changes to our lives and ways of doing things. Companies like Du Pont have created countless products that are ubiquitous in our lives, and pharmaceutical companies continuously churn out new medical…[Read more]

I am currently researching at the University on a project that is intended to have benefits years from now. I feel that while there is no immediate product to be released, there is still quite a bit of satisfaction building on the knowledge that is already available. In a sense, the work I am conducting, which is on the mechanisms of brain injury,…[Read more]

I agree with the notion that missing milestones are intrinsically considered failures. Being late, or unable to produce results, is never something that is desired. However, my own experiences missing milestones have been learning experiences, and usually, lead to structural changes that make similar failures less likely in the future. I feel that…[Read more]

During my undergrad, I was tasked with leading a committee for a student government organization. Our task was to promote our organization’s initiatives through social media and other advertising, but we ran into a variety of issues due to regulations imposed by the university. Our college had strict guidelines for posting on behalf of a…[Read more]

The regulations enforced by the FDA are definitely a large and unique consideration that sets medical device development apart from other projects. This, coupled with the demands of global regulatory bodies, makes medical device development particularly complicated. However, there are also the considerations of quality of life and ethics that come…[Read more]

Practical courses do fall short to informational courses when research or academia is the goal of the student. For professionals and those looking to go into industry, practical courses are perhaps the most important. For that reason, a wide variety of both should be present, and each student should have their own mix in order to decide for themselves.

I feel that practical courses are far more important than informational courses at a higher, graduate level. Undergraduate courses should be informational as they lay down a foundation. Once the graduate level is reached, courses should be specific and targeted towards advancing one’s career. I would like a 1 to 1 ratio ideally.

Working in academia has quite a few benefits. First, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with developing new research and technology and disseminating ideas in an academic setting. Also, there is greater time flexibility and access to a broader field and other highly intelligent minds and university resources.

Working in industry offers…[Read more]