Robo-copter can navigate inside your home
August 17, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Just when you were getting used to the idea of unmanned aerial vehicles patrolling the skies over your city, they’re beginning to enter buildings.
Source: CNET News
Date: 8/14/2009
Keys: Marketing, market segmentation, new product development, technologies
Link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10309811-1.html?tag=mncol
Questions for discussion:
- What are the possible market segments that could see uses for these products?
- What advantages would there be over the existing technology?
- Which applications would not consider the price an important criterion for the decision to adopt this new technology? Explain your answer.
U.S. Stocks Fall on Concern Rally Outpaced Recovery Prospects
August 17, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment
U.S. stocks slid, capping the first weekly drop for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index in more than a month, as lower-than-estimated consumer confidence added to concern a five-month rally outpaced prospects for the economy.
Source: Bloomberg.com
Date: 8/14/2009
Keys: Stock market, economy, finance, investing, business cycle
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aAXWJXOKPGC4
Questions for discussion:
- Do you agree that stocks are overvalued at the moment?
- Do you think investors will continue to push stock prices higher over the remainder of the summer? Explain your thinking.
- If you were investing in stocks with the intention of holding your portfolio for at least one year, which stocks would you be buying? Which would you stay away from? Explain your thinking.
China’s $300 billion bullet train
August 10, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management
Multinationals like IBM and Bombardier stand to profit from China’s new high-speed rail system.
Source: CNNMoney – video report
Date: 8/05/2009
Keys: International business, economy, government, management, finance, banking, strategic alliances
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/08/05/f_fr_china_bullet_train.fortune/
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the current and longer term benefits to the Chinese economy associated with the building of the bullet train.
- How are international businesses like IBM involved?
- Besides the obvious employment and earnings derived from selling products and services to the Chinese, what additional benefits are realized by international businesses? Explain your answer.
Half of mortgage borrowers will be ‘underwater’
August 10, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management
An estimated 25 million borrowers will owe more than their house is worth by 2011.
Source: CNNMoney.com
Date: 8/06/2009
Keys: Marketing, pricing, consumer behavior, economy, government
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/06/real_estate/underwaterworld/index.htm?postversion=2009080615
Questions for discussion:
- Research suggests that the current and expected value of a home influences the homeowner’s attitude towards spending. Explain why this would be true.
- How do you think the conditions described in the article will influence the general buying behaviour of individual homeowners as well as potential future homeowners? Explain your thinking.
Should Starbucks ban laptops?
August 10, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
In my local Starbucks, there’s a bald man who wears the same pristine white Prince tennis shoes every day. He is always perched on a stool, his PC open in front of him, typing away with the middle finger of each hand. He has one of those Bluetooth thingies in his ear and he’s often talking as he’s typing. This somewhat peculiar gentleman is, indeed, running his business from Starbucks.
Source: CNET News
Date: 8/08/2009
Keys: Marketing, consumer behavior, strategic planning, technologies
Link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10305936-71.html?tag=mncol
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think Starbucks would be making a strategic mistake if it changed its current policies on the use of laptops?
- How would you solve this problem of lingering non-revenue generating patrons?
- Explain how you think patrons might react to your suggested changes.
S&P 500 Tops 1,000 in Fourth Weekly Gain on Better Labor Market
August 10, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment
U.S. stocks rose for a fourth week, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index above 1,000 for the first time since November, as better-than-estimated employment, manufacturing and home sales data boosted confidence that the worst slump since the Great Depression is ending.
Source: Bloomberg.com
Date: 8/08/2009
Keys: Stock market, economy, finance, investing, business cycle
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=agU0z5koJRvU
Questions for discussion:
- Stock market performance is a leading economic indicator since investors buy stocks in anticipation of improving future business profitability. On the other hand, employment levels tend to be lagging indicators. Given the information provided in the article, why do you think investors are pushing up prices on the stock market?
- Do you believe the economic stimulus programs from government, such as the cash for clunkers program, can be stopped at some time in the future without dramatically affecting car sales? Explain your thinking.
Dissecting the ‘Microhoo’ deal
August 3, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Microsoft’s gains in its deal with Yahoo are clear, but not so for Yahoo, according to senior writer Jon Fortt.
Source: CNNMoney – video report
Date: 7/29/2009
Keys: Marketing, management, finance, strategic alliances, product development
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/07/29/f_microsoft_yahoo_deal_analysis.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the reasons this strategic alliance makes sense for Microsoft and for Yahoo!.
- What products or services would you suggest Yahoo focus product development attention on for the next five years?
- Do you think this alliance is a first step towards an eventual merger between the two firms? Explain your answer.
- Do you think this alliance will help Microsoft gain market share from Google? Explain your answer.
House OKs $2 billion more for Clunker program
August 3, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management
House passes bill to add $2 billion for Cash for Clunkers program.
Source: CNNMoney.com
Date: 7/31/2009
Keys: Marketing, pricing, consumer behavior, economy, government
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/31/autos/cash_for_clunkers_update/index.htm?postversion=2009073114
Questions for discussion:
- Explain why you think this program has been overwhelmingly successful in stimulating demand for new car purchases?
- What does price sensitivity suggest to you about why auto sales might have been poor until now?
- Which other categories of consumer products do you think would also respond as dramatically to similar price reductions?
- Do you think governments should help certain businesses – like autos, and not others? Explain your thinking.
U.S. Economy: Recession Eases, Consumer-Spending Slump Deepens
August 3, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment
The worst U.S. economic slump since the Great Depression abated in the second quarter as government spending programs started to kick in, while the sharpest pullback by consumers since 1980 augured a muted recovery.
Source: Bloomberg.com
Date: 8/01/2009
Keys: Economy, finance, investing, business cycle
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aRV7ZR6CGNQY
Questions for discussion:
- Do you believe the economy will soon recover to normal levels of consumer and business spending? Explain your answer.
- What do you think government, business, and consumers could do to help the economy improve?
- What are the short and long-term consequences of increased borrowing by government, business, and consumers in order to increase spending today?
Google pushes for new law on orphan books
August 3, 2009 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
If those organizations attacking Google’s book search settlement with publishers spent as much time lobbying Congress for better laws concerning those issues, perhaps the controversy would go away, Google’s chief Book Search engineer suggested Thursday night.
Source: CNET News
Date: 7/31/2009
Keys: Law, marketing, consumer behavior, technologies
Link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10300887-93.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think Google or any other firm should have these legal rights over so called orphan books? Explain your thinking.
- Do you think the arguments presented that favour low cost distribution of out of print book on the Internet are valid?
- How can books with low levels of sales volume be commercially viable online?
