Toyota customers keep the faith
February 8, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: Despite Toyota’s recent recalls, customers remain committed to the automaker.
Source: CNNMoney – video report
Date: 02/03/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/02/03/toyota_dealership_customers.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think the damage done to the Toyota brand can be corrected? Explain how or why it can’t.
- How do you think the communications effort by the dealerships should be co-ordinated with Toyota headquarters?
- What messages are being transmitted by Toyota?
- What messages do you think current customers are receiving?
Buyer interest in Prius grows. Say what?
February 8, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: By now, you’ve heard that some 2010 Toyota Priuses have a braking problem blamed for several crashes. That sounds scary, but to some it sounds like a deal.
Source: CNNMoney.com
Date: 02/05/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/05/autos/prius_deals/index.htm
Questions for discussion:
- Explain how the negative publicity could in fact help boost sales at Toyota Prius?
- Can the publicity help or harm other Toyota car brands?
- What would you advise Toyota managers to do under these conditions?
Amazon reshelves Macmillan titles but not e-books
February 8, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: Online retailer Amazon.com Inc resumed selling hardcover and paperback books from Macmillan Publishers late on Friday in a sign the two companies are getting closer to resolving a pricing dispute over Macmillan’s electronic books, which remain unavailable on Amazon.
Source: Reuters.com
Date: 02/07/2010
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61517220100207
Questions for discussion:
- Why would Amazon wish to sell e-books at the lowest price possible?
- Would it be better to lower the selling price of its Kindle reader and earn more revenues from higher priced e-books? Explain your thinking.
A Search Engine That Relies on Humans
February 8, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: A report this week laying out a strategy for social search has been getting a good deal of attention in tech circles. The paper, “Anatomy of a Large Scale Social Search Engine,” was written by Damon Horowitz and Sepandar Kamvar of Aardvark, one of several companies working on creating social search engines. As of October 2009, Aardvark had about 90,000 users.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 02/05/2010
Link: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/a-search-engine-that-relies-on-humans/?ref=technology
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think this business model can be successful? Explain your answer.
- What problems might arise with this model?
- How can revenue be generated?
- What problems might arise with this model?
Many retailers post strong January sales gains
February 8, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: Fueled by gift-card redemptions, clearance sales and almost pitifully easy comparisons, the nation’s retailers seem, on balance, to have posted their fifth straight monthly sales gain in January, according to sales figures released Thursday.
Source: Marketwatch.com
Date: 02/04/2010
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the retailing report.
- Explain how these results suggest the future direction for the economy as a whole.
Toyota recalls spread
February 1, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: More bad news for the world’s largest automaker as another 2 million vehicles will be recalled in Europe and China.
Source: CNNMoney – video report
Date: 01/28/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2010/01/28/mkts_toyota_recall_siemens.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think that this problem will hurt Toyota sales in the long term?
- Some might argue that the response by the company could help improve its image and increase sales after the problem is resolved? Explain how this could happen.
Stop blaming Big Business
February 1, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives
Description: The top-grossing movie in the world, Avatar, is on screens now, and it clearly identifies the most evil force in the universe. It’s business.
Source: CNNMoney.com
Date: 01/29/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/28/news/economy/business_populism.fortune/index.htm
Questions for discussion:
- Do you agree with the argument presented by the reporter?
- Do believe attitudes toward “big business” have changes because of the crisis?
- What are the possible consequences for the management if they have?
Just blowing the froth off?
February 1, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources
Description: January has been the worst month for stock investors since February last year just before markets took off on a stellar risk rally.
Source: Reuters.com
Date: 01/29/2010
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60S42520100129
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the reasons given for why the stock market might be poised to advance in February or continue on its decline.
- What do you think will happen? Explain your thinking.
The Places They Go When Banks Say No
February 1, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business
Description: IN the glory days of the digital photo frame business, when his products were still a novelty and shoppers were flush with cash, getting a bank loan to manufacture them was a cinch, Michael Levy says.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 01/30/2010
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/business/smallbusiness/31order.html?ref=business
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the problems facing small businesses since the financial crisis hit?
- What alternatives are small business owners employing as a result of the credit freeze?
- What are the possible consequences of these changes?
- Do you believe they are permanent or will borrowing practices return to what they were before eventually?
