Making the Dream of a Flying Car a Reality
July 19, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: MIT graduate Carl Dietrich co-founded Terrafugia, which is now taking preorders for the science fiction fan’s ultimate dream: a $194,000 flying car.
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 07/15/2010
Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_30/b4188043262844.htm
Questions for discussion:
- Who is the customer for this product?
- Do you think the high selling price would pose a problem for the firm trying to sell the product?
- How would you promote this product?
- What message would you send out in advertising and promotion that could persuade buyers?
Busted iPhone? Call the ‘doctor’
July 12, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business
Description: A New Yorker runs a lucrative business fixing broken iPhones for about half of what Apple charges.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 07/08/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/07/07/n_broken_iphone_fixer.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Why do you think these iPhone customers risk using the services of the ‘doctor’ rather than traditional Apple repair services?
- What does this story tell you about the way to entrepreneurial success?
- How successful would this enterprise be if the cost of repair or replacement was lower?
Buy an electric car, rent the battery
July 12, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: Better Place CEO Shai Agassi’s bet on electric cars involves swappable batteries but questions remain whether he can pull it off.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 07/08/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/07/08/f_bg_better_place_agassi.fortune/
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think this pricing model will work?
- Who do you think would be the target customer most interested in this sort of arrangement? Why?
- Why might some customers not be interested in this sort of pricing?
- Are there some places in the world where this sort of model would be more attractive to customers?
The real test for stocks
July 12, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources
Description: The stock market’s best week in a year has restored some confidence to battered investors, but the real test begins Monday when companies start reporting second quarter profits and losses.
Source: CNNMoney.com
Date: 07/10/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/10/markets/sunday_lookahead/index.htm
Questions for discussion:
- Why are profits so important at this point in time to investors?
- Examine the course of profits and share value of some of the stocks mentioned in this report over the past three years (you can use Google Finance).
- In general, how are profit and share value related?
- Do you think this is a good time to buy stocks?
Online, We Pay With Our Time Spent Searching
July 12, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business
Description: THE Internet is a Soviet bread line. Remember those lines? Back when commissars commanded the Soviet Union’s economy like Knute commanding the tides, people would wait for hours in long queues for free bread. Although the bread was free, people paid for it with their time.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 07/09/2010
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/business/11every.html?ref=business
Questions for discussion:
- Do you agree with the argument presented in this article?
- Is the time spent searching online different in value than the time spent searching for say, clothing at the mall?
- Will web sites that find what we want and deliver it faster to us be able to charge money?
- How can this ‘value’ be charged to customers?
Why Andy Grove Is Wrong About Job Growth
July 12, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment
Description: Reigniting job creation in the U.S. won’t happen by becoming more like China and India.
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 07/09/2010
Link: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2010/tc2010079_953836.htm
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the main arguments presented in this article.
- Do you agree with the points made about entrepreneurialism and economic growth?
- What, if anything, should governments do to encourage entrepreneurial growth?
A Wide-Open Market for Tesla
July 5, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business
Description: Fresh off its successful IPO, electric car maker Tesla is finding a receptive market in Europe for its green technology. MarketWatch’s Shawn Langlois gets behind the wheel of the Tesla Roadster to see if it lives up to the hype.
Source: Marketwatch.com – video report
Date: 07/02/2010
Questions for discussion:
- Who is the target market for this vehicle?
- Do you think incentives from governments are needed to help sell this car to its target customer?
- Why do you think the company has introduced such an expensive model?
- What is the main feature that motivates buyers of this car?
D8 Video: Steve Case in Full Session
Description: Steve Case and Kara Swisher meet again onstage at the D8 Conference. What has the Revolution CEO been up to on the 25h Anniversary of American Online?
Source: Marketwatch.com – video report
Date: 07/02/2010
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the history of AOL and the development of the Internet.
- What surprises you the most in this interview?
- What future do you see for AOL and for Steve Case?
Dell faces fresh threat from old PC failures
July 5, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment
Description: A six-year-old hardware meltdown that plagued millions of computers is coming back to haunt Dell.
Source: CNNMoney.com
Date: 07/01/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/01/technology/dell_lawsuit/index.htm
Questions for discussion:
- What did this problem “cost” Dell in terms of money, sales, customer loyalty, and brand image?
- What would you have recommended Dell do to handle the problem better in the first place?
- What would you recommend to Dell today to help mitigate the marketing damage?
BP Wants Partners to Help Shoulder Spill Cost
July 5, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment
Description: BP has said repeatedly that it will pay for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But its actions show that it does not intend to go it alone.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 07/04/2010
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/us/05liability.html?ref=business
Questions for discussion:
- Who do you believe should be held financially responsible for the oil spill?
- What is your reaction to BP’s effort to share the costs with partners?
