Description: Business owners from across the U.S. say the government should clarify its stance on taxes and do more to help them. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report  Date: 09/08/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/09/08/n_small_business_owners.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the comments made by the small business owners in this report. Do you agree with their positions? Why are… Read more »
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Brin: Google search just got smarter
Description: Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin says that the new ‘Instant’ search will help people save time and accomplish more. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 09/08/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/09/08/f_bt_google_instant.fortune/ Questions for discussion: How has “Google search†changed over the years? Do you think there is a “limit†to the types of search that Google can offer… Read more »
After the Financial Meltdown, Where’s America’s Outrage?
Description: Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times noted that 49% of people surveyed had a negative view of Goldman Sachs. Financial companies are busily trying to rebuild their reputations by, among other things, running lots of advertisements touting their lending activities, but numerous reports show that banks are cutting credit lines to both… Read more »
Are Facebook users really more narcissistic?
Description: The media latches on to a study tying the social network to low self-esteem — and misses the real picture. Source: Salon.com  Date: 09/09/2010 Link: http://www.salon.com/technology/facebook/?story=/mwt/feature/2010/09/09/facebook_narcissists Questions for discussion: Do you agree with these research findings? Do you think the sample size is sufficient to generalize about Facebook users? What would you do… Read more »
Japan CEOs Learn `Globish’ to Expand Overseas as Economy Stalls
Description: Oki Matsumoto, chief executive officer of online trader Monex Group Inc. and a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner, has a solution to Japan’s stagnant domestic economy: Learn “globish.†Matsumoto holds regular parties at the Tokyo-based company where employees must speak globish, or global English, a language for non-native speakers using basic grammar and… Read more »
Labor Day’s violent beginnings
Description: The bloody Pullman strike in 1894 spurred the national holiday that recognizes American workers. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report  Date: 09/03/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/09/03/n_labor_day_history_2010.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the historical successes of organized labor that are highlighted in the video. Why do you think the general public is often critical of organized labor? Do… Read more »
Rex on Techs: Overnight Viral Success
Description: Internet phenomenons like “Bed Intruder Song” are textbook cases for how online videos turn the most mundane of events into sensations, where random people just being themselves become quasi-celebrities. Rex Crum reports. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: 08/27/2010 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/rex-on-techs-overnight-viral-success/779C5034-618C-4007-8946-B084683E2528 Questions for discussion: How do you explain this example of viral communication success?… Read more »
What went wrong at Burger King
Description: It’s not yet clear what Burger King’s new owner, the Brazilian-backed private equity firm 3G Capital, has in mind for the troubled No. 2 fast-food chain. But a total strategic revamp is in order. Source: CNNMoney.com  Date: 09/03/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/03/news/companies/burger_king_buyout.fortune/index.htm Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons given for Burger King’s failure? What would… Read more »
Apple TV swings hard but misses
Description: The previous version of Apple TV was dubbed “take two.” Will the new model be known as “strike three”? Source: CNNMoney.com  Date: 09/02/2010 Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/09/02/apple-tv-swings-hard-but-misses/ Questions for discussion: Do you think the Apple TV will prove to be another flop? Ideally, what do you think TV viewers want from Apple? How can changing… Read more »
A Greener Champagne Bottle
Description: Deep below a lush landscape of ripening Champagne grapes, Thierry Gasco, the master vintner for Pommery, ran his finger over the shoulders of a dark green bottle that looked just like the thousands of others reposing in his chilly subterranean cellars. But to the practiced hand and eye, there is a subtle, if potentially… Read more »
