Description: Custom calendar site CalendarLink.org raises funds and spreads awareness for the California Surf Life Saving Association. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 12/22/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/12/22/n_cc_tides_of_giving.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How is this business socially responsible? Who are the target customers? What makes this business service unique? Describe the product strategy and how the Internet allows… Read more »
Monthly Archives: December 2010
Getting the message out on Facebook
Description: Small businesses are leveraging their profiles on Facebook to boost their business by keeping in close contact with customers. Source: Reuters.com – video report Date: 12/21/2010 Link: http://www.reuters.com/news/video/story?videoId=170540599&videoChannel=6 Questions for discussion: How does Facebook allow small businesses to better serve their target customers? How does Facebook differentiate itself on the Internet?
Bulgari Gold Succumbs to Ceramics With Jewelry Hostage to Bubble
Description: In June, Bill Doddridge flew his single-engine Cessna 400 to Twentynine Palms Airport near California’s Mojave Desert and headed for an abandoned mine, a .45-caliber pistol on his belt. He was looking for gold. The firearm was to ward off rattlesnakes. The precious metal would be a sideline to his jewelry business. He sifted… Read more »
Higher U.S. Airfares Loom as Crude Climbs Toward $100 a Barrel
Description: Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines and other large U.S. carriers may be poised to boost fares with fuel surcharges as crude oil moves closer to $100 a barrel. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 12/22/2010 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-22/higher-u-s-airfares-loom-as-crude-climbs-toward-100-a-barrel.html Questions for discussion: How else can airlines deal with rising fuel costs? How are customers likely to respond to… Read more »
A Tough Sell at Sears
Description: This holiday season, Sears and Kmart, which merged in 2005, are pushing a single message: Buy with layaway, buy with coupons, buy now and pay later, buy with loyalty rewards points  but please, just buy. Source: NYTimes.com  Date: 12/21/2010 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/business/22sears.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: Why is Sears having so much trouble at… Read more »
Long road from Wall St. to jeweler
Description: A laid off banker now designs jewelry after having a difficult time getting a job retraining grant. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 12/16/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/12/15/n_job_retraining_jewelry.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What are the arguments for and against training for another career after losing one’s job? Do you think the person profiled in this report made… Read more »
Inside one of Amazon’s busiest days
Description: 1,500 extra workers help Amazon.com handle the extra holiday orders at its Fernley, Nevada fulfillment center. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 12/16/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/12/16/n_amazon_fulfillment_center.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How does Amazon design its order fulfillment operations to be more efficient? Were you surprised by any of the sights or comments presented in the report? Why… Read more »
U.S. Stocks Rally a Third Week on Earnings, Economic Data
Description: U.S. stocks rose for a third week, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to a two-year high, as stronger-than-estimated data on retail sales, manufacturing and housing boosted confidence in the economic recovery. Source: Businessweek.com  Date: 12/18/2010 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-18/u-s-stocks-rally-a-third-week-on-earnings-economic-data.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights of this report. Why has the stock market… Read more »
Three Reason’s Facebook’s Revenue Surge Is Even Better Than It Looks
Description: If TIME Magazine didn’t tell you already, 2010 was the year of Facebook, but not just because its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, had a newsworthy year, no matter how you slice it. Source: BNET.com Date: 12/17/2010 Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/new-media/three-reason-8217s-facebook-8217s-revenue-surge-is-even-better-than-it-looks/6874?tag=mantle_skin;content Questions for discussion: Summarize the opinions expressed in this interview. Do you think the Facebook phenomena and… Read more »
What’s a Quiet Guy Doing on Real Estate’s A-List?
Description: WHEN General Growth Properties buckled under a mountain of debt and filed for bankruptcy last year, deal watchers assumed that Simon Properties, the nation’s largest mall owner, would swoop in and buy it. So many people were stunned when Brookfield Asset Management, a lesser-known company that is based in Toronto, beat out Simon last… Read more »
