GM gets tiny with EN-V

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: GM’s EN-V, a pod-like concept car, aims to revolutionize urban transportation. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 02/25/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/luxury/2011/02/25/lux_env_rvw.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  Describe the similarities and differences between today’s automobile and driver and the concept s for the EN-V? Do you think the EN-V represents the future of automobile transportation?  Assuming it could… Read more »

Not your granddad’s Airstream

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: TVs, showers, bedrooms are just a few of the new features added to the classic RV icon. Source:  CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 02/24/2011 Link:    http://money.cnn.com/video/luxury/2011/02/24/lux_airstream_review.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  Who was Airstream’s typical target customer in the 1950s and 60s? What has changed the customer buying behavior? Who is the typical customer today? Do… Read more »

Pro Sports vs. the Web Pirates

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Leagues from the NFL and NBA to Ultimate Fighting are finding it nearly impossible to block pirate video sites from streaming live events. Source: Businessweek.com   Date: 02/24/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_10/b4218066626285.htm Questions for discussion:  Summarize the problems described in this report? How has the industry responded? Besides the legal and technological solutions, what are some… Read more »

Consumers Hold on to Products Longer

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: Throw away the cellphone after two years? Not so fast. Ditch the flat-panel TV for an even thinner model? Maybe next year. Replace the blouse with the hole? Darn it! Source:  NYTimes.com Date: 02/25/2011 Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/business/26upgrade.html?ref=business Questions for discussion:  What does this report suggest amount changing consumer behavior? How should marketers deal with this… Read more »

The Secret to Advertising on YouTube

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Since its introduction as little more than a simple and inexpensive way to share videos on the Internet, YouTube has risen to the level of nearly universal name recognition. More important, however, is the increasing use of YouTube for much more than merely sharing videos but rather as a highly effective tool for online… Read more »

American dream still home ownership

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger says recovery is taking place in California and Texas and foreclosed homes are finding buyers. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 02/18/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/02/17/n_kb_home_lookahead.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  Do you agree with the analysis presented in this report? How would investors be expected to react to the forecasts presented for… Read more »

BullHorn: Apple bull charging ahead

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: If worries about Steve Jobs’s health don’t derail Apple’s run, what will? Amazon and Disney are smokin’ too. Source:  CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 02/18/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2011/02/18/mkts_bh_aapl_dis_amzn.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:   Summarize the analysis presented for each company. Do you agree with them? Do you agree with the view that some of these companies are… Read more »

Buffett Says Pricing Power Beats Good Management When Evaluating Companies

Posted by & filed under Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Warren Buffett, the billionaire chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said he rates businesses on their ability to raise prices and sometimes doesn’t even consider the people in charge. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 02/18/2011 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-18/buffett-says-pricing-power-more-important-than-good-management.html Questions for discussion:   What does Warren Buffet have to say about the importance of management and the ability… Read more »

The Stock Market Is Calm. You’re Warned

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Stocks haven’t risen this much with such narrow price swings since 1971. This puts equities at risk for short-term losses.  Source: Businessweek.com   Date: 02/17/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_09/b4217045129476.htm Questions for discussion:  Summarize the concerns  about the current state of the stock market? How should a prudent investor behave if they were in agreement with this… Read more »

Hyundai’s Swift Growth Lifts Alabama’s Economy

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Description: Few people in this city 800 miles south of Detroit cared much about the auto industry until Hyundai announced it would build cars here nine years ago. Source:  NYTimes.com Date: 02/19/2011 Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/business/19hyundai.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: Why have these automobile manufacturers thrived in Alabama while others elsewhere in the U.S. have struggled in recent… Read more »