Obama’s small biz solar star fades

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: A small solar business, once the leading light of President Obama’s green jobs program, is now caught in an international trade dispute. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Aug 24, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/08/23/n-obama-solar-star-not-shining.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the history of this start-up business. What are the lessons to be learned about the globalization of… Read more »

eBay: The biz to beat in mobile payments

Posted by & filed under Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:   Forget Google Wallet and Square, eBay and its payment unit PayPal are the top dogs in mobile payments … at least for now. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Aug 23, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2012/08/23/investing-mobile-payments-ebay-google.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What makes eBay so attractive to investors today? Would you be an investor?

Employing Dietitians Pays Off for Supermarkets

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Lois E. Florence recently left her doctor’s office with a diagnosis of colitis, an intestinal disorder, and a complicated set of instructions for changing her diet. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Aug 24, 2012 Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/business/dietitians-pay-off-for-supermarkets.html?_r=1&ref=business Questions for Discussions: Explain the logic of adding the services of dietitians at supermarkets. How can managers calculate the ROI… Read more »

Apple Gets $1 Billion From Samsung—Nothing Changes

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: Apple got the best of Samsung in the first of their many patent trials to go to a U.S. jury. A nine-person panel came back to the federal courtroom in San Jose, Calif., Friday afternoon, after only three days of deliberation, and announced that the Korean electronics giant had infringed six of the seven… Read more »

Now it’s Dell being told: Junk PCs

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  What a difference a decade makes for manufacturers of personal computers. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: Aug 22, 2012 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/now-its-dell-being-told-junk-pcs-2012-08-22?siteid=nwtwk Questions for Discussions: What has happened to the PC business over the past decade? What are the possible choices facing management? What would you advise?

Why Progressive defended a client’s killer

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: Progressive Insurance tried to use twitter to calm public outrage in a controversial death case, but it only made things worse. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Aug 17, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/08/16/n-progressive-insurance-social-media.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the legal issues in this case. What lessons are there for management that does not recognize the public… Read more »

Facebook Below $20: Is It a Buy?

Posted by & filed under Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:   The carnage in Facebook shares has prompted one major question: Is it finally time to buy? Steven Russolillo has the answer on Markets Hub. Photo: Getty. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: Aug 17, 2012 Link: http://on.wsj.com/Pr3feI Questions for Discussions: Do you think Facebook is a good buy today? What are the metrics that… Read more »

Apple’s Market Value Surpasses $600B on IPad Speculation

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s shares rose to a record and the company’s market value surpassed $600 billion on speculation that production has started on a smaller version of the iPad tablet as well as a new television product. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Aug 17, 2012 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-17/apple-rises-to-intraday-record-on-ipad-mini-research-note#r=bloomberg Questions for Discussions: What explains the value of Apple… Read more »

How to tell what a company can afford to pay

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives.

Description: Given the tight labor market, it’s tempting to immediately accept any job offer you might get. But how can you tell if a prospective employer is making the best financial offer for the position in question? Here are six ways to figure out if a company is low-balling you: Source: CBSNews.com Date: Aug 15,… Read more »

Is Social Media Marketing at a Saturation Point?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Nearly nine in 10 US companies with at least 100 employees will use social networks for marketing activities this year, eMarketer estimates. With so many companies tapping social networks to build brand awareness, gain new customers and keep current ones loyal, how much room is left for growth? Source: eMarketer.com Date: Aug 17, 2012… Read more »