Ignored, Now Courted: Hulu Is Belle of the Ball

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, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Hulu in focus as players figure out delivery of online content. Source: WSJ.com – video report Date: May 24, 2013 Link: http://on.wsj.com/19aiodZ Questions for Discussions: What sort of business model do see evolving for the delivery of content by the entertainment industry? Do you think consumers will be willing to pay for access to… Read more »

Abercrombie isn’t cool. Stock tanks.

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Shares of the controversial retailer plunged on a lousy earnings report. Maybe the company would do better if it didn’t have such an exclusionary attitude. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: May 24, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/05/24/investing-the-buzz-abercrombie-fitch.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Why did the stock fall? Who is at fault? Is this a buying opportunity?

Rinse, Repeat: P&G Brings Back Former CEO

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Description: Regrouping at P&G under former CEO may not solve long term problems. Source: WSJ.com – video report Date: May 24, 2013 Link: http://on.wsj.com/19afA0s Questions for Discussions: Why do you think the company brought back the former CEO at this time? What does this decision say about the company’s management and vision for the future?… Read more »

Not Green, Just Soylent: Is This the Future of Food?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: Just before it was lunchtime on the West Coast on Tuesday, Rob Rhinehart went on Twitter to seek donations for something called Soylent. He describes it in the pitch video as “an efficient form of fuel for humanity for the first time in history.” By the time Silicon Valley’s office workers had gobbled down… Read more »

Q&A: Jonah Berger, Wharton marketing guru, on what makes things go viral

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

Description: There’s no formula for viral fame. So say new media experts. But maybe there are some fundamental properties that all things viral share. So include those commonalities in your next idea and at least you’ve got an advantage. After all, publishers and TV network presidents have long known which “types” of stories capture the… Read more »

Why Dreamworks is buying YouTube channels

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, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says he bought AwesomenessTV, a YouTube channel, to target teens. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: May 16, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/05/16/n-cmr-dreaworks-awesomenesstv-katzenberg.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Why are YouTube channels becoming more popular? Who do they appeal to and how can managers develop this environment? Why do you suppose management acquired… Read more »

Too late to invest in the bull market?

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: As the Dow and S&P 500 both hit record highs, some investors are wary of the rally while others are finding value in stocks that are lagging behind. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: May 14, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/05/14/investing-bull-market-romans.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Why are investors especially nervous when the stock market hits new highs and… Read more »

Rolling Up Their Sleeves, as a Team

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: AS a 14-year-old Boy Scout who went on backpacking trips in western Massachusetts, Gihan Amarasiriwardena couldn’t find a fleece jacket that would protect him from the wind. His solution was to make his own wind-blocking coat from scratch, using plastic garbage bags, spray-on adhesive and fleece. Source: NYTimes.com Date: May 18, 2013 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/business/at-ministry-of-supply-teamwork-in-making-high-tech-apparel.html?ref=business… Read more »

YesVideo Moves Home Movies From Old Formats to the Cloud

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Description: Jennifer Brown is tearing up. She’s converting early-2000s camcorder footage into digital files, watching as a woman’s colleagues celebrate her promotion until the woman’s boyfriend appears out of nowhere, gets down on one knee, and proposes. When a group of passersby interrupts Brown quietly weeping at her computer screen, she gestures at the proposal… Read more »

Dynamic Pricing Helps Keep Pace with Savvy Consumers

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Description: Online retailers looking to gain margin advantage are increasingly using dynamic pricing: the practice of changing prices based on market conditions, consumer behavior and competitive intelligence, according to a new eMarketer report, “Dynamic Pricing: What Retailers Need to Know About Competing in Real Time.” Source:  eMarketer.com Date: May 17, 2013 Link:  http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Dynamic-Pricing-Helps-Keep-Pace-with-Savvy-Consumers/1009897#BdqCzUfY5X1bZuQe.99 Questions for… Read more »