Boone & Kurtz Contemporary Business Weekly Updates » Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com Discussion Topics for Today's Classroom Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:05:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Bill Gates: Rich should pay more taxes http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/30/bill-gates-rich-should-pay-more-taxes/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/30/bill-gates-rich-should-pay-more-taxes/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:05:01 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2396 Description:  The Microsoft founder and philanthropist says that the wealthiest Americans should pay a larger share of taxes than they do.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 01/26/2012

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/01/26/n_davos_gates_occupy.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key points presented about economic activity, incomes, taxes, and the government’s role.
  • What is Bill Gates’ position on the key issue facing business and society at large?
  • Do you agree with Bill Gates?
  • How would you assign the collection of taxes?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/30/bill-gates-rich-should-pay-more-taxes/feed/ 0 Enhanced eBooks: Next Frontier or Passing Fad? http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/23/enhanced-ebooks-next-frontier-or-passing-fad/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/23/enhanced-ebooks-next-frontier-or-passing-fad/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:04:11 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2378 Description:  A new crop of digital books comes loaded with videos, songs, animated shorts and pop-up graphics. Is this the future of publishing or just a passing fad? Alexandra Alter has details on Lunch Break.

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: 01/19/2012

Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/enhanced-ebooks-next-frontier-or-passing-fad/C6B97950-5E0F-4EBD-9986-3FB1369FE4AF

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think this new concept in ebooks will be well received?
  • Which markets do you think will most likely be targeted by developers?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/23/enhanced-ebooks-next-frontier-or-passing-fad/feed/ 0 Social media success Rx: “Be a little crazy” http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/16/social-media-success-rx-be-a-little-crazy/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/16/social-media-success-rx-be-a-little-crazy/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:04:07 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2360 Description: Clara Shih is an early achiever. At age five, she arrived in the U.S., from Hong Kong, with her parents. With no access to bilingual education, she was initially placed in special classes for kids with speech impediments and advanced so rapidly that she scored a 1420 on her SATs — in eighth grade. She started her company, Hearsay Social, at age 27, made Fortune’s list of Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs last year, and married her neurologist boyfriend in October (delaying her honeymoon to attend the Fortune MPW Summit.) Last month, Shih was tapped to replace Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on the Starbucks (SBUX) board. And today, she turns 30 years old. There is no better timing for the Hearsay Social CEO to share, well, lessons from her youth.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: 01/11/2012

Link:  http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/01/11/social-media-success-clara-shih/?iid=SF_F_River

Questions for discussion: 

  • What does this report say about entrepreneurialism?
  • Do you agree with the argument that “everything will be social”?
  • What does this suggest about future start-up ideas?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/16/social-media-success-rx-be-a-little-crazy/feed/ 0 MySpace Co-founder Moves From Social Networking to Social Commerce http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/16/myspace-co-founder-moves-from-social-networking-to-social-commerce/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/16/myspace-co-founder-moves-from-social-networking-to-social-commerce/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:01:49 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2351 Description:  MySpace co-founder Josh Berman knows how to capitalize on online trends. The entrepreneur behind one of the Web 2.0 era’s most successful companies bet on the rise of social networks, and after spending four years at MySpace and selling the company for over $500 million, he’s on to the next trend.

Source:  Sprouter.com

Date: 01/11/2012

Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/myspace-co-founder-moves-from-social-networking-to-social-commerce/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=11+January+2012+%2F%2F+Hottest+StartUps%2C+Events+%26+Resources&utm_campaign=Sprouter+Weekly%3A+January+11%2C+2012&utm_term=btn-readon_png

Questions for discussion:

  • What suggestions does Josh Berman have for successful management of start-ups?
  • Why do you think these retail sites are so successful at selling to consumers?
  • Was MySpace a failure?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/16/myspace-co-founder-moves-from-social-networking-to-social-commerce/feed/ 0 China’s Low-Cost Housing Boom http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/09/chinas-low-cost-housing-boom/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/09/chinas-low-cost-housing-boom/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:04:53 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2345 Description:  Building low-cost housing projects is part of the Chinese government’s plan to restructure its housing sector. But some say it’s a risky strategy for the already shaky real estate industry. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: 12/30/2011

Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/china-low-cost-housing-boom/8BAB1EA5-0CC6-4ECC-BA0B-D90B9CA2C4E3

Questions for discussion:

  • How does this project relate to the forces of supply and demand as they affect various areas of the Chinese economy?
  • Do you think housing prices will be affected by this project?
  • Why do you suppose some apartments nearby remain unrented?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/09/chinas-low-cost-housing-boom/feed/ 0 Roll your own cigarettes in NY store http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/02/roll-your-own-cigarettes-in-ny-store/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/02/roll-your-own-cigarettes-in-ny-store/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:04:19 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2321 Description:  Make your own cigarettes in a store in NY. Too good to be true for some? turns out yes. Cnns richard roth reports

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 12/29/2011

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/12/29/n_roll_your_own_cigarettes.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the related ethical issues represented in this report?
  • Who do you side with?
  • Is the city government correct to control tobacco use?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/02/roll-your-own-cigarettes-in-ny-store/feed/ 0 Skate to Where the Puck is Going in Startups http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/02/skate-to-where-the-puck-is-going-in-startups/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/02/skate-to-where-the-puck-is-going-in-startups/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:03:02 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2318 Description:  Wayne Gretzky famously said that a good hockey player plays where the puck is, while a great player skates plays where the puck is going to be. Yammer founderDavid Sacks says it’s the same with startups. The former PayPal COO says you don’t want to create the 20th version of something that already exists, you have to be innovative and stay ahead of the proverbial puck. “Startups always have to do that, you always have to be ahead of the curve,” he says.

Source:  Sprouter.com

Date: 12/28/2011

Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/skate-to-where-the-puck-is-going-in-startups/#more-2699

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the thinking about start-ups and their likely success.
  • What message does this article send to entrepreneurs?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2012/01/02/skate-to-where-the-puck-is-going-in-startups/feed/ 0 The life of a Christmas tree seller http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/26/the-life-of-a-christmas-tree-seller/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/26/the-life-of-a-christmas-tree-seller/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:05:47 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2308 Description:  Christmas tree stand-ups in NYC provide part time jobs for the unemployed in NYC.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 12/22/2011

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2011/12/22/smb_xmas_tree_biz_nyc.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • Explain why sales in this business would be a good indicator of how the economy is doing overall?
  • Describe the business process that delivers trees to customers.
  • How do you think prices are derived?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/26/the-life-of-a-christmas-tree-seller/feed/ 0 How Pandora Became a 10-Year Overnight Success http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/26/how-pandora-became-a-10-year-overnight-success/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/26/how-pandora-became-a-10-year-overnight-success/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:03:01 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2301 Description:  Rarely is a startup an overnight success. Even if a company seems to come out of nowhere and sell months later, there were usually years of work behind the scenes. That’s the case for Pandora founder Tim Westergren.

Source:  Sprouter.com

Date: 12/21/2011

Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/how-pandora-became-a-10-year-overnight-success/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the trials and tribulations of the company since its launch.
  • What message does this article send to entrepreneurs?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/26/how-pandora-became-a-10-year-overnight-success/feed/ 0 What would make Caterpillar add jobs http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/19/what-would-make-caterpillar-add-jobs/ http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/19/what-would-make-caterpillar-add-jobs/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:06:11 +0000 Brahm Canzer http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/?p=2290 Description:  Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman explains what the company needs to hire in the near and long-term.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 12/13/2011

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/12/13/n_cat_ceo_adding_jobs.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the challenges facing the firm?
  • How do these issues relate to your understanding of the state of the economy?
  • What should companies, governments and individuals be doing according to CEO Doug Oberhelman to help create jobs and thereby improve business for Caterpillar and the economy as a whole?
]]> http://contemporarybusinessupdates.com/2011/12/19/what-would-make-caterpillar-add-jobs/feed/ 0