The life of a Christmas tree seller
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?
How Pandora Became a 10-Year Overnight Success
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?
What would make Caterpillar add jobs
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?
How Eric Ries Changed the Framework for Startup Success
Description: Eric Ries may be synonymous with startup success now, but in college he was just another kid with a business plan. The entrepreneur behind the Lean Startup philosophy started his first business while still in school at Yale, an online database of student resumes. The company, CatalystRecruiting.com, was a casualty of the dot com crash.
Source: Sprouter.com
Date: 12/07/2011
Link: http://sprouter.com/blog/how-eric-ries-changed-the-framework-for-startup-success/
Questions for discussion:
- What is different about Eric Ries’ thinking when compared to conventional planning?
- What do you think about his message to entrepreneurs?
Facebook buys Gowalla
Description: Facebook has acquired location sharing service Gowalla for an undisclosed sum, according to a source close to Gowalla.
Source: CNNMoney.com
Date: 12/02/2011
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/02/technology/gowalla_facebook/index.htm?iid=SF_BN_Lead
Questions for discussion:
- What are the reasons behind this and other acquisitions by Facebook?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy from a strategic managerial as well as a financial point of view?
The joy (and peril) of small business shopping
Description: Like many Americans, I like to shop at small, locally-owned businesses when I can. Millions of people participated in “Small Business Saturday” this past weekend, with an eye toward improving our local economies. After all, a 2008 study of Grand Rapids, Mich. from research firm Civic Economics found that locally-owned businesses tend to spend a higher percentage of their revenue on payroll than chains. For instance, for every $1 million in revenue, chain restaurants employed 9.7 people while independent restaurants employed 14.8. In other words, if you want to create jobs, you buy local.
Source: CBSNews.com (MoneyWatch)
Date: November 29, 2011
Questions for discussion:
- Why would shopping at smaller businesses help the economy?
- Why do you suppose smaller businesses employ more workers than chains?
Unleash the Entrepreneurs
Description: Bad policies are holding back the ultimate job creators.
Source: City-Journal.org
Date: Fall 2011
Link: http://www.city-journal.org/2011/21_4_entrepreneurs.html
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the key points presented in the article about the relationship between job creation and entrepreneurialism.
- What are the statistical arguments?
- Why do you suppose government still looks to older industry and big-businesses as the engines for job creation?
- How would you change policies?
The Shadowy World of iPhone Cases
Description: Smartphone case makers rely on rumors and leaks to get their products on the market first
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 10/14/2011
Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-shadowy-world-of-iphone-cases-10132011.html
Questions for discussion:
- What did you learn in this report about risk-taking and the planning process?
- How would you make decisions in this business environment?
Firing Steve Jobs was “a terrible mistake”
October 10, 2011 by Brahm Canzer
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 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources
Description: Former Apple CEO John Sculley reflects on how Steve Jobs recruited him to run the tech company and why its board ultimately fired Jobs in 1985.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 10/06/2011
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/10/06/t_gc_sculley_jobs.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- According to John Sculley, what sort of businessman and entrepreneur was Steve Jobs?
- Do you think Steve Jobs was unfairly treated by the board of directors?
- What does this report tell you about the influences of financial considerations in the running of a company?
Five Steps to Job Creation
Description: First off, forget budget-cutting and think about training your existing staff
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 10/04/2011
Link: http://www.businessweek.com/management/five-steps-to-job-creation-10042011.html
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the prescriptions for job creation presented in the article.
- Do you think small businesses are more likely to respond to these suggestions?
