How Zuckerberg changed the game
Description: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg grew the college dorm room startup to a global tech giant with more users than most countries’ populations.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 02/03/2012
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/02/02/f_game_changers_facebook.fortune/
Questions for discussion:
- Who is Mark Zukerberg?
- Do you think his engineering background affected the way he managed the development of the company?
Super Bowl ads are GoDaddy’s domain
February 6, 2012 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: The web hosting company has seen its market share increase exponentially since its first Super Bowl ad in 2005.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 02/02/2012
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/02/01/t-bcos-godaddy-superbowl-ad.fortune/
Questions for discussion:
- Why has GoDaddy been so successful using Super Bowl advertising?
- Who is the target market?
- What are the pros and cons of managing your own advertising production studios?
The $1.6 Billion Woman, Staying on Message
Description: SEVENTY-TWO hours before Facebook’s big moment, Sheryl K. Sandberg was half a world away, hobnobbing with the likes of Bill Gates and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 02/03/2012
Questions for discussion:
- How would you describe Sheryl Sandberg?
- Do you think her gender has helped, hurt, or made no difference in her success?
Small Business Exports Edge Up
Description: Small businesses have increased their share of exports in the two years since President Obama set a goal to double U.S. sales abroad by 2015, according to new federal data.
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 02/02/2012
Questions for discussion:
- What are the reasons for the improved exports by small businesses?
- Can this be sustained? If so, how?
Kaiser CEO: Time to end piecemeal healthcare
Description: George Halvorson, CEO of non-profit healthcare insurer Kaiser Permanente, says the current U.S. healthcare system will drive the economy into the ground.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 01/26/2012
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/01/26/n_davos_halvorson_health.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Describe how the not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare businesses work?
- How should healthcare work, according to CEO George Halvorson?
- How could it be better?
- What managerial issues are stopping the for-profit industry from adopting these policies?
- How does consumer psychology affect this business?
Amazon’s Hit Man
Description: Larry Kirshbaum was the ultimate book industry insider—until Amazon called
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 01/25/2012
Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/amazons-hit-man-01252012.html?chan=magazine+channel_top+stories
Questions for discussion:
- Describe the changes that management is dealing with in the publishing industry.
- How has management at Amazon been affected by technological changes?
- Do you think management decision-making has been responsive?
Six Strategy Insights RIM’s New CEO Can Use
Description: The usual moves won’t work when new technologies and rivals dramatically shake up the field
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 01/24/2012
Link: http://www.businessweek.com/management/six-strategy-insights-rims-new-ceo-can-use-01242012.html
Questions for discussion:
- What are the recommendations made in this report?
- Do you agree with them?
- What else would you suggest to RIM’s top management?
Leaving the plastic (and fees) behind
Description: Dwolla, of Des Moines, Iowa, is taking on credit cards by allowing users to transfer money and pay for items on their phones for a small fee.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 01/17/2012
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/01/13/t_dwolla_credit_cards.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Describe why this business is better than competitors?
- What are the problems managers will have to overcome in order to succeed on a large scale?
Social media success Rx: “Be a little crazy”
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?
Park City Eatery Balks at Credit Card Fines in Rare Court Fight
Description: Stephen and Cissy McComb say they managed their Italian eatery in Park City, Utah, for more than two decades without running afoul of security rules of Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. — until they were accused of mishandling data and opening the door to $1.26 million in fraud.
Source: Bloomberg.com
Date: 01/1o/2012
Questions for discussion:
- What are the legal and social issues involved in this report?
- How can small businesses deal with the problems related to credit card companies and their policies?
