MySpace Co-founder Moves From Social Networking to Social Commerce
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
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?
Computer geeks king in job hunt
Description: Some undergrads with coding skills get approached by 10 to 20 companies before they even graduate.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 01/06/2012
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/01/05/n_computer_science_jobs.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Explain the forces driving the job market for graduates with these skills?
- Do you think the forces in the economy driving this industry are likely to endure for long?
- What other non-programming jobs are likely to be tied to this industry?
- How much do you think the industry is influenced by entrepreneurial drive?
2011′s worst in tech
Description: RIM joins Netflix and HP as the tech sector’s biggest losers in 2011.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 12/28/2011
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/12/20/ts_tech_losers_2011.cnnmoney/
Questions for discussion:
- Why did these companies have such a bad year in 2011?
- Is there a common thread that explains why they performed so poorly?
- What lessons did you learn about the people who run big successful companies and then make mistakes?
Skate to Where the Puck is Going in Startups
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?
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?
