digits: Pay TV Loses Subscribers
August 30, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: The subscription television industry suffered a drop in total subscribers in the second quarter. Meanwhile, more online TV viewing options abound. Dow Jones Newswires’ Nat Worden joins Simon Constable and Spencer Ante on Digits to discuss.
Source: Marketwatch.com – video report
Date: 08/24/2010
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think the trend away from television subscription will grow?
- How would you recommend the cable-television industry respond to this threat?
- Why do you suppose consumers have shifted over to online services like Hulu and iTunes?
- How would you market these services as more competitors enter the marketplace?
USA Today to Remake Itself to Stress Digital Operations
August 30, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources
Description: The history of USA Today is full of firsts for the newspaper business: the first general-interest national paper of its kind, the first to use color widely in charts and photographs and once first in the number of copies printed each day.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 08/27/2010
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/business/media/28paper.html?ref=business
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think the reorganization effort will revitalize revenues for USA Today?
- What gives USA Today competitive advantage over other newspapers and news organizations?
- Is there anything different in their digital effort in comparison to other news sources?
- What would you recommend to the firm in order to give it some advantage over its competitors?
- Would you be an investor in stocks of the firm today?
Intel, After McAfee Deal, May Find Mobile Security a Hard Sell
August 23, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business
Description: Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini, with the $7.68 billion acquisition of security software maker McAfee Inc., is betting that customers will pay to guard against attacks that have yet to materialize.
Source: Bloomberg.com
Date: 08/20/2010
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think this was a wise decision by Intel?
- Do you believe there will be long term need for virus protection?
- What advantage is there for Intel to place anti-virus software on their chips?
digits: Oracle Takes Sweeping Shot at Google
August 16, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources
Description: Oracle Corp. has sued Google Inc. for patent and copyright infringement, on grounds that Google’s Android OS violates Java copyrights. The suit has sent shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley. WSJ’s Don Clark explains the possible implications of the suit to Simon Constable and Jennifer Valentino-DeVries. Also: are more TV shows and movies coming to the iPad – via the cable companies?
Source: Marketwatch.com – video report
Date: 08/13/2010
Questions for discussion:
- What are the financial implications for other firms if Google settles on a royalty payment schedule with Oracle?
- How will Google and Oracle be financially affected?
- On the second item, how do you think televisions shows will be distributed in the future?
- How much market share do you think the cable companies will be able to hold on to in comparison to those firms selling through wifi devices?
AOL Chief: Display ads not dead
July 26, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong says display advertising will still be dominant, albeit different, in the coming years.
Source: CNNMoney.com – video report
Date: 07/23/2010
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/07/23/f_bst_aol_armstrong_display.fortune/
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the comments made by Tim Armstrong about the future of AOL, online content, and advertising.
- Do you agree with his opinions?
- How do you see AOL developing in the future?
- What would you suggest to AOL if you could talk directly to Tim Armstrong?
Amazon shares fall after earnings disappoint
July 26, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources
Description: Online retail giant ramps up investments, sees continued spending
Source: Marketwatch.com
Date: 07/23/2010
Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-falls-after-earnings-disappoint-2010-07-23?siteid=nwtwk
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the financial conditions of Amazon?
- Would you be concerned as an investor or as a financial manager in the firm?
- What would you advise management?
Online, We Pay With Our Time Spent Searching
July 12, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business
Description: THE Internet is a Soviet bread line. Remember those lines? Back when commissars commanded the Soviet Union’s economy like Knute commanding the tides, people would wait for hours in long queues for free bread. Although the bread was free, people paid for it with their time.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 07/09/2010
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/business/11every.html?ref=business
Questions for discussion:
- Do you agree with the argument presented in this article?
- Is the time spent searching online different in value than the time spent searching for say, clothing at the mall?
- Will web sites that find what we want and deliver it faster to us be able to charge money?
- How can this ‘value’ be charged to customers?
D8 Video: Steve Case in Full Session
Description: Steve Case and Kara Swisher meet again onstage at the D8 Conference. What has the Revolution CEO been up to on the 25h Anniversary of American Online?
Source: Marketwatch.com – video report
Date: 07/02/2010
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize the history of AOL and the development of the Internet.
- What surprises you the most in this interview?
- What future do you see for AOL and for Steve Case?
Google victorious in Viacom’s YouTube lawsuit
June 28, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information
Description: A federal judge has ruled in favor of Google Inc. in the company’s courtroom battle with Viacom Inc. over alleged copyright violations on Google’s YouTube video service.
Source: Marketwatch.com
Date: 06/23/2010
Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google-victorious-in-viacoms-youtube-lawsuit-2010-06-23?siteid=nwtwk
Questions for discussion:
- What are the arguments that support YouTube’s legal position?
- Do you think YouTube will change the way it distributes copyrighted files in the future?
- How does YouTube make money?
- Do you think they will change this strategy in the future?
In Price War, E-Readers Go Below $200
June 28, 2010 by Brahm Canzer
Filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management
Description: A price war is brewing in the growing market for electronic reading devices.
Source: NYTimes.com
Date: 06/21/2010
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/technology/22reader.html?src=busln
Questions for discussion:
- Do you agree with the analysis of this report?
- Is there a market for a single-application device?
- Who are the customers in this market?
- What price would be appropriate for the device?
- Can you envision these devises being given away with the purchase or subscription of ebooks?
