Unions Yield on Wage Scales to Preserve Jobs

Posted by & filed under Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives.

Description:  Organized labor appears to be losing an important battle in the Great Recession. Source: NYTimes.com   Date: 11/19/2010 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/business/20wages.html?ref=business Questions for discussion:  According to the report, how have unionized workers adapted to the economic conditions at their places of employment? Do you think this change will impact aspects in the workplace such as… Read more »

Jobs Outlook Looking Better

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives.

Description: Rebecca Jarvis and Barrons associate editor Michael Santori discuss the recent increase in private sector jobs and what we can expect in the future. Source:  BNET.com – video report Date: 11/12/2010 Link: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/video/jobs-outlook-looking-better/481539/ Questions for discussion:  Summarize the reasons companies are starting to hire back more workers now? What does this say about these… Read more »

Pogue: Six Factors for Highly Unsuccessful Products

Posted by & filed under Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description:  At the FailCon 2010 conference in San Francisco, New York Times technology columnist David Pogue identifies the stumbling blocks to success. Source:  BNET.com – video report   Date: 10/27/2010 Link: http://www.bnet.com/videos/pogue-six-factors-for-highly-unsuccessful-products/479076 Questions for discussion:  Do you agree with the explanations provided in the video? Provide one additional example that illustrates each of the errors… Read more »

7 Ways Companies Miss Out on Huge Opportunities

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Description:  More often than not, companies manage to lock themselves into unnecessarily narrow market segments and, in so doing, lock themselves out of huge growth opportunities. It’s so prevalent it’s like an epidemic out there. I see it all the time. Source:  BNET.com   Date: 10/21/2010 Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/7-ways-companies-miss-out-on-huge-opportunities/5848?promo=713&tag=nl.e713 Questions for discussion:  Do you agree with… Read more »

A day with Stan Lee at Comic Con

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: The comics legend is still going strong, and still spends entire days promoting his new products and meeting his fans. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 10/15/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/10/15/n_cmr_stan_lee_comiccon.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  How important is Stan Lee as a leader for his company and industry? Why do you suppose there is such reverence… Read more »

How Much Do You Think He Makes?

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Description:  Does knowing your colleagues’ salaries make you happy or disgruntled? Source: Slate.com   Date: 09/28/2010 Link: http://www.slate.com/id/2268886/ Questions for discussion: What does this article have to say about how employees look at their pay? What lessons are there here for management? Which motivational models discussed in the textbook helps explain the results of this… Read more »

Why Great Companies Don’t Stay Great

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Description:  Ever wonder why there are so few perennially successful companies like Cisco and Microsoft? Or why so many once-great companies, like Dell and Nortel, suddenly hit a wall? No, it’s not about innovation or culture, although they are factors. Source:  BNET.com   Date: 09/17/2010 Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/why-great-companies-dont-stay-great/5585?tag=content;feature-roto Questions for discussion:  Summarize the arguments made in… Read more »

Japan CEOs Learn `Globish’ to Expand Overseas as Economy Stalls

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives.

Description:  Oki Matsumoto, chief executive officer of online trader Monex Group Inc. and a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner, has a solution to Japan’s stagnant domestic economy: Learn “globish.” Matsumoto holds regular parties at the Tokyo-based company where employees must speak globish, or global English, a language for non-native speakers using basic grammar and… Read more »

Labor Day’s violent beginnings

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Description:  The bloody Pullman strike in 1894 spurred the national holiday that recognizes American workers. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 09/03/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/09/03/n_labor_day_history_2010.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  Summarize the historical successes of organized labor that are highlighted in the video. Why do you think the general public is often critical of organized labor? Do… Read more »

Hewlett-Packard’s battered culture

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Description: Founders’ folksy approach became guiding principle for other companies Source:  Marketwatch.com Date: 08/09/2010 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/h-p-known-for-its-culture-in-yet-another-scandal-2010-08-09?siteid=nwtwk   Questions for discussion: Why do you think H-P has had so much trouble with its recent CEOs?  Do you think H-P will be hurt by this recent problem in terms of management recruitment of other employees, motivation, control,… Read more »