Boone & Kurtz Contemporary Business Weekly Updates » Human Resource Management Motivation and Labor-Management Relations (p286)

Unions Yield on Wage Scales to Preserve Jobs

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:03:55 +0000

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 motivation and productivity?
How should management react to these circumstances?
Do you think these changes are likely to be long lasting?

Jobs Outlook Looking Better

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 10:05:21 +0000

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 companies, their industries, and the economic recovery?

Pogue: Six Factors for Highly Unsuccessful Products

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:04:36 +0000

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 listed in the presentation.
Can you think of other reasons for failures?

7 Ways Companies Miss Out on Huge Opportunities

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:01:06 +0000

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 the arguments presented in this article?
Why else do you think some companies miss out on great opportunities?

A day with Stan Lee at Comic Con

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:05:00 +0000

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 for the man?
How do you explain the longevity of this industry?
Who is the target audience?
What is the “product” they are buying?
What do you think of the new products mentioned in the video clip?

How Much Do You Think He Makes?

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:02:28 +0000

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 research?

Why Great Companies Don’t Stay Great

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:03:42 +0000

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 this article?
Do you agree with the analysis presented?
What strategies should be applied by managers, with these arguments in mind?

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

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:01:03 +0000

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 a vocabulary of 1,500 words.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: 09/08/2010

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-08/japan-ceos-learn-globish-to-aid-overseas-expansion-as-economy-stagnates.html

Questions for discussion:

Is it necessary for all business people to speak English, regardless of where they originate?
How should companies encourage cultural and second language learning among its management personnel?
What advantages are there for businesses whose managers can interact comfortably with other business people in languages other than their own?

Labor Day’s violent beginnings

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:05:06 +0000

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 you believe there is a problem in because some unionized workers enjoy better benefits than others?
How can the gap between benefits enjoyed by unionized and non-unionized workers be closed?
What role is there for governments?

Hewlett-Packard’s battered culture

Brahm Canzer — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:03:31 +0000

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, and so forth?
Is there something that H-P could do to prevent any future damage by executives?