Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: From cast-offs to must-haves, ThredUp’s 11th annual Resale Report offers all the usual insights into the brands most in demand in the secondhand market. But it also provides a closer look at the astonishingly large resale market, proving how deeply many committed people are to powering the circular economy.

Source: MediaPost.com

Date: Apr 07, 2023

Link: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/384178/lululemon-anthropologie-tory-burch-top-resale-br.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=129873&hashid=7T9TCmQZSDGbnu-424RuBQ

Questions for discussion:

  • Are you surprised by the research findings in this report?
  • How would you explain this customer-thinking and buying behavior?
  • Is this good news for these brands?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tuesday unveiled a new all-electric restaurant design aimed at helping the company reach its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.

Source: CNBC.com

Date: Apr 11, 2023

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/11/chipotle-sets-sustainable-restaurant-design-in-carbon-footprint-move.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Describe the eco-orientation developing at Chipotle and other businesses mentioned in the report.
  • Do you believe this messaging resonates with the thinking of its customers?
  • How does this orientation affect branding?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: Let’s delve into the fascinating career of Mindy Weinstein, PhD, and her passion for the marketing industry from a psychology perspective. As a writer from a young age, it was during college when she discovered marketing and realized the immense power words have in driving action. This revelation led her to establish her own marketing agency, Market MindShift, and secure her position as an expert in the field. Her fascination with persuasion inspired her to explore the intersection of psychology and technology, ultimately earning her a PhD. After five years of research, Mindy encapsulated her knowledge into her insightful new book, The Power of Scarcity – Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions. Mindy also hosts the Persuasive Woman podcast, where she investigates the ways in which psychology can help individuals excel in business and their careers. In this episode, we deconstruct how scarcity affects our brains and decision-making, and how companies can use it to successfully and ethically market their products and services (and what to do when they don’t). Enjoy the conversation…

Source: SixPixels.com – podcast

Date: Apr o9, 2023

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/articles/archives/mindy-weinstein-on-the-power-of-scarcity-this-weeks-six-pixels-of-separation-podcast/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the highlights presented in this conversation.
  • What are the implications for business decision-makers and customers?

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

Description: The $1.8 billion overhaul will allow plant to build next-generation EVs in late 2024

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: Apr 11, 2023

Link: https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/electric-vehicles/ford-retool-oakville-factory-build-evs

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the challenges facing management as it deals with union demands for job preservation?
  • Why is the auto-industry more concerned than most industries with distribution of investments in production and job creation?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: No mere human can keep up with the torrent of intriguing/terrifying daily AI news, but we’ll try anyway — at least until we’re rendered obsolete by the machines.. AI can probably crack your password — and faster than you think

Source: TheHustle.co

Date: Apr 05, 2023

Link: https://thehustle.co/ai-roundup-guessing-passwords-conjuring-images-out-of-peoples-minds-and-writing-fortune-cookies/

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the implications for the power of AI to do harm, according to the examples in this report?
  • How should society deal with this developing technology in your opinion?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — At first glance, this warehouse looks like many: Forklifts unload pallets from the back of dozens of tractor-trailers. Canned soup, soda and cleaning supplies whiz by on conveyer belts. Store-bound merchandise gets sorted by department and store aisle before getting stacked high like an elaborate game of Tetris. The difference? Tasks are powered by giant automated claws and rolling robots, instead of people. The driver’s seats on the forklifts are empty.

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Apr 11, 2023

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/11/walmart-warehouse-automation-powers-higher-profits.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What is Walmart doing to modernize operational efficiencies and address rising costs?
  • How should this orientation be understood by employees, customers, and investors?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Bed Bath & Beyond announced Wednesday it is working with Hilco Global to get merchandise back on its shelves in the company’s latest effort to stay alive and avoid bankruptcy. The home goods retailer has entered into a vendor consignment program with ReStore Capital, an investment manager under Hilco that provides “creative financing solutions” to struggling companies.

Source: CNBC.com

Date: Apr 05, 2023

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/05/bed-bath-beyond-merchandise-lifeline.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the financial situation facing the firm.
  • How is this program with ReStore Capital expected to help the company continue operations?
  • Do you think the firm and brand can recover from the current situation?
  • Is this an opportunity for investors to jump in?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: When it comes to sustainability, America is sliding deeper into skepticism, according to the latest research from GfK. Compared to other countries, U.S. consumers are less likely to trust the government, news, social media, and online reviews in nine key product categories. And older people are far more cynical than younger shoppers.

Source: MediaPost.com

Date: Apr 05, 2023

Link: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/384065/suspicious-minds-americas-distrust-of-sustainabi.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=readnow&utm_campaign=129834&hashid=7T9TCmQZSDGbnu-424RuBQ

Questions for discussion:

  • What does the research say about consumer attitudes towards business claims about sustainability and other altruistic actions?
  • Why do you suppose this is so?
  • What should businesses do with this information?

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: Dunkin’ is shoring up an official association with Affleck following a debut Super Bowl campaign that broke through the clutter of a big game overcrowded with celebrity endorsements.

Source: MarketingDive.com – video report

Date: Apr 04, 2023

Link: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/dunkin-Ben-Affleck-Matt-Damon-Air-film-super-bowl-ad/646770/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202023-04-04%20Marketing%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:49327%5D&utm_term=Marketing%20Dive

Questions for discussion:

  • Who is the target audience for this campaign and ad?
  • What is the message sent in the ad?
  • How is the firm attempting to reposition the brand?
  • Do you think this campaign is helping?