Description: The NFL is gaining fans in Europe thanks to EA’s Madden game which helps new fans learn the rules of football. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 05, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/09/05/n-uk-football-video-game-boulden.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Explain how the video games have influenced the growth in awareness of these sports in new foreign markets? How… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Part 1 Business in a Global Environment
Hands on with Samsung’s Galaxy Gear watch
Description: Samsung’s new smartwatch has limited functionality and a high $299 price tag. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 06, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/09/05/t-ts-samsung-gear-watch-hands-on.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the reasons the reviewer was disappointed with the Samsung smartwatch. Do you think it will sell well despite the shortcomings? What is the primary feature that you… Read more »
From Myspace’s Ashes, Silicon Start-ups Rise
Description: IT is hardly uncommon for founders and employees of successful companies to cash in their chips and go on to start other successful companies. Perhaps the best-known example is PayPal, the Web payment service whose leaders went on to found and invest in a bunch of other companies — YouTube, LinkedIn, Yelp, Tesla —… Read more »
Hey Samsung, the Dumbwatch Industry Has You Beat
Description: Swatch (UHR:VX) has made a self-winding timepiece with just 51 components. As Samsung (005930:KS) and other tech giants race to bring smartwatches to the public, slashing the number of moving parts in a timepiece is what counts as an extraordinary advance in the 500-year-old dumbwatch industry. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Sep 06, 2013 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-06/hey-samsung-the-dumbwatch-industry-has-you-beat… Read more »
Why We’ll Be Better Off if the Walmart Protests Fail
Description: Employees of the big box store are planning a national day of protest for higher wages. Economist Richard Vedder on why we’ll all be in trouble if they get their way. Source: Thedailybeast.com Date: Sep 05, 2013 Link: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/05/why-we-ll-be-better-off-if-the-walmart-protests-fail.html Questions for Discussions: How would a jump in minimum wage to $12/hour affect companies now… Read more »
Inside YouTube’s new LA studio
Description: YouTube’s newest office space is a professional television studio that is free to use for its most popular content creators. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: August 26, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/08/26/t-youtube-studio-la.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What is YouTube’s management’s thinking behind providing free-access production studios to their top channels? Do you think they should also… Read more »
Wal-Mart’s plan sells ‘American made’
Description: Wal-Mart SVP Michelle Gloeckler explains her company’s $50 billion dollar effort to sell more American made goods over the next ten years. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: August 28, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/08/28/n-cmr-walmart-made-in-usa.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Why do you suppose Wal-Mart management is motivated to lead the way in more American-made product sales? Do… Read more »
Apple Will Pay for Old IPhones. Is It a Good Deal?
Description: Apple (AAPL) is planning to start buying back old iPhones. What’s in it for the company? And what’s in it for you? Source: Businessweek.com Date: August 30, 2013 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-30/apple-will-pay-for-old-iphones-dot-is-it-a-good-deal#r=hp-lst Questions for Discussions: Why is Apple buying back older models? Do you think this strategy will be successful?
Made-for-Web Video Remakes the TV Landscape
Description: Viewers tend to have the same reaction to TV and video ads Source: emarketer.com Date: August 30, 2013 Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Made-for-Web-Video-Remakes-TV-Landscape/1010177#WocwPVviQxEOcLH5.99 Questions for Discussions: Summarize the highlights in this report. How is viewer-behavior changing? What do you think the industry will look like in ten years? What opportunities exist for entrepreneurs?
‘Plants vs. Zombies 2’ At Nearly 25 Million Downloads In Under Two Weeks
Description: “Why is everything moving to freemium?” the gamer crowd cries, myself included, much of the time. Source: Forbes.com Date: Sep 01, 2013 Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/09/01/plants-vs-zombies-2-at-nearly-25-million-downloads-in-under-two-weeks/ Questions for Discussions: What is “freemium”? Describe how the company intends to make money using this business model? What are the pros and cons of using this model? Do… Read more »