Wal-Mart Bribery Probe Seen as Examining Coverup Claims

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:   Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) may spend hundreds of millions of dollars investigating $24 million in alleged Mexican bribes as the U.S. government weighs whether the company or executives also broke the law by covering up an internal probe, former federal prosecutors said. Source:  Bloomberg.com Date: 04/24/2012 Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/wal-mart-bribery-probe-in-u-s-seen-as-examining-coverup-claims.html Questions for discussion: What are the… Read more »

Apple Profit Rises 94% on Growing Global IPhone Demand

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:   Apple Inc. (AAPL) profit almost doubled last quarter, reflecting robust demand for the iPhone in China as well as purchases of a new version of the iPad tablet, allaying the concerns that fueled a 12 percent two-week slump in the stock. Source:  Bloomberg.com Date: 04/24/2012 Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/apple-profit-rises-94-on-growing-global-demand-for-iphones.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the financial results… Read more »

Video Is a Rising Star Among Content Marketers

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Description:  Companies have long emphasized the role of content for providing customers and prospects with useful information and meaningful insight, and the rise of digital distribution and production channels over past years has certainly propelled content marketing to new heights and investments. Source:  eMarketer.com Date: 04/23/2012 Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008991&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4 Questions for discussion: Why do you think… Read more »

Demand Alone Doesn’t Make a Successful Startup

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:   Odysseas Tsatalos’ entrepreneurship story started during his childhood in Greece. Reading about inventors in his encyclopedia, he decided early on that his dream was to one day see himself in print for one of his inventions. While his parents wanted him to become a doctor, Tsatalos travelled to the U.S. and got his Ph.D… Read more »

Verizon’s Answer to iPhone: Windows

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:  Verizon, fed up with the high costs of offering the iPhone, plans to push smartphones powered by Microsoft’s Windows software, as a counterweight to the popular Apple device. George Stahl reports on digits.Photo: HTC. Questions for discussion: How is the cost of a smart phone spread out through distributors? What risk does Verizon face… Read more »

No grimacing for McDonald’s investors

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  With a boost from strong earnings, McDonald’s isn’t the only fast food co. on the up and up. Chipotle and Yum! Brands are following suit. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/20/2012 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/04/20/mkts-bz-fast-food.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Compare the financial results for the firms mentioned in this report? How do you explain their performance?… Read more »

Disney Bets on ‘The Avengers’ After ‘John Carter’

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:   In the months prior to the release of Walt Disney’s (DIS)John Carter sci-fi epic, Hollywood debated why the film wasn’t catching fire with potential moviegoers. Maybe it was the ho-hum trailers; a title that didn’t cue viewers that the story took place on Mars; or the departure of the studio’s marketing chief two months… Read more »

Five Ways to Turn Your Website into a Sales Machine

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Description:   Your online presence is a vital part of any sales strategy. But is your website the sales powerhouse it should be? Source:  Entrepreneur.com Date: 04/16/2012 Link:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223348 Questions for discussion: What do you think of these recommendations? What other suggestions would you make?

AMR unions want to take a chance on U.S. Air merger

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

Description:  Labor groups at bankrupt American Airlines said on Friday they support a potential merger with rival US Airways Group Inc in a deal they say would save more jobs than a plan by parent AMR Corp to reorganize as a stand-alone carrier. Source:  Reuters.com Date: 04/21/2012 Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/21/us-american-unions-idUSBRE83J0WG20120421 Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues… Read more »

Nokia: The Finnish RIM

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:  Mobile device makers Nokia and Research in Motion continue to struggle against Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android operating system. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/11/2012 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/04/11/mkts-bz-nokia-rimm.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think there is a strategic solution for either of these firms? How much blame lies with management? Explain.