What’s driving the manufacturing rebound?

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Description:  Manufacturing jobs are not close to pre-recession levels, but auto jobs, especially in Michigan, are showing signs of life. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/16/2012 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/16/n-us-manufacturing-autos.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why has manufacturing rebounded? What does this mean for the economy as a whole, in your opinion?

Pricey undies, made in the U.S.A.

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:  Hanky Panky is one of very few apparel makers that makes its lingerie in America. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/15/2012 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/14/n-hanky-panky-usa.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How is it that this product category can defy the odds and sell successfully? Are there other products that could do as well, in your opinion?

A Marketer’s Homage to the Soda Can

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

Description:   PepsiCo (PEP) recently announced that it will add an additional $500 million to $600 million to its roughly $2 billion advertising budget to support its soda brands in 2012, in an attempt to catch up with the heavy spending (and sales gains) of archrival Coca-Cola (KO). Meanwhile, Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) recently upped… Read more »

Pass the Books. Hold the Oil.

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Description:   Thomas Friedman: EVERY so often someone asks me: “What’s your favorite country, other than your own?” Source:  NYTimes.com Date: 03/10/2012 Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/friedman-pass-the-books-hold-the-oil.html?r=1&scp=2&sq=thomas%20friedman&st=cse Questions for discussion: Summarize Thomas Friedman’s arguments about the development of wealth around the world. Do you agree with his assessments?

In Europe, Goldman letter deepens banks’ trust deficit

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Description:   British politicians visiting Wall Street would once have been only too happy to have their photograph taken with the head of Goldman Sachs. This week in New York, Prime Minister David Cameron met Goldman Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein and other bankers in private. Source:  Reuters.com Date: 03/16/2012 Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/16/us-banks-image-idUSBRE82F0RR20120316 Questions for discussion: What are… Read more »

Oreo: An iconic cookie turns 100

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:  CNN’s Felicia Taylor explores how Oreo has remained an American favorite for a century. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/06/2012 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/06/happy_100_oreo.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why do you think Oreo has endured for 100 years? Are you surprised to find out that Oreo sells well elsewhere in the world? How would you develop… Read more »

SXSW’s hottest new apps

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Description:  Social discovery apps like Highlight and Sonar are getting buzzed about but come with privacy concerns. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/10/2012 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/03/10/ts-sxsw-highlight-sonar.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think these apps will become popular? Where are they likely to be used? Is there a business use for these apps in business settings,… Read more »

End of Days for Independent Pharmacies?

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Description:   When patients arrive at Woods Pharmacy & Prescription in Mountain View, Ark., pharmacist Dana Woods greets them by name. In a town of 3,000, where Woods has owned the $2 million pharmacy and soda fountain for 26 years, he usually also knows their parents, their children, and their medications. Source:  Businessweek.com Date: 03/08/2012 Link: … Read more »

Hustle and Hustle Smart in Startups

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Description:   Like many other successful entrepreneurs, Brian Wong worked at a startup before branching out on his own. He worked in business development at Digg, and though he was laid off he says he learned a lot from working there. Source:  Sprouter.com Date: 03/07/2012 Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/hustle-and-hustle-smart-in-startups/ Questions for discussion: What did you learn about entrepreneurship… Read more »

Green Mountain falls as Starbucks takes on Keurig

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

Description:   Shares in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O) tumbled 14 percent on Friday, on fears that it may lose its near monopoly in the U.S. single-cup coffee market after partner Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) outlined plans to launch a rival coffee and espresso machine. Source:  Reuters.com Date: 03/09/2012 Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/09/us-greenmountaincoffeeroasters-shares-idUSBRE8280MF20120309 Questions for discussion: Why have… Read more »