In search of the world’s best pizza

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description:  When Corky’s closed, a little slice of me died. How I found it back in business. Source:  Fortune.com Date: 06/10/2011 Link: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/10/pizza-a-love-story/?iid=H_F_News&iid=H_M_News Questions for discussion: What does this article teach you about business success? How important is the entrepreneurial drive in order to become successful?

Amazon May Soon Need to Collect Sales Tax

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: A proposal in the U.S. Senate aims to end the longtime exemption for e-commerce Source: Businessweek.com Date: 06/02/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_24/b4232041319222.htm Questions for discussion: Summarize the key arguments made in this article about tax collection. What are some of the alternative solutions to the collection of taxes that is fair to all parties?

25 ways of downloading Angry Birds

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Description: Rovio has a blockbuster franchise just as notable for its flock of revenue streams as its wildly addictive game play. Source:  Fortune.com Date: 06/03/2011 Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/03/25-ways-angry-birds/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons for the success of this business? Why has it become such a global hit? What other prospects exist for this brand?

The Thriving (Online) Shelter Magazine Industry

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

Description: SINCE Domino, the beloved shelter magazine, folded in early 2009, its staff members have gone on to lucrative consulting jobs, top editing posts, even television gigs, but none have advanced as swiftly as Michelle Adams. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 06/01/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/garden/the-thriving-online-shelter-magazine-industry.html?ref=media Questions for discussion: Explain the success of these new online magazines? Why have… Read more »

Knut, the $140 Million Polar Bear

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Description: The perils of the high-stakes celebrity animal business Source: Businessweek.com Date: 05/26/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_23/b4231085935993.htm Questions for discussion: Summarize the key arguments made in this article. What are the risks associated with this strategy? What are the ethical issues in this story?

Book publishers in denial on Amazon’s e-book sales

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Description: At the annual BookExpo America this week, booksellers voiced mixed feelings about the news that Amazon’s Kindle book sales have surpassed print, and some said they simply don’t believe it at all. Source: Fortune.com Date: 05/27/2011 Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/05/27/book-publishers-in-denial-on-amazons-e-book-sales/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points made in this report. Is this good news for… Read more »

Funny or Die: Groupon’s Fate Hinges on Words

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Description: RACHEL HANDLER is struggling to say something funny or perhaps amusing or at least clever about horses. Her mind is empty. She can’t recall the last time she was on a horse or even saw a horse. The minutes fly by. Horses are nothing to joke about. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 05/29/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/business/29groupon.html?ref=business Questions… Read more »

Behind Google’s tablet war with Apple

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: Google chairman Eric Schmidt says that Android’s open-tablets will ultimately “bring more volume, more users, and more investment” to the platform. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 05/17/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/05/17/f_schmidt_gps.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the differences between the strategies to gain customers followed by Google and Apple. Do you think one strategy is superior… Read more »

Red Bull’s Billionaire Maniac

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Description: Dietrich Mateschitz is making a bold move into TV, movies, and magazines. What’s the visionary behind a $5 billion-a-year soft-drink empire doing in the media business? Just what he’s always done: having a blast. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 05/19/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_22/b4230064852768.htm Questions for discussion: Summarize what you learned about the man and the company. Do… Read more »

Zuckerberg: Kids under 13 should be allowed on Facebook

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Description: Facebook’s founder sees the social networking site as a tool with educational potential. That of course means getting kids Facebooking at an early age. Source: Fortune.com Date: 05/20/2011 Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/05/20/zuckerberg-kids-under-13-should-be-allowed-on-facebook/ Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the arguments promoting use of Facebook at an earlier age for educational benefits? What are the ethical… Read more »