Samuel Gordon Jewelers: A Small Business That Gets Social Media

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Description:  Daniel Gordon loves to chat. As President of Oklahoma City-based Samuel Gordon Jewelers — and the 4th generation of his family to run the 106-year-old company — you might figure that being social comes with the territory, since he is the face of his company. Source:  BNET.com   Date: 09/28/2010 Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/smb/samuel-gordon-jewelers-a-small-business-that-gets-social-media/2274?promo=713&tag=nl.e713 Questions for… Read more »

Starbucks Stirs Up New In-Store Web Hub

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Description: At the Think Mobile conference in San Francisco, Starbucks VP Adam Brotman outlines the company’s vision for a new Web-based network available in its coffee shops. In partnership with Yahoo, the new site will offer movies, music, and premium content from The Wall Street Journal and Zagat for free. Source: BNET.com  – video report… Read more »

World’s largest off-shore wind farm

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

Description: Off of the coast of Great Britain, 100 wind turbines power 200,000 homes Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 09/23/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/09/23/n_gb_off_shore_wind_farm.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  Do you think this energy business would be as successful, without government subsidies? What role should government play in helping emerging enterprises establish themselves? Are subsidies fair to… Read more »

Home video biz has become ‘quite baffling to consumers’

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Description:  Apple CEO Steve Jobs sang a familiar tune this month when he described a big selling point for his newly revamped Apple TV. The device, which connects TV sets to the Internet, will make it “really simple” for people to rent movies on demand, he said. Source: USAToday.com   Date: 09/23/2010 Link: http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2010-09-23-homevideo23_CV_N.htm Questions… Read more »

Burger joint’s social media recipe

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Description: 4Food uses social networks like Twitter and Foursquare in lieu of traditional marketing to let customers share their own burger creations. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 09/16/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/09/15/t_4food_burger_donut_twitter.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What do you think of the use of social marketing, as demonstrated by this small business? Do you think social media… Read more »

iPad clones hit shelves in China

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

Description: As Apple launches the iPad in China, locally-made wannabes are released at a fraction of the price. Source: CNNMoney.com  – video report Date: 09/17/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/09/17/t_iclone_china.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  Do you think consumers will look at these devices as equivalents to Apple iPads?  How is Apple able to sell iPads at five times the… Read more »

Crowdsourcer Threadless’ Life Beyond T-shirts

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Description:  With designs vetted by devotees, Threadless has helped Dell sell computers and Havaianas sell flip-flops. Next up: Expanding into brick and mortar retail chains Source: Businessweek.com   Date: 09/16/2010 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_39/b4196024715129.htm Questions for discussion: Why does this marketing strategy work so well? What other businesses do you think could succeed by using the same… Read more »

Small business: Stop ignoring us!

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Description: Business owners from across the U.S. say the government should clarify its stance on taxes and do more to help them. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 09/08/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/09/08/n_small_business_owners.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  Summarize the comments made by the small business owners in this report. Do you agree with their positions? Why are… Read more »

Brin: Google search just got smarter

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Description: Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin says that the new ‘Instant’ search will help people save time and accomplish more. Source: CNNMoney.com  – video report Date: 09/08/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/09/08/f_bt_google_instant.fortune/ Questions for discussion:  How has “Google search” changed over the years? Do you  think there is a “limit” to the types of search that Google can offer… Read more »

Are Facebook users really more narcissistic?

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Description:  The media latches on to a study tying the social network to low self-esteem — and misses the real picture. Source: Salon.com   Date: 09/09/2010 Link: http://www.salon.com/technology/facebook/?story=/mwt/feature/2010/09/09/facebook_narcissists Questions for discussion: Do you agree with these research findings? Do you think the sample size is sufficient to generalize about Facebook users? What would you do… Read more »