Netflix’s Reed Hastings: The man to watch

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Description: With 44-million subscribers and counting, Netflix is changing the way we watch TV and movies. The man with the remote? Co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/02/21/n-netflix-ceo-reed-hastings-business-of-being.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Identify the key decisions taken by management that either boosted or hurt Netflix growth? What… Read more »

How LEGO builds toys kids want

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Description: LEGO says they became the number two toy manufacturer by staying true to what kids want. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 25, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/02/25/n-co-lego-number-2-toymaker.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Describe the growth strategy employed by Lego management. How have Lego’s digital products helped the sales of tactile products?

At Hasbro, Girls Toys Become a Big Market

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Description: Shortly after joining toymaker Hasbro (HAS) as a senior executive more than a decade ago, Brian Goldner took his 5-year-old daughter, Brooke, on a tour of headquarters. She wasn’t impressed. “She put her hands on her hips and said, ‘Dad, the way I see it, you don’t have any toys for girls,’?” recalls Goldner,… Read more »

World’s Most Admired Companies

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Description: Atop our annual ranking: innovators, disrupters, and companies that overcome adversity. (And a familiar No. 1.) Source: Fortune.com Date: Feb 28, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/2014/snapshots/670.html?iid=SF_F_River Questions for Discussions: What are the characteristics shared by many of these companies? How important are the firms’ management and products when making this evaluation?

WhatsApp with Facebook’s $19B offer?

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Description: Facebook’s biggest deal ever. Why is Mark Zuckerberg paying $19 Billion for messaging app WhatsApp? Laurie Segall reports. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 19, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/02/19/t-facebook-whatsapp-19-billion.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: How did Facebook go about evaluating WhatsApp? Do you believe it was a good deal for both sides? How can this acquisition… Read more »

Groupon needs a group hug

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Description: Daily deal site Groupon is finding it hard to compete with Amazon and eBay. A better social media and marketing strategy might help too. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/02/21/investing-the-buzz-groupon-social-media-amazon.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Why has the stock value dropped? What is the new direction management is trying to take… Read more »

Why Hollywood Struggles to Quickly Clone Animated Hits

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Description: With the runaway success of Disney’s (DIS) Frozen and the explosive opening of Warner Bros.’s (TWX) The Lego Movie, animated films have had a great run in recent months. When a live-action movie becomes a big hit, it’s not long before imitators—both real and imagined—show up on the horizon. Doing the same in the animation world… Read more »

Does entrepreneurial experience guarantee future startup success? Not really, study says

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Description: Over the course of my career, I’ve encountered many self-described “serial entrepreneurs” — those who have made a career path out of launching new ventures, then moving on to the next. While the people I’ve met appear to have had strings of apparent successes, is entrepreneurial experience a predictor of future success? Source: SmartPlanet.com… Read more »

VW’s Passat, made in Tennessee

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Description: Take a tour of Volkswagen’s $1 billion plant that opened in Chattanooga, TN. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 12, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/02/12/n-volkswagen-vw-plant-tennessee.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What are the main considerations for where to locate a car plant such as the one illustrated in the report? Why do other businesses typically decide to… Read more »

Comcast’s future for your TV

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Description: Comcast shows off new technology that allows you click a link in tweet, and have a show start playing instantly on your TV or mobile device. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 14, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/02/14/t-comcast-twitter.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: How is social media going to change consumer viewing behavior? How will this technology… Read more »