Iowa Farms Minting Millionaires as Rich-Poor Gap Widens

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Pickup trucks lined a stretch of gravel road where 150 farmers mingled between 7-foot tall cornstalks and shimmering soybeans to see which of their wealthy brethren would bid on a swath of Iowa’s richest cropland. This was a farm — table-flat and 314 acres — so coveted that it drew three times the usual land-sale crowd.

Source:  Bloomberg.com

Date: Oct 19, 2012

Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-19/iowa-farms-minting-millionaires-as-rich-poor-gap-widens.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this article have to say about the generation of wealth?
  • Explain the reason for the high value of farmland.
  • What would change this evaluation?

The future of rechargeable batteries

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory are developing car and smartphone batteries that can hold 50 percent more energy.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Oct 10, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/10/10/t-lithium-battery-volt.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • How do you think the development of this new technology will change the transportation and communications industries?
  • Which other industries are likely to be impacted by this innovation?
  • Why do you suppose there exists a co-operative business model in place at Argonne?
  • What other organizational features do you think would speed up development and adoption of this technology by other businesses?

The Car From Google That Drives Itself

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: See one of Google’s self-driving cars, which the Internet giant has been developing since 2009. While the self-driving technology won’t be available for years, the company hopes such vehicles will revolutionize the way humans get around. (Photo & Video: Google)

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: Oct 11, 2012

Link: http://on.wsj.com/SUMHjd

Questions for Discussions:

  • Do you think this technology will be easily sold to consumers?
  • What are the benefits that could be emphasized in advertising and sales presentations?
  • Do you think businesses will find value in a driverless vehicle?
  • Why do you suppose Google – an Internet company –  is pursuing the development of this sort of technology?

Wendy’s pigtails get first touch-up since 1983

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:  Wendy’s pigtails are getting a tweak. For the first time since 1983, the Dublin, Ohio-based fast food company is updating its logo in a move intended to signal its ongoing transformation into a higher-end hamburger chain.

Source: Associated Press.com

Date: Oct 10, 2012

Link:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8uawEIZKt2w65ro5heDLksmNt3w?docId=f0c8fed2bfeb4355b00563fa9cf68060

Questions for Discussions:

  • Do you think these changes will result in the repositioning of the Wendy’s brand as a more upscale chain in consumers; minds?
  • What else could management do in order to improve chances for success?

Travel Apps Lead Industries in Usage Growth

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 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Travel companies are digging deeper into mobile app development as they aim to connect with consumers at all points during the travel journey. That means providing mobile services that support everything travelers are doing during their excursions, from planning to booking to sharing their experiences.

Source:  eMarketer.com

Date: Oct 11, 2012

Link:  http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009408&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4#jseAGHdmyeEv8qbu.99

Questions for Discussions:

  • Describe the types of travel apps that have appeared in the marketplace.
  • How has mobile technology changed these developments?
  • Develop an idea for a travel app that you would like to have.

For Some Drivers, an Electric Motorcycle Could Be the Best of Both Worlds

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Zipping around on a motorcycle can be fun, but being in a downpour or an accident on one is not. Driving a car is safer and more comfortable, but traffic and parking can be annoying. What if you got rid of the bad parts of both?

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Oct 10, 2012

Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/technology/start-ups/for-some-drivers-electric-motorcycle-could-be-the-best-of-both-worlds.html?ref=business

Questions for Discussions:

  • Explain why you think this product could succeed or fail?
  • Describe who you think the target market for this product would be?
  • How would you market this product to this buyer?

3D printing buttons, jewelry and shoes

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 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: 3D printers are becoming more powerful and more mainstream, with a retail store opening up to sell them.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Oct 03, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/innovation/2012/10/03/3d-printing-buttons-jewelry-shoes.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why do you think this technology would be appealing to customers?
  • What consumer and small business applications do you think this technology can improve upon?
  • How would you promote this technology to a small business customer?
  • How would you promote this technology to consumers?

Beware: Recruiters are Watching You Online

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: Employers in Asia are increasingly using social media to screen job candidates. Martin Cerullo of Alexander Mann Solutions explains why people should think twice before posting content on their Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter accounts.

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: Oct 05, 2012

Link: http://on.wsj.com/RFwTOG

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the issues related to the use of social media by employers and job seekers.
  • What are the suggestions to both groups of users?

Glut of Solar Panels Poses a New Threat to China

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 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  China in recent years established global dominance in renewable energy, its solar panel and wind turbine factories forcing many foreign rivals out of business and its policy makers hailed by environmentalists around the world as visionaries.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Oct 04, 2012

Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/business/global/glut-of-solar-panels-is-a-new-test-for-china.html?_r=2&ref=business&

Questions for Discussions:

  • What happened to China’s solar panel industry?
  • Why did overcapacity develop?
  • How will this industry adjust to correct for overcapacity?
  • Was this industry affected by the economic forces of supply and demand any differently because it was in China?
  • What lessons are there here for governments, businesspeople and investors?

Consumer Electronics Purchase Path Upended

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 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Many consumer electronics retailers and manufacturers are struggling. A new eMarketer report, “Consumer Electronics: The Path to Purchase, Reinvented,” finds that their traditional products face significant disruption from the ascent of smartphones and tablets, both of which provide a number of the functions that several different older devices once did.

Source:  eMarketer.com

Date: Oct 05, 2012

Link:  http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009395&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4#iEfeFLAYuTdW4kT1.99

Questions for Discussions:

  • What changes are taking place in the consumer electronics industry that should be noted by managers?
  • How is distribution and buyer behavior changing?
  • How should the retail and wholesale side of the industry respond to these trends?