Facebook Falls After Report Fails to Quell Concerns Over 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, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Facebook Inc. (FB) plunged to a record low after its first earnings report as a public company showed a slower sales gain and narrower profit margins, failing to allay concerns over growth that have dragged down the shares.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: July 27, 2012

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-27/facebook-falls-after-report-fails-to-quell-concerns-over-growth.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why has the stock fallen in price?
  • What are the marketing, managerial, and financial concerns for the company?
  • How does the emerging “mobile” environment conflict with the current Facebook business model?
  • Do you believe Facebook will succeed in the emerging mobile environment?

Kayak sails into the market

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Co-founders Steve Hafner and Paul English discuss the future of the online travel website on the day of its IPO.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: July 20, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/07/20/investing-kayak-ipo.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Describe how Kayak works.
  • How is it better than other online travel websites?
  • How would you design an app for the mobile user?
  • How would you market this brand?

Ireland Bulldozes Ghost Estate In Life After Real Estate Bubble

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

Description:  Ireland is opting for bulldozers rather than bankers as it starts to clear the legacy of the housing boom whose collapse brought the economy to its knees.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: July 19, 2012

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-19/ireland-bulldozes-ghost-estate-in-life-after-real-estate-bubble.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • How did over-supply undermine the real estate market?
  • Who is to blame for this fiasco?
  • How can this be prevented in the future?
  • How did the collapse affect banks, governments, economic growth, and currency?

Yahoo: Help Us, Marissa Mayer. You’re Our Only Hope

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

Description: The Yahoo! (YHOO) board of directors was leaving nothing to chance. The Internet company is known throughout Silicon Valley as a leaky ship whose internal deliberations often turn up on blogs or in other media outlets. So when the company’s four-member chief executive search team met Google (GOOG) veteran Marissa Mayer for the first time last month, their precautions evoked a John le Carré novel. No one inside Yahoo was told, and the interview was conducted 10 miles away from headquarters in the Palo Alto offices of law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: July 18, 2012

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-18/help-us-marissa-mayer-dot-you-re-our-only-hope

Questions for Discussions:

  • What is Mayer’s mission, according to the report?
  • Do you think she can succeed?
  • Is her gender an important factor in this management role? Explain your thinking.

Social Media Usage Plateaus Among Marketers

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

Description: Mobile and location-based marketing are newer growth areas

Source: eMarketer.com

Date: July 18, 2012

Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009197&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4#P11cIZjFmqFpWRvW.99

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize and explain the highlights in this report.
  • How do you think these trends will perform over the next five years?

It doesn’t add up, but shoppers are suckers for bonuses

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

Description:  A recent study in The Journal of Marketing shows that “buy one, get one free” promotions are more enticing to shoppers than, say, a 50-per-cent discount on a single item, even if that shopper doesn’t need two of what’s being promoted in the first place. In other words, bonuses are more attractive to shoppers than sales, even if they don’t equal a better deal.

Source: GlobeandMail.com

Date: July 17, 2012

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/it-doesnt-add-up-but-shoppers-are-suckers-for-bonuses/article4420287/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why do you suppose consumers behave this way?
  • Do you think there are other illogical behaviors, with respect to price?

China’s growth hits 3-year low

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

Description: From poor migrant villages to multi-million dollar housing developments, people in China are beginning to feel the squeeze.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/07/13/n-china-slowdown.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • How has the global economic slowdown affected the wealthy and not as wealthy in China?
  • How is supply and demand theory reflected in the items profiled in the report?

Cuba holds first ever tech festival

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

Description:  A surprising location for a tech event, Cuba’s ‘click festival’ is dedicated to expanding internet access on the island.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: July 12, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/07/03/t-cuba-tech-conference.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussion:

  • What did you learn about the online business in Cuba?
  • How does government control of prices affect consumer behavior?
  • Do you believe the embargo is the real reason Cubans are less active and familiar with online technology?

 

Mobile TV app could upend the cable-broadcast business

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

Description: Barry Diller, the consummate Hollywood deal maker who revamped the TV business in the 1980s, is back in the media spotlight after a federal judge threw out an injunction against Aereo, the online TV service he backs.

Source: GlobeandMail.com

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/business-technology/mobile-tv-app-could-upend-the-cable-broadcast-business/article4414783/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the issues facing the industry and consumers as technology continues to disrupt existing business models?
  • How should the industry respond to this threat?

Marketers Up the Ante on Social Media Sponsorships

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

Description: Marketers rely most on blog posts and Twitter to reach their audience

Source: eMarketer.com

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009188&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the highlights in this report.
  • Why do you think this strategy is gaining in popularity?
  • Does it work better for certain products?