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: Facebook is now a public company, and its revenue and advertising plans are under significant scrutiny. However, users are more likely to interact with branded content on the site, not advertising, which may be an obstacle for the social network down the road.

Source: eMarketer.com

Date: June 01, 2012

Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009089&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this report say about consumer behavior online and advertising design in particular?
  • How should managers respond to this information?

 

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:  On Valentine’s Day, Nick Bergus came across a link to an odd product on Amazon.com: a 55-gallon barrel of … personal lubricant.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: May 31, 2012

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/technology/so-much-for-sharing-his-like.html?_r=1&hp

Questions for Discussions:

  • Explain how “sponsored stories” work.
  • Why are they more effective than regular advertisements?
  • Do you think this strategy is unethical in any way?
  • How should Facebook management be dealing with the proliferation of this and other new forms of advertising that make use of personal information?

 

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:  Commentary: Discounts are back in style

Source: Marketwatch.com

Date: May 30, 2012

Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jc-penney-buckles-under-pressure-2012-05-30?siteid=nwtwk

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why did this pricing strategy fail to please customers?
  • What does this report say about the transferability of managers from one business to another?
  • How are Apple and JC Penny different and the same?

 

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:    China has been investing heavily in European debt and opening its markets to retailers in order to diversify its risk.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: May 24, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/05/24/n-china-europe-worries.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why is Hugo Boss opening more stores in China?
  • Does this strategy make good sense to you?
  • What does this say about management’s view of Chinese consumers and the Chinese economy?
  • Why is China’s purchase of Euro-debt important to this story?

 

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

Description:   Would you pay $800 for a smartphone? How a 15-year-old invented a new test for pancreatic cancer and why augmented reality isn’t just science fiction anymore. All that and more in this weeks top 5 in tech.

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: May 25, 2012

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/top-5-in-tech-friday-may-25-2012/A3977B09-F4D0-480D-B1F9-2F8BB3DB4D02

Questions for Discussion:

  • Do you think these new technologies will be successful?
  • Do you think price is a major factor in the decision to purchase these products?
  • What entrepreneurial message is being communicated by the cancer detection technology story?

 

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Commentary: Here’s a fair-price calculation for Facebook

Source: Marketwatch.com

Date: May 25, 2012

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/facebooks-stock-should-trade-for-1380-2012-05-25

Questions for Discussions:

  • What is the basis for the calculations?
  • Do you think the approach is sound?
  • What do you think Facebook is worth?

 

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

Description: It’s a cliché that the Pacific Ocean is displacing the Atlantic, that China will replace America at the top of the world’s hierarchy of power, and the East will surpass the West. The cliché is also wrong. The multipolar world we are entering will have no single winner, and the three-pillared West of the European Union, North America, and Latin America remains a triangular zone of peace and foundation of global stability.

Source: Busineweek.com

Date: May 24, 2012

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-24/why-eduardo-saverin-has-company-in-singapore

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does the report have to say about international businesses and businesspeople?
  • What are your views about the issues related to this report such as the one about Eduardo Saverin?

 

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

Description:  Companies like Apple, IBM and Microsoft once stood in the shadow of much larger and more powerful Japanese electronics giants. Those days are long gone — and, lately, it looks like they may never come back.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: May 25, 2012

Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/05/25/japan-inc/?iid=SF_F_River  

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the strategic arguments presented by the reporter.
  • Do you agree with this analysis and assessment?
  • What is the message for managers looking for means to respond to global competition?

 

 

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:   Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg is the power behind the company’s explosive growth and ad business.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: May 18, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/05/17/t-ts-sandberg-facebook.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Who is Sheryl Sandberg?
  • Do you think the “character” of Facebook reflects a female view to communications?
  • Do you think she has the momentum to enter the political arena?

 

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

Description:   As Western retailers bet on China to drive profits, some of the biggest mistakes are made because brands don’t understand the Chinese consumer. The WSJ’s Deborah Kan speaks to Tom Doctoroff, author of the book “What Chinese Want: Culture, Communism & The Modern Chinese Consumer.”

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: May 18, 2012

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/how-to-win-over-the-chinese-consumer/6433C1C9-2725-48EE-8FD2-7CD3235D0DAA

Questions for Discussion:

  • What does the author say about the Chinese consumer?
  • Do you agree with the analysis presented?
  • What does this report suggest to Western businesses dealing with strategic planning in China?