Internet poker owner says he broke U.S. gambling law

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:  One of the owners of three of the largest Internet poker companies pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a criminal charge of deceiving U.S. banks over the processing of gambling proceeds.

Source: Reuters.com

Date: 12/20/2011

Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/20/us-poker-fraud-plea-idUSTRE7BJ1DE20111220

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think the punishment will act as a deterrent to other illegal actions by online gambling firms?
  • Why do you suppose the punishment was so weak?
  • Do you think this story will deter online gambling?

How Pandora Became a 10-Year Overnight Success

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.

Description:  Rarely is a startup an overnight success. Even if a company seems to come out of nowhere and sell months later, there were usually years of work behind the scenes. That’s the case for Pandora founder Tim Westergren.

Source:  Sprouter.com

Date: 12/21/2011

Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/how-pandora-became-a-10-year-overnight-success/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the trials and tribulations of the company since its launch.
  • What message does this article send to entrepreneurs?

Put customers first — except on your website

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

Description:  (MoneyWatch)  Customer needs are important, but a business website — just like any other — should be based primarily on what you want and what you intend. Then you can think about the customer. The web is a great place for interaction, but it also risks information overload when it comes to customer feedback. If you listen too closely to what a minority of vocal customers say they want, you’re unlikely to create a site that drives your business in the direction you’d like.

Source:  CBSMoneywatch.com

Date: 12/16/2011

Link:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57344199/put-customers-first-except-on-your-website/?tag=nl.e857

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the recommendations presented in this report.
  • Do you agree with the suggestions?

Retail therapy

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

Description:  How Ernest Dichter, an acolyte of Sigmund Freud, revolutionised marketing

Source:  TheEconomist.com

Date: 12/17/2011

Link:  http://www.economist.com/node/21541706

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the highlights in this report.
  • What do you agree or disagree with in the analysis?

What would make Caterpillar add jobs

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.

Description:  Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman explains what the company needs to hire in the near and long-term.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 12/13/2011

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/12/13/n_cat_ceo_adding_jobs.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the challenges facing the firm?
  • How do these issues relate to your understanding of the state of the economy?
  • What should companies, governments and individuals be doing according to CEO Doug Oberhelman to help create jobs and thereby improve business for Caterpillar and the economy as a whole?

Sony’s Shopping Spree Is ‘Wrong Direction’ in Apple Battle: Tech

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

Description:  Sony Corp. Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer has announced acquisitions worth $8.4 billion this year to bolster phones and content. That may not be enough to turn around a company heading for a fourth consecutive loss.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: 12/13/2011

Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-13/sony-s-shopping-spree-is-wrong-direction-in-apple-battle-tech.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the challenges facing Sony management today.
  • What strategy would you advise the company to take?

All the world’s a game

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

Description:  Video games will be the fastest-growing and most exciting form of mass media over the coming decade, says Tim Cross

Source:  TheEconomist.com

Date: 12/10/2011

Link:  http://www.economist.com/node/21541164

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the highlights in this report.
  • What does this report suggest about investing strategies related to the growth of the industry?

Building the b2b brand story

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:  When people hear the term social media, their minds often wander to obvious points like Facebook, Twitter – and possibly the Old Spice guy. But when I’m at conferences and events, people frequently tell me that they obviously see how B2C organizations can embrace and utilize social tools, given that their targets are typically actively engaged – but they aren’t clear on how B2B organizations are supposed to be dealing with the opportunity. What on earth are you supposed to be saying?

Source: TheEspressoagency.com

Date: 12/12/2011

Link:  http://espressoagency.com/blog/2011/12/12/building-the-b2b-brand-story/

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the similarities and differences between B2B and B2C online marketing?
  • Do you agree with this analysis?

How Eric Ries Changed the Framework for Startup Success

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.

Description:  Eric Ries may be synonymous with startup success now, but in college he was just another kid with a business plan. The entrepreneur behind the Lean Startup philosophy started his first business while still in school at Yale, an online database of student resumes. The company, CatalystRecruiting.com, was a casualty of the dot com crash.

Source:  Sprouter.com

Date: 12/07/2011

Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/how-eric-ries-changed-the-framework-for-startup-success/

Questions for discussion:

  • What is different about Eric Ries’ thinking when compared to conventional planning?
  • What do you think about his message to entrepreneurs?

Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce

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

Description:  Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry’s pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce — and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.
Source:  TED.com

Date: September  2004

Link:  http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What does this report say about the way the food industry researched and developed new products in the 1970s?
  • How did it change?
  • What are some current marketing examples of this strategic thinking?