Three Reason’s Facebook’s Revenue Surge Is Even Better Than It Looks

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: If TIME Magazine didn’t tell you already, 2010 was the year of Facebook, but not just because its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, had a newsworthy year, no matter how you slice it.

Source:  BNET.com

Date: 12/17/2010

Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/new-media/three-reason-8217s-facebook-8217s-revenue-surge-is-even-better-than-it-looks/6874?tag=mantle_skin;content

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the opinions expressed in this interview.
  • Do you think the Facebook phenomena and dominance in social media will endure?
  • How else can Facebook generate revenue other than the ways it does so, currently?

What’s a Quiet Guy Doing on Real Estate’s A-List?

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  WHEN General Growth Properties buckled under a mountain of debt and filed for bankruptcy last year, deal watchers assumed that Simon Properties, the nation’s largest mall owner, would swoop in and buy it. So many people were stunned when Brookfield Asset Management, a lesser-known company that is based in Toronto, beat out Simon last May and snagged a major ownership stake.

Source: NYTimes.com
 
Date: 12/18/2010

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/business/19brook.html?ref=business

Questions for discussion: 

  • Summarize the growth history of the firm.
  • How has the recent financial crisis helped some firms grow while others falter?
  • What strategic lessons are there to learn from this report?

A drive through ‘foreclosure row’

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

A drive through ‘foreclosure row’
Description: A local realtor gives a tour of the Southern California planned community whose streets are marked by foreclosures and short sales.
Source:  CNNMoney.com ñ video report
Date: 12/07/2010
Cat ñTags:  1, 6: Economic Challenges Facing Contemporary Business (p66), The Financial System (p558), Financing Management (p590)
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2010/12/06/pf_ladera_ranch_devon_hocker.cnnmoney/
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Questions for discussion:  Explain the reasons given for the collapse of real estate prices in this report? How do you think this crash in prices is going to affect companies that build homes and future buyers? Do you think consumer psychology toward home ownership has been permanently affected by this event? How would you expect buyers to look at home ownership in the future

Description: A local realtor gives a tour of the Southern California planned community whose streets are marked by foreclosures and short sales.

Source:  CNNMoney.com ñ video report

Date: 12/07/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2010/12/06/pf_ladera_ranch_devon_hocker.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • Explain the reasons given for the collapse of real estate prices?
  • How do you think this crash in prices is going to affect companies that build homes and future buyers?
  • Do you think consumer psychology toward home ownership has been permanently affected by this event?
  • How would you expect buyers to look at home ownership in the future?

Tax cuts: More money in your pocket

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

Tax cuts: More money in your pocket
Description: With the extension of the Bush tax cuts, a payroll tax holiday will put 2% of many workers’ annual paycheck back in their pockets.
Source:  CNNMoney.com ñ video report
Date: 12/07/2010
Cat ñTags:   1, 6: Economic Challenges Facing Contemporary Business (p66), The Financial System (p558), Financing Management (p590)
Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/12/07/n_tax_cuts_tax_bill.cnnmoney/
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Questions for discussion: Summarize the basic points presented in this report? What impact do you think these decisions will have on the economy and any businesses in particular? How should investors be expected to respond?

Description: With the extension of the Bush tax cuts, a payroll tax holiday will put 2% of many workers’ annual paycheck back in their pockets.

Source: CNNMoney.com ñ video report

Date: 12/07/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/12/07/n_tax_cuts_tax_bill.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the basic points presented in this report?
  • What impact do you think these decisions will have on the economy and any businesses in particular?
  • How should investors be expected to respond?

Tech Sector Adds 47,000 Jobs So Far in 2010

Posted by & filed under Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Tech Sector Adds 47,000 Jobs So Far in 2010
Description:  Tech jobs are making a comeback in the U.S. as global demand increases. The metro area with the biggest gain? Oklahoma City.
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 12/07/2010
Cat ñTags:  3, 4: Production and Operations Management (p354, Customer-Driven Marketing (p388), Product and Distribution Strategies (p420), Promotion and Pricing Strategies (p458)
Link: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2010/tc2010127_438177.htm
Questions for discussion:  Why is this sector of the economy gaining so many jobs at this time?  What does this trend suggest about global consumer behavior ?
Description: Tech jobs are making a comeback in the U.S. as global demand increases. The metro area with the biggest gain? Oklahoma City.
Source: Businessweek.com
Date: 12/07/2010
Questions for discussion:
  • Why is this sector of the economy gaining so many jobs at this time?
  • What does this trend suggest about global consumer behavior ?

Gen Y: Here’s Why You Should Never Get a Real Job

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business.

Gen Y: Here’s Why You Should Never Get a Real Job
Description: A frightening number of young entrepreneurs are writing books these days, and many of them are heavy on cheer leading (îif I can do it, so can you!î) and far too light on reality checks.
Source:  BNET.com
Date: 12/06/2010
Cat ñTags:  2, Starting Your Own Business: The Entrepreneurship Alternative (p180)
Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/entrepreneurs/gen-y-heres-why-you-should-never-get-a-real-job/1456?promo=857&tag=nl.e857
Questions for discussion: Summarize the opinions expressed in this interview. Do you agree with any of them? What advice do you think young entrepreneurs should follow?
Description: A frightening number of young entrepreneurs are writing books these days, and many of them are heavy on cheer leading (îif I can do it, so can you!î) and far too light on reality check.
Source: BNET.com
Date: 12/06/2010
Questions for discussion:
  • Summarize the opinions expressed in this interview.
  • Do you agree with any of them?
  • What advice do you think young entrepreneurs should follow?

Tax Package Will Aid Nearly All, Especially Highest Earners

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:The deal to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for two years includes a bevy of additional credits and deductions that will reduce the burden on nearly all households.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: 12/07/2010

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/us/politics/08impact.html?ref=business

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the basic agreement that was reached for taxes.
  • What are the basic arguments over who should pay and how much?
  • How will the tax cuts affect the economy?

Seattle stadiums greener than grass

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

Description: Qwest Field and the ShoWare Center are two of the most energy efficient stadiums in sports. See how they do it.

Source:  CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 12/03/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/12/02/n_green_seattle_sports.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion: 

  • Is the effort to “go green” paying these businesses back more than the money saved in operating expenses?
  • Why is this socially responsible behavior?
  • Is this a good way to educate the broader society?
  • What other socially responsible behaviors could be developed by these businesses?

Groupon reportedly spurns Google’s billions

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Groupon Inc. has walked away from a Google Inc. acquisition offer worth as much as $6 billion, according to reports late Friday, appearing to set the stage for a Groupon IPO as soon as next year.

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report
 
Date: 12/04/2010

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/groupon-reportedly-spurns-google-merger-2010-12-04

Questions for discussion: 

  • Do you think Groupon is overvalued in this proposed deal?
  • How would you evaluate Groupon’s fair value from an acquisitions point of view?
  • Why would the acquisition affect  the value of Google shares?

He Puts the Soda in Pop Songs

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description:  In the past two years, Adam Kluger has built a boutique product-placement agency that’s become a cash conduit for the revenue-needy music business.

Source: Businessweek.com
 
Date: 12/02/2010

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_50/b4207086663830.htm

Questions for discussion: 

  • What is Adam Kluger’s strategy for success?
  • How would you explain his strategic thinking with respect to the music industry?