BP flexes muscle in D.C.

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment.

Description: Even before the April 20 explosion on its rig off the Louisiana coast, BP spent millions of dollars lobbying Washington’s power players. BP will now tap that power and influence as it tries to repair its image.

Source: CNNMoney.com

Date: 06/04/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/04/news/economy/BP_Washington_power/index.htm

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you believe BP has behaved ethically?
  • Do you believe that the public reaction toward BP is fair?
  • Do you believe the government and regulatory agencies have treated BP fairly?
  • What do you think the long-term impact will be on BP as a brand and as a viable energy company in the US?

McDonald’s recalls 12 million Shrek glasses

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment.

Description: McDonald’s is recalling 12 million drinking glasses featuring characters from the “Shrek” movie series because the paint used contains cadmium, which can pose health risks.

Source:  CNNMoney.com

Date: 06/04/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/04/news/companies/mcdonalds_recall/index.htm

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the arguments that could be made that support the notion that this recall might harm McDonald’s brand in the marketplace?
  • What are the arguments that suggest the recall might actually benefit the McDonald’s brand?

Dow drops 324 points as euro sinks

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Stocks slumped Friday after a government report showed employers added fewer jobs than expected last month and the euro plunged to a new 4-year low, reviving worries about the health of the European economy.

Source:  CNNMoney.com

Date: 06/04/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/04/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the reasons given for the decline in the stock market?
  • How is the value of the Euro related to these concerns?
  • How do you think these markets will perform over the next three months?
  • What reasons can you offer for your predictions?


Airlines Work to Catch Up to the Digital Age

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

Description: Airlines have made great technological leaps in recent years, allowing passengers to check in from home or download boarding passes on their smartphones. But if you’ve ever been stranded at an airport during a raging thunderstorm, chances are you will end up standing in a long line watching a gate agent typing furiously on an outdated computer.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: 06/04/2010

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/business/05air.html?ref=business

Questions for discussions:

  • What does the report say about the growing importance of technology?
  • Summarize how technology has changed the industry.
  • What are the key advantages of keeping pace with advances in technology?



Are we friends or colleagues?

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description:  As workers spend more time on Facebook and Linkedin, companies are developing social-networking services for the office.

Source:  CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 05/28/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/05/27/tm_social_net_enterprise.fortune/

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think there is a special role for social networking applications in workplace environments?
  • What advantages and disadvantages are there to installing social networking in a workplace?
  • How could applications like Facebook be marketed to corporate buyers?

Rex on Techs: Don’t Write Off RIM

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  April and May may have been the cruelest months for Research In Motion, but just you wait for the new BlackBerry 6 operating system and new handsets. Rex Crum reports.

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report
 
Date: 05/24/2010

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/rex-on-techs-dont-write-off-rim/84AABC3A-44F1-47E7-88F5-086FDAACECC8

Questions for discussion:

  • What is the association between profits and stock value?
  • How has RIM illustrated this association?
  • Do you agree with the analysis of RIM’s future market success, particularly against Apple?

Inside the ugly world of vulture finance

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment.

Description: By his own admission, Allan Jones of Cleveland, Tennessee, has had to tighten his belt. He apparently still has his two jets, his vintage Rolls, his Bentley, and the Maybach his son drives to high school when the boy’s own car is in the shop. But Jones did have to sell the 157-foot yacht, and the $25 million ranch near Jackson Hole.

Source:  CNNMoney.com

Date: 05/28/2010

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/28/magazines/fortune/broke_USA_rivlin.fortune/index.htm
 
Questions for discussion:

  • Do you believe there is anything unethical about any of these business practices?
  • Should there be any special government regulatory protection of consumers?

Apple Passes Microsoft as No. 1 in Tech

Posted by & filed under Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Wall Street has called the end of an era and the beginning of the next one: The most important technology product no longer sits on your desk but rather fits in your hand.

Source: CNNMoney.com
 
Date: 05/26/2010

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/technology/27apple.html   

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key points made about technology in this article?
  • Who do you think is the tech-king among managers?
  • Looking forward, what do you think the future holds for these technology firms – particularly Apple and Microsoft?

Facebook Bows to Pressure Over Privacy

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment.

Description: Ever since Facebook was founded in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, its chief executive, has pushed its users to share more information about themselves. Time and again, users have pushed back, complaining that some new feature or setting on the site violated their privacy.

Source: NYTimes.com
 
Date: 05/26/2010

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/technology/27facebook.html?scp=4&sq=Facebook&st=Search

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the reasons for the change to Facebook’s thinking about privacy issues?
  • Do you think that Facebook would have been “replaced” by a competitor if they had not bowed to public pressure?
  • Would you consider Facebook’s decision driven by ethics or social responsibility?

digits: Google TV Debuts

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description:  Jessica Vascellaro has details on Google TV, which was just unveiled by the internet giant at its developers conference in San Francisco. Plus, social networking for kids and retailers use their stores to speed up shipping for online orders.

Source:  Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: 05/20/2010

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/digits-google-tv-debuts/AC797B3D-EE37-48A4-BC25-D0E1E7A5EE64

Questions for discussion:

  • Who is the target market for this service?
  • How do you think this technology with influence buyer behavior?
  • Do you think viewing rates will increase substantially?
  • Which partners are likely to realize growth as a result of growth in online viewing?
  • How will this affect cable and satellite companies?