Xerox: A smooth CEO transition

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

Description:  Outgoing chief Anne Mulcahy and incoming head Ursula Burns discuss their historic CEO handoff.

Source: CNNMoney – video report
 
Date: 9/16/2009

Keys: Management, HR, strategic planning

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/09/16/f_mpw_xerox_transition.fortune/

Questions for discussion: 

  • Summarize the similarities and differences you can observe about these two CEOs.
  • Do you find it strange that their educational backgrounds are so different? Explain your answer.
  • Do you think technical knowledge is critical in order to be the CEO of Xerox? Explain your thinking.

Riding the bull a little longer

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

Description: The momentum that boosted the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq to nearly one-year highs looks to reassert itself in the week ahead. Fed meeting, housing reports, G-20 summit on tap.

Source: CNNMoney.com

Date: 9/20/2009

Keys: Investing, stock market

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/18/markets/sunday_lookahead/index.htm?postversion=2009092008

Questions for discussion:

  • Based on the report, do you believe the stock markets will continue to rise this week? Explain your answer.
  • Are you concerned that markets might be over-valued and experience a significant pull back from current levels? Explain your thinking.

Marchionne Managing Chrysler Means 5 Mobile Devices in Backpack

Posted by & filed under Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: To save Chrysler Group LLC, Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne has to create a mid-size sedan that can compete with the world’s best. It’s a three- to five-year job, and he may have two years to do it.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: 9/14/2009

Keys: Management, investing, marketing

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=awHymjXNOYdI

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the strategies that are supposed to fix Chrysler?
  • Do you think they will be successful? Explain your answer.
  • Do you think the cash plans are sufficient or will Fiat eventually invest cash into Chrysler?

Renault’s Ghosn Says Future of Electric Autos Hinges on $70 Oil

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: Renault SA Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said the future of electric cars depends on a rebound in oil prices that may boost sales of the battery-powered vehicles he’s spending 4 billion euros ($5.9 billion) to develop.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: 9/16/2009

Keys: Marketing, finance, technology

Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aR2eQwSe7_S8

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think Renault’s bet on $70 oil and electric autos will be successful? Explain your answer.
  • What do you think the ideal auto would look like from a fuel design point of view? Explain your thinking.

Steve Jobs is back

Posted by & filed under Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Apple’s CEO makes his first public appearance in a year to unveil iPod upgrades.


Source: CNNMoney – video report
 
Date: 9/09/2009

Keys: Management, marketing

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2009/09/09/f_tt_apple_steve_jobs.fortune/

Questions for discussion:

  • Why is the return of Steve Jobs so important to Apple and the industry in general?
  • Do you think Apple’s new product features will resonate well with customers? Explain your answer.
  • What do you think will motivate buyers to trade up to iPhone? Explain your answer.

Big week ahead on Wall Street

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: One year after Lehman Brothers, the stock market is right back where it was. Beyond the anniversary, reports on the consumer loom.

Source: CNN News

Date: 9/12/2009

Keys: Marketing, pricing, new product development, technologies

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/12/markets/sunday_lookahead/index.htm?postversion=2009091206

Questions for discussion: 

  • Explain why the stock market fell and returned to the current valuation during the past year?
  •  How do you think the stock market will perform over the next week? Next month? Next year? Explain your thinking.

Skype founders’ Joost ousts chairman Mike Volpi

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: Web TV firm Joost, owned by the founders of Skype, removed its high-profile chairman Mike Volpi by shareholder vote, it said in a statement late on Friday.

Source: Reuters News

Date: 9/12/2009

Keys: Management, investing, marketing

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/ousivMolt/idUSTRE58B0UZ20090912

Questions for discussion:

  • Why do you think the same people keep emerging as top managers? Explain your thinking.
  • Are these events significant for the firm’s stock value? Explain your thinking.
  • Why do you think Joost has had such trouble establishing revenues?

Motorola shares jump on hopes for Google phone

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: Motorola Inc shares rose 6.5 percent on Friday on hopes the company could turn around its loss-making handset business with the new cellphone it developed with Google Inc.
Source: Reuters.com

Date: 9/11/2009

Keys: Marketing, finance, technology

Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5884AQ20090911

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think Cliq will find a share of the smart phone market? Explain your answer.
  • Do you think Cliq’s special features warrant such great investor confidence in the Motorola? Explain your thinking.
  • Which smart phone would you say is the most attractive for the consumer market? Explain your answer.

Reviving historical sites

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

Description:  Global Heritage Fund restores ancient architectural monuments and brings tourism to the poorest countries of the world.

Source: CNNMoney – video report
 
Date: 9/03/2009
 
Keys: International business, marketing,  small business

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2009/09/03/n_cc_global_heritage_fund.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • What do you think of this concept? Will it be successful? Explain your thinking?
  • How would you market this idea to potential travellers?
  • Who would be your target market? Explain your answer?
  • What are some of the benefits that can accrue to businesses in these countries as well as those in the home countries of the potential travellers?

YouTube may stream movie rentals

Posted by & filed under Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Online video site YouTube is in talks with several major movie studios about renting movies to users by streaming the movies over the Internet according to a person familiar with the talks on Wednesday.

Source: Reuters News

Date: 9/03/2009

Keys: Marketing, pricing, new product development, technologies

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/ousivMolt/idUSTRE5816W120090903

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think this concept of online “video-on-demand” will replace regular television and video-store rental businesses?
  • Who will likely be the early adopters of this service?
  • Do you think a pay-per-view or subscription service would be more attractive to YouTube customers?
  •  How would you expect the competition to respond to YouTube’s entrance into this market?
  •  Is television advertising going to fade away? Explain your thinking.