Innovation, by Order of the Kremlin

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

Description: AROUND the time that Apple Computer was making it big in California, Andrey Shtorkh was getting a first-hand look at the Soviet approach to high tech: he guarded the fence keeping scientists inside Sverdlovsk-45, one of the country’s secret scientific cities, deep in the Ural Mountains. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 04/10/2010 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/business/global/11russia.html?ref=business Questions for… Read more »

Buffett’s $50 million credit card blunder

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

Description:  Peddling credit cards isn’t so easy that a caveman can do it. That seems to be the conclusion Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA, Fortune 500) chief executive Warren Buffett reluctantly reached last year, when he shut down a money-losing credit card business he had dreamed up for Berkshire’s Geico car-insurance unit. Source: CNNMoney.com   Date: 02/27/2010… Read more »

GM’s chief gets $9 million

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

Description:  General Motors chairman and chief executive, Ed Whitacre, Jr. will receive a compensation package worth $9 million, the automaker said Friday. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 02/19/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/19/news/companies/GM_salary/index.htm Questions for discussion: Do you believe this compensation is appropriate in light of GM’s history and connection to TARP?  Do you believe there can be negative reaction… Read more »

Stop blaming Big Business

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

Description:  The top-grossing movie in the world, Avatar, is on screens now, and it clearly identifies the most evil force in the universe. It’s business. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 01/29/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/28/news/economy/business_populism.fortune/index.htm Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the argument presented by the reporter? Do believe attitudes toward “big business” have changes because of the… Read more »

Yahoo CEO Gives Herself B-Minus Grade in First Year

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

Description: Carol Bartz gives herself a B-minus in her first year as chief executive officer of Yahoo! Inc., saying she could have moved faster to reorganize the company and strike a Web-search agreement with Microsoft Corp. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 01/08/2010 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a.Nuu2H6FSPY Questions for discussion: How would you grade Carol Bartz and Yahoo!? Explain your… Read more »

More top job changes at GM

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

Description:  Lutz taken out of marketing role, head of engineering becomes president of GM North America. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 12/04/2009 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/04/autos/gm_management_changes/index.htm Questions for discussion:  What do you think is motivating the many management changes taking place at GM? Explain your thinking. Do you think the changes are seen as positive developments for the firm… Read more »

Steve Jobs – CEO of the Decade

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:  Apple’s CEO is Fortune’s top business leader of the last 10 years for his impact on computing, movies, music and cell phones. Source: CNNMoney – video report   Date: 11/04/2009 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2009/11/04/tt_steve_jobs_apple_ceo.fortune/ Questions for discussion:  Summarize the contribution made by Steve Jobs to Apple? What motivational role has Jobs played as CEO at Apple?… Read more »

U.S. Companies’ Electronic-Discovery Spending Tripled in 2009

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

Description: Budgets for managing electronic data tripled this year at average-sized U.S. companies, according to a study, as businesses braced for an influx of lawsuits stemming from a recession that’s been partly blamed on fraud. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 10/20/2009 Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a_qD_YdAZA7o Questions for discussion: Why is spending in this area increasing so drastically? How important… Read more »

Next great Windows OS?

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

Description:  Windows 7 is drawing rave reviews, but can Microsoft parlay the momentum into its other products? Source: CNNMoney – video report   Date: 10/13/2009 Keys:  Marketing (p388), New product development (p420), Management (p252) Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2009/10/13/tt_windows_7_ballmer_microsoft.fortune/ Questions for discussion:  What do you think Microsoft’s future looks like, especially in terms of new products? Do you agree… Read more »