Description: CEO Jeff Weiner says LinkedIn’s “exclusive focus on professionals” is what makes his company’s social platform so valuable to investors. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 05/20/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/05/20/n_linkedin_ceo.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think LinkedIn is worth the IPO price? What revenue streams are available to the firm? What types of acquisitions would… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Product and Distribution Strategies (p386)
Behind Google’s tablet war with Apple
Description: Google chairman Eric Schmidt says that Android’s open-tablets will ultimately “bring more volume, more users, and more investment” to the platform. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 05/17/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/05/17/f_schmidt_gps.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the differences between the strategies to gain customers followed by Google and Apple. Do you think one strategy is superior… Read more »
Red Bull’s Billionaire Maniac
Description: Dietrich Mateschitz is making a bold move into TV, movies, and magazines. What’s the visionary behind a $5 billion-a-year soft-drink empire doing in the media business? Just what he’s always done: having a blast. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 05/19/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_22/b4230064852768.htm Questions for discussion: Summarize what you learned about the man and the company. Do… Read more »
Zuckerberg: Kids under 13 should be allowed on Facebook
Description: Facebook’s founder sees the social networking site as a tool with educational potential. That of course means getting kids Facebooking at an early age. Source: Fortune.com Date: 05/20/2011 Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/05/20/zuckerberg-kids-under-13-should-be-allowed-on-facebook/ Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the arguments promoting use of Facebook at an earlier age for educational benefits? What are the ethical… Read more »
The Answer Is (Artificially) Blowing in the Wind
Description: ONLY God can make a tree, the poem says. But scientists are working on making artificial leaves that can produce fuels directly from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide, just as real leaves do. One day, the new leaves could help people heat their homes and drive their cars. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 05/21/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/business/22novel.html?ref=energy-environment… Read more »
Rebirth of the American-made mitt
Description: Insignia Athletics of Worcester, Mass., is one of the few athletic manufacturers in the U.S. to make high-end, premium-leather baseball gloves. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 05/12/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2011/05/05/sbiz_baseball_mitt.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How has this company managed to compete in the marketplace against lower-priced imports? How important do you think the “Made in… Read more »
Pricing, ticket sites hit baseball attendance
Description: Finding cheap tickets may be part of the fun for baseball fans, but all the browsing around and waiting for the best deals may actually be hurting baseball. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 05/14/2011 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pricing-ticket-sites-hit-baseball-attendance-2011-05-14 Questions for discussion: What are the major forces affecting the prices paid for tickets today? How can teams respond to… Read more »
Google begins war against Windows
Description: Google does battle with Microsoft in most of its business areas, but it’s gearing up to tackle the big daddy of them all: Windows. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 05/13/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/13/technology/google_chrome_os/index.htm Questions for discussion: Describe the fundamental shift required by users, as planned by Google. Do you think it will succeed with business customers? How… Read more »
In Shift, Ads Try to Entice Over-55 Set
Description: After 40 years of catering to younger consumers, advertisers and media executives are coming to a different realization: older people aren’t so bad, after all. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 05/13/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/business/media/14viewers.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: How have advertisers changed their thinking about the over-55 set? Why does this make sense today? Are there other segments… Read more »
Mother’s Day – flower sales bloom
Description: 1800Flowers.com CEO, James McCann says about two-thirds of roughly 84 million American mothers will get flowers on May 8. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 05/06/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/05/05/n_1800flowers.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Who is the target market? How important is Mother’s Day to this company? What other products have they developed for sale on Mother’s… Read more »
