Description: After decades of decline, the bus is the U.S.’s fastest-growing way to travel, led by curbside service from Megabus, BoltBus, and others. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 04/07/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_16/b4224062391848.htm Questions for discussion: What does this report have to say about the current business models for transportation? What are the competitive advantages for this firm?… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Product and Distribution Strategies (p386)
TV ads targeted to you
Description:  Information sent from your cable box about your viewing habits allows advertisers to target ads more effectively. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/30/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/03/30/t_tv_advertising_target.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think television viewers will collaborate with the effort to deliver smarter advertising to them? What incentives could encourage compliance? Why is this technology… Read more »
For Tiger Woods, a Golf Course Design Business Is in the Rough
Description: IN late June 2008, a week after he astonished the golf world by winning the United States Open while grimacing in pain on a torn left knee, Tiger Woods traveled to a craggy chunk of land on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. Source: NYTimes.com  Date: 04/02/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/business/03tiger.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: Summarize the… Read more »
Click to Buy That Bag in Vogue as Magazines Become E-Tailers
Description: Vogue and Elle have long influenced what clothes and handbags image-conscious consumers buy. Now, in a bid to reverse flagging sales and stay relevant, fashion magazines may sell the products they feature in their articles. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 04/02/2011 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-31/click-to-buy-that-handbag-in-vogue-as-magazines-become-e-tailers.html Questions for discussion: Explain why this concept is likely to work well for… Read more »
How E-Books Are Coming Full Circle, Thanks to Tablets
Description: E-readers may evolve into multipurpose devices that can surf the Web, show movies, play music, and perform other tricks Source: Businessweek.com Date: 03/28/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2011/tc20110325_523054.htm Questions for discussion: What does this report have to say about the evolution of ebooks and the related technologies? Where do you think this will all lead in terms… Read more »
Moving boxes made of recycled trash
Description:  One company in Orange County, Calif., mines landfills and converts consumer trash into reusable, eco-friendly moving boxes. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/25/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2011/03/24/sbiz_green_box.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What are the ethical and social responsibility issues associated with this business from the company’s point of view as well as their customers’? Should government… Read more »
No Buyers for Barnes & Noble at 60 Cents on Dollar: Real M&A
Description: Even with Barnes & Noble Inc. selling for 60 cents on the dollar, the cheapest retailer in America still isn’t cheap enough to entice private-equity buyers looking for cash. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 03/25/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-25/no-buyers-for-barnes-noble-at-60-cents-on-dollar-real-m-a.html Questions for discussion: What does this report have to say about the financial viability of this business model? What… Read more »
Japan quake threatens global supply
Description:  Some say the quake’s hit to Japan’s manufacturing sector will have a profound impact on the global supply chain, CNN’s Kyung Lah reports. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/18/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/03/18/n_japan_supplychain.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What does this report have to say about the global nature of business? How might businesses be expected to… Read more »
How the Colonel Convinced the Chinese to Eat More Chicken  Lots of It
Description: KFC’s success in opening and operating fast food restaurants in China is such that one analyst declared it to be “the most successful foreign company in China.†Now, here’s one of the broader effects of that achievement  a huge surge in chicken consumption among the Chinese. Source: BNET.com Date: 03/18/2011 Link: http://www.bnet.com/blog/food-industry/how-the-colonel-convinced-the-chinese-to-eat-more-chicken-8212-lots-of-it/2733?tag=fd-featureRoto;fd-featureRoto5 Questions… Read more »
Japan quake shakes up oil prices
Description:  The earthquake in Japan may not cause prices to plunge more Friday but the long-term impact on oil could be drastic Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/11/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2011/03/11/mkts_japan_quake_oil2.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How does this incredible disaster in Japan connect to the international demand and price for oil? What are some of the… Read more »
