Description: Federal agents raid Gibson Guitar factories looking for rare, protected wood, such as ebony and rosewood from India, costing the guitar manufacturer $1 million in losses. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 09/02/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/09/02/n_gibson_raid.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What are the ethical issues in this case? Is Gibson management behaving in a socially responsible… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Production and Operations Management (p314)
H-P: We’re Bringing TouchPad Back
Description: The H-P TouchPad is dead; long live the TouchPad. Due to unexpected, almost cult-like demand for cheap TouchPads after H-P decided to kill its iPad rival, the company has decided to revive the tablet for a limited time. Ian Sherr and Ina Fried discuss on digits. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: 08/31/2011 Link: … Read more »
How Steve Jobs saved Apple
Description: A look back at why Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple and how his return reinvented the computer giant. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 08/25/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/08/24/t_steve_jobs_apple_fall_rise.fortune/ Questions for discussion: How would you describe the business career of Steve Jobs? What do you think Jobs’ legacy will be? Would you consider Jobs an… Read more »
First, Make Money. Also, Do Good.
Description: CORPORATE social responsibility efforts have always struck me as the modern equivalent of John D. Rockefeller handing out dimes to the common folk. They may be well-intentioned, but they often seem like small gestures at the margins of what companies are really trying to do: make money. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 08/13/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/business/shared-value-gains-in-corporate-responsibility-efforts.html?ref=business Questions… Read more »
Behind Five Guys’ Beloved Burgers
Description: Carnivores keep coming back for the authentic vibe as much as the beef, but maintaining it throughout the franchise is no simple task Source: Businessweek.com Date: 08/12/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/behind-five-guys-beloved-burgers-08112011.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the key reasons for the success of the business. How might franchising affect growth of the company? How can they maintain… Read more »
Would You Like a Smile With That?
Description: SOMETHING weird is happening inside a Pret A Manger sandwich shop on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 08/06/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/business/pret-a-manger-with-new-fast-food-ideas-gains-a-foothold-in-united-states.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: How is the management of this business different from most other`s in this industry? Do you think their approach will allow the company to succeed?
Roaste.com: A Website for Coffee Cognoscenti
Description: The three-year-old online marketplace is selling more java from independent roasters by appealing to opinionated drinkers Source: Businessweek.com Date: 08/04/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/roastecom-a-website-for-coffee-cognoscenti-08042011.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points made in the report. What other marketing ideas would you recommend to these businesses?
Turning an American classic on its head
Description: Meet one ‘food truck without wheels’ in East Atlanta, Ga., that is a unique twist on the familiar American hot dog stand: this one only sells chicken sausage. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 07/08/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2011/07/08/smb_delias_sausage.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons for the success of this business. What other start-ups might work… Read more »
Cameron Orders Two Inquiries Into Hacking Scandal as Former Aide Is Arrested
Description: The British police on Friday arrested a former editor of The News of the World who is also a former senior aide to Prime Minister David Cameron, and rearrested the newspaper’s former royal editor. The arrests deepened the crisis swirling around Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in Britain over allegations of phone hacking and corruption…. Read more »
Meet the world’s last pinball maker
Description: Stern pinball – the last pinball manufacturer in the world – has found its key to success is to make machines featuring popular brands and names. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 07/01/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/06/30/t-tt-stern-pinball.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why is there only one remaining producer of this device? What does this say about the… Read more »
