Moving boxes made of recycled trash

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

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

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 »

Walt Mossberg Reviews the iPad 2

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

Description:  You already know the highlights of the new Apple iPad: thinner, lighter, faster. But how is it to use? Walt Mossberg shares the results of his testing of the iPad 2. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 03/09/2011 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/walt-mossberg-reviews-the-ipad-2/884A2E9D-C41F-4FAD-8C2E-37EEBFDB29A5 Questions for discussion:  Summarize the review of the new model? Do you believe… Read more »

Give Up Familiar Light Bulb? Not Without Fight, Some Say

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

Description: American protests against the encroachment of government have been spurred by many causes — tea, of course, and guns, frequently. The latest catalyst: light bulbs. Source:  NYTimes.com Date: 03/11/2011 Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/business/energy-environment/12bulb.html?ref=business Questions for discussion:  What do you think the issue really is in this report? Do you think government should engineer consumer behavior? Are… Read more »

Moms go gaga for diaper bags

Posted by & filed under Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management.

Description: The founders of Skip Hop share how they became major players in the baby biz.  Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/04/2011 Link:      http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2011/03/03/smb_hwgs_skip_hop.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion:  What has made this start-up business successful? How unique are the products they produce and sell? What does this report tell you about entrepreneurial effort and the… Read more »

The U.S.’s tortoise vs. hare problem

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

Description: Gapminder.org’s Hans Gosling shows Fareed Zakaria how countries like China and Indonesia will pass the U.S. in key economic metrics. Source:  CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/04/2011 Link:   http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/03/04/n_gps_rosling2.cnnmoney/   Questions for discussion:  Summarize the analysis presented in this report. Do you agree that there is room enough in the upper sector of the… Read more »

Ben Silverman, Advertainer

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

Description:  The TV dealmaker is selling a new entertainment vision in which advertising and content are inextricably mixed. Is anyone buying it? Source: Businessweek.com   Date: 03/03/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219060707213.htm Questions for discussion:  Summarize the new business model envisioned by Ben Silverman. Do you think this model can succeed? Do you think this approach will eventually… Read more »