GM: Battery innovation is key

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GM’s CEO says leading-edge autos like the Chevy Volt are the right investment of U.S. taxpayer money. Source: CNNMoney – video report   Date: 8/13/2009 Keys: Marketing, international business, economy, government, finance,  strategic alliances Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2009/08/13/n_co_gm_henderson_volt.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you believe the future of the automobile is “electric”? Explain your answer. Would you invest… Read more »

China’s $300 billion bullet train

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

Multinationals like IBM and Bombardier stand to profit from China’s new high-speed rail system.  Source: CNNMoney – video report   Date: 8/05/2009 Keys: International business, economy, government, management, finance, banking, strategic alliances Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/08/05/f_fr_china_bullet_train.fortune/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the current and longer term benefits to the Chinese economy associated with the building of the bullet… Read more »

Dissecting the ‘Microhoo’ deal

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Microsoft’s gains in its deal with Yahoo are clear, but not so for Yahoo, according to senior writer Jon Fortt. Source: CNNMoney – video report   Date: 7/29/2009 Keys: Marketing, management, finance, strategic alliances, product development Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/07/29/f_microsoft_yahoo_deal_analysis.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons this strategic alliance makes sense for Microsoft and for Yahoo!. What… Read more »

Napster’s latest: Best music-subscription deal ever?

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If you routinely buy at least five songs per month, here’s good news from Napster: A new subscription plan nets you five DRM-free MP3 downloads and unlimited streaming for just $5 monthly. In other words, it’s like buying the songs you were buying anyway and getting unlimited streaming for free. Source: CNET.com Date: 5/19/2009 Keys:… Read more »

Blowing Up Pepsi

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PepsiCo Americas CEO Massimo d’Amore has been rebranding Pepsi’s core products top to bottom. Creative destruction—or just destruction? Source: Business Week.com Date: 4/23/2009 Keys: Marketing, product development, strategic alliances Link: http://www.businessweek.com Questions for discussion: Which strategies do you think are good ones and which would you disagree with? Explain your thinking. Where do you see… Read more »

Transparent plastic solar cells fitted into windows

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Solar company Konarka has developed a transparent solar cell that it hopes will be built onto electricity-generating windows. Source: CNET.com Date: 5/08/2009 Keys: Marketing, product development, strategic alliances Link: http://news.cnet.com Questions for discussion: Is there a market for this innovative product? Is the company making a mistake by trying to compete with conventional solar electricity-generating… Read more »

News Corp. Sees Big Drop in MySpace Ad Revenue

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News Corp. reported a 16 percent decline in ad revenue within its Fox Interactive Media (FIM) subsidiary, which includes MySpace. The company said the unit saw reductions in both brand and performance-based advertising. Source: Clickz.com Date: 5/07/2009 Keys: Marketing, advertising, strategic alliances, technology Link: http://www.clickz.com/3633666 Questions for discussion: This report demonstrates how difficult it remains… Read more »

MTV Plays Telephone With Twitter

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The old children’s game of Telephone, in which a whispered message is passed — and inevitably distorted — among players, has obvious applications on a platform like Twitter. The question is whether those applications can be made to benefit an advertiser. Source: Clickz.com Date: 5/01/2009 Keys: Marketing, advertising, strategic alliances, technology Link: http://www.clickz.com/3633603 Questions for… Read more »

YouTube Video Annotations Gain Momentum with Advertisers

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H&R Block is one of several big brands making use of a video annotations feature released last summer by YouTube. The tax preparation company is running a Razorfish-designed YouTube game that lets users click on “hot spots” in videos that link to other YouTube videos or Web sites. Source: Clickz.com Date: 4/23/2009 Keys: Marketing, advertising,… Read more »

CBS Sticks to Independent Web Strategy, and Agencies Cheer

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Recent reports suggest premium video portal Hulu is on the verge of selling a stake to Disney-ABC Television Group and hosting Disney/ABC content on the site. If a deal happens, Hulu — already backed by NBCU and News Corp. — will be just one partner short of achieving a monopoly among broadcast giants. And that… Read more »