Posts Tagged: Using Technology to Manage Information (p466)

Apple’s Supply-Chain Secret? Hoard Lasers

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  The iPhone maker spends lavishly on all stages of the manufacturing process, giving it a huge operations advantage Source: Businessweek.com Date: 11/03/2011 Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/apples-supplychain-secret-hoard-lasers-11032011.html Questions for discussion: Why does Apple have a competitive advantage in R&D over other firms? How important is the scale of production to Apple’s success in R&D and production?

Alaska’s Billion Dollar Mountain

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  The story of one man who used a little persuasion—and a lot of luck—to win the rights to millions of tons of rare earths Source: Businessweek.com Date: 10/27/2011 Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/alaskas-billion-dollar-mountain-10272011.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points in this report? What did you learn about the industry from an “on the ground” point of… Read more »

The Green Bay Packers Have the Best Owners in Football

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  The fans are shareholders. The CEO is a union leader and ex-player. The city is a dot on the map. The bizarre anomaly of the franchise that rules the NFL Source: Businessweek.com Date: 10/20/2011 Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-green-bay-packers-have-the-best-owners-in-football-10202011.html Questions for discussion: Explain the strategic success of the team from a managerial, marketing, and financial point of… Read more »

Language Line Plans a Roll-Up as Translation Demand Soars

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  The University of California Medical Center in San Francisco spends more than $3 million a year on translation services for thousands of patients who don’t speak English. Since 2009, the demand for foreign language interpreters from the center’s medical personnel has risen by a third, for languages ranging from Farsi to Mongolian. Source: Bloomberg.com… Read more »

The Shadowy World of iPhone Cases

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description: Smartphone case makers rely on rumors and leaks to get their products on the market first Source: Businessweek.com Date: 10/14/2011 Link:   http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-shadowy-world-of-iphone-cases-10132011.html Questions for discussion: What did you learn in this report about risk-taking and the planning process? How would you make decisions in this business environment?

Firing Steve Jobs was “a terrible mistake”

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:   Former Apple CEO John Sculley reflects on how Steve Jobs recruited him to run the tech company and why its board ultimately fired Jobs in 1985. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 10/06/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/10/06/t_gc_sculley_jobs.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: According to John Sculley, what sort of businessman and entrepreneur was Steve Jobs? Do you think… Read more »

Toyota Said to Tell Partsmakers to Cut Prices

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 3 Management: Empowering People to Achieve Business Objectives, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description:  Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Asia’s biggest carmaker, is telling parts suppliers in Japan to slash prices or face being replaced by overseas rivals as the yen’s value appreciates, four people involved with the discussions said.. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 10/07/2011 Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-07/toyota-said-to-tell-partsmakers-in-japan-to-slash-prices-as-yen-advances.html Questions for discussion: Explain the connection between the value of the Japanese currency… Read more »

Daniel Gross’s Greplin Is One Smart Search Engine

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 2 Starting and Growing Your Business, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information, Part 6 Managing Financial Resources.

Description: The precocious Israeli coder is co-founder of a startup building the one search box to rule them all—and to organize your entire online life Source: Businessweek.com Date: 09/01/2011 Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/daniel-grosss-greplin-is-one-smart-search-engine-09012011.html Questions for discussion: What does this report suggest about entrepreneurship? Would you invest in this app? What are the difficulties, from a marketing point… Read more »

What Google knows about your eating habits

Posted by & filed under Part 1 Business in a Global Environment, Part 4: Marketing Management, Part 5 Managing Technology and Information.

Description:  Google says companies are increasingly using local search data to extract more bang for their online marketing buck. Source:  Fortune.com Date: 08/26/2011 Link:  http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/26/what-google-knows-about-your-eating-habits/ Questions for discussion: What do you think of this marketing information? Do you think this information provides real advantage to marketers or consumers? What other applications might also prove to… Read more »

Did you know IBM invented this … ?

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

Description: Look back at 100 years of IBM’s history and innovative breakthroughs. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 06/15/2011 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/06/15/n_ibm_100_inventions.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How has IBM managed to remain successful for the last 100 years? How would you define IBM’s business model? What sorts of products could you see IBM developing  in the future?