CEO to France: ‘How Stupid Do You Think We Are?’

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: The CEO of U.S. tire maker Titan International delivered a blistering critique of French working habits, writing to France’s industry minister that his company would be “stupid” to take over a Goodyear factory in France. WSJ’s Grainne McCarthy joins The News Hub to discuss the potential fallout for President Hollande’s labor-reform plans. Photo: AP…. Read more »

At Whole Foods, Low Prices Mean Trouble in Aisle 2

Posted by & filed under Management.

Description:  WSJ’s Annie Gasparro explains Whole Foods’ efforts to reign in prices and shed its reputation as an over-priced grocer caused it to take it on the chin in its latest earnings report. Photo: Getty Images. Source: WSJ.com – video report Date: Feb 14, 2013 Link: http://on.wsj.com/15f8G8h Questions for Discussions: Describe the change in pricing… Read more »

Steady Gains for Mobile Paid Search

Posted by & filed under Management.

Description:  Nearly one in four paid clicks came from a mobile device in Q4 Source:  eMarketer.com Date: Feb 22, 2013 Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Steady-Gains-Mobile-Paid-Search/1009686#EqlIRUBFwRKOmTZo.99 Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about the growth of mobile search advertising? How will marketing operations be expected to change as this trend grows?

Women Who Run Tech Startups Are Catching Up

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  Women-led private technology companies are more capital-efficient, achieve 35 percent higher return on investment, and, when venture-backed, bring in 12 percent higher revenue than male-owned tech companies. That’s according to new research presented at a recent conference in San Francisco organized by Women 2.0, a media company devoted to women founders in the tech… Read more »

Why Women ­in Hollywood Can’t Get Film Financing

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  At last month’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, some film financiers met for nachos at the Wasatch Brew Pub to toast their comedy, Ass Backwards—a Dumb and Dumber-esque tale of two women who enter a beauty pageant. Dori Sperko, who’d been dabbling in Hollywood funding since selling her Florida-based payroll services company… Read more »

Nike’s long list of tainted sponsorships

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Olympian Oscar Pistorius, now an alleged murderer, is the latest in a string of Nike athletes to fall from grace. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 15, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/02/14/n-nike-oscar-pistorius-sponsorship-homicide-shooting.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: How should management at firms like Nike handle sponsorship scandals? Do you believe that the publicity generated by scandals actually… Read more »

Lose your gloves? There’s an app for that

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Tech is fashion’s latest accessory on designer Asher Levine’s smartphone connected clothing. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 15, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/02/15/t-gps-clothes.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What are the new product possibilities for this technology in the fashion and other industries? Why are partnerships with other firms the better way to bring this technology… Read more »

The rise of the sharing economy

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  U.S. car sharing company, Zipcar, is latching on to a growing trend that sees consumers opting to borrow, rent or share items like automobiles, clothes, their homes and even vacuum cleaners instead of buying them outright. The so-called “sharing economy” has evolved as digital technologies have reduced the cost of finding people to share… Read more »

Florists now dread Valentine’s Day

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description:  Some flower shop owners hate Valentine’s Day, losing money on big orders that flow in from big e-commerce groups like FTD, 1-800-Flowers and Teleflora. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: Feb 14, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/14/smallbusiness/order-flowers/index.html?iid=SF_SB_Lead Questions for Discussions: Describe the working relationship between small business shops and e-commerce marketers that feed them orders. How can small business… Read more »

With an Animated Series, Netflix Aims for Kids

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  Fresh off the launch of its new Kevin Spacey political drama, House of Cards, Netflix (NFLX) is planning an original animated children’s series. Source:  Businessweek.com Date: Feb 13, 2013 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-13/with-a-3d-animated-series-netflix-aims-for-kids#r=nav-f-story Questions for Discussions: How is Netflix attempting to distinguish itself from competitors like Hulu and Amazon? Do you think they will succeed with… Read more »