How Target gets you to spend money

Posted by & filed under Communication, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Strategy.

Description: Target has revolutionized the entire shopping experience, from the width of the aisles and the weight of the shopping carts to the smell of Starbucks coffee and placement of dollar bins. The tactics are paying off. Despite the pandemic, profits rose more than 80% year over year. Here’s how Target uses dollar bins and… Read more »

As Main Street crisis worsens, Facebook launches new small business platform

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, International Business, Leadership, Management, Strategy.

Description: Facebook is increasing its focus on the small business community, launching a new interface called “Business Suite” on Thursday which is targeted at small businesses that have struggled throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Sep 17, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/17/as-main-street-crisis-worsens-facebook-launches-small-business-hub.html Questions for discussion: What does the article say about the situation at Facebook… Read more »

SPOS #737 – David Burkus On Building Great Teams With Purpose

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Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #737 – Host: Mitch Joel. One of the world’s leading business thinkers (and my friend), David Burkus, is a forward-thinking idea machine focused on helping leaders and teams do their best work ever. He is the best-selling author of five books about business and leadership (including The Myths… Read more »

Worried About Disengaged Employees? Make These 7 Changes.

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Description: Engagement strategies create happier employees and stronger companies. Source: Entrepreneur.com Date: Sep 18, 2020 Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/355186 Questions for discussion: What does the report say about the level of employee engagement? Why do you suppose this is the situation? How can managers increase employee engagement?

The holiday shopping season could start on 10/10/2020 with retailers hopeful that consumers will turn out early

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Description: Forget Thanksgiving Day. The start to the holiday shopping season could be October 10, or 10/10/2020, according to Keith Jelinek, managing director in the retail practice at global consultancy Berkeley Research Group. Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Sep 16, 2020 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-holiday-shopping-season-could-start-on-10-10-2020-with-retailers-hopeful-that-consumers-will-turn-out-early-11600197849?mod=home-page Questions for discussion: What is the basis for these notions of an earlier start… Read more »

Singapore to Pay Citizens for Keeping Healthy With Apple Watch

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Description: Apple Inc. and the government of Singapore have partnered on a two-year health initiative dubbed LumiHealth, which is built around tracking and rewarding user behavior through the Apple Watch gadget and an iPhone app. Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Sep 15, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-16/singapore-to-pay-citizens-for-keeping-healthy-with-apple-watch?srnd=premium-canada Questions for discussion: Describe the partnership plan between Apple, government,… Read more »

Kindergarten is the new calculus: How a private tutoring company survived a pandemic

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Description: Joanne Sallay’s in-person tutoring business faced overnight extinction. And then the elementary school parents started calling Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Aug 27, 2020 Link: https://financialpost.com/entrepreneur/small-business/kindergarten-is-the-new-calculus-how-a-private-tutoring-company-survived-a-pandemic/wcm/b4622ea7-d5c4-4354-b4cd-5d37caeb36e3/ Questions for discussion: How did operations change as a result of coronavirus? How does the report illustrate entrepreneurial management?

How Etsy built a nearly $14 billion handmade empire

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Description: If it’s handmade or over 20 years old, there’s a good chance you can find it on Etsy, the go-to online marketplace for handcrafted and vintage goods. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Sep 05, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/05/how-etsy-built-a-handmade-empire.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail Questions for discussion: How would you describe Etsy’s business model? Summarize the evolution of the firm’s… Read more »

Telemedicine

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Description: When the coronavirus hit, medical practitioners started ramping up their virtual offerings – notably appointments via videoconferencing apps such as FaceTime and Zoom – as a way to continue caring for patients and keep their businesses alive. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Sep 12, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/telemedicine?srnd=businessweek-v2 Questions for discussion: What does the report say about… Read more »

Parents Got More Time Off. Then the Backlash Started.

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Pandemic policies at tech companies have created a rift between parents offered more benefits and resentful workers who don’t have children. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 05, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/05/technology/parents-time-off-backlash.html Questions for discussion: What does the article say about how employees reacted to these new policies? How should management deal with this reaction, in your… Read more »