Description: Amid congressional tongue-lashing, antitrust issues and pandemic, Big Tech earnings soar again Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Oct 29, 2020 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-amazon-facebook-and-google-all-produce-record-sales-amid-big-tech-backlash-11604020309?mod=home-page Questions for discussion: Summarize what is happening at these tech firms and why? What sort of future do you see for these firms over the next six months? Explain your thinking and advice to… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Decision Making
Social Intelligence Strategies for Early Stage Companies
Description: Growing a startup business can be challenging on many fronts, from raising capital to developing technology, but there is one thing that is even more important to its long-term success: hiring the right people. Source: Entrepreneur.com Date: Oct 22, 2020 Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/357851 Questions for discussion: What does social intelligence mean to a firm, in your opinion? How should… Read more »
Microsoft Shows Minimal Increases in Ranks of Black, Latino Employees
Description: Microsoft Corp., which in June announced a plan to double the number of Black managers and leaders at the company, released new annual diversity data today that show the company still struggling to meaningfully increase Black and Latino representation in its workforce. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Oct 21, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-21/microsoft-shows-minimal-increases-in-ranks-of-black-latino-employees Questions for discussion: What does the… Read more »
Jeff Bezos’ 3-question rule for hiring new Amazon employees—and how to answer them right
Description: It takes a lot more than an impressive resume to land a job at Amazon. Source: CNBC.com Date: Oct 20, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/20/jeff-bezos-3-question-rule-for-hiring-new-amazon-employees.html Questions for discussion: What do you think these questions and answers reveal about a candidate and the firm? What other questions would you say are valuable questions to ask? What sorts of answer would… Read more »
Opinion: COVID is superspreading efficient and convenient health care
Description: Twentieth-century health care required patients to book an appointment — well in advance — and then meet their doctor in-person at the doctor’s office or hospital. The status quo worked well for physicians, who have many demands on their time. Patients generally received good care but, it now seems, probably not in the most… Read more »
U.S. Accuses Google of Illegally Protecting Monopoly
Description: A victory for the government could remake one of America’s most recognizable companies and the internet economy that it has helped define. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Ocy 20, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/technology/google-antitrust.html Questions for discussion: What is the basis for the case against Google? Do you think it merits legal action? What are the business consequences… Read more »
Bringing the outside into the office: Coronavirus bolsters push towards healthier building design
Description: Even as the coronavirus pandemic worsens in the U.S., stay-at-home orders in some areas have loosened and companies have sent some workers back to offices with social distancing restrictions, temperature checks and plexiglass sneeze barriers. Source: CNBC.com Date: Oct 17, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/17/bringing-the-outside-into-the-office-covid-19-bolsters-green-design-.html Questions for discussion: How has the work environment been affected by the coronavirus?… Read more »
COVID-19 and Remote Work: An Update
Description: WASHINGTON, D.C. — The coronavirus pandemic has affected U.S. workplaces like nothing else in modern history, including high unemployment, the shuttering of businesses, and the shift of many workers to off-site, remote work. Source: Gallup.com Date: Oct 13, 2020 Link: https://news.gallup.com/poll/321800/covid-remote-work-update.aspx Questions for discussion: What does the report say about workers’ attitude toward office… Read more »
Keith Ferrazzi On Leading Without Authority – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast
Description: When I first read, Keith Ferrazzi‘s book, Never Eat Alone, something clicked. In a big way. Since then (putting aside the pandemic, which makes this activity near-impossible), I always book breakfast, lunch (and even coffee) meetings with different kinds of people. It has been one (of many) invaluable life (and work) tools that have simply worked… Read more »
Electric vehicles and 2,000 jobs coming to Windsor following tentative FCA deal
Description: Union says about $1.5 billion will be invested in Windsor plant Source: CBC.ca Date: Oct 16, 2020 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/electiccars-fca-unifor-dias-windsor-automakers-1.5763004 Questions for discussion: What does the deal mean for unionized labor in the Canadian auto industry? Do you think this deal improves labor-management relations? Explain your answer.
