Is Amazon’s First Brick-and-Mortar Bookstore the Future of Retail?

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Description: Amazon Books is now open for business in Seattle. The floor is hardwood and the shelves and displays are weighed down by beautiful, physical books. It looks and smells like any ordinary bookstore. Source: Entrepreneur.com Date: Jan 18, 2016 Link: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254072 Questions for discussion: Why is Amazon opening physical selling space? How is data driving decision-making? Do… Read more »

Why You Won’t Recognize SEO in Five Years

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Description: As marketers, we’ve gotten quite good at evolving our playbooks when it comes to SEO. But the changes we’ve seen to this point are nothing compared to what’s coming next. Source: Hubspot.com Date: Jan 22, 2016 Link: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/new-era-seo?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=25512506 Questions for discussion: How is consumer search online and SEO changing? How are marketers reacting to these… Read more »

How the Internet of Things Is Transforming Travel

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Description: Whether it’s monitoring the performance of airline engines, enabling keyless entry to hotel rooms or helping tourists find their way around Disney World, the internet of things (IoT) is creating exciting opportunities for the travel and hospitality industry. Source: eMarketer.com Date: Jan 21, 2016 Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-Internet-of-Things-Transforming-Travel/1013487?ecid=NL1003#sthash.YqP3n6IM.dpuf Questions for Discussions: What do the numbers say… Read more »

Indications That ‘Side-Gigging’ Is More Than a Fad

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Description: In recent months, the media has labelled the rise of traditionally employed workers taking on part-time side work (a.k.a. “side-gigging”) a trend that will likely fade with a surging economy. Source: Entrepreneur.com Date: Jan 08, 2016 Link: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253922 Questions for Discussions: What does the article say to management about changing attitudes toward work? What is… Read more »

Notable CEO Screw-Ups Of 2015

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Description: Leading business titans made some major missteps in 2015. From price gouging to software manipulation and strategic woes, here are some of the noted CEO screw-ups of the year. Source: Forbes.com Date: Jan 08, 2016 Link: http://onforb.es/1MutHxC Questions for Discussions: What is your impression of these people and their screw-up stories? Which do you… Read more »

Tesla’s Elon Musk: Apple’s electric car is ‘open secret’

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Description: Musk also takes swipe at Jeff Bezos and SpaceX rival Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Jan 11, 2016 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teslas-elon-musk-apples-electric-car-is-open-secret-2016-01-11?dist=lcountdown Questions for Discussions:  Do you think any of these companies enjoys a competitive advantage due to their respective CEO? Why do you think these firms are leaders in these technologies?

Fitbit’s Game Plan For Making Your Company Healthy

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Description: Given how things often go in Silicon Valley, Fitbit shouldn’t be here. It started selling wearable activity trackers when other hardware startups struggled for funding. Source: Forbes.com Date: Jan 08, 2016 Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2016/01/08/fitbit-wearables-corporate-wellness/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the reasons for the firm’s success in the marketplace thus far. How should management respond to the… Read more »

VW CEO Flubs Interview With Apology Tour Off to Rocky Start

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Description: Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer Matthias Mueller is struggling to find the right tone on his first official U.S. visit, where he’s under pressure to placate lawmakers and regulators to emerge from the emissions-cheating scandal. Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Jan 12, 2016 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-12/vw-ceo-flubs-interview-with-u-s-apology-tour-off-to-rocky-start Questions for discussion: Do you think Matthias Mueller… Read more »