Ashley Madison, dating website for married people, sues South Korea after being blocked

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Description: A dating website for married people seeking affairs is suing the government of South Korea after being blocked in that country over what it says are false allegations of illegal activity. Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Aug 28, 2014 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/2014/08/28/ashley-madison-dating-website-for-married-people-sues-south-korea-after-being-blocked/ Questions for Discussions: What are the ethical and social responsibility issues associated with this social… Read more »

Lady Legos make their professional debut

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Description: Lego debuts a set of professional women characters after receiving criticism from a 7-year-old for gender bias. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Aug 22, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/08/19/professional-women-legos.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Why do you think it took this long for Lego management to introduce modern role models for girls? What other strategic changes might… Read more »

Will to work: Can this hiring model eradicate poverty?

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Description: Samasource Founder and CEO Leila Janah discusses how impact sourcing employs women and young people from impoverished communities over the internet and the “Microwork Model.” She speaks on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: August 22, 2014 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/samasource-outsourcing-tech-work-to-low-income-communities-u5P0e_hvRJ~M5X~ozYo7iQ.html Questions for Discussions: Describe the model? What are the limitations for… Read more »

Why Companies Don’t Train Workers Anymore

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Description: Yesterday my colleague, Matthew Philips, raised an interesting question about the skill gap, pointing to new research that claims the problem is not that workers are unqualified, but that companies’ expectations have changed: They are no longer investing resources in training their staff. Source: Businessweek.com Date: August 22, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-22/is-on-the-job-training-still-worth-it-for-companies#r=most%20popular Questions for Discussions:… Read more »

Fed up with shrinking sales, McDonald’s replaces head of its U.S. business

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Description: McDonald’s is turning to an alumnus to fix a struggling U.S. business bedeviled by more competition, operational errors and annoyed customers. Source: Fortune.com Date: August 22, 2014 Link: http://fortune.com/2014/08/22/mcdonalds-mike-andres/ Questions for Discussions: Why is McDonalds changing leadership? What does this say about strategic thinking at the firm?

Why big media is a ‘Game of Thrones’

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Description: Bigger, bigger, bigger: that’s the battle cry of today’s media corporations. Brian Stelter maps out the war between the entertainment producers and the cable distributors. But who will sit on the Iron Throne? Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: August 06, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/media/2014/08/06/why-big-media-is-a-game-of-thrones.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Describe the changing relationship between content creators… Read more »

Lululemon seeks a leg up on knockoffs

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Description: Lululemon Athletica Inc. has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court in Illinois targeting a sealed list of unidentified defendants that it says are China-based knockoff artists selling fake versions of its ubiquitous yoga pants and other merchandise online. Source: BNN.com – video report Date: July 19, 2014 Link: http://www.bnn.ca/News/2014/7/19/Lululemon-seeks-a-leg-up-on-knockoffs.aspx Questions for Discussions:… Read more »

Arrogance Is Good: In Defense of Silicon Valley

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Description: Sam Altman sits behind his desk with his knees pulled up to his chest, eating dried apricots. He’s 29, but even the most laissez-faire bartender would card him. His hand is forever grabbing his hair while he thinks, making it stick up in Einsteinian tufts. Source: Businessweek.com Date: August 07, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-07/silicon-valley-tech-entrepreneurs-behind-the-stereotype Questions… Read more »

Why P&G can grow by shrinking

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Description: The Ohio-based consumer goods company recently announced it would shed up to 100 brands, creating room to potentially become a leaner and more efficient company. Source: Fortune.com Date: August 07, 2014 Link: http://fortune.com/2014/08/07/why-pg-can-grow-by-shrinking/ Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about strategic thinking at P&G? Does it make sense to you? What are… Read more »