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 »
Posts Categorized: Management
Nike’s long list of tainted sponsorships
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
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
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
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
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 »
The keys to Andreessen Horowitz’s success
Description: Venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz talk about how they modeled their firm after CAA and JPMorgan Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 06, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/02/06/t-andreessen-horowitz-partnership.fortune/ Questions for Discussions: What is the formula for success used by this firm? Why is the involvment and treatment of the founder so critical to… Read more »
Taxes crush small businesses in Italy
Description: Increased taxes due to austerity measures are forcing some small businesses in Italy to close for good. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 05, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/02/05/n-italy-small-business-squeezed.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Why has austerity caused small businesses to close more so than bigger firms? How should managers handle the situation? Is there any reason… Read more »
BGI’s Young Chinese Scientists Will Map Any Genome
Description: When the workday ends at BGI’s factory in Shenzhen, the headquarters of the largest genome mapping company in the world, it’s like a bell has gone off at math camp. The company’s scientists and technicians spill out of the doorways of the building, baby-faced and wearing jeans and sneakers Source: Businessweek.com Date: Feb 07,… Read more »
Netflix’s Hastings Says Viewer Data Underpins Programming
Description: Netflix Inc. (NFLX) will test whether Machiavelli and math are a winning formula as the world’s largest subscription-video service debuts “House of Cards,” its most ambitious step yet into original online-TV programs. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Feb 01, 2013 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-01/machiavelli-meets-math-as-netflix-bets-on-original-shows.html Questions for Discussions: Describe the change in product strategy by Netflix? What are the… Read more »