Description: The start-up, which was at the center of a recent stock market frenzy, was valued at $6 billion in the new funding round. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Feb 08, 2021 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/technology/reddit-raises-250-million.html Questions for discussion: What makes Reddit a special type of social media? What is their revenue source? What will they use the investment… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Strategy
Jesse Kline: Out-of-business Canadian retailers only have themselves to blame
Description: Amazon makes billions because it is easy to use and others should copy its free shipping model and other conveniences Source: NationalPost.com Date: Feb 04, 2021 Link: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jesse-kline-amazon-made-jeff-bezos-billions-because-the-store-is-easy-to-use-others-should-copy-it Questions for discussion: Summarize the key criticisms of Canadian retailers, as presented in the article. Do you think this is fair criticism of management? What are… Read more »
Here’s what really happens to the items you return online
Description: You open up the box. For whatever reason, you don’t like it. So, you send it back…for free. No questions asked. The retailer pays for the shipping costs and already is losing money. Immediately the hourglass of profit turns. Each grain of sand, a few cents dropping from the original price of that air fryer. Source: CNN.com – video… Read more »
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is stepping down — here’s why Amazon stock isn’t crashing
Description: Amazon (AMZN) founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is a once in a generation inventor that has fundamentally changed how humans buy stuff and interact with the internet. Source: Yahoo.Finance.com Date: Feb 03, 2021 Link: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-is-stepping-down-heres-why-amazon-stock-isnt-crashing-230652383.html Questions for discussion: From a managerial point of view, explain why Amazon stock is basically unaffected by the news… Read more »
When will travel (advertising) recover, do social platforms look too similar, and what will happen to WhatsApp?
Description: eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Jasmine Enberg discusses when travel (and travel advertising) will recover and some good and not-so-good examples of how travel advertisers are running campaigns. She then talks about whether Twitter can make a space for healthy conversations, our expectations for WhatsApp, and the significance of social platforms ending the… Read more »
SPOS #759 – Scott Devine On Building A Thriving Online Business (No Gimmicks)
Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #759 – Host: Mitch Joel. If we have learned anything during this pandemic, it is this: the brands that are either purely digital or the ones with a strong digital component felt much less pain. Look no further than the value of a company like Amazon or the incredible… Read more »
2.4M Canadian jobs at risk as COVID swarms small business: CFIB
Description: The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said Thursday one in six or about 181,000 Canadian small business owners are now seriously contemplating closing. Source: BNNBloomberg.com – video report Date: Jan 21, 2021 Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/2-4m-canadian-jobs-at-risk-as-covid-swarms-small-business-cfib-1.1551687 Questions for discussion: Summarize the key concerns presented in the report. What is the role of government in this story?… Read more »
Fast-Growing Alternative To Facebook And Twitter Finds Post-Trump Surge ‘Messy’
Description: The alternative social network MeWe had 12 million users at the end of 2020. Barely three weeks into 2021 — and two since a right-wing mob attacked the U.S. Capitol — the company says it’s now passed 16 million. Source: NPR.org Date: Jan 22, 2021 Link: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/22/958877682/fast-growing-alternative-to-facebook-twitter-finds-right-wing-surge-messy Questions for discussion: Summarize the conflicting issues… Read more »
How the Blenders Eyewear founder turned a $2,000 loan into a $90 million business in 7 years
Description: The reaction to his cheap shades made Fisher realize there was an untapped market for stylish sunglasses that weren’t as expensive as name-brands, which he could cash in on. Source: CNBC.com Date: Jan 16, 2021 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/16/how-founder-made-blenders-a-90-million-dollar-business.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the steps taken to establish this brand. What lessons are there here for… Read more »
A US$21-billion wager on a Canadian company that could build the Apple car
Description: A red-hot trend in the car industry is for new entrants such as Fisker Inc. to hand over the complicated and capital-intensive work of engineering and building vehicles to a contract manufacturer. Increasingly, cars are judged on their software and electronics so why bother wasting time and money on metal bashing? Source: BNNBloomberg.com –… Read more »
