Description: In the months prior to the release of Walt Disney’s (DIS)John Carter sci-fi epic, Hollywood debated why the film wasn’t catching fire with potential moviegoers. Maybe it was the ho-hum trailers; a title that didn’t cue viewers that the story took place on Mars; or the departure of the studio’s marketing chief two months… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Groups & Teams
AMR unions want to take a chance on U.S. Air merger
Description: Labor groups at bankrupt American Airlines said on Friday they support a potential merger with rival US Airways Group Inc in a deal they say would save more jobs than a plan by parent AMR Corp to reorganize as a stand-alone carrier. Source: Reuters.com Date: 04/21/2012 Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/21/us-american-unions-idUSBRE83J0WG20120421 Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues… Read more »
Nokia: The Finnish RIM
Description: Mobile device makers Nokia and Research in Motion continue to struggle against Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android operating system. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/11/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/04/11/mkts-bz-nokia-rimm.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think there is a strategic solution for either of these firms? How much blame lies with management? Explain.
Bribery law earns billions for the U.S.
Description: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act brings in billions of dollars for the U.S. government by penalizing companies for corruption abroad. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/11/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/04/11/n-cmr-fcpa.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What are the issues presented in this report? Does the current law make sense? What are alternative solutions to government imposed financial… Read more »
Best Buy CEO out as shoppers move online
Description: Best Buy Co Chief Executive Brian Dunn has left the world’s largest consumer electronics chain, which has struggled against stepped-up competition from internet retailers and discounters. Source: Reuters.com Date: 04/10/2012 Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/10/bestbuy-idUSL2E8FA3ZK20120410 Questions for discussion: Is there a solution to this shopping trend working against Best Buy? What sort of manager is needed in… Read more »
Instagram’s Systrom Builds $1 Billion Application in Two Years
Description: Silicon Valley is one of the few places where a 27-year-old Web entrepreneur can parlay a photo-sharing application with no known source of revenue into $1 billion — in two years. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 04/10/2012 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-10/instagram-s-systrom-builds-1-billion-application-in-two-years.html Questions for discussion: Do you think the background experience of these two entrepreneurs had anything to do… Read more »
Avon, 125 years old
Description: Avon Products, the iconic door-to-door cosmetic seller, celebrates 125 years in business, Felicia Taylor reports. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/02/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/03/09/n_avon_taylor.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What does the Avon brand represent to women today? What are the benefits to Avon’s participation in social causes?
Hostess Serves New Batch of Cuts
Description: If negotiations fail, Hostess and its unions will face off in a trial over whether the company can scrap its labor contracts-an example of how wage levels across many once-vibrant industries are falling. Mike Spector reports on Markets Hub. Photo: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: 04/02/2012 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/hostess-serves-new-batch-of-cuts/A64EE3DD-0867-4DE5-B20B-F85496993B9A Questions… Read more »
Is your company like ‘The Hunger Games?’
Description: (MoneyWatch) Many of us have been there. Your company decided to do “stretch goals,” or, if an executive had recently read a Jim Collins book, “BHAGs” (big, hairy, audacious goals). Someone — often a senior executive — may have encouraged you to “treat it like a game,” and “make it fun.” The tag line… Read more »
Apple’s War on Android
Description: In her black robe and strand of white pearls, Lucy Koh projects the serious, deliberate demeanor befitting a U.S. District Court judge. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 03/29/2012 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-29/apple-s-war-on-android Questions for discussion: What are the issues involved in this conflict? Who do you think has more credibility? How do you think this will play out?
