Description: Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz dishes on Valley secrets, and what he looks for in entrepreneurs. Laurie Segall reports. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/03/28/t-horowitz-silicon-valley-secrets.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What does Ben Horowitz have to say about the sort of entrepreneur he looks for? How does this profile compare to textbook… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Motivation
Maybe March Madness Boosts (Rather Than Kills) U.S. Productivity
Description: In 2006 an innovation was unleashed on the teeming, college-basketball-hungry masses that promised to unshackle us from the fear of watching NCAA March Madness tournament games at work. The Boss Button allowed basketball fans at work to switch between the live stream of a game and a phony financial statement or innocuous spreadsheet. Source:… Read more »
This is the last big U.S. bike maker
Description: Worksman Cycles has been making industrial tricycles and consumer bicycles for more than 100 years in New York City. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2014/03/21/sbiz-worksman-cycles-made-in-usa.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: How has Worksman managed to remain in business in the U.S.? How significant is the issue of customized manufacturing for their… Read more »
Start-Ups Try for a Piece of the Lucrative Industry of Catering to Pets
Description: Alex Stone and his wife, Marissa McDaniel, both work full time. They have two dogs that they miss during the day, and often have trouble getting home to feed them. “Pets are like children and need to be on a schedule,” Mr. Stone said. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Mar 19, 2014 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/business/smallbusiness/start-ups-try-to-grab-a-piece-of-the-55-billion-a-year-pet-industry.html?ref=smallbusiness Questions for… Read more »
What to Expect From Starbucks’s New Booze Menu
Description: First, Starbucks (SBUX) wanted you in its cafes for lunch and the afternoon, so it spruced up its food offerings and started serving cold “Refreshers” and testing sodas. Now it wants you there in the evening, too, and it’s bringing out the booze. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Mar 20, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-20/what-to-expect-from-starbucks-new-booze-menu#r=nav-f-story Questions for discussion: Do… Read more »
Lessons from Nortel: Acquisitions spree, bad management calls led to tech giant’s fall, study says
Description: In the five years since Nortel went bankrupt, many possible explanations have been suggested for its demise. Poor strategy, weak finances, low-cost competition from China, a misguided board of directors, hubris, the federal government’s refusal to backstop it during the recession, you name it. Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Mar 17, 2014 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/2014/03/17/lessons-from-nortel-acquisitions-spree-bad-management-calls-led-to-tech-giants-fall-study-says/ Questions for… Read more »
$1.8M Ferrari race car for amateurs
Description: Ferrari XX Program allows a few of the most passionate fans to buy a FXX or a 599XX race cars and drive them on race tracks around the world. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 14, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2014/03/14/pf-latt-ferrari-599xx-race-car-formula-one.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for discussion: How does this program promote the Ferrari brand internationally? Who is… Read more »
This Is the Real Reason Sbarro Is in Bankruptcy
Description: The reason Sbarro is having a rougher time than other, more solvent purveyors of not-good food goes to the root of its business: You eat Sbarro not because you want Sbarro, but because it is the food that is available at the moment you want some food. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Mar 13, 2014 Link:… Read more »
Your Job Taught to Machines Puts Half U.S. Work at Risk
Description: Who needs an army of lawyers when you have a computer? When Minneapolis attorney William Greene faced the task of combing through 1.3 million electronic documents in a recent case, he turned to a so-called smart computer program. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Mar 12, 2014 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-12/your-job-taught-to-machines-puts-half-u-s-work-at-risk.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the highlights in this… Read more »
Looking forward to performance reviews?
Description: Performance reviews can be scary, but they can also mean a fatter paycheck. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 04, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2014/02/28/pf-performance-reviews.moneymag/index.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the commentary presented about performance reviews. What stands out for managers and for the employee facing a review?
