No Sleep Till Christmas: Etsy Sellers’ Haggard Holidays

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  To keep up with orders on the world’s largest marketplace of handmade stuff, Kelly Engel starts sewing shortly after her four-month-old son wakes up at 4 a.m., and works until her husband, a school counselor, leaves at 7:30 a.m. She squeezes in a couple of hours while her two boys (her oldest is two… Read more »

Why Hewlett-Packard Should Consider Breaking Up

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Description:  The struggling technology company is an amalgam of businesses that could be worth more separately than they are together. Source:  TheDailyBeast.com Date: Dec 07, 2012 Link:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/07/why-hewlett-packard-should-consider-breaking-up.html Questions for Discussions:  What are the arguments for breaking up and keeping H-P as it is today? Do you think H-P should be broken up? Is there… Read more »

Small businesses worry about the fiscal cliff

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Owners of a limousine company and a jewelry business weigh in on what the fiscal cliff means for their bottom lines. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Nov 30, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2012/11/30/smb-fiscal-cliff-small-business-limo-gold.cnnmoney/  Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about the state of small business and their thinking about the economy? What is… Read more »

Ernesto Sirolli: Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!

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Description: When most well-intentioned aid workers hear of a problem they think they can fix, they go to work. This, Ernesto Sirolli suggests, is naïve. In this funny and impassioned talk, he proposes that the first step is to listen to the people you’re trying to help, and tap into their own entrepreneurial spirit. His… Read more »

For advertising, a user experience revolution

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Description:  Lynn Teo is impressed. “It’s funny,” she says, “how just one gesture can make such an impact.”We’ve met at the cafe of the Crosby Street Hotel in lower Manhattan. It’s a few days before Thanksgiving, and the dining room already bustles with extra guests. Noting the noise and my tabletop recorder, Teo asked the… Read more »

The Game of Business

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  Ever watch gamers thumbing away at Fruit Ninja, World of Warcraft, or Angry Birds? They’re totally absorbed in the moment. What are they playing for? The personal satisfaction of reaching a new expert level or using a magical sword to slay imaginary monsters? Don’t scoff: The video game business is a $70 billion industry…. Read more »

Why Can’t Walmart Be More Like Costco?

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Description:  Because they’re really very different Source: The DailyBeast.com Date: Nov 26, 2012 Link:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/26/why-can-t-walmart-be-more-like-costco.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the comparison between the operations of Walmart and Costco. Are Costco employees more productive? Should Walmart try to become more like Costco? What would change, if anything at either of these retailers?  

Improving Medtronic’s execution

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Description: CEO Omar Ishrak discusses his efforts to improve Medtronic’s execution shortly after taking the helm of the medical technology company. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Nov 02, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/magazines/fortune/2012/11/02/ldrshp-medtronic-3.fortune/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the reorganizing efforts undertaken by incoming CEO Omar Ishrak. Why are “goals” always at the center of this effort?… Read more »

Get paid to play video games

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Description: A video game designer at Riot Games in Los Angeles explains what his job entails and how he landed his dream gig. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Nov 01, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2012/11/01/pf-video-game-designer-best-jobs.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: How would you write the job description for a game designer? What criteria would you think an HR… Read more »