Demand Alone Doesn’t Make a Successful Startup

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

Description:   Odysseas Tsatalos’ entrepreneurship story started during his childhood in Greece. Reading about inventors in his encyclopedia, he decided early on that his dream was to one day see himself in print for one of his inventions. While his parents wanted him to become a doctor, Tsatalos travelled to the U.S. and got his Ph.D… Read more »

AMR unions want to take a chance on U.S. Air merger

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

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

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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.

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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 »

Why Practice Trumps Theory for Entrepreneurs

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Description: Entrepreneur Ash Maurya has been building companies for over a decade, and during that time he’s always tried to find a better, faster way to build successful products. Maurya said he’s always had the entrepreneurial bug, and he attributes that to the way his parents raised him. He said his reason for staying an… Read more »

Best Buy CEO out as shoppers move online

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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 »

Avon, 125 years old

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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

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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 »

Online Movies Set to Overtake DVDs and Blu-rays

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Description:  Web-based movie download and rental services, coupled with tablets and connected TVs, have led to greater online movie consumption Source:  emarketer.com Date: 04/02/2012 Link:  http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008945&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4 Questions for discussion: Summarize the changes taking place. What are the reasons for these changes? How would you suggest the industry respond?

Is your company like ‘The Hunger Games?’

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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 »