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 »
Posts Tagged: Strategy
Online Movies Set to Overtake DVDs and Blu-rays
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?’
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?
Entrepreneurs jump on co-working bandwagon
Description: In 2008, Chad and Sandra Ballantyne moved their marketing and Web design company, Rhubarb Media, into its first office – a 1,300-square-foot space in downtown Barrie, Ont., which they shared with another small company. Source: GlobeandMail.com Date: 04/02/2012 Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-marketing/customer-service/entrepreneurs-jump-on-co-working-bandwagon/article2386076/ Questions for discussion: What lessons are there in this report for entrepreneurs? What are… Read more »
Apple Labor Pact Could Ripple Across China
Description: Manufacturers grappling with rising labor costs and worker demands in China could face further pressure if a critical probe of a major Apple supplier sets a new standard for China’s factory workers, Andrew Dowell reports on digits. Photo: Getty Images. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: 03/30/2012 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/apple-labor-pact-could-ripple-across-china/ED326ADD-8C33-4B32-B463-A4BD5BA1D89C Questions for discussion: Summarize the… Read more »
Apple v. RIM: What Canadian companies can learn
Description: There are few games out there that test one’s strategic thinking better than chess. A well thought-out plan, coupled with the ability to anticipate and out manoeuvre your opponent, invariably leads to the capture of your opponent’s king. Game over. The world of business is essentially built on the same basic principles, but in… Read more »
Best Buy’s moves meet with investor skepticism
Description: Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. electronics chain, swung to a fourth-quarter loss, hurt by charges and lower sales of notebook computers and televisions. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 03/30/2012 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/best-buy-swings-to-loss-to-shut-50-stores-2012-03-29?siteid=nwtwk Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons for Best Buy’s financial problems. Do you think they can be resolved easily?
JetBlue Actions Show How Training Altered Cockpit Culture
Description: The events aboard a March 27 JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU)flight, on which the co-pilot locked an erratically behaving captain out of the cockpit and diverted the plane to a safe landing, show how much has changed in a culture once typified by autocratic captains browbeating underlings even in the face of potential hazards, safety… Read more »
Getting a Grip on Medicine’s Slippery Price Tag
Description: How much should a diabetes screening cost? Does 50 bucks sound about right? How about $400? Doctors in the same health insurance network charge vastly different prices for common preventive tests, according to a report to be published today by Change Healthcare, a company that helps employers and health-plan providers understand the cost of… Read more »
