Uber, Doordash plunge after Labor Department proposes change to gig worker classification

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, International Business, Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy.

Description: The Biden Labor Department released a proposal Tuesday that could pave the way for regulators and courts to reclassify gig workers as employees rather than independent contractors.

Source: CNBC.com

Date: Oct 11, 2022

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/11/uber-doordash-plunge-as-labor-dept-proposes-gig-worker-change.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the business implications for this change in status?
  • Overall, do you think this is a good thing for these businesses and their employees?
  • Are there better alternatives?
    ​

Want to Promote–or Hire–the Best Candidate? Follow the Rule of Skill Over Talent

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Understanding the difference between talent and skill can make all the difference for promotion decisions. And for starting a small business.

Source: INC.com

Date: Oct 07, 2022

Link: https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/promotion-hiring-skill.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What is the difference between skill and talent?
  • Do you agree with the analysis and recommendations made in the article?
  • Do you think this line of thinking applies to all work environments?
    ​

Hockey Canada’s problems show that the government needs to regulate sport in Canada

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy.

Description: The departure of Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith and the resignation of the sporting body’s entire board of directors are the latest signs of the deep problems within Canadian hockey.

Source: TheConversation.com

Date: Oct 12, 2022

Link:https://theconversation.com/hockey-canadas-problems-show-that-the-government-needs-to-regulate-sport-in-canada-192052

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the damage done and how management failed.
  • Do you think the organization can be resuscitated or is the brand beyond repair?
  • Should government get more involved and regulate this sport and perhaps other sports as well?
  • How could more government oversight affect operations?
    ​

Mismanagement and ‘Monster Trains’ Have Wrecked American Rail

Posted by & filed under Control, Decision Making, Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy.

Description: After World War II, railroad companies ceded freight, including mail and perishables, to semi trucks and instead favored goods like newsprint, chemicals and steel coils, which could sit in rail yards for days. Many freight companies made this change enthusiastically; trucking’s rise gave them a strong reason to stop servicing goods that were financial and logistical pains to ship. So long to the rail cars full of livestock.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Oct 09, 2022

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/09/opinion/business-economics/freight-train-mismanagement.html

Questions for discussion:

  • How has the railroad industry mismanaged itself, according to the report?
  • What are the solutions?
  • Can truck and rail transportation co-operate and become a a more efficient system?
  • How would this impact prices and supply management?

The economics of Costco rotisserie chicken

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Strategy.

Description: Costco’s popular chickens have stayed fixed at $4.99 for more than a decade — even in the face of raging inflation. But it’s come at a cost.

Source: TheHustle.com

Date: Oct 08, 2022

Link: https://thehustle.co/the-economics-of-costco-rotisserie-chicken/

Questions for discussion:

  • Why has Costco kept chicken prices fixed?
  • How has this strategy fit with overall branding strategy?
  • Do you think the company has chosen the “right” product to telegraph the branding message?
  • What other products would also communicate the Costco message, in your opinion?

Can Its New Partnership With Dick’s Fix Peloton? ​

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Management, Strategy.

Description: Peloton may still be on the ropes, but its just-announced arrangement with Dick’s Sporting Goods shows it can go at least a few more rounds.

Source: MediaPost.com

Date: Sep 29, 2022

Link: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/378279/can-its-new-partnership-with-dicks-fix-peloton.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=readnow&utm_campaign=127772&hashid=7T9TCmQZSDGbnu-424RuBQ

Questions for discussion:

  • How does this arrangement change management operations for the firm and marketing to potential customers?
  • Do you think it will help?
  • What else should managers do to accentuate the store presence?
    ​

​

SPOS #846 – Dr. Ella F. Washington On Making Real Progress On Equity And Inclusion

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #846. Candid conversations about diversity, inclusion and equity are never easy. Dr. Ella F. Washington is an organizational psychologist and DEI expert with a wealth of experience through her involvement as the Founder and CEO of Ellavate Solutions, a Professor of Practice at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, the Co-host of Gallup‘s Center of Black Voices Cultural Competence Podcast, and the author of the amazing book, The Necessary Journey – Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Washington continues to deepen her research pipeline and thought leadership as a Gallup Senior Scientist studying race, strengths and other DEI workplace topics. Dr. Washington’s global human capital consulting experience has allowed her to impact clients across a myriad of industries including financial services, sports & entertainment, oil and gas, higher education and government. Previously, Dr. Washington led the Diversity and Inclusion function Gallup as a subject matter expert where she provided insight to clients on issues of inclusion, culture, strategic diversity and engagement. Her research and client work focuses on women in the workplace, barriers to inclusion for diverse groups, and working with organizations to build inclusive cultures. She has conducted inclusiveness audits, developed learning workshops, and facilitates strategic planning sessions with executive leadership teams who have goals of intentionally improving diversity and inclusion. These experiences inspired the 2016 founding of Ellavate Solutions, an integrated DEI strategy firm. Enjoy the conversation…

Source: SixPixels.com

Date: Sep 25, 2022

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/podcast/archives/spos-846-ella-f-washington-on-making-real-progress-on-equity-and-inclusion/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key points made by Dr. Washington.
  • What should managers take away from this podcast and apply?

Technology Can Make Your Relationships Shallower. But it’s all in how you use it.

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: In 1995, decades before she began assisting with research on this column, Rena Rudavsky and her family were selected to participate in a novel psychology experiment: Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University would install a computer in their dining room and connect it to the internet. At the time, only 9 percent of Americans used the internet (in 2020, nearly 91 percent did).

Source: TheAtlantic.com

Date: Sep 29, 2022

Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/09/technology-happiness-communication-relationships/671586/

Questions for discussion:

  • What does the article say about how online communications can affect people?
  • Given this body of research, how should managers deal with their employees’ communication online and in the office?

Howard Levitt: Shakedowns in the guise of whistleblower complaints can have severe consequences

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: In the employment law world, whistleblower complaints are usually coupled with the aggrieved employee alleging a reprisal after they raised the troubling allegations with their employer. The reprisal usually looks like mistreatment at work, ostracization from people and tasks, harassment from the aggressor (sometimes continued harassment), unwarranted discipline, and in some cases — termination.

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: Oct 07, 2022

Link: https://financialpost.com/fp-work/howard-levitt-shakedowns-in-the-guise-of-whistleblower-complaints-can-have-severe-consequences

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the analysis and advice presented in this report by Howard Levitt.
  • Have the cases presented caused you to change your thinking about whistleblowing?
    ​

How YouTube Created the Attention Economy

Posted by & filed under Communication, International Business, Management, Strategy.

Description: YouTube has consumed a good part of my days for more than a decade. As a teen-ager, I used the video-streaming platform to scrounge for crumbs of knowledge, watching free lectures on everything from algebra to literary modernism. Now I navigate to the YouTube app on my television most mornings to watch the news. I stream workout videos. I listen to music. I watch celebrities give tours of their garishly decorated mansions. Sometimes I stay on the site for hours, lost in the maze of memes, dinner ideas, and all manner of distraction.

Source: NewYorker.com

Date: Oct 04, 2022

Link: https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-overlooked-titan-of-social-media

Questions for discussion:

  • How has YouTube evolved from how it started?
  • Why is the business model so successful?
  • What would you advise the company do to make it even more successful?