Description: The uproar around yogawear retailer Lululemon Athletica two years ago was about a little too much transparency. Now some shareholders are complaining about a lack of it.

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: April 29, 2015

Link: http://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/lululemon-athletica-inc-facing-calls-for-board-reform-transparency-from-shareholders

Questions for discussion:

• What are the upper management problems and concerns described in this article?
• How do you think the board should deal with complaints?

Description: Who tends to determine what a CEO should be paid? The compensation committee. Who tends to sit on the compensation committee? CEOs from other companies, of course.

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: April 28, 2015

Link: http://business.financialpost.com/executive/leadership/you-scratch-his-back-hell-scratch-mine-and-ill-scratch-yours-why-ceos-give-each-other-raises

Questions for Discussions:

• What is “anticipated reciprocity?
• Explain the experiments and the results derived.
• How can the system be made fairer?

Description: Mike Gregoire, CEO of CA Inc., talks with Fortune’s Susie Gharib about the best advice he’s ever received, and what it takes to stay on top of an ever-changing tech field.

Source: Fortune.com – video report

Date: April 21, 2015

Link: http://for.tn/1IDiuuX

Questions for Discussions:

• What does Mike Gregoire have to say about leadership and success?
• What is the primary advice he has learned and guides his leadership style?

Description: NEW YORK • The site that sells everything from toilet paper to toys can now send you on a romantic getaway.

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: April 21, 2015

Link: http://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/amazon-com-inc-expands-with-new-travel-and-hotel-booking-services-taking-on-expedia-tripadvisor?__lsa=30e8-a84a

Questions for discussion:

• Why do you think Amazon is expanding into these services?
• Do these areas require any new managerial considerations?
• Is there a potential problem with trying “any” online product or service online?

Description: Dan Price explains that cutting his salary to pay his employees more is “empowerment” and will help them perform better.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: April 16, 2015

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2015/04/15/dan-price-gravity-intv.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

• What do you think the impact of a doubling of pay will have on employees at Gravity?
• Do you think Dan Price’s motivation is sincere or was it primarily motivated by the publicity value?
• What kind of leader is Dan Price?

Description: Workers gathered in Brooklyn, NY to protest for higher wages on tax day. ‘I have to depend on the government to provide for me when I shouldn’t have to,’ says one woman who makes $8.75 an hour.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: April 16, 2015

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2015/04/15/low-wage-workers-protest-15-hour.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

• How is this labor-management movement different from conventional confrontations?
• Do you think the general public is sympathetic to this movement for $15/hr wages?
• In general terms, how should management deal with the wage demands?

Description: At Tesla’s Freemont, California plant, the biggest robots on the assembly floor are named after comic book X-Men superheroes.

Source: WSJ.com – video report

Date: April 15, 2015

Link: http://www.wsj.com/video/at-tesla-workers-team-up-with-robot-superheroes/F9732D42-BAC6-47AE-B226-87E945966ADF.html

Questions for Discussions:

• Why do you think naming the robots changes the way workers interact and think about them?
• How else could management improve working with robots?