They See You When You’re Spending: How Pros Track Holiday Shoppers

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description: The feast of commerce is on. From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, Americans are about to go on an annual spending spree—one that comprises some 140 million consumers and underpins an industry supporting roughly one in four U.S. jobs. Just how many products will they purchase? That’s the big question for manufacturers, retailers, investors, and anyone who cares about the economy at-large.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: Nov 26, 2014

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-26/how-analysts-predict-black-friday-spending#r=hpt-ls

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the strategies used to gather consumer data, as presented in this report.
  • Do you question the validity of any of the data?

Why Business Owners Have a Hard Time Delegating

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

Description: One of my clients has a difficult time delegating particular tasks to his shop manager. It seems that he has the best intentions, but — and this is a big but — from time to time, he will overstep the shop manager’s authority and try to micromanage his employees.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Date: Nov 28, 2014

Link: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240157

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why do managers have difficulty with delegating, according to the report?
  • Can you think of other reasons?

PandoDaily’s Sarah Lacy responds to Uber

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

Description: PandoDaily Founder and Editor-In-Chief Sarah Lacy discusses Uber executive Emil Michael’s journalist comments. Lacy speaks on “Bloomberg West.”

Source: Bloomberg.com – video report

Date: Nov 20, 2014

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/pandodaily-s-sarah-lacy-responds-to-uber-tFzq09hvSiGVd0W3LW5_Yw.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the managerial issues facing Uber as a result of this controversy?
  • How should the board of directors respond to this situation?

Franken says Uber faces “Wake-Up” call on Geolocation

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

Description: U.S. Senator Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat and chairman of the Senate subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law, talks about his inquiry into Uber Technologies Inc.’s privacy policies. Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick, 38, is dealing with a wave of criticism this week from remarks that one of his top lieutenants, Emil Michael, made about snooping on journalists. Franken speaks with Emily Chang and Cory Johnson on “Bloomberg West.”

Source: Bloomberg.com – video report

Date: Nov 20, 2014

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/al-franken-uber-faces-wake-up-call-on-geolocation-GTW7LxaqQD6w3~OrLMoUYQ.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the managerial implications for businesses like Uber that rely on collecting data of a private nature?
  • What would you recommend as a policy for the firm as a response to governmental demands for clarifications?
  • Do you think that decisions should be left to individual firms and customers or is national legislation desirable?

Inside Elon Musk’s $1.4 billion Score

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

Description: The crazy, real-life story of how the CEO of electric-car maker Tesla dazzled, seduced, squeezed, bluffed, manipulated, and prodded his way to epic state incentives to build a massive battery plant in the Nevada desert.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: Nov 21, 2014

Link: http://fortune.com/inside-elon-musks-billion-dollar-gigafactory/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does the report say about Elon Musk and the company he leads?
  • How is he similar to entrepreneurs at any new technology operation?

Nike Gives Sporty Women a Store of Their Own

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

Description: To make a statement about its emphasis on women, Nike (NKE) last month cast 27 top female athletes in a runway show and media extravaganza. Now it’s giving sporty women a store of their own, opening the company’s only store focused entirely on female gear.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: Nov 20, 2014

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-20/nike-launches-its-first-store-devoted-to-women#r=nav-r-story

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the strategic thinking and direction managers of sports apparel businesses are taking their firms as a result of lifestyle changes in the marketplace.
  • Do you think this is a long-term trend or a fad?

Journalists + eBay Billionaire = Chaos. The Troubles at Pierre Omidyar’s First Look Media

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

Description: Despite the high-profile departures of Matt Taibbi and John Cook, insiders insist there is still a vibrant future for investigative journalism startup First Look Media.

Source: TheDailyBeast.com

Date: Nov 15, 2014

Link: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/14/journalists-ebay-billionaire-chaos-the-troubles-at-pierre-omidyar-s-first-look-media.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the lessons presented to managers in this report?
  • Why is it suggested that too much cash can be a bad thing in a start-up business?

Larry Page: Why he’s Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year

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

Description: Larry Page, co-founder and CEO of Google, is Fortune’s 2014 businessperson of the year. Fortune editors discuss how he’s kept the company thriving for over a decade.

Source: Fortune.com – video report

Date: Nov 13, 2014

Link: http://for.tn/1v4KzZC

Questions for Discussions:

  • What makes Larry Page a great leader?
  • What are the challenges he faces managing Google?

Used Cars, Minus the Headaches

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

Description: Carlypso is a startup that connects buyers and sellers of used cars.

Source: Forbes.com – video report

Date: Nov 13, 2014

Link: http://onforb.es/1Am7qCv

Questions for Discussions:

  • How is Carlypso a more efficient way to bring buyers and sellers together?
  • Do you think dealerships would be motivated to use this software in order to have competitive advantage?

Are Social Media Marketers Losing Confidence?

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

Description: Many don’t even think analyzing engagement data is important

Source: eMarketer.com

Date: Nov 13, 2014

Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Media-Marketers-Losing-Confidence/1011575#sthash.6tSkwXEC.dpuf

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does the report say about management’s understanding and attitude toward social media?
  • What do you think this means for strategic planning?