Why Your B2B Content Marketing May Not Be Working

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

Description: Content marketing remains an area of rampant expansion. Survey after survey suggests continued investment in coming years, with a majority of respondents indicating regular annual spending increases, according to a new eMarketer report, “B2B Content Marketing: Finding Satisfaction Beyond the Lead.”

Source: eMarketer.com

Date: Sep 05, 2014

Link: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Why-Your-B2B-Content-Marketing-May-Not-Working/1011174/3

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this report say about the KPIs sought by management and the reality of what can be delivered?
  • What can management do about the gaps in knowledge?

Have We Reached Peak Burger?

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

Description: For most of its history, the fast-food business in the U.S. has been characterized by rapid and dependable growth.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: Sep 04, 2014

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-04/fast-food-chains-growth-in-u-dot-s-dot-may-have-peaked#r=hpt-tout

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does the article say about the trends in the industry?
  • Do you agree?
  • How should management respond?

Meet the guy with 5 million LP records

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description: Meet Zero Freitas, a Brazilian millionaire and avid vinyl collector who has amassed over 5 million unwanted LPs over the years … more than anyone else in the world.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: August 29, 2014

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/08/29/brazil-largest-vinyl-record-collection-sao-paulo.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • How well does Zero Freitas match the traditional profile of an entrepreneur?
  • How can his collection be monetized?
  • Is this a global business opportunity?

Russia closes flagship Moscow McDonald’s

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

Description: The first McDonald’s in the former Soviet Union was a symbol of capitalism. Now the Moscow location is closed for ‘sanitary violations’ but many think the shutdown is politically motivated.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Aug 21, 2014

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/08/21/russia-mcdonalds-moscow-closed.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the potential problems facing global operating companies like McDonalds.
  • How should management handle this sort of situation?

Want to Go From MBA to CEO? Executives Will Need These Skills in 2039

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

Description: Good news for today’s MBA grads: The share of large company chief executives with graduate business degrees has grown nearly 50 percent in the past 10 years. But don’t start decorating your corner office yet. There’s a lot to learn before you’re ready to take the CEO chair.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: August 29, 2014

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-29/gain-these-skills-to-become-a-ceo-in-25-years#r=most%20popular

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this article say about the skills CEOs will need in the future?
  • Which do you think are most important?
  • Are any missing in this list?

How asking for help actually helps you

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

Description: You might think it makes you look weak or not smart enough, but the most successful people rely on others to do their jobs better.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: August 28, 2014

Link: http://fortune.com/2014/08/28/how-asking-for-help-actually-helps-you/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What advice is suggested in this article?
  • Do you agree with this assessment?

Ashley Madison, dating website for married people, sues South Korea after being blocked

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

Description: A dating website for married people seeking affairs is suing the government of South Korea after being blocked in that country over what it says are false allegations of illegal activity.

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: Aug 28, 2014

Link: http://business.financialpost.com/2014/08/28/ashley-madison-dating-website-for-married-people-sues-south-korea-after-being-blocked/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the ethical and social responsibility issues associated with this social media site?
  • Why do you think the Korean government is attempting to block this site?
  • How should the company management handle this challenge?

Lady Legos make their professional debut

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

Description: Lego debuts a set of professional women characters after receiving criticism from a 7-year-old for gender bias.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Aug 22, 2014

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/08/19/professional-women-legos.cnnmoney/index.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why do you think it took this long for Lego management to introduce modern role models for girls?
  • What other strategic changes might result in dramatic improvements to sales?

Will to work: Can this hiring model eradicate poverty?

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

Description: Samasource Founder and CEO Leila Janah discusses how impact sourcing employs women and young people from impoverished communities over the internet and the “Microwork Model.” She speaks on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg)

Source: Bloomberg.com – video report

Date: August 22, 2014

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/samasource-outsourcing-tech-work-to-low-income-communities-u5P0e_hvRJ~M5X~ozYo7iQ.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • Describe the model?
  • What are the limitations for this approach to work from a managerial control point of view?
  • Which industries do you think will be motivated to develop this model?

Why Companies Don’t Train Workers Anymore

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

Description: Yesterday my colleague, Matthew Philips, raised an interesting question about the skill gap, pointing to new research that claims the problem is not that workers are unqualified, but that companies’ expectations have changed: They are no longer investing resources in training their staff.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: August 22, 2014

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-22/is-on-the-job-training-still-worth-it-for-companies#r=most%20popular

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this article say about training?
  • Do you agree with the arguments presented?