The 7 Deadly Sins Of Management

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

Description: A friend and colleague just sent me a blog post about David Ogilvy, the original Mad Man and legendary American advertising guru, and his ideas on management. Some of them are timeless and sharp; some seem dated (especially the conspicuous absence of any references to women). Some make me think he must have been a good guy; some make him sound pretty terrifying. But my favorite quote in the article is this:

Source: Forbes.com

Date: August 05, 2013

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2013/08/05/the-7-deadly-sins-of-management/?goback=%2Egde_39023_member_263735544

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does the article have to say about leadership qualities?
  • What do think about the list?
  • Which others might you add?

Foodie’s Dream Job: Meet a Whole Foods forager

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Bloomberg’s Carol Massar takes us on the road with Whole Foods forager Elly Truesdell as she searches America, looking for the freshest food in the land.

Source: Bloomberg.com – video report

Date: June 07, 2013

Link: http://bloom.bg/15H03SS

Questions for Discussions:

  • How is Whole Foods forager Elly Truesdell’s job different than that of a buyer for a regular supermarket?
  • What sort of characteristics would a forager need to have for the job?

Why the Tumblr Deal Is a Disaster for Entrepreneurs

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

Description: I have never met a fast-growth entrepreneur that I did not like. Sure, some are weird and scary smart, but what I like about fast-growth entrepreneurs is that most have a riverboat gambling streak that makes them fun, free and a little different from most small-business and corporate types.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: June 06, 2013

Link: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/why-the-tumblr-deal-is-a-disaster-for-entrepreneurs/?ref=smallbusiness

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this article say about entrepreneurial success and motivation?
  • Do you agree?

Another E-Commerce Experiment in Brick and Mortar

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description: BaubleBar, a New York startup that sells women’s accessories online, is opening a popup shop in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood tomorrow. The 4,000-square-foot location will serve Godiva chocolates and specialty cocktails and offer tablet computers that customers can use to demo personalized jewelry. Beyond the bells and whistles, the idea is to give customers the tactile experience they can’t get online.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: June 07, 2013

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-05/another-experiment-in-e-commerce-to-brick-and-mortar#r=nav-f-blog

Questions for Discussions:

  • Do you think management undermines the online shopping concept by meeting customers is environments such as BaubleBar?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of these sorts of retail set-ups?

Costco CEO Craig Jelinek Leads the Cheapest, Happiest Company in the World

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description: Joe Carcello has a great job. The 59-year-old has an annual salary of $52,700, gets five weeks of vacation a year, and is looking forward to retiring on the sizable nest egg in his 401(k), which his employer augments with matching funds. After 26 years at his company, he’s not worried about layoffs. In 2009, as the recession deepened, his bosses handed out raises. “I’m just grateful to come here to work every day,” he says.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: June 06, 2013

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-06/costco-ceo-craig-jelinek-leads-the-cheapest-happiest-company-in-the-world#r=most%20popular

Questions for Discussions:

  • Explain Costco’s success from a managerial point of view?
  • Do you think more businesses will be drawn towards the way Costco does business or that Costco will eventually become more like the others?

How to do great business in bad zip codes

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

Description: Lessons from corporate leaders on how to take your business global.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: June 08, 2013

Link: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/06/08/global-corporate-strategies/?iid=SF_F_River

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does the article have to say about how to take your business global?
  • What other ideas do you think are critical for success in international business?

WordPress CEO on 10th anniversary

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: CEO Matt Mullenweg looks back at WordPress’ 10-year career and says that Tumblr sold to Yahoo! ‘for too little.’

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: May 30, 2013

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/05/30/tech-co-wordpress-ceo-matt-mullenweg.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • How are CEO Matt Mullenweg and WordPress similar to and yet quite different than conventional organizations and their management?
  • What sort of leadership style do you suppose Mullenweg employs?

Where cell phones go to die

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

Description: Much of the world’s electronic waste ends up in Guiyu, China, where old parts are recycled but chemicals like mercury leak into the water.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: May 31, 2013

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/05/31/t-china-electronic-waste.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Who should be held responsible for e-waste?
  • Explain why the e-waste recycling business is centralized in China?
  • What alternatives should be considered by businesses and governments?

One Obstacle Won’t Budge in Japan’s Fight With Deflation

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description: Vending machines stocked with sodas are ubiquitous here, tucked away, it seems, in every nook and cranny of the country. They are found along Omotesando, the tree-lined shopping avenue known as the Champs-Élysées of Tokyo, and their glow lights up the back streets of hot spring towns like Hakone. They are even atop Mount Fuji, Japan’s 12,000-foot, snow-capped mountain.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: May 31, 2013

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/business/global/in-japan-a-hard-to-budge-obstacle-looms-over-the-fight-with-deflation.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1370102413-7MO+diHB3EKRu9vAj8d7CQ

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why is it so difficult to make money in the soda business in Japan?
  • How does the level of competition explain the deflationary problem?
  • How can marketing managers respond to these conditions?

Behind the ‘Internet of Things’ Is Android—and It’s Everywhere

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

Description: Ken Oyadomari’s work space at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., looks like a triage tent for smartphones. Parts from dozens of disassembled devices are strewn on workbenches.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: May 31, 2013

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-29/behind-the-internet-of-things-is-android-and-its-everywhere

Questions for Discussions:

  • Explain the success of Android.
  • How does Google make money from Android?
  • Is this a business model that should be adopted by more management teams or is it only suitable for some sorts of products?