Win workplace wars with these strategies

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

Description:   As they strive to keep their people working together in harmony, some business owners feel every day is a battle. If you feel the same way, maybe it’s time to trade in your three-star general’s helmet for the clipboard of an industrial psychologist.

Source:  FinancialPost.com

Date: Apr 01, 2013

Link: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/04/01/win-workplace-wars-with-these-strategies/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What is the essence of workplace conflict, as presented by the author?
  • How should managers deal with conflict?
  • What do you think of these ideas?

The bigger bill of a connected future

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

Description: As companies begin to connect thermostats, cars, and glasses to the Internet, carriers are looking for a way to bill those items.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Mar 27, 2013

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/03/27/t-ts-connected-devices.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this report suggest is in store for consumers and companies selling connected products and services?
  • How will this change management of these firms, their products and relationships with both consumers and business clients?

The $3 billion industry powered by bees

Posted by & filed under Management.

Description: Every February, billions of bees pollinate California’s almond groves that provide 80 percent of the world’s supply of almonds.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Mar 29, 2013

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/03/29/f-bees-almonds.fortune/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the management operations of bees?
  • What are some of the operational problems specifically related to the management of these creatures?

The ‘Game of Thrones’ Guide to Management

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

Description:  Are you in a rut? Underappreciated by your peers? Is some immature kid wearing your crown? Whether your aim is to score a bonus, land that corner office, or lead a hostile takeover, there’s much to learn from Game of Thrones, HBO’s (TWX) sprawling fantasy series, which returns for its third season on March 31.

Source:  Businessweek.com

Date: Mar 28, 2013

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-28/the-game-of-thrones-guide-to-management#r=hp-ls

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the lessons for management presented in the report?
  • Which ones do you agree or disagree with?

Provocateur Comes Into View After Cyberattack

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

Description:  Sven Olaf Kamphuis calls himself the “minister of telecommunications and foreign affairs for the Republic of CyberBunker.” Others see him as the Prince of Spam.

Source:  NYTimes.com

Date: Mar 29, 2013

Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/30/business/global/after-cyberattack-sven-olaf-kamphuis-is-at-heart-of-investigation.html?ref=business&_r=0

Questions for Discussions:

  • Describe the issues related to the cyber-conflicts between parties in this report?
  • How does it resemble a conflict between countries?
  • How do you think these conflicts will evolve?
  • What is the role for government regulators?

Meet the XBA: A better, faster, cheaper MBA?

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

Description:  The Fullbridge Program mixes drills with a bit of theory. Participants learn to read balance sheets, income, and cash flow statements in small groups for eight hours a day, for just 20 days.

Source:  Fortune.com

Date: Mar 28, 2013

Link: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/03/28/fullbridge-program-xba/?iid=F_F500M

Questions for Discussions:

  • Describe the learning system presented in the report and the reasons the system is catching attention?
  • What do you think of this concept?
  • Why have companies cut back on internal training and education programs?

A Car That Runs on Air, Water: Here’s How It Works

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

Description: Bloomberg’s Middle East Business Editor Elliott Gotkine takes you for a ride in a car that is powered by air and water, giving you 1,000 miles per tank. He speaks on Bloomberg Television’s “Countdown.”

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Mar 21, 2013

Link: http://bloom.bg/10lO3VJ

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the unique features of this product that would be used to develop a strategic business plan for global distribution?
  • Who would you choose as the first target customers for the car?
  • Sketch the outline of a business plan that would involve dealers and partnerships.

Nextdoor: Social Network for Neighbors

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

Description:   Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia delivers his Power Pitch to CNBC Host Tyler Mathisen; LightBank Partner Paul Lee; and CNBC’s Entertainment and Media Reporter, Julia Boorstin.

Source:  CNBC.com – video report

Date: Mar 19, 2013

Link: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000155459

Questions for Discussions:

  • What criteria is used to evaluate the potential success of this start-up?
  • How is the management of a hyper-local social media site different than the operations of other social sites?

The Attachment That Still Makes Noise

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

Description:  DO you have a stapler? If you do, maybe it’s a little dusty in this age of PDFs. Or maybe it’s been missing for a while, after someone borrowed it and never brought it back. Or maybe you’ve affixed your name to your stapler with a piece of clear tape, so your co-workers know: you take this stapler, you die.

Source:  NYTimes.com

Date: Mar 23, 2013

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/business/staplers-the-attachment-thats-still-making-noise.html?ref=business&_r=0

Questions for Discussions:

  • From an operations point of view, why has the stapler endured as a workplace tool?
  • Can you conceive of an era when the paper stapler won’t be needed?
  • Why are international sales so critical to extending the life cycle of this tool?
  • What other products should management be looking at developing in order to extend the life of the brand and the company as a whole?

50 greatest business rivalries of all time

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

Description:  These stories of no-holds-barred competition, contempt, and all-out conflict shaped the modern business world. Here’s what you can learn from them.

Source:  CNNMoney.com

Date: Mar 22, 2013

Link: http://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/companies/2013/03/21/greatest-business-rivalries.fortune/index.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • What can you learn from a review of these cases?
  • What do these stories tell you about management over the years?