Will Michael Dell become the Marlboro man of the PC age?

Posted by & filed under Management.

Description:  Comment The mooted Dell takeover, the one to take it private again, is now happening. The big question is why? Why come off the public markets to operate as a private company again? The obvious and logical answer here being that the people buying the company think they can make more money this way than by not doing it. Why do they think this?

Source:  TheRegister.co.uk

Date: Feb 06, 2013

Link: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/06/dell_private_like_tobacco/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the reasons for taking Dell private?
  • What are the benefits to stockholders of riding out the remaining life of a company as opposed to attempting to reinvent itself?
  • Why don’t more managers follow this line of thinking?
  • What is Dell’s primary reason for cash flow success, as argued in the report?

Bill Gates: U.S. is throwing talent away

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

Description: Bill Gates says immigration reform is needed to allow ‘high talent’ people to stay and work in the country after they get a U.S. education.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Jan 30, 2013

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/01/30/n-bill-gates-immigration.cnnmoney/

 

Questions for Discussions: What is the problem for HR managers looking to recruit graduates? Why do you suppose the laws were put in place? Do you think they should be changed to provide companies with a larger pool of talent to choose from? Do you the laws will be changed?

As Music Streaming Grows, Royalties Slow to a Trickle

Posted by & filed under Management.

Description:  Like plenty of music fans, Sam Broe jumped at the chance to join Spotify two summers ago, and he hasn’t looked back.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Jan 28, 2013

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/business/media/streaming-shakes-up-music-industrys-model-for-royalties.html?ref=media&_r=0

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this article have to say about the royalties earned by artists?
  • As small business people on the lower end of the earnings scale, can these artists depend on the royalties alone to survive financially?
  • What other sources of revenue should they be cultivating?
  • Is it likely that the royalties paid will change dramatically in the future?
  • How should artists manage their careers?

From the start, Dreamliner jet program was rushed

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

Description:  The 787 Dreamliner was born in a moment of desperation. It was 2003 and Boeing — the company that defined modern air travel — had just lost its title as the world’s largest plane manufacturer to European rival Airbus. Its CEO had resigned in a defense-contract scandal. And its stock had plunged to the lowest price in a decade.

Source:  AP.com

Date: Jan 25, 2013

Link: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/start-dreamliner-jet-program-was-rushed-1

Questions for Discussions:

  • Describe the production design setup for the 787?
  • Why did Boeing create a network of suppliers for the 787?
  • What are the risks associated with this design?

Outsourcing to surge in 2013: study

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

Description:  Love it or hate it, outsourcing is here to stay as a standard business practice.

Source:  SmartPlanet.com

Date: Jan 28, 2013

Link: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/outsourcing-to-surge-in-2013-study/11466?tag=nl.e660&s_cid=e660

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why is outsourcing popular?
  • How does outsourcing relate to productivity?
  • What are the risks and limits to outsourcing?

It’s time to switch off your mobile and set yourself free

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

Description:   Experts have found an effective new formula for happiness – ditching the smartphone

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Date: Jan 28, 2013

Link:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/9831913/Its-time-to-switch-off-your-mobile-and-set-yourself-free.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does this report suggest about the influence of technological devices like the Smartphone on personal management?
  • Do you think the writer is on to something that will result in a decline in the use of these devices in the future?
  • How should managers of companies deal with the message in this report?

Hasbro cutting jobs after weak holiday

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

Description: Shares of toymaker Hasbro fell on disappointing fourth quarter sales and layoff news. Rival Mattel was lower too.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Jan 25, 2013

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/01/25/investing-buzz-hasbro-mattel-toys-jobs.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why have sales declined for the firm?
  • How should management respond to the trends in customer behavior that were highlighted in the report?
  • Would a merger with an electronics game manufacturer make sense?

The Story Behind Smosh, Youtube’s Number One Smash

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

Description:   Smosh President Barry Blumberg talks with Bloomberg’s Jon Erlichman about how Smosh has become a Youtube sensation. They speak on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg)

Source: Bloomberg.com – video report

Date: Jan 24, 2013

Link:  http://bloom.bg/WpPwpk#ooid=w2eGFwODoME4dzTmiBSK3q8HKQLcTu91

Questions for Discussions: 

  • How is YouTube different from television?
  • How has the growth in YouTube audience share changed the television industry?
  • What do you see the Internet and television becoming over the next 5 years?

Grumbling over younger workers: A time-honored tradition

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

Description:  A look at a Fortune feature from 1971 shows that there’s not much of a point in trying to classify generations.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: Jan 25, 2013

Link:  http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/25/younger-workers-generations/?iid=SF_F_River

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are similarities and differences between younger employees then and now?
  • What explains this phenomenon?
  • What are the lessons for management – young and old alike?

Are Workers Free to Trash Their Employers Online?

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

Description:  The National Labor Relations Board has declared that employees have the right to discuss their working conditions online, even if they use harsh language or insults. In other words, disgruntled workers among us are legally protected by federal regulators to bellyache about their companies and oppressive bosses on Facebook (FB), just as if by a water cooler, without fearing a pink slip—but only if the comments fit specific legal requirements as outlined in the National Labor Relations Act.

Source:  Businessweek.com

Date: Jan 24, 2013

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-24/are-workers-free-to-trash-their-employers-online#r=hpt-ls

Questions for Discussions: 

  • What is the law concerning employees rights and the use of social media?
  • Do you think the judgement was correct?
  • Do you think employees should be concerned about their use of social media to complain about their work environment, despite legal protection?
  • How should management set policy for their firms as to the proper use of social media by employees?