The Game of Business

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  Ever watch gamers thumbing away at Fruit Ninja, World of Warcraft, or Angry Birds? They’re totally absorbed in the moment. What are they playing for? The personal satisfaction of reaching a new expert level or using a magical sword to slay imaginary monsters? Don’t scoff: The video game business is a $70 billion industry. Now imagine if you could harness that energy to get your employees and customers as engaged in your business.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: Nov 29, 2012

Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-29/the-game-of-business#r=hpt-fs

Questions for Discussions:

  • What is “gamification”?
  • What do you think of this concept as a way to motivate employees?
  • Illustrate this concept with an example in a work place setting.

Why Can’t Walmart Be More Like Costco?

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

Description:  Because they’re really very different

Source: The DailyBeast.com

Date: Nov 26, 2012

Link:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/26/why-can-t-walmart-be-more-like-costco.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the comparison between the operations of Walmart and Costco.
  • Are Costco employees more productive?
  • Should Walmart try to become more like Costco?
  • What would change, if anything at either of these retailers?

 

When Designers Want Their Clothes ‘Made in the USA’

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description:  In the nearly four decades since Cody Campbell’s family began hand-blocking fedoras, porkpies, and straw hats in New York’s Garment District, the domestic apparel industry has shrunk dramatically. But when it comes to marketing and sales, things aren’t much different from 1974, when Campbell’s mother opened Makins Hats.

Source:  Businessweek.com

Date: Nov 19, 2012

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-19/when-designers-want-to-make-clothes-in-the-usa#r=hpt-fs

Questions for Discussions:

  • Describe the service provided by this site.
  • How does it improve productivity for manufacturers?
  • Is it mostly a solution for small businesses?

Wal-Mart workers protest on Black Friday

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description: Wal-Mart employees and union members around the country came out on Black Friday to protest the pay, the hours, the healthcare practices of the country’s biggest retailer.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Nov 23, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/11/23/n-walmart-protest-ca.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Do you think these protests harmed or benefited Wal-Mart sales on Black Friday?
  • Do you think the employee strategy to publicize their issues with Wal-Mart management in this way was the best way to proceed?
  • What would you advise management do next, if anything?

Another day to save Hostess jobs

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description: U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain will serve as a mediator in the labor negotiations between Hostess and unions.


Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Nov 20, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/11/20/n-hostess-twinkie-bankruptcy-court.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the implications for management, the unions, and the workers if the firm is declared bankrupt?
  • What is the “best” legal conclusion for each of the three groups?

Wal-Mart and the perils of ignoring staff complaints

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description:  Whether a business has millions of employees or just a few staffers, leaders ought to have a plan to deal with reputation damage that can stem from rumblings within the ranks.

Source:  Fortune.com

Date: Nov 23, 2012

Link:  http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/21/walmart-black-friday-protests/?iid=SF_F_River

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the message for management in this report.
  • What do you think is the key communication tool available to management?

Why Steven Sinofsky Really Left Microsoft

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description:  About every six weeks, a small group of Microsoft (MSFT) executives gathers at a Seattle restaurant to talk strategy. The location varies, but the cast of characters tends to stay the same: Don Mattrick, the head of the division that produces the Xbox, will be there sitting alongside Qi Lu, the head of search and advertising, as well as top executives from the mobile team. “If Qi is paying, it’ll be somewhere very cheap,” Mattrick joked in an interview last year.

Source:  Businessweek.com

Date: Nov 15, 2012

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-12/microsoft-shows-its-windows-chief-the-door#r=read

Questions for Discussions:

  • Why did Steven Sinofsky really leave Microsoft?
  • What does the article tell you about management and leadership styles at Microsoft?

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos: The ultimate disrupter

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description:  He’s a pro-customer, tightfisted risk-taker who is conditioning Wall Street to embrace his erratic earnings. If you’re running a business with high margins — watch out.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: Nov 16, 2012

Link:  http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/16/jeff-bezos-amazon/?iid=SF_F_River

Questions for Discussions:

  • What does the article say about Jeff Bezos’ management thinking and style?
  • Why has Amazon succeeded?
  • What does the Amazon brand represent?

Mobile apps hunt down holiday deals

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Description: CNNMoney goes holiday shopping using apps to determine our destinations.


Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: Nov 16, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/11/16/mobile-apps-holiday-deals.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • In what ways do you think these apps will change the way people shop?
  • How important is price in the consumer’s buying process?
  • How should retail management respond to this emerging technology?