Description:  ING’s (ING) sponsorship of the New York City Marathon turned into a branding disaster this week as a divided city debated whether the city should hold the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: Nov 02, 2012

Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-02/as-sponsor-of-new-york-city-marathon-ing-comes-under-fire#r=hpt-lst

Questions for Discussions:

• What are the public relations lessons to be learned here by city officials, event organizers, and sponsors like ING?
• What strategic response would you suggest to ING at this time that would either neutralize the damage done or possibly improve its corporate social responsibility image?

Description: Uber is being threatened by the taxi industry, Aereo by the TV broadcasting industry, and Airbnb by the hotel industry. … Of course, regulations that truly protect the public interest are necessary. But many regulations are created by incumbents to protect their market position. To try new things, entrepreneurs need to find a back door. And when they succeed, it will all look obvious in retrospect. Today’s regulatory hack is tomorrow’s mainstream industry.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: Oct. 25, 2012

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-25/airbnb-coursera-and-uber-the-rise-of-the-disruption-economy#r=read

Questions for Discussions:

• Describe these disruptive business models and how they work?
• If regulatory control was not as strict, do you think these new businesses would be as attractive in the marketplace?
• How should managers at established businesses respond to these up-starts?
• How should government regulators and consumer advocate organizations respond?