In Europe, Goldman letter deepens banks’ trust deficit

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

Description:   British politicians visiting Wall Street would once have been only too happy to have their photograph taken with the head of Goldman Sachs. This week in New York, Prime Minister David Cameron met Goldman Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein and other bankers in private.

Source:  Reuters.com

Date: 03/16/2012

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/16/us-banks-image-idUSBRE82F0RR20120316

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the messages directed to managers in this report?
  • Do you think they are getting through?

Oreo: An iconic cookie turns 100

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description:  CNN’s Felicia Taylor explores how Oreo has remained an American favorite for a century.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 03/06/2012

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/06/happy_100_oreo.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • Why do you think Oreo has endured for 100 years?
  • Are you surprised to find out that Oreo sells well elsewhere in the world?
  • How would you develop this brand?

SXSW’s hottest new apps

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  Social discovery apps like Highlight and Sonar are getting buzzed about but come with privacy concerns.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 03/10/2012

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/03/10/ts-sxsw-highlight-sonar.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think these apps will become popular?
  • Where are they likely to be used?
  • Is there a business use for these apps in business settings, such as convention centers?

End of Days for Independent Pharmacies?

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description:   When patients arrive at Woods Pharmacy & Prescription in Mountain View, Ark., pharmacist Dana Woods greets them by name. In a town of 3,000, where Woods has owned the $2 million pharmacy and soda fountain for 26 years, he usually also knows their parents, their children, and their medications.

Source:  Businessweek.com

Date: 03/08/2012

Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-08/end-of-days-for-independent-pharmacies

Questions for discussion:

  • Describe the retail pharmaceutical industry and the changes taking place.
  • Do you think this merger will be good or bad for small retailers?

Hustle and Hustle Smart in Startups

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description:   Like many other successful entrepreneurs, Brian Wong worked at a startup before branching out on his own. He worked in business development at Digg, and though he was laid off he says he learned a lot from working there.

Source:  Sprouter.com

Date: 03/07/2012

Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/hustle-and-hustle-smart-in-startups/

Questions for discussion:

  • What did you learn about entrepreneurship from Brian Wong?
  • How would you explain his success?

Green Mountain falls as Starbucks takes on Keurig

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description:   Shares in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O) tumbled 14 percent on Friday, on fears that it may lose its near monopoly in the U.S. single-cup coffee market after partner Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) outlined plans to launch a rival coffee and espresso machine.

Source:  Reuters.com

Date: 03/09/2012

Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/09/us-greenmountaincoffeeroasters-shares-idUSBRE8280MF20120309

Questions for discussion:

  • Why have share values of the firm fallen?
  • How would you expect this part of the industry to develop?
  • What strategic thinking would you suggest?

Designing a $100 solar-powered tablet

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

Description:  Fuseproject founder Yves Behar shows off the One Laptop Per Child project’s latest invention.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 02/23/2012

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/02/23/t-ts-nextlist-olpc.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • How do you think the creative product development process differs at a not-for-profit business like Fuseproject?
  • How do you think this product will affect development at for-profit manufacturers?
  • What other strategic planning decision stands out from what you would expect from a for-profit firm?
  • What are the international forces that come into play in the development of this product?

Making ‘whoopie’ from home

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:  Staying home with small children while earning an income is a common dilemma among parents.  Amy Bouchard of Garinder, Maine, figured it out, turning her knack for whoopie pies into a profitable business.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: 02/22/2012

Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2012/02/22/smb_sbt_wicked_whoopies.cnnmoney/

Questions for discussion:

  • Explain the formula for this entrepreneurial success story?
  • How different do you think the management of the firm would be if there were no family members involved?

YouTube bets $100 million on original content

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management.

Description:   YouTube is enlisting Hollywood’s help to reach a generation of viewers more familiar with smartphones than TV remotes.

Source:  USAToday.com

Date: 02/20/2012

Link:  http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/story/2012-02-20/youtube-original-content/53170394/1

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think this production strategy can work?
  • What other YouTube channel concepts do you think would succeed?
  • Who are the target markets for these concepts?
  • How does this make sense in terms of developing international markets?

Entrepreneurship Isn’t About Money, It’s About Changing the World

Posted by & filed under Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description:   Entrepreneur Matt Mullenweg recently said that his motivation isn’t to make money, it’s to change the world.

Source:  Sprouter.com

Date: 02/22/2012

Link:  http://sprouter.com/blog/matt-mullenweg-wordpress-automattic-profile/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=22+February+2012+%2F%2F+Hottest+StartUps%2C+Events+%26+Resources&utm_campaign=Sprouter+Weekly%3A+February+22%2C+2013&utm_term=_0D_0AEntrepreneurship+Isn_E2_80_99t+About+Money_2C+It_E2_80_99s+About+Changing+the+World_0D_0A

Questions for discussion: 

  • Describe the characteristics that make Matt Mullenweg an entrepreneur.
  • Are any of these unique when compared to the general description of entrepreneurs?