Now Is Not a Good Time to Skimp on Worker Training

Posted by & filed under Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Decision Making, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Industrial Relations, Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Organizational Change, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Teams.

Description: With unemployment near a record low, many businesses have no choice but to spend to upgrade employee skills. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Oct 26, 2018 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-26/now-is-not-a-good-time-to-skimp-on-worker-training?srnd=businessweek-v2 Questions for discussion: What does the article say about training in different countries around the world? How should managers interpret the suggestions in this article?

Here’s the Skinny: For Lean Production Processes to Work, a Company Needs to Be All In

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Management, Planning, Teams.

Description: For a company in Chesterfield, Mo., it involved something as seemingly simple as attaching a trash can to an employee’s chair. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Oct 11, 2018 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/business/heres-the-skinny-for-lean-production-processes-to-work-a-company-needs-to-be-all-in.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Ffast-forward Questions for discussion: Summarize the main ideas that would be important to managers of firms interested in improving operations and efficiencies. Which idea for improvement… Read more »

How Dara Khosrowshahi’s Iranian heritage shapes how he leads Uber

Posted by & filed under Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Teams.

Description: As CEO Dara Khosrowshahi remakes Uber with an eye toward an IPO, his Iranian childhood and heritage are essential to understanding how he leads. Source: FastCompany.com Date: Oct 23, 2018 Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/90245381/how-dara-khosrowshahi-iranian-heritage-shapes-how-he-leads-uber?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=1&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=10232018 Questions for discussion: Summarize the entrepreneurial character and insight about Dara Khosrowshahi presented in the article. What is “bazaari entrepreneurialism” and how does… Read more »

Small businesses are struggling to find workers — and the problem isn’t going away any time soon

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Human Resource Management, Management, Planning, Social Responsibility.

Description: Business owners need to think differently when it comes to recruiting as the number of new people entering the workforce keeps shrinking Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Oct.16, 2018 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/small-businesses-are-struggling-to-find-workers-and-the-problem-isnt-going-away-any-time-soon Questions for discussion: According to the report, why is it more difficult for smaller businesses to attract and hire employees? What hiring advice is directed… Read more »

Why Sears bankruptcy will be bad for J.C. Penney

Posted by & filed under Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Negotiation, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Teams, Technology.

Description: Struggling J.C. Penney (JCP) best brace for an avalanche that has been set in motion by the death of longtime foe Sears. Source: Yahoo.Finance.com – video report Date: Oct 18, 2018 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sears-bankruptcy-will-rock-j-c-penney-foundation-200803793.html Questions for discussion: Why did Sears fail? Why will the Sears bankruptcy be bad for J.C. Penney?

CEO of Deciem cosmetics brand ousted at request of Estée Lauder

Posted by & filed under Communication, Conflict, Control, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Management, Negotiation, Operations Management, Organizational Change, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Strategy, Teams.

Description: Brandon Truaxe is out after turbulent week, which included shuttering all the company’s stores Source: CBC.ca Date: Oct.12, 2018 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/decium-ceo-removed-abnormal-beauty-company-1.4860687 Questions for discussion: What is the current situation? How did the organization arrived at this managerial breakdown? What should the firm have done to prevent these events? Do you think the brand has… Read more »

Why the cooperative model needs to be at the heart of our new economy

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Organizational Change, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Teams.

Description: In a new book, journalist Nathan Schneider positions cooperative businesses as both radical and traditional–and says all businesses should move toward more democracy. Source: FastCompany.com Date: Oct 12, 2018 Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/90249347/why-the-cooperative-model-needs-to-be-at-the-heart-of-our-new-economy?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=7&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=10122018 Questions for discussion: How are large-scale cooperative organization structures different from tradition corporate structures? How is managing and leading different? Why do you… Read more »

The Warcraft Method: Why Google’s DeepMind Is Training AI In Virtual Worlds

Posted by & filed under Ethics, Human Resource Management, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, New product, Operations Management, Strategy, Technology.

Description: DeepMind has struck a critical new partnership with Unity Technologies, the game-development platform used by half the world’s mobile games, including Temple Run and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and it’s one that could also help its nascent business. Source: Forbes.com Date: Oct 10, 2018 Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/10/10/the-world-of-warcraft-method-why-googles-deepmind-is-training-ai-in-virtual-worlds/#5d2f39bcd170 Questions for discussion: What does the report say about the direction AI is… Read more »

How the Top 25 startups in Canada draw great talent: LinkedIn study

Posted by & filed under Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Management, Motivation, Teams, Technology.

Description: Professionals want to feel invested in a company that has some kind of purpose. The ping pong is ‘just window dressing’ Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Oct.03, 2018 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/1003-biz-dd-linkedin-fpe?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Financial%20Post%20-%20Entrepreneur%202018-10-03&utm_term=FP_Entrepreneur Questions for discussion: What does the report say about how Canadian professionals evaluate a firm and decide about applying for work there? Why is a firm’s… Read more »

The real reason why Amazon is raising the minimum wage

Posted by & filed under Change, Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Decision Making, Ethics, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Technology.

Description: Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., is raising the minimum wage for its full-time and temporary workers to $15 per hour. Source: Finance.Yahoo.com – video report Date: Sep 26, 2018 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/real-reason-amazon-raising-minimum-wage-170807455.html Questions for discussion: What are the possible reasons for Amazon’s pay raise, according to the report? What do you… Read more »