How guitar maker Gibson could recover from bankruptcy

Posted by & filed under Control, Decision Making, Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Planning, Strategy.

Description: Gibson, an iconic American guitar manufacturer, has filed for bankruptcy. The company has at least $100 million of debt, and perhaps as much as $500 million, according to paperwork filed in Delaware on Tuesday. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: May 01, 2018 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/01/news/companies/gibson-guitars-bankruptcy/index.html Questions for discussion: What is Gibson’s financial situation? How can it restructure… Read more »

Netflix-loving tykes tune out Nickelodeon in kid TV’s worst year

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Global Management, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, Motivation, New product, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Technology.

Description: Kids like Caleb Moushey are killing cable TV. Not that Caleb knows from cable. After all, he’s 7 years old. But Caleb rarely if ever watches conventional television. “Everything is Netflix,” said his mother, Ally Brown, an insurance agent in the St. Louis area who also has a 5-year-old and a baby on the… Read more »

eMarketer Releases New Outlook on SVOD Landscape

Posted by & filed under Global Management, Management, New product, Operations Management, Planning, Strategy, Technology.

Description: The ever-expanding US subscription video space is ripe with monetization potential for content owners and platforms. Source: eMarketer.com – podcast Date: Apr 25, 2018 Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/emarketer-releases-new-outlook-on-svod-landscape?ecid=NL1001 Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights from this report. Which company do think will dominate changing conditions over the next five years?

FlixBus Conquered Europe. Now It’s Coming to America

Posted by & filed under Innovation/Creativity, Management, New product, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy.

Description: With their reputation for skid row stations, grueling rides, and stinking toilets, intercity buses have long been the travel option of last resort. But in Europe, a startup called FlixBushas given buses a trendier, eco-friendly, sharing-economy vibe. Now it’s aiming to take on Greyhound Lines Inc. in the U.S. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Apr 25, 2018 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-25/flixbus-conquered-europe-now-it-s-coming-to-america… Read more »

Jeff Bezos reveals Amazon has 100 million Prime members in letter to shareholders

Posted by & filed under Communication, Conflict, Control, Decision Making, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Ethics, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Operations Management, Organizational Change, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Teams, Technology.

Description: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has released his latest annual shareholder letter. In the letter, Bezos stressed the importance of having high standards in running a business. By setting high standards, companies are able to live up to “ever-rising customer expectations,” he said. Source: CNBC.com Date: Apr 19, 2018 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/18/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-2018-shareholder-letter.html Questions for discussion: What does Jeff Bezos… Read more »

Apple Is Planning to Launch a News Subscription Service

Posted by & filed under Communication, Global Management, Management, New product, Operations Management, Planning, Strategy, Technology.

Description: Apple Inc. plans to integrate recently acquired magazine app Texture into Apple News and debut its own premium subscription offering, according to people familiar with the matter. The move is part of a broader push by the iPhone maker to generate more revenue from online content and services. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Apr 17, 2018 Link:… Read more »

Tim Hortons franchisee organizer has licence revoked amid public squabble

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

Description: Head office and group of franchisees have been sparring over a number of issues Source: CBC.ca Date: Apr 10, 2018 Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tim-hortons-franchisee-kuziora-1.4612559 Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues facing Tim Hortons as an organization? How would you advise management to mitigate the dispute with franchisees? How would you advise management to mitigate the bad… Read more »

The Truth About U.S.-China Car Trade

Posted by & filed under Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Decision Making, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Management, Negotiation, Operations Management, Planning, Strategy.

Description: Despite what President Trump says, America is coming out on top. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Apr 12, 2018 Link: http://fortune.com/2018/04/12/china-solar-intelligent-highway/ Questions for discussion: What does the report say about trade between the two countries? Who would benefit from higher tariffs? How would consumers respond to higher tariffs?

Aeroplan member offended by survey asking provocative questions on immigration, male dominance

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Ethics, Management, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Technology.

Description: Survey asked if participants thought immigration ‘threatens the purity of the country Source: CBC.ca Date: Apr 02, 2018 Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/aeroplan-survey-crop-immigration-1.4599686 Questions for discussion: Summarize the ethical and social issues raised in this report. Is this much ado about nothing, in your opinion? How should management at Aeroplan handle research designs going forward?

Trump claims the post office is losing billions because of Amazon, but it’s a lot more complicated

Posted by & filed under Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Decision Making, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Management, Operations Management, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Strategy, Teams, Technology.

Description: President Donald Trump is clearly not a fan of Amazon. He attacked the company via Twitter five times in the last week. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Apr 06, 2018 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/06/trump-claims-amazon-is-ripping-off-post-office-but-its-complicated.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about delivery logistics at Amazon? Why would Amazon be motivated to use multiple delivery services rather… Read more »