Small businesses face perfect storm that can challenge growth

Posted by & filed under Change, Control, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Ethics, Global Management, Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Technology.

Description: BDC’s Small Business Week report finds 25% of respondents are already feeling the impact of demographic shifts Source: MontrealGazette.com Date: Oct 20, 2017 Link: http://montrealgazette.com/entrepreneur/1017-biz-dd-bdc/wcm/0e5640b0-7a59-4d2d-8b7a-92051097d281 Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights in the BDC’s report. What is the advice to small business managers? Given the research in the report, what would you also advise… Read more »

Gretchen Carlson: How I Handled Sexual Harassment

Posted by & filed under Conflict, Environment, Ethics, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Social Responsibility, Teams.

Description: “You find out who your friends are in a big way when you come forward” Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Oct 04, 2017 Link: http://for.tn/2ygZqGr Questions for discussion: What lessons should managers take away from this discussion? What lessons are presented here for women in the workplace?

Nestlé Makes Billions Bottling Water It Pays Nearly Nothing For

Posted by & filed under Environment, Ethics, Global Management, Management, Operations Management, Social Responsibility.

Description: The company’s operation in Michigan reveals how it’s dominated the industry by going into economically depressed areas with lax water laws. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Sep 20, 2017 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-21/nestl-makes-billions-bottling-water-it-pays-nearly-nothing-for Questions for discussion: What are the ethical issues presented in this article? Do you believe the firm is doing anything improper?

Wattpad’s dreams of becoming the next Disney may be lofty, but then it’s come a long way in 10 years

Posted by & filed under Change, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, Motivation, New product, Operations Management, Strategy, Teams, Technology.

Description:  A year after its launch, Wattpad — an app that allows contributors to upload and share their writing for public viewing — had just 1,000 users. Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Nov 30, 2016 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/growth-strategies/wattpads-dreams-of-becoming-the-next-disney-may-be-lofty-but-then-its-come-a-long-way-in-10-years Questions for Discussions: Describe this business model. What managerial services does it provide to creative artists? What other businesses could… Read more »

Indigenous peoples of the world’s coastlines are losing their fisheries — and their way of life

Posted by & filed under Change, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Ethics, Global Management, Management, Negotiation, Planning, Social Responsibility.

Description: The world loves seafood. According to some estimates, people consumed about 102 million tons of it last year. Source: WashingtonPost.com Date: Dec o2, 2016 Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/02/coastal-native-people-who-need-fish-the-most-are-losing-them/?utm_term=.069ac4f2c8a6 Questions for discussion: How is the fishing industry similar to other resource industries such as mining and petroleum? Is the industry sustainable? How are economic changes affecting communities around… Read more »

Here’s How Brightcove Is Keeping Up With the Growth of Video

Posted by & filed under Change, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Innovation/Creativity, Management, Technology.

Description: CEO David Mendels joins Fortune Live to explain. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Nov 18, 2016 Link: http://for.tn/2fla57d Questions for Discussions: Summarize the history of video as presented in this report. How can marketing managers use video to engage their customers?

McDonald’s: More touch screens and table service just the beginning of change

Posted by & filed under Change, Decision Making, Environment, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Innovation/Creativity, Management, New product, Operations Management, Strategy, Technology.

Description: McDonald’s CEO: We are modernizing your burger experience Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Nov 17, 2016 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2016/11/17/mcdonalds-ceo-we-are-modernizing-your-burger-experience.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How is McDonald’s changing? Which indicators suggest that these changes are working?

Alibaba’s Singles Day: World’s biggest shopping bonanza sets new record

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, Environment, Global Management, Individual Behavior, Management, Operations Management, Strategy, Technology.

Description: China’s shopping blitz sets new record Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Nov 11, 2016 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2016/11/11/alibaba-singles-day-shopping-new-records.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why does this report say about the Chinese consumer today? What does this mean for American businesses?

Nobody Knows Why Fortysomethings Are Driving U.S. Productivity

Posted by & filed under Control, Decision Making, Environment, Individual Behavior, Management, New product, Operations Management, Technology.

Description: Dartmouth College economist James Feyrer noticed something odd about a decade ago: Across a large set of countries, an economy’s productivity seemed to be connected to the proportion of fortysomethings in its labor force. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Nov 04, 2016 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-04/nobody-knows-why-fortysomethings-are-driving-u-s-productivity Questions for Discussions: What does the report say about the productivity and… Read more »

How Internet Users Can Benefit from Artificial Intelligence

Posted by & filed under Environment, Human Resource Management, New product, Operations Management, Technology.

Description: Half of respondents said AI can provide companionship Source: eMarketer.com Date: Nov 09, 2016 Link: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-Internet-Users-Benefit-Artificial-Intelligence/1014698?ecid=NL1001#sthash.nuiL4AiS.dpuf Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about how AI can be developed commercially? Create one idea of a product or service for each of the categories in the list.