Who’s behind the smiling faces of some Airbnb hosts? Multimillion-dollar corporations

Posted by & filed under Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Management, Operations Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Technology.

Description: Personable biographies or even fake photos obscure the operations of big businesses Source: CBC.ca Date: Apr 30, 2019 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/biggest-airbnb-hosts-canada-corporations-1.5116103 Questions for discussion: What are the managerial implications for Airbnb if the brand becomes associated with “bigger-businesses”? Would Airbnb benefit if management created a visible category of rentals from “bigger-businesses”?

SPOS #668 – Todd Herman On The Alter Ego Effect

Posted by & filed under Communication, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, Individual Behavior, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, Strategy.

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #668 – Host: Mitch Joel. In short: Todd Herman is a fascinating human being. Over the years, he has helped thousands of people become more resilient, creative, confident and courageous. He has clocked over 15,000 hours in the field, working one-on-one with people from all backgrounds to help… Read more »

Apple is finally moving beyond the iPhone as the smartphone industry stalls out

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, Global Management, Innovation/Creativity, New product, Planning, Strategy, Technology.

Description: Apple’s iPhone is an incredible moneymaking machine. In the first three months of 2019, Apple sold $31 billion worth of iPhones. At the same time, the iPhone is becoming less important to Apple’s total sales as the smartphone industry stalls globally. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: May 01, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/30/apple-earnings-show-company-moving-beyond-iphone.html Questions for discussion:… Read more »

Millennials Tried to Kill the American Mall, But Gen Z Might Save It

Posted by & filed under Global Management, Leadership, Management, Planning, Strategy.

Description: Gen Z keeps confounding Corporate America. They’ve shunned beer, they want companies to take political stands and they trust Kardashians to make their makeup choices. But perhaps the biggest surprise about this new cohort of teenagers is the most unexpected of all: They love the shopping mall. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Apr 25, 2019 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-25/are-u-s-malls-dead-not-if-gen-z-keeps-shopping-the-way-they-do?srnd=premium-canada Questions for discussion: What does… Read more »

Toyota Plans Lexus SUV Investment for Canadian Plant

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, Global Management, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Management, Organizational Structure & Design, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy.

Description: Toyota Motor Corp. plans to begin building two more Lexus SUVs in Canada, according to people familiar with the matter, a major win for the nation’s otherwise-struggling auto sector. Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Apr 26, 2019 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-26/toyota-is-said-to-plan-lexus-suv-investment-for-canada-plant?srnd=premium-canada Questions for discussion: How well is the Canadian auto industry doing these days, according to… Read more »

Amazon on pace to spend $7 billion on video and music content this year, according to new disclosure

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

Description: Amazon disclosed on Friday that it spent $1.7 billion on video and music content in the first quarter, providing a new number that investors have previously been forced to predict. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Apr 26, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/26/amazon-on-pace-to-spend-7-billion-on-video-and-music-content.html Questions for discussion: What competitive advantage does Amazon have in this marketplace? What strategy… Read more »

Pandora Appeals to Advertisers with ‘Co-Listening’ Data

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Leadership, Management, New product, Planning, Strategy, Technology.

Description: More than 72 million people in the US will listen to Pandora on a monthly basis in 2019, according to our latest forecast. That’s 35.4% of digital audio listeners in the country. Source: eMarketer.com Date: Apr 23, 2019 Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/pandora-appeals-to-advertisers-with-co-listening-data?ecid=NL1001 Questions for discussion: How are listening behaviors changing? What does “co-listening factor” mean? How… Read more »

TaylorMade CEO: Split from Adidas gave us ‘freedom and independence’

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, New product, Planning, Strategy, Teams.

Description: When Tiger Woods won The Masters on Sunday, it was an instant boon to everyone in business with him, directly or even indirectly, from sponsors like Nike and Monster Beverage to broadcaster CBS. Source: YahooFinance.com – video report Date: Apr 16, 2019 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/taylormade-golf-ceo-adidas-sale-gave-us-freedom-to-sign-tiger-woods-jason-day-203237110.html Questions for discussion: How much “stock value” should investors attribute to… Read more »

Disney’s $6.99-per-month streaming immediately makes it a value winner over Netflix for families

Posted by & filed under Change, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, New product, Planning, Strategy, Technology.

Description: For Disney, the price is the story. Disney announced pricing for its new streaming service on Thursday, and it’s surprisingly low: $6.99 per month and $69.99 annually (or $5.83 per month). The service won’t include any advertisements. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Apr 12, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/12/disneys-6point99-per-month-price-immediately-makes-it-a-value-winner.html Questions for discussion: Why is pricing so critical in… Read more »

You can’t take anything home from Ikea’s new store

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Global Management, Innovation/Creativity, Management, New product, Planning, Strategy.

Description: The company’s first Manhattan store is nothing like any Ikea you’ve ever been to. Source: FastCompany.com Date: Apr 10, 2019 Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/90332083/i-went-to-ikeas-first-small-store-and-it-answered-all-my-prayers?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=6&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=04112019 Questions for discussion: Explain the change in thinking – by management and customers – that has led to this store design. Should Ikea develop this concept at its suburban stores as well?