Description: American Apparel is returning to the physical realm. The iconic Los Angeles-based brand is preparing to open a flagship store in its home city later this year, its first foray back into brick-and-mortar shops after all its locations closed following a bankruptcy process. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: May 03, 2018 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-03/american-apparel-is-venturing-back-into-brick-and-mortar-stores Questions for discussion:… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Planning
How guitar maker Gibson could recover from bankruptcy
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 »
The self-driving car startup that the auto industry actually trusts
Description: Aurora, a startup developing software for self-driving cars, had barely launched when it found its place among the biggest names in the car industry. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: May 03, 2018 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/03/technology/aurora-self-driving-cars/index.html Questions for discussion: Why is the company so well connected to the industry? Describe the management culture, as presented in report? Do… Read more »
Majority of small, medium businesses use NAFTA to save costs, yet remain dangerously passive as to its outcome
Description: Survey finds half expect very negative effects on their businesses, yet only 15% are aware of key issues, only a handful have contingency plans Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Apr 24, 2018 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/small-medium-businesses-remain-passive-about-nafta-outcome-at-their-peril Questions for discussion: What does the report say about small Canadian business thinking related to NAFTA? What should managers be doing?
Smoking Is Off Limits at Disney. What Will That Mean With Fox in the Fold?
Description: LOS ANGELES — Add cigarettes to the list of things that the family-friendly Walt Disney Company has to figure out as it prepares to integrate the sharper-edged 20th Century Fox movie and television studio. Source: : NYTimes.com Date: Apr 25, 2018 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/business/media/smoking-movies-disney-fox.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness&action=click&contentCollection=business®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront Questions for discussion: What are the ethical and social responsibility issues… Read more »
Netflix-loving tykes tune out Nickelodeon in kid TV’s worst year
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 »
How NBA teams are using eSports to find new revenue streams
Description: Here is what traditional sports needs to learn from eSports to stay relevant and keep growing. Source: MarketWatch.com – video report Date: Apr 17, 2018 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/video/sectorwatch/how-nba-teams-are-using-esports-to-find-new-revenue-streams/658BFE36-7F1A-47A3-AF3B-9B03F9021C13.html Questions for discussion: Explain the growth in popularity of this business model? Who are the target customers? Can real sport teams capitalize on this phenomenon? Should they?
eMarketer Releases New Outlook on SVOD Landscape
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
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 »
The huge job opportunity in Canadian tech (that no one is talking about)
Description: The current innovation boom hasn’t just created outsized demand for IT pros, it’s created an equivalent demand for salespeople Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Apr 19, 2018 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/the-huge-job-opportunity-in-canadian-tech-that-no-one-is-talking-about Questions for discussion: Summarize the sales training and hiring issues facing Canadian tech companies, according to Ryan Holmes. Do you agree with his solutions and recommendsations? What… Read more »
