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 »

Nintendo’s New DIY Toys Are Mind-Bendingly Imaginative

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Innovation/Creativity, Management, Planning, Social Responsibility, Technology.

Description:  The Labo series is an addition to Nintendo’s Switch console. Source: FastCompany.com Date: Apr 13, 2018 Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/40546285/nintendos-new-diy-toys-are-mind-bendingly-imaginative?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=1&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=04142018 Questions for discussion: Who is the target customer for this product? How does Nintendo benefit from producing interconnecting products? What other applications would you recommend to the firm in order to generate more growth?

People Believe Ads Are Becoming More Intrusive

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

Description: Users feel bombarded by too many ads Source: eMarketer.com Date: Apr 10, 2018 Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/people-believe-ads-are-becoming-more-intrusive?ecid=NL1009 Questions for discussion: Interpret the research presented in this article. What should marketing managers do with this information, from a planning point of view?

SPOS #614 – Never Lose A Customer Again With Joey Coleman

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Teams.

Description: There are so many books on how to generate leads, close the sale, negotiate the sale, market the products and services and on and on. How many books have you read (or seen) about how to not lose the customer once you get them? You might think that once you have a customer, that… 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 »

SPOS #613 – Tom Peters Is Back And Demands Excellence

Posted by & filed under Conflict, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Global Management, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Negotiation, Planning, Strategy, Teams.

Description: There is only one Tom Peters. He’s a legend. Literally. For anyone in business, Tom Peters is the gold standard. From his countless bestsellers (In Search of Excellence, Re-Imagine, and on and on) to his incredible public presentations. Source: Sixpixels.mirumagency.com.com – podcast Date: Apr 08, 2018 Link: http://sixpixels.mirumagency.com/podcast/archives/spos-613—tom-peters-is-back-and-demands-excellence/ Questions for discussion: What did you learn about… 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?

I Downloaded the Information That Facebook Has on Me. Yikes.

Posted by & filed under Communication, Global Management, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, New product, Planning, Social Responsibility, Technology.

Description: When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn’t expect to see much. My profile is sparse, I rarely post anything on the site, and I seldom click on ads. (I’m what some call a Facebook “lurker.”) Source: NYTimes.com Date: Apr 11, 2018 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/technology/personaltech/i-downloaded-the-information-that-facebook-has-on-me-yikes.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness&action=click&contentCollection=business&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront Questions for discussion: Summarize the key… Read more »

Zuckerberg Just Proved Once Again That Congress Doesn’t Understand The Internet

Posted by & filed under Change, Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Control, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Innovation/Creativity, Leadership, Management, Motivation, New product, Planning, Social Responsibility, Strategy, Technology.

Description:  Today’s jumbled Facebook hearing left little faith that Congress could ever draft a useful data-protection bill, much less agree on one. Source: FastCompany.com Date: Apr 11, 2018 Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/40557799/zuckerberg-just-proved-once-again-that-congress-doesnt-understand-the-internet?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=1&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=04122018 Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the opinions expressed in this article? What should government do, if anything?