Posted by & filed under Leadership, Management, Motivation, Planning, Social Responsibility.

Description: A passion for eating well and a love for the land is driving a surge in female farmers in B.C.

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: Apr 16, 2019

Link: https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/more-women-are-dumping-lucrative-careers-to-move-into-the-demanding-world-of-farming

Questions for discussion:

  • What is motivating this wave of entrepreneurship?
  • What sort of managerial profile do you think is most likely to be attracted to this career?

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 the article?
  • Why do you suppose Toyota has chosen to invest in Canada?
  • What will this mean for other Canadian businesses?

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Management, Social Responsibility.

Description: Interview: Laura Gassner Otting. Laura Gassner Otting founded the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, and has been involved in many nonprofit boards around the country. She writes and speaks frequently about the world of mission-driven work and getting “unstuck” in our lives. As she describes herself: “I help people discover how they align what they do with who they are, to achieve limitless potential.”

Source: LinkedIn.com

Date: Apr 22, 2019

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-think-best-antidote-rut-action-so-try-remind-myself-gretchen-rubin?trk=eml-email_feed_ecosystem_digest_01-recommended_articles-6-Unknown&midToken=AQH86xox7ZmKaQ&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=1vTvsFZ6nBMoI1

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the message Laura Gassner Otting has for managing career and life expectations.
  • What do you think of her ideas as they relate to career success and personal happiness?

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 would you suggest to management that would capitalize on the opportunities available to the firm?

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Planning, Teams.

Description: It boils down to family, friends, fun, purposeful work and money — in that order.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Date: Apr 22, 2019

Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/331932?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the keys to happiness and success, according to Richard Branson?
  • What do you think about his thinking?
  • Do you think most successful business leaders subscribe to these ideas?

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

Description: A little over a year ago, an anonymous Reddit user named Deepfakes changed the internet.

Source: FastCompany.com

Date: Apr 23, 2019

Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/90337767/deepfakes-started-a-war-on-whats-real-these-startups-are-racing-to-commercialize-it?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=1&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=04232019

Questions for discussion:

  • How does this AI software development present opportunities for entrepreneurs?
  • What are the ethical and social issues related to the use of this software?

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 should management of firms like Pandora strategize in order to grow market share?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Environment, Management, New product, Planning, Social Responsibility, Technology.

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #665 – Host: Mitch Joel. Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. In addition to researching cutting edge technology, he also writes about the impact of these innovations on society. Cal is the author of six books, including the recently published bestseller, Digital Minimalism and (a personal favorite) Deep Work, which argues that focus is the new I.Q. in the modern workplace.

Source: SixPixels.com – podcast

Date: Apr 07, 2019

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/podcast/archives/spos-665-cal-newport-on-digital-minimalism/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SixPixelsOfSeparation+%28Six+Pixels+of+Separation+-+Mitch+Joel%29

Questions for discussion:

  • What does Cal Newport have to say about technology and management?
  • Do you agree with his thinking?

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

Description: First major grocery store chain in Canada to allow these containers, expert says

Source: CBC.ca

Date: Apr 16, 2019

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/metro-reusable-containers-grocery-store-1.5098655

Questions for discussion:

  • Why do you suppose the firm is introducing this program at this time?
  • Do you think it will find acceptance with large numbers of customers?
  • How can the firm encourage adoption of this program?
  • Does it matter to the firm whether large numbers of customers adopt the program?

Posted by & filed under Change, Communication, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Social Responsibility, Teams.

Description: From improving sexual harassment training to creating more collaborative work environments, this is how women are changing their businesses.

Source: FastCompany.com

Date: Apr 16, 2019

Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/90332562/5-women-entrepreneurs-on-how-metoo-has-changed-their-companies?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=4&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=04162019

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize how these businesses have responded to the movement?
  • What lessons should managers at any firm take away from these stories?