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MonthlyNewsletter
February2012
Quick Links:
Video IndexAbstract Index
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• How Haagen-Dazs Got Its Start
• Why Kenny Rogers Is a Hit in Asia
VIDEO INDEX
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*ABSTRACT INDEX
• Apple’s Manufacturing Scandal• New Laws Make Unions Easier to Organize• The Rise of the Househusband• Job Interviews—The Google Way• Learning from the Worst Companies in America• Keeping a Close Eye on Customers• An Expensive Experiment at Wendy’s• McDonald’s Flourishes in France• Breaking Franchises into Tiers• CouchSurfing Attracts VC Cash
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• Apple manufactures the iPhone and iPad through Foxconn, a Chinese industrial company.
• Although efficient, Foxconn employees work grueling 12-hour shifts in dangerous working conditions.
• Foxconn employees have engaged in suicide
protests to demand changes to their work environment.
Apple’s Manufacturing Scandal
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• What’s the major problem Apple faces with the situation at Foxconn?
What do you think?
• Should Apple move production back to the United States?
Photo courtesy of Robert Scoble
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• Membership in unions dropped to just 6.9 percent of the working population in 2010 after falling steadily for years.
• New organizing laws prevent employers from
making legal challenges until after a union vote has been counted.
• The law also limits the ability of union leaders to
interfere once a vote has been taken to disband a union.
New Laws Make UnionsEasier to Organize
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• Have labor unions lost their appeal in today’s workplace?
What do you think?
• Does politics play a role in labor/management relations?
Photo courtesy of Fibonacci Blue
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• On average women under 30 make more money than their male counterparts while some 23% of wives outearn their husbands.
• An increasing number of men are retiring early to become stay-at-home dads while their wives pursue careers.
• Seven of the 18 women who are currently CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have or have had househusbands at some point.
The Rise of the Househusband
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• Why are women gaining a dominant position in the workplace?
What do you think?
• Has the workplace become a level playing field for men and women?
Photo courtesy of Project 404
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• With only 1 job available for every 6 applicants, companies face a wider field of candidates than ever before.
• Google uses critical thinking questions and brainteasers in order to learn more concrete job skills from interviews.
• The questions are open ended and strange, but
the interviewer is almost always looking for a certain response gleaned from a small detail.
Job Interviews—The Google Way
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• Why are so many job applicants eager to work for Google?
What do you think?
• What does the use of Google’s unique questioning tell you about the interview process?
Photo courtesy of Aray Chen
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• Facebook recently topped a list of most hated companies in America thanks to privacy issues and constant site redesigns.
• Best Buy made the list after they failed to tell customers until Christmas that some items that they bought online were actually out of stock.
• American Airlines landed at number two on the
list and is in real danger of shuttering after the bankruptcy of its parent company.
Learning from America’sMost Hated Companies
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• As long as they are profitable, should companies be concerned about consumer opinions?
What do you think?
• How do companies maintain customer respect long term?
Photo courtesy of Richard Smith
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• Websites can track what products customers click on and how much time they spend looking at an item’s page.
• Some brick and mortar retailers are trying to
track their customers by running their security video feeds through software.
• One startup called Footpath controversially
tracks a person’s movements within a store using their cellphone signal.
Keeping a Close Eyeon Customers
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• What’s the benefit of retailers tracking consumers’ activities?
What do you think?
• Do companies like RetailNext violate consumer’s privacy?
Photo courtesy of Miki Yoshihito
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• With 92% of its revenues coming from the U.S., Wendy’s is trying to branch out overseas.
• At select locations in Japan, Wendy’s is selling
a $16 hamburger topped with truffles and foie gras, a pricey goose-liver pate.
• Wendy’s hopes the expensive burger will appeal to Japan’s love of fads and experimental business stunts.
An Expensive Experimentat Wendy’s
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• Why does a fast food company like Wendy’s need to have a global presence?
What do you think?
• What do fast food companies have to remember about global markets? Photo courtesy of Tavallai
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• Despite early vocal opposition, McDonald’s more than 1,200 French locations account for its second-most profitable market in the world.
• McDonald’s found a recipe for success when it
introduced French favorites like chevre cheese and macaroons to its menus.
• The company uses electronic ordering kiosks so that employees are free to provide table service to customers.
McDonald’s Flourishesin France
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• McDonald’s succeeded in France by recognizing what key factor?
What do you think?
• Would McDonald’s French model be successful in the United States? Photo courtesy of Erwyn van der Meer
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• With financers harder to come by in today’s economic climate, some companies have split their franchise offerings into differently priced tiers.
• Doc Popcorn gives franchisees 3 investment options: $150,000 for a store, $100,000 for a mall kiosk, or $70,000 for a mobile cart.
• Although cost effective, standardizing smaller or mobile locations can be difficult.
Breaking Franchisesinto Tiers
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• What’s a major risk of the tier system of franchising?
What do you think?
• What’s the advantage of franchising to aspiring business owners?
Photo courtesy of Rusty Clark
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• At CouchSurfing.com, users can connect with people in different cities who offer a free place to for travelers.
• Although CouchSurfing operated as non-profit for years, in 2010 it became a B-corporation after failing to fall into any IRS categories.
• Like many social networks, CouchSurfing has a broad user base but potentially unsustainable revenue streams.
CouchSurfing AttractsVC Cash
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• What’s the primary objective of a venture capital firm?
What do you think?
• How was CouchSurfing able to grow in a competitive market like lodging?
Photo courtesy of Kris Sikes