October 12, 2018

Last week representatives from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada reached an agreement to update NAFTA, the international trade deal that went into effect in 1994. Now known as the USMCA, this video looks at how the new deal could affect various industries throughout North America. Click here to watch it.

 

 

Questions:

  1. Which industries will be most affected by the USMCA?
  2. What is the purpose of international trade deals like NAFTA or the USMCA?

 

Photo by Nicoguaro.

Continue reading...

October 11, 2018

In recent years airlines have grown increasingly stingy with the perks they grant to economy class customers. While passengers not so long ago could check up to two bags, most airlines now charge fliers for placing even one suitcase in the plane’s cargo hold. Many people also can’t make changes to their travel itineraries without incurring fees as high as $500. As a result, many casual travelers have started turning to alternative air carriers like Spirit or WOW. Although these Continue reading

Continue reading...

October 9, 2018

During the summer, we looked at IHOP’s temporary name change to “IHOb” and the social media sensation that followed their announcement. As it turns out, the pancake chain wasn’t the only company experimenting with their branding around that time. In August, Dunkin’ Donuts dropped the second word out of their name at a number of locations in the Boston area. While some customers went online to vent their frustration about the change, many others apparently didn’t mind that the word Continue reading

Continue reading...

October 5, 2018

Finding and keeping qualified employees is a constant struggle for companies across the nation. That’s why some businesses require staffers to sign non-compete clauses, which basically prevent them from jumping ship to a competitor. In the fast food industry, though, there’s another type of employment restriction that has long kept workers tied to a single location within a franchise. Called “no poach” policies, these strict guidelines prohibit staffers from switching jobs within a national chain.

For instance, say that a Continue reading

Continue reading...

October 4, 2018

Amazon’s market capitalization recently hit $1 trillion, placing the e-commerce giant on a level of success shared only with Apple. What’s more, last year the company’s revenue topped out at $178 billion, about a 40 percent increase from 2016. These factors allowed CEO Jeff Bezos to claim the title of world’s richest person as his net worth climbed past the $150 billion mark.

According to critics, though, Amazon’s workers have been largely left out of this bonanza of profit. Continue reading

Continue reading...

October 2, 2018

Over the next few weeks, a new crop of TV shows will premiere across the major networks. But not all of these shows will stay on the air for a full season. That’s because broadcasters have long used the fall as a testing ground for new programming. If a show premieres to high ratings and audience acclaim, network executives will likely order more episodes of it. If few people decide to tune in, however, a new show might last one Continue reading

Continue reading...

September 28, 2018

Every day, Americans are bombarded with tons of advertisements coming out of their TVs, radios, and all sorts of other sources. While companies design many of these spots to be easily noticed by consumers, this video takes a look at one type of marketing that deliberately remains in the background. Known as “scent marketing,” companies use it to target the attention of a consumer’s nose rather than their eyes and ears.

Questions:

  1. How does scent marketing differ from other forms Continue reading
Continue reading...

September 27, 2018

With more than 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook appears to be succeeding in its mission to “bring the world closer together.” But as anyone who has spent time casually scrolling through their news feed knows, not everything posted on the social network is positive and unifying. Along with heated political arguments and unflattering pictures of friends, users can also post violent or offensive content that is far too extreme to be allowed on the site. Fortunately, users can report Continue reading

Continue reading...

September 25, 2018

Determining the right price for a product can be one of the trickiest aspects of business. After all, not everyone calculates value in the same way. Where one person sees trash, another person could see treasure. Take an item that could be considered the most boring part of a car: the license plate. To most Americans, this piece of metal amounts to little more than the legal ID for their vehicle. If you happen to live in Delaware, however, the Continue reading

Continue reading...

September 21, 2018

Depending on which way you look at it, the rise of automated labor in the workplace can serve as either a source of optimism or anxiety. On the pro side of the argument, robotic workers will be highly efficient and more willing to perform monotonous tasks than their human counterparts. Of course, matters of “efficiency” don’t mean much to people who could lose their jobs because of automation. And according to a new study published by the World Economic Forum, Continue reading

Continue reading...