Chapter 15: Distribution - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Diners Flock Back to Restaurants in Droves

May 21, 2021

As warmer weather returns throughout the country, many Americans are stepping out of their heavily used kitchens and heading back to restaurants. According to data from the review site Yelp, restaurant reservations are up 46 percent compared to 2019 and a whopping 23,000 percent compared to last year near the start of the pandemic. The reservation site OpenTable reports similar surges in restaurant traffic as more people receive vaccinations and restrictions ease across the country.

“States that had restrictions Continue reading →

Restaurants, Food & Drink, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Hiring

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 15: Distribution

AT&T to Sell WarnerMedia in Multi-Billion Dollar Deal with Discovery

May 18, 2021

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In 2018, the telecommunications conglomerate AT&T purchased the media company Time Warner for a whopping $85 billion. Along with placing the telecom giant in prime position to reshape the entertainment world, the enormous price tag associated with this deal also saddled AT&T with a huge amount of debt. The company hoped that streaming services like HBO Max would bring in new customers and revenue streams that would justify its massive investment.

Three years later, however, it appears that AT&T’s merger Continue reading →

Television, Product Distribution, Global, Cable, Mergers & Acquisitions, Product Development, Entertainment, Streaming

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] How Roblox Became a $45 Billion Public Video Game Company

May 13, 2021

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As the pandemic forced millions of people to stay indoors, virtual worlds like Roblox boomed in popularity with gamers as well as investors. This video looks at how the platform appeals to more than 30 million active monthly users, including independent creators who can earn big bucks by building games within Roblox.

Questions:

Why did games like Roblox explode in popularity last year?
What sort of challenges does Roblox face as it looks to expand its user base?

Video Games, Roblox, Product Development, Entertainment, Marketing, Product Distribution, Entrepreneurship

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Gasoline Pipeline Hack Causes Fuel Shortage on East Coast

May 12, 2021

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Last week, hackers began a ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, a major conduit that supplies nearly half of the East Coast’s oil. The hack completely shut down petroleum transportation as the Colonial Pipeline Company “proactively took certain systems offline to contain the threat, which has temporarily halted all pipeline operations, and affected some of our IT systems.” Although the company expects to have most of its capabilities returned by the end of the week, the shutdown has resulted in Continue reading →

Energy, Oil, Economics, Logistics, Operations Management, Supply & Demand, Ethics, Transporatation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution

Microchip Shortage Impacts Everyone from Tech Giants to Dog Groomers

May 4, 2021

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At the beginning of the year, we looked at how an explosion in demand for consumer electronics led to a shortage of microchips across the globe. This semiconductor shortfall has continued in the intervening months and its impact has spread across numerous industries. Along with preventing carmakers from installing vital microchips in vehicles, the shortage has also hindered production of iPads, farming equipment, and even dog grooming machines.

“This particular problem affects all aspects of manufacturing, from little people Continue reading →

Supply chains, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand, Global, Coronavirus, Manufacturing, Pandemic, Microchips

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How Bilateral Trade Agreements Are Obstructing the Global Vaccination Process

April 29, 2021

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The current vaccine rollout that is going strong throughout the country is largely the result of multi-billion dollar deals struck between economic powers like the U.S. and U.K. with pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Moderna. But while bilateral trade agreements across the globe allowed for the largest vaccine rollout in history, this video looks at why these deals are also delaying the vaccination process in struggling countries like Brazil and India.

Questions:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilateral Continue reading →

Pandemic, Trade Agreements, Supply chains, Operations Management, Global, Product Distribution, Ethics, Coronavirus

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos

How Supply Chain Delays Are Hurting Small Businesses

April 22, 2021

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Earlier this week, we looked at how pandemic lockdowns led to increased consumer demand as well as supply chain problems that are delaying deliveries around the world. Large-scale disruptions such as the Suez Canal blockage and the traffic jam at the Port of Los Angeles have resulted in wide-ranging financial damage to all sorts of small operators who cannot get their hands on vital merchandise. For instance, one restaurant in Oklahoma must pay $200 for a case of gloves that Continue reading →

Transportation, Product Distribution, Operations Management, Shipping, Entrepreneurship, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] Supply Chain Problems Lead to Traffic Jam in Port of L.A.

April 20, 2021

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On any given day since mid-2020, the Port of Los Angeles has had as many as 30 container ships anchored outside and waiting to eventually dock. This video looks at how the pandemic inspired a boom in online purchases while also causing a shortage of shipping workers, leading to the transportation crisis currently taking place at ports across the world.

Questions:

How did the pandemic lead to supply chain problems that caused traffic jams at major ports around the Continue reading →

Operations Management, Supply & Demand, Global, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Transportation, Product Distribution, Shipping

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

Godzilla vs. Kong Brings Optimism Back to the Box Office

April 8, 2021

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Movie theaters across the country closed for months last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then struggled to recover once other businesses began to reopen. After Tenet disappointed at the box office during the summer, other would-be blockbusters like Wonder Woman: 1984 and Raya and the Last Dragon were simultaneously released in theaters and on streaming services. This radical change in distribution made industry observers and uneasy theater owners wonder if moviegoers would continue to remain at home as Continue reading →

Marketing, Entertainment, Operations Management, Streaming, Global, Product Distribution, Movies, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Tugboats and High Tide Remove Suez Canal Blockage as Trade Resumes

March 30, 2021

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Last week, one of the world’s most important commercial waterways shut down as a 200,000-ton vessel became lodged in the Suez Canal. After the enormous ship could not be removed immediately, experts started to worry that Ever Given would remain stuck for weeks and wreak billions of dollars in economic havoc. Then yesterday, the container ship was finally dislodged from the canal with the help of high-powered tugboats and an unusually high tide brought on by a full moon.

Now Continue reading →

Legal, Global, Product Distribution, Ethics, Shipping, Suez Canal, Supply chains, Transportation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law