Bonus Chapter A: Business Law - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Microsoft Closes eBook Store and Takes Customers’ Books with It

April 9, 2019

Last week Microsoft announced that its eBook platform would soon close down. This news didn’t really come as a shock to many in the business world since the company struggled from the start to attract a dedicated audience of readers. First of all, Microsoft tied the platform exclusively to its Edge web browser, which accounts for only 4.4 percent of the total browser market. The company’s e-reader app also launched without key features such as highlighting, sticky notes, and titled Continue reading →

Microsoft, Product Development, Licensing, Retail, Legal, Product Distribution, Ethics, eBooks

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Music Publishers Sue Peloton for Copyright Infringement

April 4, 2019

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Since launching a few years ago, the New York-based startup Peloton has grown into a $4 billion company by offering its high-end clientele a “private indoor cycling studio in your home.” For $2,000 plus a $39 monthly membership fee, customers receive a Peloton stationary bike equipped with a touchscreen that can stream more than 13,000 live and on-demand cycling classes. These workout sessions are often driven by upbeat songs from well-known artists to keep bikers peddling with enthusiasm.

But while Continue reading →

Product Development, Copyright, Legal, Intellectual Property, Ethics, Reputation, Health & Fitness, Peloton

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Brexit Confusion Does Damage to U.K. Businesses

April 2, 2019

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In 2016 a majority of U.K. voters chose to leave the European Union, a controversial decision that led to years of confusion and infighting among lawmakers. In fact, British officials were supposed to have all the details of “Brexit” hammered out by March 29, 2019. They missed that deadline, of course, and unfortunately aren’t any closer to brokering a deal to leave the European economic community. Now the nation faces the risk of crashing out of the EU with no Continue reading →

Global, Currency, Ethics, Regulation, Manufacturing, Product Distribution, Brexit, EU, U.K., Europe

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 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] How the Hindenburg Killed an Entire Industry

March 15, 2019

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With stories about the Boeing 737 Max 8’s potentially fatal flaws dominating the news, some consumers may start to lose trust in the safety of air travel. As this video shows, that’s what happened in the 1930s when the Hindenburg airship plummeted in flames on a journey from Germany to the U.S. Although it wasn’t the first nor the deadliest airship crash, footage of the burning Hindenburg shocked the public and destroyed almost all confidence in the budding airship industry. Continue reading →

Ethics, Transportation, Security, Air Travel, Global, Consumer Confidence

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos

Update: U.S. Grounds All Boeing 737 Max 8 Planes

March 14, 2019

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On Tuesday we looked at how countries around the world responded to the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Initial investigations showed similarities between this disaster and the crash of a Lion Air flight five months ago, which also involved a Boeing 737 Max 8 model jetliner. As a result, China and Indonesia almost immediately pulled the aircraft from use while countries like the U.K., India, and Egypt quickly followed suit. But not every country joined the international Continue reading →

Ethics, Regulation, Transportation, Air Travel, Safety, Global

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Boeing Faces Fallout after Tragic Plane Crash in Ethiopia

March 12, 2019

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On Sunday Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after take off, killing all 157 people on board. Although the cause of this tragedy will be under investigation for some time, many in the aviation industry were quick to blame the disaster on the model of aircraft used for the flight: the Boeing 737 Max 8. After all, this marks the second time within five months that this type of jetliner has crashed soon after taking off. In October a Lion Continue reading →

Regulation, Transportation, Air Travel, Safety, Global, Reputation, Ethics

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Philadelphia Passes Ban on Cashless Stores

March 8, 2019

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According to a recent Pew Research Center study, approximately 29 percent of Americans said that they don’t use cash for any purchases during a typical week. Instead, they depend on credit and debit cards as well as mobile payment apps like Apple Pay. These increasingly cashless consumers are becoming so common that some companies have stopped accepting paper and coin money for the sake of efficiency. For instance, in 2016 the salad chain Sweetgreen announced it was going cashless in Continue reading →

Retail, Regulation, Operations Management, Legal, Ethics, Product Distribution, Money, Cash

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Amazon Cancels Plans for New York City HQ

February 19, 2019

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In 2017 Amazon announced that it would open a second headquarters somewhere in the U.S., setting off a bidding war between cities all across the country. Then this past November the e-commerce giant shared its decision with the public: the new HQ would be split in two between New York City and Arlington, Virginia. But while many politicians and business leaders celebrated the announcement, activists, unions, and some local lawmakers in New York blasted the decision to give Amazon nearly Continue reading →

Ethics, Legal, Human Resources, E-commerce, Unions, Facility Location, Tax Incentives, Amazon

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

McDonald’s Loses “Big Mac” Trademark in Europe

February 12, 2019

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With its signature stack of three buns and two beef patties covered in special sauce, there are few fast food items as famous as the Big Mac. That’s why over the years McDonald’s has tried to protect its flagship burger by pursuing legal action against any possible imitators. One of the company’s latest targets was Supermac’s, an Irish chain that sold a suspiciously similar sandwich called the Mighty Mac. Unfortunately for McDonald’s, though, this particular case didn’t go exactly as Continue reading →

Product Development, Marketing, Promotions, Global, Fast food, Ethics, McDonald’s, Regulation, Legal, Trademarks, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

CBO Says Government Shutdown Cost $11 Billion

January 29, 2019

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From December 22, 2018, up until last Friday, the federal government remained shut down due to a budget dispute between the White House and congressional Democrats. During the course of this 35-day shutdown, thousands of federal employees either worked without pay or were sent home until the government reopened. And according to a new report from the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the shutdown cost the U.S. economy an estimated $11 billion.

The report says that most of the lost Continue reading →

Regulation, Economics, Government shutdown, Operations Management, Legal, Ethics, Compensation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law