NickelsMcHughMcHugh - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Millenials: Generation of the Future

July 2, 2013

Millenials are unlike any other generation that has come before. With 80 million born between 1980 and 2000, Millenials represent the largest age group in American history. They are also perhaps the most self-centered generation the world has ever seen. Fifty-eight percent more college students scored higher on a narcissism test in 2009 than in 1982. Forty percent of Millenials believe they should be promoted at work every 2 years regardless of their performance. They’re also obsessed with fame: three Continue reading →

Social Media, Innovation, Demographics, Millenials

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] The Surprising Moral Case for Free Enterprise

July 1, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Suggested by Mark Varycki of Hillsborough Community College, this video makes the case for free enterprise as a moral imperative.

Questions:

Do you agree with the position stated in the video that free enterprise is the best economic system?

Is it correct to credit globalization and free trade with easing global poverty?

From AEI Enterprises

Economics, Global, Entrepreneurship, Finance

Videos

Fast Food’s Secret Menu Problem

May 24, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Clocking in at 800 calories with 53 grams of fat and 2,430 milligrams of sodium, Burger King’s Suicide Burger certainly lives up to its name. This outrageous creation features four patties, four slices of cheese and loads of bacon all slathered in special sauce. The existence of this burger brings to mind many troubling questions, not least of which is, “Why would Burger King offer such an abomination to their customers?” Well, as strange as it may seem, they technically Continue reading →

Product Lines, Secret Menus, McDonald’s, Burger King, Marketing, Chipotle, Product Development, Fast food

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Italian Luxury Brands Spend to Save Antiquities

May 20, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

The beauty of Italy’s ancient structures and sculptures has been renowned for more than two thousand years. Over the course of those centuries, maintenance responsibilities for the nation’s antiquities have transferred from their Roman builders to the Catholic Church and finally to the present-day Italian government. But there’s one major matter that separates the latter from its two mighty predecessors: money. As a result of the Italian economy’s recent collapse, the government has been forced to slash the maintenance budget Continue reading →

Europe, Philanthropy, Fendi, Italy, Marketing, Global, Ethics

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 18: Financial Management

The Rise of Fair Value Accounting

May 17, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

To many businesses the process of accounting is simple: keep track of costs and weigh them against revenue to determine profit. But some of the world’s largest companies prefer to figure out their financial well being by using a more complicated, predictive method. Known as fair value accounting, this technique measures a company’s assets by valuing them on estimates and projections rather than hard data. Its proponents argue that it makes accounting information more relevant for day-to-day operations. Critics of Continue reading →

Finance, Accounting, Value, Profit Projection, Ethics

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Crowdfunding Beyond Kickstarter

May 16, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for businesspeople and artists looking for quick injections of cash. But what has it done for the people who actually contributed to these campaigns? While many crowdfunding drives offer prizes and gifts to their donors, they don’t provide participants with ownership stakes like other methods of investment. That’s why a new wave of crowdfunding platforms are coming on the scene to make this burgeoning financing strategy more Continue reading →

Finance, Crowdfunding, Venture Capital, Kickstarter, Microventures, Entrepreneurship

Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 19: Securities Markets

Credit Unions Become More Like Banks

May 11, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

The Great Recession soured millions of people’s relationships with traditional banks, driving many to entrust their money with credit unions instead. Along with incessant media coverage of their questionable dealings, banks at the time had to contend with consumer outrage about hidden fees and supersized overdraft penalties. As a result, credit unions appeared to be safe and sensible money managers compared to their colossal, unscrupulous counterparts on Wall Street. Plus, credit unions offered perks like free checking, friendly staff, and Continue reading →

Banking, Credit Unions, Finance, Personal Finance, Ethics

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions

Legislators Question the Penny’s Necessity

May 6, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

There are many today who feel that the time has come to retire the penny even though it has been a mainstay of American currency for centuries. The venerable Abraham Lincoln-emblazoned coin has without a doubt seen better times. In 1913 it possessed 25 times more purchasing power than it does currently. The penny also used to be profitable to produce. In 1990 it cost 0.6¢ to make one of the copper-coated coins, resulting in a yield of 0.4¢ Continue reading →

Manufacturing, Pricing, Currency, Penny, Coins, Economics

Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions

Is Convenience Killing Choice?

May 2, 2013

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Technology has streamlined so many aspects of modern life that it can be difficult to remember a time when little electronic gadgets didn’t rule the world. Although millions of Americans remain inseparable from their smartphones, not everyone is as enthusiastic about the country’s dependence on technology. In fact, a growing number of scholars and cultural observers are worried that today’s latest innovations are becoming too efficient for humanity’s own good.