Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

New Tariffs Make Baby Products More Expensive

April 30, 2025

When Rayne Heath, a tech worker in Ohio, started shopping for a stroller, she planned to wait until after her baby shower. But after hearing about new tariffs on Chinese imports, she rushed to buy a $1,200 Nuna stroller before the price jumped by nearly $200. Heath’s story is increasingly common among expectant parents. Essential baby gear like strollers, car seats, and cribs—already costly—are becoming even more expensive due to new tariffs as high as 145% on products from China. Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Manufacturing, Product Development, Supply chains, Product Distribution, Tariffs, Supply & Demand

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 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] Designing Cash to Counteract Counterfeiters

April 25, 2025

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With more than 55 billion U.S. bank notes circulating the globe, keeping the American dollar safe from counterfeiters is an ever-evolving challenge. This video explores the many safety features that countries employ to protect their cash, from frequent redesigns and watermarks to holograms and secret molecular identifiers.

Questions:

What are some design features that countries use to keep their money safe from counterfeiters?
Why hasn’t the U.S. redesigned the one dollar bill for more than 60 years? Do you think Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Product Development, Currency, Product Distribution, Money, Fraud, Counterfeiting

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Videos

How Tariffs Could Change Popular Korean Skincare Products

April 15, 2025

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Korean beauty products have exploded in popularity in the U.S. thanks to their high quality formulas and affordable prices. Brands like Laneige, Cosrx, and Innisfree are now household names, especially for their sunscreens and serums that use cutting-edge ingredients not available in American-made skincare. In 2024, the U.S. imported $1.7 billion worth of cosmetics from South Korea—more than even France. But that could change fast. Under a new trade plan, these imports could be hit with a 25% tariff. Business Continue reading →

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 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

23andMe Files for Bankruptcy, Raising New Privacy Concerns

April 2, 2025

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In October, we examined the uncertain future of 23andMe, a company that helped popularize direct-to-consumer genetic testing. On Sunday, the company filed for bankruptcy and announced the resignation of its founder, Anne Wojcicki. The bankruptcy raises urgent questions about the privacy of sensitive DNA data provided by more than 15 million customers. Since the data isn’t protected by health-privacy laws, it’s unclear what that would mean for people who have used 23andMe. For example, insurance companies could buy and Continue reading →

Ethics, Product Development, Startups, Security, Product Distribution, Privacy, Health care

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Nurses Say AI Isn’t Ready to Replace Human Workers

March 25, 2025

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Nursing has always been a challenging career, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented levels of stress, fatigue, and burnout. More than 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the pandemic — the biggest staffing drop in 40 years. The shortage will only worsen as the U.S. population ages and experienced nurses start to retire. Government estimates show that there will be more than 190,000 new openings for nurses every year through 2032. As hospitals look for a solution to chronic understaffing, Continue reading →

Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Compensation, Hiring, Artificial Intelligence, Supply & Demand, Healthcare, AI, Nursing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Strategic Missteps Led to the Downfall of Walgreens

March 14, 2025

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Do you live within five miles of a Walgreens? If you’re like almost 80 percent of the U.S. population, the answer is yes. The Walgreens Boots Alliance has grown its pharmacy chain into a massive conglomerate since Walgreens’ founding in 1901. Less than a decade ago, it officially became America’s largest drugstore chain with more than 13,000 stores all the way from Norway to Chile, Alaska to Thailand. Its stock was so successful that the Dow Jones Industrial Average chose Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Product Development, Retail, Walgreens

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

Southwest Airlines Lays Off Employees for the First Time

March 12, 2025

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Air travel is one of the most volatile industries in the global economy, and airlines routinely lay off hundreds of employees at once to balance budgets after major upheavals. One exception to this rule has long been Southwest Airlines. The Dallas-based carrier hasn’t laid off any staffers in its more than five-decade history. Even after the 9/11 terrorist attacks when revenue dried up and other airlines initiated mass layoffs, Southwest avoided forced job cuts thanks to employees who donated part Continue reading →

Returning Office Employees at Amazon Struggle to Find Room to Work

February 18, 2025

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When the pandemic required nearly everyone to stay at home in 2020, the business world seemed to embrace remote work as a potential savior of productivity. Tech companies were especially quick to implement tools like videoconferencing and cloud computing that let employees work from anywhere. But all that’s changing as more companies start to require staffers to either spend more time in the office or else find a new job. The return-to-office trend sets up a potential culture clash with Continue reading →

Motivation, Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Amazon, Remote Work, Office Culture, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions

Disney Vacations Feel Financially Out Of Reach for Many Families

February 12, 2025

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When Walt Disney built his world-famous theme parks, he envisioned them as affordable places for families to spend full days together in the dreamlike world of animated movies. In fact, one executive in the 1980s who tried to raise the price of parking by one dollar met stiff resistance from people who claimed the idea ran counter to Disney’s vision for The Happiest Place on Earth. Over time, though, prices rose steadily with inflation, until the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything Continue reading →

Marketing, Product Development, Promotions, Entertainment, Pricing, Disney, Product Distribution, Theme parks

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Google Corrects Its AI Super Bowl Ad Before the Game

February 10, 2025

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This year, AI firms flocked to buy Super Bowl commercials, hoping to make a huge splash about their new products in a cost-effective way. A 30-second spot during Super Bowl LIX cost about $8 million, which may seem like a lot to pay for a short ad. Given that the massively popular game drew in more than 200 million viewers, however, a commercial’s cost-per-viewer actually amounts to less than a nickel. It’s incentives like these that motivated Google to use Continue reading →

Marketing, Ethics, Product Development, Sports, Entertainment, Advertising, Product Distribution, Super Bowl, AI

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media