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

1.5 Million People Applied for Unemployment Last Week

June 11, 2020

Tens of millions of Americans have filed for unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic. This historically high number increased by another 1.5 million last week as many people continue to struggle to make ends meet. Although the gradual reopening of businesses has sent some back to work, nearly 21 million Americans are still receiving unemployment benefits. All together, more than 44 million people have applied for unemployment over the course of the pandemic.

“That means 29 percent of the workforce Continue reading →

Ethics, Regulation, Human Resources, Federal Reserve, Labor Relations, Coronavirus, Unemployment

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Adidas Tweets Against Racism but Receives Criticism from Employees

June 9, 2020

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For weeks, thousands of people across the country have been protesting against police violence following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th. In response to these historic events, many companies have voiced their support for the fight against racism on social media. Adidas, for instance, released a statement on Twitter expressing how the sportswear brand was “deeply saddened by what we see happening to our black community in America.” The company even retweeted an advertisement made by Continue reading →

Human Resources, Social Media, Promotions, Labor Relations, Adidas, Appare, Marketing, Motivation, Global, Ethics

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How Airbnb Fell From Successful Startup to Crisis Mode

May 27, 2020

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A couple of weeks ago, we looked at how Airbnb hosts are struggling after the travel industry came to a standstill due to widespread stay-at-home orders. This video explains in greater detail why the once successful startup was so vulnerable to an economic downturn and what that means for both Airbnb and its hosts in the long term.

Questions:

What factors made Airbnb so successful for nearly a decade?
Do you think Airbnb will be able to recover from this Continue reading →

[VIDEO] Explaining America’s Current Unemployment Crisis

May 21, 2020

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With tens of millions of Americans currently out of work, the U.S. is experiencing an unemployment crisis on a scale not seen since the height of the Great Depression. This video looks at the devastating effects of rising joblessness while also explaining how several European governments intervened to avoid disastrous unemployment rates.

Questions:

Why is the U.S. unemployment insurance system not equipped to face the current crisis?
Do you think the U.S. should take a more active role in Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Ethics, Regulation, Labor Relations, Health, Unemployment, Coronavirus, Economics

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 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Food Delivery Apps Often Make More Problems Than Profits

May 19, 2020

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Before the coronavirus pandemic, takeout and delivery orders made up just a small portion of total sales for most restaurants. With countless customers now homebound, though, to-go business has never been more important for eateries across the country. Many restaurants use apps like Grubhub, Seamless, or DoorDash to handle delivery orders, but these services come with quite a few problems for all their convenience. Besides signing up companies that don’t offer delivery, food startups have also deceived restaurants and Continue reading →

Airbnb Hosts Lose Big Time after Coronavirus Cancellations

May 14, 2020

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When Airbnb launched in 2008, it encouraged homeowners with extra rooms or add-on structures to rent these spaces out to travelers looking for more authentic experiences than hotels could offer. As the years went by and the startup’s popularity skyrocketed, however, some Airbnb hosts developed real estate portfolios stocked with short-term rental properties. While the growing abundance of Airbnbs often increased rent for people living in cities with thriving tourist industries, many hosts simply watched as the money rolled in Continue reading →

Health, Travel, Product Distribution, Marketing, Hotels, Ethics, Sharing Economy, Airbnb, Coronavirus

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Women Account for 55 Percent of Coronavirus Job Losses

May 12, 2020

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Last month, 20.5 million people lost their jobs, sending the unemployment rate skyrocketing to 14.7 percent. Economists predict that the actual jobless rate could be even worse when factoring in people who are out of work but not collecting unemployment benefits. Experts also expect that things will only get worse in May as job cuts spread to white-collar workers. “It’s devastating,” said Ryan Sweet of Moody’s Analytics. “There’s someone behind each of these numbers. It’s going to take years to Continue reading →

Health, Food & Drink, Coronavirus, Ethics, Human Resources, Unemployment

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions

Trolls World Tour’s On-Demand Success Could Change the Movie Industry

May 7, 2020

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In early March, the movie studio Universal had already spent millions of dollars marketing its upcoming title Trolls World Tour in anticipation of its April 10th release. When the coronavirus pandemic shut down theaters across the nation, though, Universal made the bold decision to release the movie through on-demand platforms like Apple TV and Amazon. The gamble paid off handsomely for the movie studio: after three weeks on the market for $20 per rental, Trolls World Tour brought in more Continue reading →

How Office Plans Could Change in a Post-Coronavirus World

May 5, 2020

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Over the last two decades, many businesses have adopted open office plans that remove barriers like cubicle walls in order to create more space for employees to interact. According to recent studies, though, some modern office plans can actually discourage communication since so many employees go out of their way to avoid interacting with other staffers. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has made these distinctions irrelevant as offices across the country remain closed and employees work from home.

But while Continue reading →

Health, Open Offices, Office Culture, Office infrastructure, Coronavirus, Motivation, Human Resources

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

[VIDEO] How One Business Pivoted to Fighting Coronavirus

April 30, 2020

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Although many companies remain closed during the ongoing pandemic, some businesses have been able to alter their operations to produce increasingly vital supplies. This video looks at how Dogfish Head Brewery managed to keep its employees on the payroll while also supplying local hospitals with hand sanitizer.

Questions:

How did Dogfish Head Brewery change its operations to make hand sanitizer?
What is the three-step process that Dogfish Head Brewery used to engage with their community during the coronavirus crisis?

Operations Management, Ethics, Product Development, Entrepreneurship, Health, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Product Distribution, Coronavirus

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos