Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

[VIDEO] Why China’s Evergrande Has Global Markets on Edge

October 8, 2021

For weeks, stock markets across the globe have become increasingly volatile as investors await the fate of Evergrande, an enormous Chinese real estate company with more than $300 billion in debt. Analysts predict that the property developer will not be able to pay back what it owes, which would likely have damaging ripple effects across the global economy. The video below looks at Evergrande’s current debt debacle and the possible ways that this situation could be resolved.

Questions:

Why are Continue reading →

Economics, China, Global, Ethics, Corporate bailouts, Real Estate, Stock markets, Debt crisis, Credit crunch

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Videos

FTC Inquires about Broken McFlurry Machines

September 3, 2021

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It’s a scenario that plenty of fast food fans have faced before: they pull up to the drive-thru speaker at McDonald’s and ask for their favorite frozen treat, only to hear the reply, “Sorry, but the machine is broken right now.” Responsible for about 60 percent of the chain’s desserts, the McFlurry machine is a vital asset for Golden Arches franchises across the country, even though their unreliability has become something of a running joke. Along with serving as the Continue reading →

Entrepreneurship, Forms of Business, McDonald’s, Operations Management, Regulation, Ethics, Product Distribution, Franchising, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Large Companies Overtook Smaller Rivals during Pandemic

August 17, 2021

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The economic disruptions of the past year and a half caused small businesses to lose an average of 11 percent of their revenues. This was not the case for the globe’s big corporations, though. According to a McKinsey study of 5,500 “big, highly productive” U.S. and European companies, all surveyed firms reported that they experienced no declines in sales during the pandemic.

Although large companies had already been overtaking their smaller rivals before 2020, economists say that the pandemic widened Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Product Development, Entrepreneurship, Regulation, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand, Antitrust, Corporations

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Sales of Subscription Services Skyrocketed during the Pandemic

June 24, 2021

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Last year, companies across all industries scrambled to figure out how to continue doing business during the coronavirus pandemic. As time went on, subscription services proved to be dependable profit sources given that they required customers to provide regular payments every month. Subscriptions to streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney Plus skyrocketed in 2020 while many restaurants also found success with membership models.

For instance, in early 2021 six eateries in the Washington, D.C., area joined forces to create Continue reading →

Product Development, Promotions, Marketing, Product Distribution, Entrepreneurship, Food & Drink, Subscriptions, Coronavirus, Forms of Business, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

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 →

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

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

Taco Bell Brings Back Potato Items after Customer Outcry

January 21, 2021

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At the start of the pandemic, fast food chains like Taco Bell suddenly had to close their dining rooms and serve all customers via drive-thrus. Many of these companies altered their menus to increase efficiency so that the lines of cars would move as quickly as possible. For instance, Taco Bell got rid of items like the Mexican Pizza and Nachos Supreme to reduce its packaging needs while also ditching all potato items so that it could keep its ingredients Continue reading →

Coronavirus, Pandemic, Product Development, Fast food, Marketing, Taco Bell, Operations Management, Product Distribution, Social Media, Partnerships, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Justice Department Files Antitrust Suit Against Google

October 20, 2020

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Since its founding in 1998, Google has grown into one of the largest companies in history. Last year it earned more than $34 billion from search revenue, an enormous amount that analysts predict will grow to $42.5 billion by 2022. Google’s parent company Alphabet is valued at more than $1 trillion and holds $120 billion in cash reserves. The company’s name has even become synonymous with search as millions of people around the world “google” all sorts of information every Continue reading →

Regulation, Ethics, Competition, Silicon Valley, Monopolies, Google, Antitrust

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Big Companies Thrive as Small Businesses Scrape By

October 8, 2020

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According to the Brookings Institution, more than 400,000 small businesses have closed during the pandemic while hundreds of thousands more remain at high risk of ceasing operations. But while many small companies have struggled, large corporations in the tech and telecommunications industries have never been better. In fact, experts fear that big companies like Amazon and AT&T could consolidate on an enormous scale over the next six months as they buy bankrupt businesses at fire sale prices.

Although corporations have Continue reading →

Federal Reserve, Global, Corporations, Ethics, Antitrust Laws, Regulation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

How Domino’s Pizza Adapted to the Pandemic

September 8, 2020

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More than 15,000 restaurants have closed permanently since the start of the pandemic, and not all of them are small independent operations. NPC international, a major franchisee of Pizza Hut and Wendy’s locations, recently filed for bankruptcy protection as sales across all stores dropped 37 percent compared to the previous year. But while much of the restaurant industry has struggled, one chain has managed to thrive: Domino’s Pizza sales have increased by 16 percent since March.

By focusing on Continue reading →

Coronavirus, Marketing, Product Development, Operations Management, Promotions, Franchising, Innovation, Product Distribution

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Major Chains Receive Loans Meant for Small Businesses

April 21, 2020

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A few weeks ago, legislators approved a $2 trillion stimulus package that set aside $349 billion for small businesses that have drastically altered operations during the pandemic. After a poor rollout left many companies unable to petition for relief, however, the fund dried up last weekend with thousands of businesses still in need of loans. What’s more, among the companies that received relief included major chains with thousands of employees and numerous locations across the country.

For example, the Continue reading →

Small Business, Ethics, Financing, Food & Drink, Coronavirus, Loans, Stimulus Bill, Regulation, Health

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law