Chapter 7: Management & Leadership - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Collection of Complaints

February 23, 2017

Formed in 2011 with the passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform act, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau aims to keep citizens safe from unfair or deceptive practices by businesses. One of the ways the government organization accomplishes this task is by maintaining a database of complaints made by consumers against companies. And people have certainly taken advantage of this service since its creation two years ago. In that time, the CFPB has received more than 700,000 complaints aimed primarily at Continue reading →

Finance, Regulation, Security, Dodd-Frank, Wall Street, CFPB, Consumer Protection

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Increased Competition Forces Whole Foods to Scale Back

February 16, 2017

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When Whole Foods launched in 1978, organic grocery stores were a unique concept for most of the country. As Americans became more health conscious, though, the Austin-based chain eventually expanded into an empire of 469 stores across three countries. In fact, the future for Whole Foods looked so bright that last year the company announced it would add 1,200 stores in the U.S.

But as 2017 arrived, the company’s long term outlook became far less optimistic. Now Whole Foods says Continue reading →

Branding, Retail, Whole Foods, Competition, Management, Food

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] The Rise and Fall of Yahoo

February 3, 2017

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Yahoo launched in the early days of the Internet and quickly became one of the most popular sites in the world. At its height, the news and search site was valued at more than $100 billion. Last month, though, Verizon bought Yahoo for $4 billion, completing the final stage of the company’s long decline. This video tells the story of Yahoo’s fall from the pinnacles of Silicon Valley success.

Questions:

What lessons can other tech companies learn from Yahoo’s Continue reading →

Tech, Videos, Yahoo, Silicon Valley, Verizon, Acquisitions, Branding, Innovation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter D: Personal Finance

American Apparel Bought by Canadian Company

January 31, 2017

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For years American Apparel seemed poised to become the next big fashion brand. Their simple but bold cotton clothing and suggestive advertisements catapulted the company to a $1 billion valuation in 2007. A decade later, however, American Apparel filed for bankruptcy and sold its assets to a Canadian firm for just $88 million. Along with shuttering its 110 stores, the company also lost its famed garment factory in Los Angeles.

This production facility was one of American Apparel’s best assets Continue reading →

Bankruptcy, American Apparel, Workplace Harassment, Clothing, Ethics, Retail, Manufacturing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Record Number of Small Business Owners Sold Their Companies in 2016

January 17, 2017

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Running a small business takes a huge amount of work, so it’s not surprising that some entrepreneurs are more than happy to sell their companies if the right offer comes around. And according to data-tracking site BizBuySell, nearly 8,000 businesses did exactly that in 2016. This represents the largest number of small firms sold in a single year since data started getting collected in 2007.

But that doesn’t mean these companies were in financial trouble and needed outside buyers to Continue reading →

Entrepreneurship, Small Business, Growth, Buyouts, Baby Boomers, Management

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions

Portland Institutes Tax on Companies with High CEO Salaries

December 15, 2016

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In 2010 the median salary for the 200 highest-earning executives in the U.S. topped out at nearly $10 million. Just five years later, though, that number doubled to almost $20 million. Meanwhile, researchers at the Economic Policy Institute found that CEOs in 2013 earned more than 300 times the salary of average workers. For comparison, in 1965 chief executives brought in just 20 times more pay than their average employees.

To combat this increasing inequality, last week government administrators in Continue reading →

Executive Compensation, Regulation, Management, Taxes, Motivation, Leadership, Ethics, Portland, Compensation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Entrepreneurs Risk Slow Growth by Keeping Close Control

December 1, 2016

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In order to start a successful company, entrepreneurs must be willing to take charge and lead with authority. After all, founding a business requires hard work and a clear vision, and entrepreneurs need plenty of both if they want to succeed. But what happens once a startup grows into a mature company? By that stage, the founder is far from the only focal point: managers, outside investors and other stakeholders will also want to have their say about the company’s Continue reading →

Startups, Leadership, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Management, Entrepreneurship

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation

Companies Blame Poor Performance on Presidential Election Interest

November 8, 2016

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No matter which candidate you support, it’s safe to say that the 2016 presidential election has been absorbing to watch. According to many executives, however, that’s been a bad thing for business. In a recent study conducted by Bloomberg, more than 500 corporations blamed their poor performances on the presidential race or some form of “political uncertainty.”

In fact, even the NFL claims that obsession with the election has led to a drop in viewership. Ratings for Monday Night Continue reading →

NFL, Politics, 2016 Election, Management, Performance, Motivation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Canadian Country Store Attracts New Employees with Free Land

October 21, 2016

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The remote region of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada, is not known for its bustling population. Just 130,000 people live on the 4,000 square-mile island, with 1,000 others leaving each year for the past two decades. As the population steadily drops, many Cape Breton natives have worried about the future of the island’s tight knit communities. Among these concerned citizens was Jim and Ferne Austin, local entrepreneurs who operated the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market in sleepy Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia, Continue reading →

Retail, Canada, Hiring, Motivation, Company Culture, Global, Human Resources

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 13: Marketing

Poultry Plant Employees Endure Inhumane Working Conditions

October 18, 2016

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The grisly nature of the meat industry practically ensures that the business will never be pretty. Still, conditions in a slaughterhouse can always get worse if management marginalizes their workforce. According to the global development agency Oxfam America, that’s precisely what’s happening at a number of U.S. poultry plants. In facilities owned by big names like Tyson, Perdue and Pilgrim’s Pride, workers complained that superiors regularly denied them bathroom breaks. Some even reported wearing diapers while working on the line. Continue reading →

Poultry, Management, Tyson, Ethics, Perdue, Food, Employee Mistreatment, Labor Relations

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions