Chapter 11: Human Resource Management - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

[VIDEO] Shein’s Controversial Business Model Keeps Prices Low

December 1, 2023

The Chinese e-commerce giant Shein (pronounced Shee-In) controls more than 40 percent of the U.S. fast fashion market, with more than $8 billion in sales last year. This video explores how the retailer consistently churns out cheap shirts and dresses, which includes accusations of labor exploitation that has tarnished Shein’s image with some shoppers.

Questions:

How does Shein’s “small batch” production strategy differ from other clothing companies?
How has Shein tried to recover its reputation with U.S. consumers? Do Continue reading →

Record Number of Travelers Will Fly for Thanksgiving

November 15, 2023

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After travel rates plummeted during the pandemic, Americans have been steadily hitting the road and boarding planes every year since. Thanksgiving is usually the busiest time for travel, and 2023 will be no different. From the Wednesday before Turkey Day to the end of the weekend, AAA estimates that there will be more than 55.4 million people traveling in the U.S. The vast majority will travel by car, with 49 million Americans expected to head out on the highway next Continue reading →

Airlines, Hybrid work, Inflation, Motivation, Product Distribution, Remote Work, Supply & Demand, Transportation, Travel

Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management

UAW Reaches Tentative Agreements with Automakers

November 1, 2023

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For six weeks, members of the United Auto Workers have been on strike against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, parent company of the car brands Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram. Demanding significant wage increases and improved job security, the union employed a bold strategy of slowly expanding its labor action to more plants as time progressed. After starting at three factories owned by each of Detroit’s Big Three automakers, the UAW gradually added more locations to the strike, confounding management and Continue reading →

[VIDEO] How Tipping Culture Took Over the U.S.

October 27, 2023

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From counter service restaurants to furniture stores, Americans are prompted to leave a tip for nearly every purchase they make. Along with looking at the history of tipping in the U.S., this video explains “price partitioning” and how it influences the ways that consumers view prices, showing that tipping is likely here to stay despite being consistently unpopular.

Questions:

What is price partitioning, and how does it influence consumers’ views on prices?
Do you think businesses should phase Continue reading →

Compensation, Entrepreneurship, Food & Drink, Motivation, Pricing, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand

Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Videos

Kaiser Permanente Unions Reach Tentative Deal with Management

October 13, 2023

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From Hollywood screenwriters to American autoworkers, the last few months have seen a huge increase in union activity. Not least among these labor actions was a strike held last week by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which represents 40 percent of the healthcare giant’s non-physician workforce. The unions’ 75,000 members went on strike for three days, which was how long the action was scheduled to run. But the coalition threatened to hold another strike for eight days next month Continue reading →

Ethics, Healthcare, Labor Relations, Medical industry, Strikes, Unions

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

WGA and Hollywood Studios Reach Tentative Agreement

September 26, 2023

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For 146 days, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have picketed in front of Hollywood movie and television studios, demanding increased financial security and more control over their work. Talks mostly broke down as the months stretched on, until last week when the two parties met over five straight days and brokered a tentative deal. Although this agreement still needs to be written into a contract and ratified by the WGA’s more than 11,000 members, industry observers Continue reading →

Entertainment, Ethics, Film & Television, Management, Motivation, Product Development, Streaming, Strikes, Unions, WGA

Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership

UAW Begins Strike Against Big Three Automakers

September 15, 2023

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While South Korean car makers Kia and Hynudai face legal action from seven American cities, domestic auto companies also have their fair share of problems on the horizon. For weeks, Detroit’s Big Three–Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (owner of Chrysler)–have been deadlocked in negotiations with the United Automobile Workers (UAW). Representing more than 150,000 workers across the industry, the union has demanded a 36 percent raise over four years, pointing to rising inflation and big corporate profits. Carmakers, meanwhile, Continue reading →

Cars, Ethics, Labor Relations, Manufacturing, Motivation, Strikes, Transportation, Unions

Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management

[VIDEO] Inside American Trucking’s Largest Bankruptcy

August 18, 2023

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The trucking company Yellow filed for bankruptcy in July after struggling for years with mounting debts and slim profit margins. The video below looks at how this low-cost carrier butted heads with unions while also failing to integrate acquisitions into its existing business, leading to the collapse of this century-old company.

Questions:

What are some factors that led Yellow to declare bankruptcy last month?
Why is it difficult for low-cost carriers like Yellow to operate in the competitive trucking industry?

Bankruptcy, Labor Relations, Operations Management, Product Development, Product Distribution, Transportation, Unions

Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Videos

Domestic Production Sets Bath & Body Works Apart

July 26, 2023

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Making a $7.95 bottle of soap for Bath & Body Works (BBW) once took three months to accomplish. Parts traveled more than 13,000 miles across multiple countries to end up at the company’s Ohio distribution center, a difficult journey that the beauty brand sought to change in 2008. Years of working with local officials and skeptical suppliers resulted in BBW’s “beauty park” located outside of Columbus, an industrial campus that handles nearly every aspect of production. Featuring 10 manufacturers with Continue reading →

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

Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management

[VIDEO] How Economists Use Working Hours as a Recession Indicator

July 21, 2023

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American companies have been hiring lots of new employees this year, making economists hopeful that the country will not experience a recession anytime soon. Still, other experts claim that increased hiring is not as reliable of an economic indicator as some think. The video below explains how total working hours can provide a more detailed picture of the country’s economic health and why fears of an incoming recession could be justified.

Questions:

How do economists use “hours worked” as Continue reading →

Compensation, Economics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Operations Management, Recession

Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Videos