Bonus Chapter A: Business Law - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Food Delivery Services Anger Unsuspecting Restaurants

January 30, 2020

Last weekend during a busy dinner service, San Francisco restaurant owner Pim Techamuanvivit received a strange phone call. The caller wanted to know when the delivery he ordered through Seamless would turn up since he had already waited 45 minutes for it. “I think you must be confused, because I don’t do delivery,” replied Techamuanvivit. The frustrated person on the other line then asked why her business was listed on Seamless. Upon further investigation, Techamuanvivit discovered that both Seamless and Continue reading →

Operations Management, Legal, Ethics, Product Distribution, Entrepreneurship, California, Food & Drink, Grubhub, Seamless, Pricing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] Nike’s Vaporfly Running Shoe Causes Controversy

January 24, 2020

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Last year, the Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge completed a marathon in under two hours, a feat that was once thought to be impossible. But along with his considerable athletic skills, Kipchoge also had help from a revolutionary new product: Nike’s Vaporfly running shoes. This video takes a look at the sudden dominance of the Vaporfly and how regulators could possibly ban the shoe if it proves to give runners too much of an advantage.

Questions:

Do you think Nike Continue reading →

Product Development, Sports, Marketing, Regulation, Global, Nike, Ethics, Footwear

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

New York Grocery Chain Fairway Files for Bankruptcy

January 23, 2020

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In 1933 Nathan Glickberg opened a fruit and vegetable stand in Manhattan before eventually moving into a nearby storefront. His grandson Howie expanded the store in the 1970s, adding more groceries and specialty items as well as a new name: Fairway. In the years since, the store became a staple for many New Yorkers drawn by Fairway’s low prices and wide selection of quality products. Then in the early 2000s a private equity firm bought a controlling stake in the Continue reading →

Amazon, Marketing, Product Distribution, Ethics, Bankruptcy, New York, Food & Drink, Forms of Ownership, Private Equity, Branding, Retail

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Major Milk Processors File for Bankruptcy

January 14, 2020

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Although milk was a staple of the American diet throughout the 20th century, today’s consumers don’t drink nearly as much of it as they did in the past. In 2018 Americans each drank an average of 146 pounds of fluid milk, a category that includes everything from skim milk to heavy cream. While that’s still quite a lot of dairy, it also represents a 26 percent decrease in consumption since 2000. Along with this declining demand, milk companies have also Continue reading →

Dairy, Pricing, Regulation, Marketing, Product Distribution, Manufacturing, Bankruptcy, Commodities, Food & Drink, Vertical integration

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, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Chewing Gum Brands Try to Turn Around Years of Bad Sales

December 5, 2019

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Although gum companies like Wrigley have been in business for more than a century, today’s consumers aren’t nearly as interested in chewing gum as past generations. From 2010 to 2018, gum sales dropped by 23 percent in the U.S. and 4 percent globally. “Chewing gum is becoming less socially acceptable,” said Mondelez Foods CEO Dirk Van de Put. As the maker of brands like Trident and Dentyne, Mondelez and its competitor Wrigley are trying to convince consumers that gum can Continue reading →

Promotions, Regulation, Health, Marketing, FDA, Gum, Product Development, Branding

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

European Protesters Target Amazon on Black Friday

December 3, 2019

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Analysts at Adobe estimate that consumers spent more than $29 billion online last week between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Although brick-and-mortar sales rose slightly as well, e-commerce sales surged to record highs as consumers increasingly turned to online retailers for their holiday shopping needs. In fact, experts predict that companies like Amazon earned as much as $9.4 billion on Cyber Monday alone.

But while Amazon enjoyed another successful start to the festive season in the U.S., the e-commerce giant Continue reading →

E-commerce, Strikes, Cyber Monday, Global, Promotions, Ethics, Regulation, Amazon, Product Distribution, Black Friday

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Tech Giants Attempt to Break into Banking

November 15, 2019

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This week, Google announced that it’s launching a banking service next year that will offer “smart checking” accounts to mobile-focused customers. Known as Cache, the program is the result of a collaboration between the search giant and two banks: Citigroup and Stanford Credit Union. Although details of the partnership remain limited at this time, Google eventually wants Cache to become an extension of its Google Pay app. The company also claims that customers will “benefit from useful insights and budgeting Continue reading →

Self-Ordering Kiosks at McDonald’s Lack Cash Capabilities

November 14, 2019

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Earlier this year, McDonald’s spent $300 million acquiring a data analysis and artificial intelligence startup called Dynamic Yield. Along with providing the fast food chain with tons of information about its operations, this new technology will also help the company upgrade its growing fleet of self-ordering kiosks. Customers can place orders on these large touchscreens rather than wait in line, which the company claims improves efficiency and increases sales. As a result, McDonald’s wants to place these machines in as Continue reading →

Legal, Product Distribution, Cash, Food & Drink, Operations Management, Retail, Global, McDonald’s, Ethics, Regulation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How American CEOs Got So Rich

October 24, 2019

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This in-depth video explains how stock buybacks work and why they have possibly contributed to rising income inequality over the years. Along with providing a detailed history of this controversial practice, the video also takes a close look at the closing of GM’s factory in Lordstown, Ohio.

Questions:

Do you think lawmakers should pass regulations against corporate stock buybacks? Why or why not?
How did the closing of GM’s Lordstown factory affect the community as a whole?

Ethics, Executive Compensation, Manufacturing, Regulation, Labor Relations, Compensation, Stock Buybacks

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos

PG&E’s Rolling Blackouts Anger and Endanger Californians

October 18, 2019

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At the end of summer, weather-tracking services in California began issuing reports that many in the state have come to dread: extreme winds and dry conditions had increased the risk of wildfires. The previous year had been one of California’s worst due to disasters like the Camp Fire, an enormous blaze that killed more than 80 people and destroyed the town of Paradise. In the aftermath of this tragedy, many blamed the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for failing Continue reading →

Crisis management, Operations Management, Utilities, Ethics, Reputation, Regulation, California

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law