Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Netflix Loses Subscribers after Increasing Prices

July 18, 2019

Earlier this year, Netflix raised its monthly rates by 13 to 18 percent across its various subscription plans. According to experts, the streaming video platform increased prices in order to ease investors’ fears that it was taking on too much debt. Unfortunately for Netflix’s stakeholders, however, the company recently announced that this decision contributed to a drop in U.S. subscribers for the first time since its launch 12 years ago.

During the second quarter of 2019, Netflix lost 126,000 customers. Continue reading →

Global, Entertainment, Pricing, Netflix, Streaming, Television

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Moxi the Hospital Robot Helps Nurses with Regular Tasks

July 16, 2019

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs for nurses will grow by 15 percent between 2016 and 2026. With nurses in such high demand, hospitals around the country are on a near constant search for qualified professionals. Sometimes, though, there simply aren’t enough candidates available to meet demand. This can lead to hospital staffing shortages, which require nurses to work longer hours and perform more tasks.

That’s where a robot named Moxi comes in. Developed by Continue reading →

Motivation, Operations Management, Human Resources, Innovation, Automation, Robotics

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Amazon Plans to Retrain More than 100,000 Workers

July 11, 2019

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As the world’s most innovative retailer, Amazon is constantly on the look for new and improved ways to serve their customers. Adopting state-of-the-art technology often helps the company accomplish this task, but finding and identifying new types of tech is only half the battle. Amazon also needs skilled employees who can handle this ever-evolving business environment. Finding the right candidates isn’t easy, though: Amazon currently has 20,000 job openings in the U.S.

To fill these vacant positions, the e-commerce Continue reading →

Entrepreneurship, Training, Human Resources, Retail, Innovation, Hiring, Amazon, E-commerce

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Register Outages Cause Trouble for Target

June 21, 2019

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Last weekend, Target shoppers around the country received some unwelcome news when they reached the checkout counter. Due to an “internal technology issue,” the retailer’s registers crashed for about two hours on Saturday afternoon. Soon social media became filled with footage of long lines at Target stores as employees completed cash transactions by hand. Of course, many customers abandoned their carts and went home after they learned about the problem.

Eventually Target announced that the registers had come back online, Continue reading →

Operations Management, Retail, Security, Product Distribution, Credit Cards, Reputation, Payment systems

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Independent Shoe Stores Struggle after Losing Major Accounts

June 18, 2019

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For most of the 20th century, American consumers relied on small local shoe stores to fulfill all of their footwear needs. Then big sporting goods retailers arrived on the scene followed by sophisticated online operations like Zappos. Although this increased competition forced some independent outlets to close, many others managed to survive thanks to their high level of service. At Colburn Shoe Store in Maine, for example, employees remember exactly what size shoe their customers wear as well as their Continue reading →

Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Retail, Nike, Product Distribution, E-commerce, Apparel, Footwear, Adidas

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Photo App Develops Facial Recognition with Users’ Pics

June 14, 2019

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In 2013 the photo sharing app Ever launched with the slogan “Make memories” as it invited people to store their pictures on the startup’s cloud-based platform. Millions of users took the company up on its offer and shared their “best moments” on Ever over the years. According to a recent report from NBC News, however, Ever’s sentimental marketing doesn’t mention a key part of its business plan. All photos stored on the app are used by the company to Continue reading →

Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Social Media, Product Development, Security, Facial Recognition

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

BroadwayHD Aims to Become Netflix for Theater

June 11, 2019

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On Sunday night CBS aired the 73rd Annual Tony Awards, one of the most important evenings in American theater. But while this prestigious ceremony has been compared to Broadway’s version of the Oscars, the Tonys don’t attract nearly as large of an audience as Hollywood’s big night. For instance, 30 million people watched the Academy Awards in February compared to just 6 million viewers for Sunday’s show. Although Broadway continues to enjoy strong box office sales, many theaters have had Continue reading →

Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Entertainment, Netflix, Streaming, Product Distribution, Broadway, Theater

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How Subscription Services Became So Common

May 30, 2019

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From music and movies to everyday items like clothes and toilet paper, today’s consumers can order all sorts of products through monthly subscription services. But as more companies adopt this sales strategy, it’s possible that consumers could get tired of subscriptions once all the monthly fees start stacking up. This video looks at why these services have become so widespread and offers advice for consumers who feel they’ve taken on too many subscriptions.

Questions:

Why are more companies starting to Continue reading →

Marketing, Pricing, Innovation, Product Distribution, Subscriptions

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

[VIDEO] Face It, You’re Being Watched

May 24, 2019

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Whether you realize it or not, companies and organizations across the country are employing facial recognition technology for all sorts of purposes. The video below looks at the various uses for this controversial new tech and why many people are wary about its quick expansion into everyday life.

Questions:

What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of using facial recognition technology in everyday life?
Do you think Microsoft and Amazon should sign the Safe Face Pledge? Why or why not?

Global, Ethics, Product Development, Innovation, Facial Recognition

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Ransomware Attack Targets Baltimore

May 23, 2019

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In 2017 we looked at how the ransomware virus called “WannaCry” caused more than $8 billion in damage as it quickly infected hundreds of thousands of computers across the globe. Some victims even gave into the ransom that the virus demanded in order to regain access to their computers. Although a “kill switch” was eventually discovered in WannaCry’s code, the surprise cyberattack shocked many people in the business world. After all, securing a network against ransomware is extremely challenging, with Continue reading →

Ethics, Security, Ransomware, Cyberattack, Baltimore, Maryland

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media