Videos - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

[VIDEO] How the Oil Bust Could Reshape Global Markets

April 17, 2020

With millions of cars off the road and thousands of airplanes sitting idle on tarmacs, oil consumption has plummeted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This has led to a drastic drop in petroleum prices that could have an enormous impact on the global economy in the months to come. This video looks at how trade tensions caused prices to fall before the Covid-19 crisis and how oil producing nations are now rethinking their priorities.

Questions:

How has Continue reading →

[VIDEO] A Breakdown of the $2 Trillion Stimulus Package

April 2, 2020

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After a long debate, last week legislators finally approved and signed into law a $2 trillion stimulus package that provides much needed economic relief during this unprecedented health crisis. The video below looks at how the money will be allocated to companies and the logistics behind expanded unemployment benefits as well as a $1,200 stimulus payment to American adults.

Questions:

What sort of restrictions does the stimulus package place upon companies that accept government relief?
Do you think this Continue reading →

Economics, Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Regulation, Health, Crisis management, Layoffs, Coronavirus

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos

[VIDEO] Service Industry and Gig Workers Struggle during Pandemic

March 20, 2020

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With many businesses altering their day-to-day operations, millions of Americans working in restaurants, bars, hotels, or for gig companies like Uber have seen their hours and pay cut drastically. This video looks at how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting regular people working in the San Francisco Bay Area and the solutions that they are asking for to relieve this crisis.

Questions:

Why do small businesses like restaurants and bars face so much uncertainty during the current coronavirus pandemic?
Do Continue reading →

Operations Management, Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Unemployment, Regulation, Health, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus

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

[VIDEO] The Evolution of Open Offices

March 6, 2020

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Last year, we looked at how open office plans can discourage communication between employees despite claims about their supposed collaborative benefits. This video explains the history of open offices and how modern workplaces often fail to live up to the standards of the past due to concerns about cost.

Questions:

How do modern open office plans tend to discourage communication and collaboration between employees?
Do you think more companies should create open office plans based on the principles Continue reading →

Motivation, Human Resources, Open Offices, Work Environment, Office Culture, Office infrastructure

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Videos

[VIDEO] Are Americans Ready to Love Trains Again?

February 21, 2020

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For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, train travel was the primary mode of transportation for millions of Americans. Once cars and air travel rose to prominence, however, trains fell out of use in the U.S. while other European and Asian nations greatly expanded their railway capabilities. Along with looking at the history of American train travel, this in-depth video examines a modern company that wants to connect the nation with high-speed trains like so many other countries Continue reading →

[VIDEO] How Ads Follow You Around the Internet

February 7, 2020

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Targeted advertising has become the economic engine of the Internet for big companies like Facebook and Google that collect all sorts of data about their users. This video details how tech giants track people online in order to gather information for advertisers, a widespread practice that is nevertheless hugely controversial.

Questions:

How has the use of cookies changed from the early days of the Internet to today?
Do you think legislators should regulate how companies track people online for Continue reading →

Marketing, Ethics, Silicon Valley, Google, Promotions, Advertising, Facebook, Security, Privacy, Targeted Advertising

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

[VIDEO] Google and Amazon Are Now in the Oil Business

January 9, 2020

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In recent years, many Silicon Valley tech firms have pledged to make sustainability a top priority. But as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft develop environmentally friendly operations, oil companies are also using their technology to extract more petrochemicals from the earth. The video below takes an in-depth look at the history of oil extraction and how modern tech companies are risking their reputations by getting involved with the fossil fuel industry.

Questions:

How does machine learning help tech companies become Continue reading →

Ethics, Silicon Valley, Google, Amazon, Automation, Sustainability, Oil, Reputation, Microsoft, Fossil Fuels, Natural Resources, Machine Learning

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

[VIDEO] The Vegan Economy Has Arrived

December 12, 2019

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Although only 6 percent of the U.S. identifies as vegan, animal-free foods like meatless burgers and veggie-based snacks have exploded in popularity recently. This video looks at why the animal alternative market could grow into a $140 billion industry as consumers include more vegan foods in their diets.

Questions:

Why are more American consumers starting to supplement their regular diets with vegan foods?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of synthetic meat like the Impossible Burger?

Marketing, Ethics, Product Development, Product Distribution, Synthetic Meat, Food & Drink, Vegan, Impossible Burger

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

[VIDEO] Why Spend Money in Video Games?

November 21, 2019

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Analysts estimate that last year consumers spent more than $50 billion on virtual items in video games like Counter-Strike and World of Warcraft. This lengthy but highly informative video explains why the market for virtual items has grown bigger than global box office returns for the movie industry.

Questions:

How are in-game economies similar to real-world economic systems?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of online marketplaces that sell virtual goods?

[VIDEO] How Toys ‘R’ Us Went Bankrupt

November 8, 2019

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In 2017 Toys ‘R’ Us filed for bankruptcy under the weight of billions of dollars in debt. Six months later all of the retailer’s stores had closed with their stock liquidated and staff let go without severance. This in-depth video chronicles the rise and fall of this former “category killer,” detailing how the retailer’s bankruptcy changed the toy industry as well as the lives of its former workers.

Questions:

How did the bankruptcy of Toys ‘R’ Us affect its Continue reading →