Home - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Lumber Liquidators Comes up Short

April 2, 2015

To many amateur investors, a company that brings in more than $1 billion in annual sales would seem like a pretty safe bet. But these numbers didn’t impress Wall Street hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson when he noticed them in a report about Lumber Liquidators. From his professional perspective, this small flooring retailer should not have been enjoying such large profit margins. Suspecting that the company was cutting corners in some way, he advised his clients to sell the company Continue reading →

Product Development, Finance, Regulation, Product Distribution, Lumber Liquidators, Ethics, Manufacturing

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] That Film About Money

April 1, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

This video takes a look at the nature of money and why some people’s preconceptions about cash might be incorrect.

Questions:

Can banks vary the amount of interest they charge borrowers?

What’s the key reason why Federal Reserve regulates the money supply?

From We The Economy

Economics, Currency, Banking, Federal Reserve, Money

Videos

Wisconsin Becomes a Right-to-Work State

March 30, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Near the end of February, the Wisconsin legislature passed a controversial bill that could change the face of labor in the state. Under the new “right-to-work” law, employees in unionized, private sector workplaces can choose whether or not to pay their union dues. According to Governor Scott Walker and his supporters, the law grants more freedom for individuals to choose where they work. “This legislation will ensure that Wisconsin’s workers have the sole power to determine whether they wish to Continue reading →

Regulation, Right-to-Work, Ethics, Wisconsin, Unions, Labor Relations, Compensation

Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Airlines Make Business Class Even Classier

March 24, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Although business-class seats only take up a few rows on an airplane, the money they bring in accounts for 30 percent of global airline revenues. As a result, many upscale air carriers have upgraded their premium cabins with increasingly posh amenities. Emirates’ double decker Airbus, for instance, has a bar onboard where first-class passengers can meet and mingle. And on Singapore Airlines premium customers have a menu of more than 60 gourmet dinners available to choose from.

But while the Continue reading →

Product Development, Innovation, Transportation, Air Travel, Qantas, Benefits

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price

Getting Drones Airborne for U.S. Companies

March 18, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Much of the American public has been familiar with unmanned aircraft for years due to the military’s continued and controversial use of drone strikes in the Middle East. However, just recently consumers have been introduced to drones that differ greatly from the grey behemoths that haunt the skies of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sales of these small models have surged as everyone from filmmakers to farmers find a use for the flying machines. In fact, over the last two years the Continue reading →

Product Development, Innovation, Regulation, Drones, Global, Ethics

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

The Motor City’s Burgeoning Bike Business

March 17, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

With Detroit officially out of bankruptcy, business leaders and entrepreneurs are looking to the city’s mighty manufacturing past as an example for its future. After all, Detroit is full of old factories that can be fixed up and rented out cheaply. But it’s not just carmakers who are flocking back to the Motor City: over the last several years at least seven bicycle manufacturers have set up shop in the area as well.

Some of these bike builders rent small Continue reading →

Product Development, Innovation, Cycling, Detroit, Entrepreneurship, Manufacturing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price

Inside the Guts of Macy’s Herald Square

March 15, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

At Macy’s flagship store, it takes a lot of action behind the scenes to keep this iconic retailer running smoothly.

https://nyti.ms/1wUBqAl

Questions:

What utilities are critical to Macy’s success in the retail market?

Why is the women’s shoe department at Macy’s such a massive size?

From The New York Times

Macy's, Operations Management, Retail, New York

Videos

The Manufacturing Possibilities of 3D Printing

March 15, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

As a metal products manufacturer for more than 125 years, Alcoa is constantly searching for new ways to improve its efficiency. After all, the New York-based industrial company makes enormous products that can sometimes take years to finish. For instance, Alcoa’s most in-demand items are gas turbines, or the gigantic engines that power planes for Boeing and Airbus. Able to withstand temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the turbines must be developed and tested for more than a year before Continue reading →

Product Development, Innovation, Alcoa, 3D Printing, Manufacturing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Changing the Way Offices Use the Phone

March 12, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

These days, any office must have a unified communications system in place in order to compete. Years ago this could have been accomplished by installing a series of linked landline phones with conference call capabilities. Now, however, services like Google Voice allow users to ditch their landlines and receive calls directly on their smartphones. Companies currently spend as much as $75 billion per year on Internet voice systems. This figure is expected to increase as disruptive startups take unified communications Continue reading →

Silicon Valley, Product Development, Innovation, Mobile, Management, Human Resources

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Vetting Potential Hires with Personality Tests

March 10, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For many companies recruiting new employees, a traditional one-on-one interview only tells part of a potential hire’s story. Some small businesses simply don’t have time to hold deep conversations with interviewees: one family-owned car wash in Kentucky said that it receives more than 1,000 applications each year.

In order to streamline its hiring process, Finish Line Car Wash turned to a personality assessment company called PeopleClues. The service’s 30-minute online test gives applicants a series of statements and then asks Continue reading →

Human Resources, Labor Relations, Innovation, Data Mining, Hiring

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

[VIDEO] That Film About Money

Airlines Make Business Class Even Classier

The Motor City’s Burgeoning Bike Business

Inside the Guts of Macy’s Herald Square

The Manufacturing Possibilities of 3D Printing

Changing the Way Offices Use the Phone

Vetting Potential Hires with Personality Tests

CHAPTER INDEX

Email Subscription