Home - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

The Downside of Entrepreneurial Passion

October 2, 2014

Passion and confidence are essential traits for any entrepreneur, but these same qualities can also lead aspiring business owners to ruin. If entrepreneurs are too assured and optimistic, they risk losing sight of the enormity of the task they have undertaken. For instance, passionate people can believe so deeply in their business idea that they become blinded to its actual market viability. They are driven by the notion that since they would love to buy this particular product or Continue reading →

Financial Planning, Startups, Value, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Management

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership

[VIDEO] The Remote Repo Man

October 1, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

As people inevitably default on their subprime auto loans, dealers turn to a variety of ways to retain their merchandise, sometimes with hazardous consequences.

https://nyti.ms/1qwkB8x

Questions:

Do regulatory agencies need to clearly define when a borrower is in default?

Should lenders be able to turn off a moving car?

From The New York Times

Subprime, Finance, Cars, Retail, Ethics

Videos

Oversaturation Leads to Casino Closings

September 30, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

In 1988, just two states allowed casino gambling. Today, New Jersey and Nevada are joined by more than 35 other states that have legalized casinos. Over the years, local governments across the nation promoted gambling as a way to generate additional tax revenue. Plenty of municipalities bought into the idea, leading to a rush of casino construction throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Like so many other industries, business was good until the recession hit in 2008. Since then, not only Continue reading →

Gambling, Oversaturation, Ethics, Regulation, Entertainment, Branding

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

America’s Demand for Ice Cream Cools

September 26, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Although summer is fading, ice cream season remains in full swing for millions of sweet-toothed Americans. Last year consumers in the U.S. bought $13.7 billion worth of the dessert, an enormous number that doesn’t even include restaurant sales. And according to a recent study, 40 percent of Americans will eat ice cream in any given two-week period. Nevertheless, on the whole people consume a lot less of the cold stuff than they did 25 years ago. Back in 1989 Continue reading →

Marketing, Food, Product Development, Health, Ice Cream, Froyo

Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

The Gradual Return of American Manufacturing

September 23, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

In the 1950s, more than 150 television manufacturers called the U.S. home. Today, not even component parts for TVs are produced on American soil. Still, that hasn’t stopped Wal-Mart from slapping “Assembled in the USA” stickers onto many flat screen TVs stocked in its stores. That’s because the company buys the televisions from South Carolina’s Element Electronics Corporation, which imports all their items from China.

That doesn’t mean Element is simply a middleman operation though. TVs that arrive at the Continue reading →

Element Electronics, Global, Manufacturing, Distribution, Wal-Mart

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution

Eliminating Waste Through Reselling

September 20, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Although many Americans make sure to recycle their plastic bottles and aluminum cans, they’re less careful to do so with their more functional possessions. Ninety percent of the nation’s mobile devices get thrown in the trash rather than the recycling bin. The gadgets are joined there by 40 percent of the food produced each year in the U.S., along with the 12 million tons of textiles that get tossed annually.

Over the last few years, a number of new companies Continue reading →

Social Media, Innovation, Startups, Sustainability, Resale, Entrepreneurship

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

TJ Maxx Defies the Odds with Sustained Success

September 17, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Although nothing in business is a sure thing, few industries are more volatile than apparel retail. In this unpredictable world, it can be almost impossible to guarantee success for a brand. For instance, Target and Kmart spent years dueling for dominance until the former won out with its more upscale marketing. However, long-term prosperity grants no safety net. Abercrombie & Fitch ruled the preppy clothing market for more than a decade, but now sales are falling as younger consumers view Continue reading →

TJ Maxx, Marketing, Promotions, Retail, Pricing, Distribution

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] No Credit? No Problem

September 15, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

In order to attract cash-strapped buyers, more auto dealers are offering sub-prime loans on vehicles for people with poor credit. This video and the one below document the potential dangers of this financing practice.

https://nyti.ms/1lgctaY

Questions:

What are the major advantages and disadvantages of sub-prime lending?

Are investors in bundled sub-prime car loans taking on significant risk?

From The New York Times

Subprime, Finance, Banking, Cars, Ethics

Videos

One-Cent Sale Costs Staples Millions

September 14, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Last year the retail chain Staples signed a contract to become the State of New York’s official office-supplies vendor, which looked like quite a coup at the time. After all, the agreement put Staples in direct contact with city halls, schools, police departments and charities across the state. In fact, the company was so desperate to tap this lucrative market that it pledged to sell a number of products for just a penny apiece. While this bold promise helped Staples Continue reading →

Promotions, Marketing, Retail, Pricing, Staples

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

Brazilian Shop-Hopping Stalls Walmart’s Growth

September 10, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Walmart became the largest retail chain in the U.S. by offering customers the same low prices every day. As it expanded globally, however, the company found out that not every culture responds to this pricing strategy. For instance, Walmart has had a hard time winning over Brazilian consumers despite opening 550 stores in nearly 200 cities. That’s because most people in the large South American nation are happy to hunt for the best deals at a variety of stores rather Continue reading →

Global, Branding, Retail, Demographics, Brazil, Wal-Mart

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

The Downside of Entrepreneurial Passion

[VIDEO] The Remote Repo Man

America’s Demand for Ice Cream Cools

TJ Maxx Defies the Odds with Sustained Success

[VIDEO] No Credit? No Problem

One-Cent Sale Costs Staples Millions

Brazilian Shop-Hopping Stalls Walmart’s Growth

CHAPTER INDEX

Email Subscription