Ethics - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

The Bitter Backlash Against Mast Brothers’ Chocolate

February 3, 2016

For almost a decade, the Brooklyn chocolate company Mast Brothers seemed to embody the New York borough’s newfound artisanal spirit. Touting their product as handcrafted “bean-to-bar” chocolate, founders Rick and Michael Mast took center stage in marketing campaigns that celebrated their candy’s quality and authenticity. Dressed in antiquated suits and sporting long Civil War-era beards, the pair soon became just as famous for their appearance as their $9 candy bars. But this meticulously crafted image may have been spoiled for Continue reading →

Food, Mast Brothers, Brooklyn, Crisis management, Product Development, Branding, Marketing, Candy, Ethics, New York

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Innovation’s Reward and the Hoverboard

February 1, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For many inventors, creating a machine that’s functional as well as popular can feel like striking gold, even if the actual material reward for their work isn’t exactly golden. That’s the situation Shane Chen found himself in since inventing the “hoverboard,” a two-wheeled, Segway-like vehicle that doesn’t quite float but has nevertheless been flying off the shelves. Unfortunately for Chen, many consumers are buying hoverboards from companies that have not paid him for his patented design. Instead, consumers are taking Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Manufacturing, Pricing, Innovation, China, Hoverboard

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Can Chipotle Recover from Its E. coli Crisis?

January 29, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Chipotle enjoyed years of rapid growth thanks in part to its heavily marketed commitment to fresh ingredients. However, that established image has crumbled over the last few months as the burrito chain grapples with a major E. coli outbreak at its restaurants. Chipotle’s problems began in summer 2015 when customers began falling ill in California and Washington. Attention then shifted across the country to more than 140 Boston College students who received food borne noroviruses from a local Chipotle. By Continue reading →

Safety, Branding, Marketing, Distribution, Ethics, Chipotle, Food, Supply chains

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Disney Faces Investigation for Forcing Out American Workers

January 27, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For years, skilled workers from around the world have used H-1B visas as their tickets into the U.S. These visas are intended to provide companies with a pool of specialized foreign labor in case they can’t find any qualified domestic candidates. According to a recent lawsuit, however, one of the world’s biggest brands may have been abusing the H-1B system in order to boost their own bottom line. Rather than filling open positions with outsourced labor, The Walt Disney Company Continue reading →

Immigration, Global, Regulation, Ethics, Disney, Human Resources, Labor Relations

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Texas Plumber Sues Dealership for Shocking Truck Mix-up

January 20, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Last year we featured a post about the unfortunate case of Texas plumber Mark Oberholtzer. In need of a better truck for his business, he took his old Ford F-250 to a local dealership and traded it in for a newer model. The plumber didn’t give the transaction a second thought until about a year later when the complaints started rolling in. Due to the extraordinarily complicated nature of the global auto resale market, Oberholtzer’s truck somehow ended up in Continue reading →

Global, Texas, Ethics, Distribution, Cars, Supply chains, Transportation, Middle East

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter C: Managing Risk

[VIDEO] What Happens When You Win the Lottery?

January 14, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

This short video shows what happens to a person’s money in the very, very unlikely event that they win the lottery.

Questions:

As the video says, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery, so why do people play it?
Which option ensures that a lotto winner gets the most money from their prize: the cash payout or the annuity jackpot?

From CNN Money

Money, Lottery, Banks, Interest, Ethics

Videos

America: The No Vacation Nation

July 23, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

What do the United States of America, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Kingdom of Tonga all have in common? Aside from being decidedly long-named nations, none of these three countries requires employers to provide their staff with time off for holidays or vacation. In fact, the U.S. is the only advanced economy in the entire world without such a requirement. As a result, American workers have seen their vacation time shrink from an annual average of 20.3 days Continue reading →

Human Resources, Benefits, Retail, Vacation, H&M, Global, Ethics

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

[VIDEO] Utility vs. Homeowners over Solar Power

July 1, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Millions of Hawaiians want to switch to cheap solar power, but overloaded grid structures often prevent them from doing so.

https://nyti.ms/1H09wdS

Questions:

What is the key problem facing consumers seeking solar power in Hawaii?

What seems to be the solution to solving Hawaii’s energy problem?

From The New York Times

Solar, Hawaii, Infrastructure, Ethics, Energy

Videos

Alienating Customers with DRM

June 25, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Ownership of private property is one of the United States’ oldest economic principles. But like many other seemingly everlasting ideas, modern technology has enabled companies to put this concept to the test. For instance, a few years ago Keurig’s single-cup coffeemakers became a big hit with consumers. Rather than brew an entire pot of coffee, those in need of a jolt simply place a small pod of grounds into the machine and wait a few seconds for their drink to Continue reading →

Product Development, Innovation, Security, Product Distribution, Ethics, DRM, Keurig, John Deere

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

Geotagging Fish to Prevent Fraud

June 21, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For many environmentally conscious diners, where their food comes from is almost as important as the food itself. Followers of the “farm-to-table” movement try to avoid items made on industrial-scale factory farms in favor of locally produced, organic goods. Over the years this concept has expanded from the stands at local farmers’ markets and into mainstream foodie culture. But while this concept works for farm-cultivated products like vegetables, beef and poultry, following fish from “ocean-to-table” is trickier to pull off. Continue reading →

Ethics, Innovation, Food, Fishing, Product Distribution, Shellcatch

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media