Ethics - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Benefit Corps Help Shareholders and Society

June 13, 2015

While nonprofit organizations do the world an immeasurable amount of good, their restrictive structure can prove frustrating for some entrepreneurs. After all in order to stay afloat, many nonprofits depend on the generosity of donors, a source of capital that could suddenly dry up at anytime. That’s why a few startups are combining the social drive of nonprofits with sustainable business models to form benefit corporations, or “B-corps” for short.

On the surface these companies seem like normal firms: they Continue reading →

Product Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, Product Distribution, Entrepreneurship, A to Z, Labor Relations

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 13: Marketing

FIFA’s Corruption Scandal

June 3, 2015

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In an ideal world, FIFA, the global governing body of soccer, wouldn’t need to have its money management practices closely scrutinized. After all, FIFA is a nonprofit association whose primary function is to enforce the rules of the game and encourage its global expansion. In reality, however, the organization has been long accused of acting as a haven for corruption and corporate impropriety.

This much was confirmed in late May when Swiss police raided a luxury hotel in Zurich and Continue reading →

Sports, Switzerland, Regulation, Marketing, FIFA, Global, Corruption, Ethics

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] Why the Rich Get Richer: Income Inequality Explained

June 1, 2015

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This animated video shows how compound interest insures that the wealthy remain that way.

https://on.wsj.com/1HUX6Ev

Questions:

Do liberal economists believe everyone should earn equal income?

What is a key to growing wealth among all individuals?

From The Wall Street Journal

Economics, Ethics, Productivity, Inequality

Videos

How Rising Life Expectancies Affect Retirement

May 26, 2015

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Thanks to advancements in technology and medicine, Americans today have longer life expectancies than ever before. A study conducted by the Society of Actuaries estimates that the average 65-year-old man will live to 86.6 years while women can expect to stay around until they’re nearly 89. Both of these numbers have increased by more than two years since data was last collected more than a decade and a half ago. And while this is certainly good news for humanity as Continue reading →

Retirement, Seniors, Ethics, Finance, Demographics

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Bonus Chapter D: Personal Finance

Knockoff Products Take a Toll on Small Business

May 18, 2015

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In an earlier issue of the newsletter, we took a look at the methods that Chinese authorities use to curb the production of counterfeit merchandise. For the most part, these measures focused on reporting knockoffs of big names like Nike and Gucci. But combating pirated products isn’t solely the problem of multinational brands. For instance, in 2012 Jeff Sasaki took his iPhone accessory company Element Case to a Hong Kong trade show. When he arrived at the convention, he found Continue reading →

Retail, Regulation, Small Business, Ethics, Knockoff products, Manufacturing, Product Development

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

OnDeck Capital’s Controversial Lending Practices

May 15, 2015

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Even though the effects of the recession have eased in the last few years, some small businesses still can’t find banks willing to lend them money. After all, many financial institutions are looking to invest in established companies with little to no risk involved, qualities that most small businesses simply do not have. That’s where OnDeck Capital comes in. This lending startup touts itself as a disruptive financial force that can make loan assessments and send cash to companies within Continue reading →

Finance, Small Business, OnDeck Capital, Innovation, Banking, Ethics

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Some Smartphone Deposits Post at a Snail’s Pace

May 5, 2015

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On the surface, mobile check deposits are about as convenient as banking can get. After all, one only needs to endorse the check, snap a few smartphone photos of it, and send it off to the bank through an app. No interactions with tellers or pneumatic tube machines are required— simply forward the photos and wait for the check to clear.

In some cases, however, that last step isn’t so easy. Depending on the financial institution, mobile check deposits can Continue reading →

Innovation, Banking, Finance, Walmart, Ethics, Smartphones, Mobile

Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

The Big Banks May Start to Shrink

May 2, 2015

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When the stock market collapsed in 2008, the government deemed Wall Street’s ailing banks “too big to fail” and provided them with a multi-billion dollar bailout. The emergency loan ultimately saved the banks, but has provided no shortage of controversy ever since. To the financial sector’s critics, many of the problems caused by these banks stemmed from their enormous size. In fact, nothing much has changed since the financial collapse: the same five banks that dominated bond underwriting and Continue reading →

Economics, Banking, Ethics, Finance, Regulation, Dodd-Frank, Federal Reserve

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] What Are the Causes of Inequality?

May 1, 2015

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This video delves deep into the complicated origins of income inequality and how it affects the economy as a whole.

Questions:

What has been the economic effect of technology on productivity and jobs?

Is cutting CEO pay the answer to fixing income inequality?

From We The Economy

Inequality, Economics, Ethics, Productivity

Videos

Silicon Valley Cooks up the Future of Food

April 21, 2015

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California’s Silicon Valley is known the world over as a hub of technological innovation. Along with established giants like Google and Facebook, the Bay Area suburb is home to countless startups hoping to launch the next big social network or app. But not every entrepreneur in the Valley is a code-focused Mark Zuckerburg-type. In one burgeoning industry, scientists at several startups are cooking up revolutionary ways to use plants as meat substitutes in food.

These aren’t like the bean Continue reading →

Product Development, Ethics, Innovation, Food, Silicon Valley

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law