Management - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

GM Workers End Strike after Approving New Contract

October 29, 2019

In mid-September, nearly 50,000 General Motors employees represented by the United Auto Workers union went on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the company. Staffers walked picket lines for more than a month as they fought for improved wages, benefits, and job security. Then last week the standoff finally ended as the union struck a deal with management that partially gave in to some of the workers’ demands.

For instance, employees are now guaranteed a 3 percent pay Continue reading →

Management, Operations Management, Unions, Labor Relations, Cars, Transportation, General Motors, Strikes, UAW

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions

WeWork Withdraws IPO after CEO Scrutiny

October 3, 2019

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This past summer, the startup WeWork heavily promoted what it promised would be a historic initial public offering (IPO). Analysts seemed to agree: Goldman Sachs estimated the office space leasing company could reach a valuation of $96 billion upon its stock market debut. When WeWork submitted the first documents for its IPO, though, the company settled on a potential valuation of $47 billion as it promised to change the world as well as the office leasing industry. Co-founder and CEO Continue reading →

Management, Ethics, Compensation, Startups, CEO, Leadership, Turnover, Office Culture, IPO, Stock Market, WeWork

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 19: Securities Markets

Analytics Firm Comscore Settles Fraud Charge with SEC

September 26, 2019

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In the lucrative world of data analytics, few companies are more prominent than Comscore. The Virginia-based tech firm analyzes much of the country’s web traffic which then serves as a key reference for pricing online ads. Similar to the television ratings tracker Nielsen, Comscore measures how many people visit a website, the amount of time they spend on it, and other important metrics that can determine its popularity. As a result, the company’s data is vital for media companies and Continue reading →

Management, Ethics, Social Media, Accounting, Regulation, Advertising, Fraud, Leadership, Comscore, SEC

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 17: Accounting, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Managers Advised to Stay Polite When Competing for Promotions

September 24, 2019

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Over the last few decades, countless movies and TV shows have portrayed cutthroat corporate characters who will stop at nothing to advance up the company ladder. According to many top managers, however, today’s firms aren’t looking to promote anyone as ruthless as this. Although obtaining executive positions at major companies remains extremely competitive, modern businesses want collaborative managers who are willing to work with everyone. That especially includes colleagues who could be seen as their competition for promotions.

“Today, Continue reading →

Management, Ethics, Hiring, CEO, Leadership, Collaboration

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

Nearly 50,000 General Motors Workers Go on Strike

September 17, 2019

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On Monday around 48,000 General Motors employees walked off their jobs and onto picket lines after the United Auto Workers failed to reach a new agreement with the company. Along with improved pay and health benefits, the striking workers also want to keep plants open to ensure job security. “Our members have been very clear about what they will and will not accept from this contract,” said UAW Vice President Terry Dittes. “We are standing up for fair wages, we Continue reading →

Management, Operations Management, Unions, Labor Relations, Cars, Transportation, General Motors, Strikes, UAW

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions

[VIDEO] How Minimum Wage Works in the U.S.

September 5, 2019

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In recent years, progressive policymakers have advocated to increase the minimum wage across the nation while other legislators oppose the measure entirely. Along with looking at the reasoning behind both sides, this video also explains how foreign countries deal with the complicated issue of the minimum wage.

Questions:

How does minimum wage policy in the U.S. differ from other countries?
Should the U.S. develop a minimum wage system that is tied to inflation? Why or why not?

Economics, Management, Motivation, Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Compensation, Regulation, Minimum Wage

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

LaCroix Struggles with Tough Competition in Mineral Water Market

August 30, 2019

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For decades Lacroix sparkling water sat on the bottom shelves of countless grocery stores next to high class competitors like Perrier and S.Pellegrino. Too niche for regular consumers and too cheap for mineral water drinkers, LaCroix struggled for relevance until a company called National Beverage acquired it in the 1990s. Along with developing new flavors and adding more carbonation, the company also redesigned LaCroix’s cans and increased distribution around the country. By the mid-2000s many consumers began to turn away Continue reading →

Management, Marketing, Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Social Media, Product Development, Branding, Product Distribution, Food & Drink, LaCroix

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Kroger Adapts to New Supermarket Distribution Dynamics

May 21, 2019

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In recent years retailers both large and small have struggled to compete against the low prices and convenience offered by e-commerce outlets. But even as Amazon disrupted all sorts of stores over the last decade, supermarkets such as Kroger managed to survive and thrive. Along with the troubles of delivering fresh produce, online retailers couldn’t convince customers to buy their food sight-unseen.

That is until startups like Instacart made grocery delivery more accessible to the average consumer. Although online purchases Continue reading →

Management, Operations Management, Retail, Innovation, Product Distribution, Supermarkets, Food & Drink, Kroger

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Levi’s Jeans Make a Major Comeback

November 30, 2018

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Way back in 1856, a California dry-goods merchant named Levi Strauss marveled at a new type of garment created by one of his customers. Working as a tailor in Nevada, the customer had developed a pair of rivet-fastened pants that were far more durable than anything else available at the time. The two soon filed a patent on the product and founded Levi Strauss and Company, the world’s first producer of denim jeans. And while the company continues to thrive Continue reading →

Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Clothing, Product Development, Branding, Retail, Fashion, Product Distribution, Forms of Ownership, Trends

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Google Agrees to Meet Key Demand of Walkout Protesters

November 13, 2018

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A couple of weeks ago, more than 20,000 Google employees staged a walkout to protest the search giant’s handling of sexual harassment claims. Along with demands to improve the process for reporting harassment, the protesters also called for Google to end forced employee arbitration. This controversial tactic requires staffers to settle any legal disputes out of court, usually through an independent arbitrator rather than a judge and jury.

Critics of the policy say that this system protects serial harassers by Continue reading →

Management, Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Silicon Valley, Google, Legal

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media