Pandemic - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

McDonald’s BTS Meal Causes Global Frenzy

June 15, 2021

In fall 2020 McDonald’s launched the Travis Scott meal, a branded partnership that significantly boosted sales at the fast food chain and earned more than $20 million for the rapper himself. The success of this promotion led to more collaborations with recording artists, including McDonald’s latest branded venture with the South Korean pop group BTS. According to observers, U.S. sales of the BTS meal are currently outpacing last year’s Travis Scott promotion, with restaurant visits up 12 percent from the Continue reading →

Marketing, Global, Ethics, Promotions, Entertainment, Music, Product Distribution, Asia, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Companies Confront Rising Costs by Reducing Packaging

June 8, 2021

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The pandemic led to widespread disruptions across the world’s supply chains, leading to inflation and higher prices for many commodities. In response to these increasing costs, some companies have elected to reduce the size of their packaging rather than raise prices. For instance, Walmart shrank its Great Value paper towel rolls from 168 sheets to 120 sheets while the Tillamook County Creamery Association reduced its family sized ice cream containers from 56 ounces to 48 ounces.

“Consumers check the Continue reading →

Economics, Marketing, Ethics, Supply chains, Packaging, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Hackers Shut Down Operations at World’s Largest Meat Supplier

June 2, 2021

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Nearly a month after a cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline led to gasoline shortages across the nation, this week hackers targeted and shut down some operations at JBS, the world’s largest meat supplier. Like the previous incident, the perpetrators infiltrated the company’s computer systems and demanded a ransom to unlock them. Although JBS said that its systems are coming back online, it nevertheless had to halt operations at processing plants throughout the U.S. and Australia as a result of the attack. Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Supply chains, Product Distribution, Ransomware, Food & Drink, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

How Companies Are Incentivizing Employees to Get Vaccinated

May 25, 2021

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Although the U.S. is averaging nearly 2 million Covid-19 vaccinations per day, the rate has certainly slowed down since last month’s daily average of 3.3 million vaccinations. 60 percent of the population has received at least one dose, but that still leaves tens of millions more who need to get their shots before the country hits herd immunity. According to a recent survey, worries about taking time off of work is one of the major reasons why many Americans have Continue reading →

Management, Motivation, Human Resources, Compensation, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Vaccinations, Employee benefits

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

New Unemployment Claims Gradually Begin to Drop

May 6, 2021

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The widespread disruptions caused by the pandemic resulted in millions of Americans losing their jobs last year and subsequently applying for unemployment benefits. In one especially bleak week in spring 2020, new unemployment claims topped out at more than six million as businesses locked down to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Although the amount of new claims steadily began to decline after this historic high, hundreds of thousands of Americans have nevertheless applied for unemployment week after week since the Continue reading →

Economics, Ethics, Human Resources, Unemployment, Regulation, Hiring, Coronavirus, Stimulus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Microchip Shortage Impacts Everyone from Tech Giants to Dog Groomers

May 4, 2021

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At the beginning of the year, we looked at how an explosion in demand for consumer electronics led to a shortage of microchips across the globe. This semiconductor shortfall has continued in the intervening months and its impact has spread across numerous industries. Along with preventing carmakers from installing vital microchips in vehicles, the shortage has also hindered production of iPads, farming equipment, and even dog grooming machines.

“This particular problem affects all aspects of manufacturing, from little people Continue reading →

Global, Manufacturing, Supply chains, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Microchips

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How Bilateral Trade Agreements Are Obstructing the Global Vaccination Process

April 29, 2021

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The current vaccine rollout that is going strong throughout the country is largely the result of multi-billion dollar deals struck between economic powers like the U.S. and U.K. with pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Moderna. But while bilateral trade agreements across the globe allowed for the largest vaccine rollout in history, this video looks at why these deals are also delaying the vaccination process in struggling countries like Brazil and India.

Questions:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilateral Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Ethics, Supply chains, Product Distribution, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Trade Agreements

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos

How Supply Chain Delays Are Hurting Small Businesses

April 22, 2021

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Earlier this week, we looked at how pandemic lockdowns led to increased consumer demand as well as supply chain problems that are delaying deliveries around the world. Large-scale disruptions such as the Suez Canal blockage and the traffic jam at the Port of Los Angeles have resulted in wide-ranging financial damage to all sorts of small operators who cannot get their hands on vital merchandise. For instance, one restaurant in Oklahoma must pay $200 for a case of gloves that Continue reading →

Operations Management, Entrepreneurship, Transportation, Product Distribution, Shipping, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] Supply Chain Problems Lead to Traffic Jam in Port of L.A.

April 20, 2021

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On any given day since mid-2020, the Port of Los Angeles has had as many as 30 container ships anchored outside and waiting to eventually dock. This video looks at how the pandemic inspired a boom in online purchases while also causing a shortage of shipping workers, leading to the transportation crisis currently taking place at ports across the world.

Questions:

How did the pandemic lead to supply chain problems that caused traffic jams at major ports around the Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Transportation, Product Distribution, Shipping, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

Restaurants Struggle to Fill Vacant Job Openings

April 15, 2021

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After experiencing the worst year for the hospitality industry in U.S. history, restaurants and bars are beginning to bounce back as vaccinated Americans reemerge into the world and Covid-19 restrictions ease. For instance, sales at the Miami coffee shop and eatery All Day spiked in January to their highest levels since the start of the pandemic. “It was like turning on a light switch,” said owner Camila Ramos. As customers continued to flood into All Day, she tried to hire Continue reading →

Motivation, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Hiring, Restaurants, Food & Drink, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions