Product Development - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Trolls World Tour’s On-Demand Success Could Change the Movie Industry

May 7, 2020

In early March, the movie studio Universal had already spent millions of dollars marketing its upcoming title Trolls World Tour in anticipation of its April 10th release. When the coronavirus pandemic shut down theaters across the nation, though, Universal made the bold decision to release the movie through on-demand platforms like Apple TV and Amazon. The gamble paid off handsomely for the movie studio: after three weeks on the market for $20 per rental, Trolls World Tour brought in more Continue reading →

[VIDEO] How One Business Pivoted to Fighting Coronavirus

April 30, 2020

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Although many companies remain closed during the ongoing pandemic, some businesses have been able to alter their operations to produce increasingly vital supplies. This video looks at how Dogfish Head Brewery managed to keep its employees on the payroll while also supplying local hospitals with hand sanitizer.

Questions:

How did Dogfish Head Brewery change its operations to make hand sanitizer?
What is the three-step process that Dogfish Head Brewery used to engage with their community during the coronavirus crisis?

Operations Management, Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Product Development, Health, Product Distribution, Coronavirus

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

Farmers Dump Milk and Eggs as Restaurant Demand Falls

April 10, 2020

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Over the last few weeks, shoppers at supermarkets across the country have stocked up on versatile staples like milk, bread, and eggs that are well-suited for hunkering at home. But as many meat and dairy producers ramp up production to satisfy this increasing demand, food companies that serve clients like restaurants and schools are drastically scaling back. With many eating establishments now closed or take-out only due to coronavirus containment, food suppliers have seen demand for their services plummet. As Continue reading →

Economics, Operations Management, Ethics, Product Development, Regulation, Packaging, Health, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus

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

Startups Hit Hard By Coronavirus Shutdowns

April 3, 2020

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Earlier this year, we looked at how the fitness startup ClassPass grew into a $1 billion company thanks to an innovative business model that allows members to easily find exercise classes in their area. Flash forward just a few months later, however, and ClassPass finds itself in a completely different position due to widespread shutdowns caused by coronavirus containment. As gyms and fitness centers closed across the world in March, ClassPass watched as 95 percent of its revenue disappeared within Continue reading →

Movie Studios Offer New Titles On-Demand for Homebound Viewers

March 27, 2020

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With movie theaters across the world closed due to coronavirus containment, experts predict that the global film industry could lose as much as $15 billion this year. China shuttered more than 60,000 theaters in January right before the annual Lunar New Year holidays, a boom period that usually brings in $2 billion in box office sales. Meanwhile in the U.S., AMC Theatres recently announced that it has furloughed its CEO and corporate staff after the company closed more than 1,000 Continue reading →

Disney CEO Bob Iger Abruptly Steps Down

February 27, 2020

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On Tuesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger surprised the business world by announcing that he would immediately step down from the top job. After 15 years in charge of the entertainment giant, Iger passed the reins to a company veteran named Bob Chapek who had been overseeing Disney’s theme parks division. Although the news caught many observers off-guard, Iger insists that this plan has been in the works for some time. “It’s only abrupt in other people’s eyes because we haven’t Continue reading →

Management, Product Development, Entertainment, Disney, Product Distribution, CEO, Mergers & Acquisitions, Streaming Video

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] Are Americans Ready to Love Trains Again?

February 21, 2020

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For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, train travel was the primary mode of transportation for millions of Americans. Once cars and air travel rose to prominence, however, trains fell out of use in the U.S. while other European and Asian nations greatly expanded their railway capabilities. Along with looking at the history of American train travel, this in-depth video examines a modern company that wants to connect the nation with high-speed trains like so many other countries Continue reading →

Millions of Cord-Cutters Got Rid of Cable TV in 2019

February 20, 2020

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Over the last few years, cable and satellite companies have lost tens of millions of subscribers who have grown tired of seeing their monthly rates steadily rise. In 2019 more than 5.5 million people “cut the cord” with large cable and satellite providers, a huge increase over last year’s loss of 3.2 million customers. As TV companies pay more and more to produce and acquire new programming, they will likely keep raising subscriber rates on an already strained consumer base. Continue reading →

Product Development, Entertainment, Pricing, Netflix, Streaming, Television, Product Distribution, Cable

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Unilever Pledges to Stop Marketing Food & Drinks to Kids

February 14, 2020

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The consumer goods giant Unilever is known for its huge portfolio of major brands like Dove, Lipton, Axe, and many others. The conglomerate also owns several big names in the ice cream aisle such as Breyers, Klondike, Good Humor, Ben & Jerry’s, and more. But while these brands are well-known to many consumers, they’re about to become a lot less familiar to kids. That’s because Unilever recently announced that by the end of the year it would stop airing TV Continue reading →

Marketing, Global, Ethics, Product Development, Promotions, Regulation, Advertising, Packaging, Health, Food & Drink, Unilever

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 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Direct-to-Consumer Company Brandless Closes Down

February 13, 2020

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In 2017, the home goods company Brandless launched with a novel way to take on Amazon as well as other big-box retailers. The direct-to-consumer startup sold high-quality, organic versions of everything from toilet paper to beauty products in simple, no-frills packaging. Brandless claimed that this eliminated the so-called “BrandTax” levied by many companies, which could account for as much as 40 percent of the product’s actual cost. With little money spent on traditional marketing, Brandless initially charged just $3 for Continue reading →