Product Development - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

An Expensive Musical Festival Turns into a Disaster

May 2, 2017

For many attendees of today’s big music festivals, enjoying an interesting atmosphere is often just as important as watching what’s happening on stage. After all, these events don’t happen in a vacuum: festivals like Coachella are endlessly documented through Instagram and other social media platforms. From the fancy food trucks to famous people casually milling about the crowd, music festivals offer no shortage of material to liven up anyone’s feed.

Last weekend’s Fyre Festival promised to be the most Instagrammable Continue reading →

Marketing, Ethics, Product Development, Entertainment, Advertising, Music, Coachella, Fyre Festival

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

The $400 Juicer That Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype

April 21, 2017

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Last year, the startup Juicero surprised many in the tech world by becoming one of the industry’s most talked about gadget companies. Venture capitalists invested more than $120 million in the enterprise based on the promise of its $400 Internet-enabled juicing machine. Working sort of like a Keurig coffee maker, the device uses single-serving packets of chopped fruits and vegetables to make cold-pressed juice. Just insert a packet, press a button, and out comes a refreshing beverage without any fuss. Continue reading →

Ethics, Food, Silicon Valley, Product Development, Innovation, Word of Mouth, Juicero

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] Inside the Pantone Color Factory

March 14, 2017

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While identifying colors might seem like a simple preschool task to some, it’s a serious job at the Pantone color factory. This company creates color guides that act sort of like dictionaries for artists and designers. In order to create consistent colors every time, Pantone depends on eagle-eyed employees to check for flaws. Along with these dedicated staffers, this video also shows some of the machines used by Pantone to create such vivid hues.

Questions:

Why does Pantone require Continue reading →

Motivation, Operations Management, Product Development, Production, Pantone, Design

Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Videos

Updating the Retail Experience with Interactive Mirrors

February 24, 2017

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As e-commerce companies like Amazon become more and more popular, traditional retailers have scrambled to find ways to bring people back into stores. Along with placing scannable QR codes by items, brick and mortar outlets have also tried large internet kiosks that allow customers to browse their online stores. Despite retailers’ best efforts, though, these attempts at modernizing haven’t caught on with consumers. After all, who would walk into a place just to check its online store?

The startup Oak Continue reading →

Clothing, Product Development, Retail, Fashion, Distribution, Innovation, San Francisco, Smart Mirrors, Oak Labs

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Creating a Product to Reduce Microfiber Pollution

February 21, 2017

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As winter winds down, people across the country will start throwing their fleece jackets into the wash for one last spin before months of closet storage. While many people won’t think twice about one load of laundry, unfortunately the environmental effects of this routine task will linger for a long time. Unlike cotton or wool, synthetic fleece releases tiny plastic fibers into wastewater that flows into lakes and rivers. These non-biodegradable materials then bind with other chemicals and cause health Continue reading →

Product Development, Branding, Sustainability, Patagonia, Microfiber Pollution, Guppy Friend

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Faced with Smartphones, Airlines Begin to Phase Out Screens

February 17, 2017

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In the old days of air travel, passengers who were lucky enough to watch a movie during their flight did so on a big screen that the whole cabin could see. Then as technology improved many airlines installed screens into the backs of seats, providing travelers with a personal entertainment center. Shortly after this development, though, smartphones and tablets started to become commonplace. “Virtually everyone is connected at all times on the ground today,” said Jon Cobin, COO of in-air Continue reading →

Product Development, Innovation, Streaming, Transportation, Smartphones, Mobile, Air Travel

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

[VIDEO] How Cars Went from Boxy to Curvy

February 14, 2017

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For decades U.S. automakers designed boxy cars that looked slick but lacked any aerodynamic abilities. Then the Ford Taurus came around and changed America’s roads forever. This video chronicles how rising gas prices and European influences caused this gradual switch from rectangular to round vehicles.

Questions:

Why did curvy car designs take so long to catch on in the U.S. market?
How did the Ford Taurus change the American auto industry?

Marketing, Product Development, Cars, Transportation, Ford, Product Design

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

NBA to Launch a League for Video Game Basketball

February 10, 2017

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Over the years video games have grown from a niche entertainment platform into a dominant commercial and cultural force. And while plenty of casual players drive this thriving industry, a new class of professional gamers has also emerged on the Internet and in “eSports” leagues. During these competitions, dedicated players face off against each other in front of thousands of cheering fans, just like at regular sporting events.

Like video games themselves, eSports were once thought to hold limited appeal Continue reading →

Marketing, Product Development, Sports, Branding, Entertainment, Video Games, eSports, NBA

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] This Incredible Machine Pulls Clean Drinking Water Out of Thin Air

January 20, 2017

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Ensuring clean water for everyone on the planet is one of the major environmental challenges facing future generations. In this video, a Chilean engineer demonstrates his invention that draws vapor from the air and turns it into drinkable water. If he succeeds in making the machine smaller and cheaper, it could provide an immense benefit to communities that lack access to clean water.

Questions:

Why does Hector Pino need to continue refining his product?
Once fully developed, should Pino form Continue reading →

Global, Product Development, Sustainability, Product Distribution, Water, Chile

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Hooked: The Millennial-Minded App That Sends Text Message Stories

January 12, 2017

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As the fast-paced world of social media continues to dominate culture, many have worried that traditional forms of media won’t be able to compete. After all, why pick up a book when you can just read text messages and tweets? Although dedicated readers might find that question shocking, it’s precisely what thousands of people are doing with Hooked, a new app that sends out stories to users in bursts of texts.

Currently the top grossing book app in the iOS Continue reading →

Social Media, Product Development, Entertainment, Mobile, Apps, Fiction, Millennials, Hooked

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media