Regulation - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Apple Settles $95 Million Class Action Lawsuit on Siri Privacy

January 7, 2025

Have you ever gotten the feeling that Siri, the voice-activated digital assistant on Apple devices, was eavesdropping on your private conversations? Have you noticed online ads for a particular brand after talking about it out loud? If you said yes, you’re not alone. A 2019 class-action lawsuit representing tens of millions of people accused Apple of violating user privacy by making unauthorized recordings through Siri and sharing them with advertisers. For example, two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit said Continue reading →

Ethics, Product Development, Regulation, Smartphones, Legal, Product Distribution, Apple, Privacy, Siri

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Online Deal Seekers Head to TikTok for Black Friday Shopping

December 4, 2024

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Since the late 1980s, Americans have marked the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday, the “official” start of the holiday sale season and the busiest shopping day of the year. Stores like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy used to draw huge crowds by offering massive discounts to the first shoppers to come through the doors. As time passed and e-commerce became more common, though, the one-day sales bonanza expanded to include online deals. Now Amazon is the undisputed champion of Continue reading →

New Law Could Potentially Ban TikTok in the U.S.

May 1, 2024

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A few weeks ago, we examined TikTok’s uncanny ability to provide entrepreneurs with major marketing opportunities at the expense of brand control. The potential downsides of the latter became clear last week when President Biden signed a bill into law that could ban the social network in the U.S. Under the provisions of the bill, which passed both the House and Senate with considerable support, TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance has 270 days to sell the app to an American Continue reading →

[VIDEO] Justice Department Develops Monopoly Case against Apple

April 19, 2024

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Last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Apple under the Sherman Antitrust Act, a century-old law that was originally used to break up railroad robber barons. But as the video below explains, the government also invoked the act in its antitrust case against Microsoft, changing the course of the company in the process. Still, the DOJ might not find the same success against Apple, which claims its limited market share and loyal customer base are not evidence of a Continue reading →

Ethics, Product Development, Regulation, Product Distribution, Apple, Monopolies, Antitrust

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Major Credit Card Firms Agree to Cap Swipe Fees

April 3, 2024

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Credit card firms provide both consumers and businesses with a convenient way to handle payments that eliminates the need to deal with large amounts of cash all the time. Still, this service doesn’t come for free: not only can customers rack up large amounts of interest on their credit card bills, companies also must pay a fee for every transaction they make. These “swipe fees” can add up quickly. Last year alone, U.S. merchants paid $101 billion in swipe fees Continue reading →

Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Pricing, Regulation, Legal, Product Distribution, Credit Cards, Payments, Product developments

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Boeing Faces Criminal Investigation for Alaska Airlines Incident

March 13, 2024

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Earlier this year, we posted a video looking at the potential consequences that Boeing could face as a result of a door explosion on an Alaska Airlines flight. While that video primarily explored the business ramifications of this terrifying incident, last week the public learned about the first legal repercussions against Boeing. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department (DOJ) is investigating the aviation firm to see if it has complied with the requirements of a settlement made Continue reading →

Operations Management, Ethics, Manufacturing, Product Development, Regulation, Transportation, Product Distribution, Air Travel, Boeing, Quality control

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 A: Business Law

[VIDEO] How the Alaska Airlines Incident Could Affect Boeing

January 24, 2024

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Two weeks ago, we looked at the terrifying incident that passengers experienced on an Alaska Airlines flight when a door suddenly blew open during takeoff. The incident placed Boeing under renewed scrutiny for its Max line of aircraft, which could have big repercussions for the company going forward. This video looks at the potential consequences Boeing could face, from losing airlines’ confidence to ceding market share to competitors like Airbus.

Questions:

How could airlines’ loss of confidence in Boeing Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Manufacturing, Regulation, Air Travel, Safety, Supply & Demand, Airlines, FAA

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, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos

FAA Grounds Some Boeing 737 MAX Jets after Emergency Landing

January 12, 2024

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Last week, passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight endured a disaster that every traveler fears as a door blew wide open while the plane was 16,000 feet in the air. Fortunately, pilots performed an emergency landing that ultimately kept the number of injuries low. Once the plane reached the ground, however, airline regulators demanded an explanation of how this incident could occur. Then they found out the make and model of the faulty plane: the Boeing 737 Max 9, a Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Manufacturing, Regulation, Transportation, Air Travel, Safety, Boeing

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

Panera Faces Lawsuits over Highly Caffeinated Lemonade

December 13, 2023

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In 2022, the cafe chain Panera launched its Charged Lemonade brand, the company’s answer to energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster. The large, 30-ounce version of the beverage contains 124 grams of sugar and 390 milligrams of caffeine, which some customers do not realize when they order the drink at the counter. In fact, a pair of recent lawsuits filed against Panera claim that two people have died as a result of drinking several Charged Lemonades without knowing about Continue reading →

Marketing, Ethics, Product Development, Promotions, Regulation, Packaging, Product Distribution, Restaurants, Food & Drink, Panera

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

[VIDEO] Airlines Sell Legroom at a Premium Price

September 28, 2023

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In the early days of air travel, carriers provided passengers with luxurious amounts of legroom. As the video below explains, however, today’s planes have far more seats with far less space between them, potentially resulting in uncomfortable experiences for tall travelers.

Questions:

Why do modern airlines “unbundle” the costs of travel by charging additional fees for luggage and seat selection?
Do you think government regulators should require air carriers to provide passengers with “comfortable” amounts of legroom? Why or why not?

Global, Ethics, Product Development, Regulation, Transportation, Product Distribution, Air Travel, Supply & Demand

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 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos