Silicon Valley - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

[VIDEO] Apple vs. Banks: The Digital-Wallet War

April 13, 2023

Since launching its digital payment system in 2014, Apple has steadily increased its market share in a space traditionally dominated by big banks. This video looks at how Apple Pay has frightened Wall Street stalwarts like JPMorgan Chase and caused financial institutions to expand their own digital payment efforts in order to compete.

Questions:

What advantages and disadvantages does Apple Pay have compared to traditional financial firms?
Do you prefer to pay with cards or digital platforms like Apple Pay?

Credit Cards, Wall Street, Apple, Silicon Valley, Digital payments, Apple Pay, Debit cards, Currency, Finance

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Videos

Elon Musk’s Chaotic Takeover of Twitter

November 9, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Tesla owner Elon Musk has never been shy about seeking the spotlight, and for years he could always find an easy audience by talking to his Twitter following of more than 100 million people. Even that level of attention wasn’t enough for the world’s richest man, however, who purchased the social network outright at the end of October for a whopping $44 billion. That gargantuan price tag now ranks as history’s largest leveraged buyout of a tech firm, although it Continue reading →

Meta’s Market Value Plunges by $700 Billion

November 4, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

2022 has been a tough year for Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook. In February we examined how the social media giant lost $230 billion in market value in a single day. Then in September, we looked at the company’s premier platform Instagram and how it angered many users by trying to emulate the short-video format of TikTok. Many of Meta’s woes stem from recent changes to Apple’s terms of service that prevent digital advertisers from collecting data Continue reading →

[VIDEO] How Google Remapped the World

September 9, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Every month, more than one billion people use Google Maps to find their way around the world. The video below looks at the history of this revolutionary app since its launch 17 years ago as well as the ethical issues that come with gathering location data from millions of unknowing users.

Questions:

How do businesses use Google Maps as a promotional tool?
Do you think Google’s system of “differential privacy” provides enough protection for users’ location data? Why or why not?

Global, Ethics, Product Development, Silicon Valley, Promotions, Google, Innovation, Product Distribution, Marketing

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, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Meta (Formerly Facebook) Lost $230 Billion in Market Value Yesterday

February 4, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

The company formerly known as Facebook is going through something of an identity crisis. Rebranded as Meta last year, the tech giant changed its name in order to signal its transition from social networks to the virtual world of the “metaverse.” Although the company has staked its future on this unproven concept, this week Meta had to contend with the consequences of a miserable earnings report that painted a gloomy picture of its present situation.

In the most Continue reading →

Product Development, Marketing, Advertising, Social Media, Facebook, Silicon Valley, Product Distribution, Mobile, Stock Market, Stock valuation, Meta, Metaverse

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Apple’s Valuation Soars over $3 Trillion

January 4, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

In August 2018, Apple made history by becoming the first publicly traded company to reach a $1 trillion valuation. Although it took the tech giant 42 years to reach this milestone, its value doubled to $2 trillion just two years later. Then to ring in 2022, Apple’s share price climbed over $186 per share, which turned the iPhone maker into the world’s first $3 trillion company. That’s more than the combined worth of Walmart, Disney, Netflix, Nike, McDonald’s, Exxon Mobil, Continue reading →

Stock valuation, Global, Product Development, Ethics, Apple, Manufacturing, Supply & Demand, Silicon Valley, Stock Market

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, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

New Apple Privacy Policy Hurts Ad Revenues at Facebook and Snapchat

October 26, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

In April, the tech giant Apple made a change to its privacy policy that prohibits advertisers from tracking users without their consent. Analysts predicted that this decision would lead to major changes in the $100 billion mobile ad market led by social networks like Facebook and Snapchat. These fears were confirmed for the latter last week when Snapchat announced that the policy prevented it from measuring the reach of its mobile ads, sending its stock price tumbling by 25 percent. Continue reading →

Promotions, Social Media, Advertising, Silicon Valley, Facebook, Google, Mobile, Apple, Privacy, Twitter, Marketing, Ethics

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 B: Technology and New Media

Big Tech Case Results in Split Decision

September 15, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Over the last year, Apple has been engaged in a legal battle with Epic Games, the software developer behind the blockbuster video game Fortnite. The company sued Apple after the tech giant removed the mobile version of Fornite from its App Store, alleging that Epic encouraged customers to purchase the game on different platforms. Apple claimed that this prevented it from collecting the commission it earns on every sale through the App Store, which Epic then accused of being anti-competitive Continue reading →

Regulation, Legal, Apple, Monopolies, Ethics, Antitrust, Entrepreneurship, Silicon Valley

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Some Smartphone Apps Access Users’ Contact Lists

July 15, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Those who have concerns about privacy on smartphones often focus on apps that track users’ internet browsing history or even their movements through GPS. But while such violations of privacy are becoming more well-known to users, many others appear to be unaware that some apps have open access to their contact lists. For instance, therapist Gabriela Buendia was shocked to discover that the payment app Venmo had shared a list of her phone contacts as well as data about everyone Continue reading →

Startups, Marketing, Security, Ethics, Privacy, Entrepreneurship, Data Collection, Social Media, Silicon Valley

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Justice Department Files Antitrust Suit Against Google

October 20, 2020

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Since its founding in 1998, Google has grown into one of the largest companies in history. Last year it earned more than $34 billion from search revenue, an enormous amount that analysts predict will grow to $42.5 billion by 2022. Google’s parent company Alphabet is valued at more than $1 trillion and holds $120 billion in cash reserves. The company’s name has even become synonymous with search as millions of people around the world “google” all sorts of information every Continue reading →

Regulation, Ethics, Competition, Silicon Valley, Monopolies, Google, Antitrust

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media