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MonthlyNewsletter

February2012

Quick Links:

Video IndexAbstract Index

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• How Haagen-Dazs Got Its Start

• Why Kenny Rogers Is a Hit in Asia

VIDEO INDEX

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*ABSTRACT INDEX

• Apple’s Manufacturing Scandal• New Laws Make Unions Easier to Organize• The Rise of the Househusband• Job Interviews—The Google Way• Learning from the Worst Companies in America• Keeping a Close Eye on Customers• An Expensive Experiment at Wendy’s• McDonald’s Flourishes in France• Breaking Franchises into Tiers• CouchSurfing Attracts VC Cash

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• Apple manufactures the iPhone and iPad through Foxconn, a Chinese industrial company.

• Although efficient, Foxconn employees work grueling 12-hour shifts in dangerous working conditions.

• Foxconn employees have engaged in suicide

protests to demand changes to their work environment.

Apple’s Manufacturing Scandal

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• What’s the major problem Apple faces with the situation at Foxconn?

What do you think?

• Should Apple move production back to the United States?

Photo courtesy of Robert Scoble

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• Membership in unions dropped to just 6.9 percent of the working population in 2010 after falling steadily for years.

• New organizing laws prevent employers from

making legal challenges until after a union vote has been counted.

• The law also limits the ability of union leaders to

interfere once a vote has been taken to disband a union.

New Laws Make UnionsEasier to Organize

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• Have labor unions lost their appeal in today’s workplace?

What do you think?

• Does politics play a role in labor/management relations?

Photo courtesy of Fibonacci Blue

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• On average women under 30 make more money than their male counterparts while some 23% of wives outearn their husbands.

• An increasing number of men are retiring early to become stay-at-home dads while their wives pursue careers.

• Seven of the 18 women who are currently CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have or have had househusbands at some point.

The Rise of the Househusband

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• Why are women gaining a dominant position in the workplace?

What do you think?

• Has the workplace become a level playing field for men and women?

Photo courtesy of Project 404

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• With only 1 job available for every 6 applicants, companies face a wider field of candidates than ever before.

• Google uses critical thinking questions and brainteasers in order to learn more concrete job skills from interviews.

• The questions are open ended and strange, but

the interviewer is almost always looking for a certain response gleaned from a small detail.

Job Interviews—The Google Way

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• Why are so many job applicants eager to work for Google?

What do you think?

• What does the use of Google’s unique questioning tell you about the interview process?

Photo courtesy of Aray Chen

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• Facebook recently topped a list of most hated companies in America thanks to privacy issues and constant site redesigns.

• Best Buy made the list after they failed to tell customers until Christmas that some items that they bought online were actually out of stock.

• American Airlines landed at number two on the

list and is in real danger of shuttering after the bankruptcy of its parent company.

Learning from America’sMost Hated Companies

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• As long as they are profitable, should companies be concerned about consumer opinions?

What do you think?

• How do companies maintain customer respect long term?

Photo courtesy of Richard Smith

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• Websites can track what products customers click on and how much time they spend looking at an item’s page.

• Some brick and mortar retailers are trying to

track their customers by running their security video feeds through software.

• One startup called Footpath controversially

tracks a person’s movements within a store using their cellphone signal.

Keeping a Close Eyeon Customers

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• What’s the benefit of retailers tracking consumers’ activities?

What do you think?

• Do companies like RetailNext violate consumer’s privacy?

Photo courtesy of Miki Yoshihito

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• With 92% of its revenues coming from the U.S., Wendy’s is trying to branch out overseas.

• At select locations in Japan, Wendy’s is selling

a $16 hamburger topped with truffles and foie gras, a pricey goose-liver pate.

• Wendy’s hopes the expensive burger will appeal to Japan’s love of fads and experimental business stunts.

An Expensive Experimentat Wendy’s

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• Why does a fast food company like Wendy’s need to have a global presence?

What do you think?

• What do fast food companies have to remember about global markets? Photo courtesy of Tavallai

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• Despite early vocal opposition, McDonald’s more than 1,200 French locations account for its second-most profitable market in the world.

• McDonald’s found a recipe for success when it

introduced French favorites like chevre cheese and macaroons to its menus.

• The company uses electronic ordering kiosks so that employees are free to provide table service to customers.

McDonald’s Flourishesin France

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• McDonald’s succeeded in France by recognizing what key factor?

What do you think?

• Would McDonald’s French model be successful in the United States? Photo courtesy of Erwyn van der Meer

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• With financers harder to come by in today’s economic climate, some companies have split their franchise offerings into differently priced tiers.

• Doc Popcorn gives franchisees 3 investment options: $150,000 for a store, $100,000 for a mall kiosk, or $70,000 for a mobile cart.

• Although cost effective, standardizing smaller or mobile locations can be difficult.

Breaking Franchisesinto Tiers

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• What’s a major risk of the tier system of franchising?

What do you think?

• What’s the advantage of franchising to aspiring business owners?

Photo courtesy of Rusty Clark

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• At CouchSurfing.com, users can connect with people in different cities who offer a free place to for travelers.

• Although CouchSurfing operated as non-profit for years, in 2010 it became a B-corporation after failing to fall into any IRS categories.

• Like many social networks, CouchSurfing has a broad user base but potentially unsustainable revenue streams.

CouchSurfing AttractsVC Cash

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• What’s the primary objective of a venture capital firm?

What do you think?

• How was CouchSurfing able to grow in a competitive market like lodging?

Photo courtesy of Kris Sikes