How should a positive, upbeat culture handle the inevitable disappointments and tragedies that happen in any company, from the need to terminate low performers to the death of an employee.
> What factors are expected to contribute to the projected long-term growth of this industry?
> Do laws and regulations always restrict or impede the efforts of business professionals, or can they actually help businesses? Explain your answer.
> What is the typical starting position for many people in the securities industry?
> What are the licensing and continuing education requirements for securities brokers?
> What kinds of employers hire people for this position? According to your research, does the number of employers seem to be increasing or decreasing? How do you think this trend will affect your employment possibilities if you choose this career?
> What skills and educational qualifications would you need to enter this occupation? How do these qualifications fit with your current plans, skills, and interests?
> What are the day-to-day duties of this occupation? How would these duties contribute to the financial success of a company?
> What kinds of employers hire people for this position? According to your research, does the number of employees seem to be increasing or decreasing? How do you think this trend will affect your employment possibilities if you choose to enter this career?
> What skills and qualifications would you need to enter this occupation? How do these qualifications fit with your current plans, skills, and interests?
> What are the day-to-day duties of this occupation? How would these duties contribute to the financial success of a company?
> What training and qualifications should a marketing manager have?
> What does a marketing manager do?
> If individual accountability is an essential element of professionalism, why is it also important to be an effective team player? Explain your answer.
> Find two openings in the field you are researching. What educational background, work experience, and other qualifications are employers seeking in candidates for this position?
> Select a specific marketing job that interests you, and use the sites just mentioned to find out more about this career path. What specific duties and responsibilities do people in this position typically handle?
> If Apply temporarily can’t meet demand for a product, should it raise the price to bring supply and demand into balance? Why or why not?
> If consumers are willing to wait weeks or months for the latest iPhone, why does Apple need to worry about producing enough phones to meet immediate demand?
> Are programs that help specific groups of entrepreneurs, such as the SBA program that helps minority- and woman-owned businesses, fair to those who don’t qualify? Explain your answer.
> If your personal credit is shaky at the moment and you don’t have a lot of cash to invest in a new business, what steps could you take to get a new company going?
> Would Yolanda Diaz have been as successful if she had started her company right out of college, rather than waiting until she’d had a decade of corporate experience? Why or why not?
> Could a publicly owned, for-profit bank that truly espoused a customer-first approach successfully compete against both Alliant and other banks? Why or why not?
> Why might customers of big banks be reluctant to move to a credit union?
> Why do you suppose accounting regulations require companies to report paper losses or gains from futures contracts in their financial statements?
> Discuss the role of business in protecting the natural environment, and define sustainable development. (1) Should all industries be required to meet the same levels of pollution control? Why or why not? (2) How would you respond to critics who say that
> List three steps you can take to help you make the leap from consumer to business professional. (1) How can consumer experiences help a business professional excel on the job? (2) If organized businesses didn’t exist and the economy was composed of indiv
> If speculators are barred from investing in futures contracts, how will that change Chesapeake’s approach to financial management? (Assume that natural gas distributors and other major customers would still be able to engage in futures contracts from a c
> As Visa continues to explore growth opportunities, should it consider becoming a lender by issuing cards itself or lending money to banks that issue cards? Why or why not?
> Could Visa have accomplished its funding goals through short-term or long-term debt financing instead? Why or why not?
> How might Visa executives use scenario planning in the budgeting process?
> Over the course of a recent six-month period, Google’s current ratio increased from 8.77 to 11.91. Does this make Google more or less of a credit risk in the eyes of potential lenders? Why?
> Google recently had a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Microsoft, one of its key competitors, had a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. From a bank’s point of view, which of the two companies is a more attractive loan candidate, based on this ratio? Why?
> Given the eventual need for rigorous financial management, should every company have extensive cost controls in place from the first moment of operation? Explain your answer.
> Consumers can be a fickle lot, quickly abandoning a brand if the company behind it stumbles or something new catches their attention. Is it risky for GoPro to rely on social media so heavily? Should it invest more heavily in conventional advertising to g
> GoPro introduced its first camera in 2004, the same year that Facebook was launched. Given the role social media has played in GoPro’s success, was it a waste of time and energy for Woodman and his team to spend so much time trying to get their products
> Could a company that just introduced an amazing audio product, say a tiny music player with audiophile-quality sound, hope to replicate the social media success that GoPro has enjoyed? Why or why not?
> Define corporate social responsibility (CSR), and explain the difference between philanthropy and strategic CSR. (1) Given that “society” is not an organized entity, how can society decide what the responsibilities of business are in a CSR context? (2) I
> If Costco can’t find enough land in a particular location to build its usual store format, should it leverage the Costco brand name anyway and build something smaller, such as conventional department stores or grocery stores, in these areas? Why or why n
> Costco’s online sales are growing, but even the company itself says its online presence will never be as fancy as Amazon’s. Should the company’s online presence be an extension of the brick-and-mortar stores, or should it try to compete more directly wit
> If customers repeatedly ask Costco to carry certain items that the company thinks are outside its price/quality “comfort zone” (because they’re too expensive or not of high enough quality), should it give in and carry the items? Why or why not?
> Explain how the brand extension efforts in clothing and financial advice can reasonably fit under the umbrella of the Annika brand.
> Sorenstam’s charitable efforts include the Annika Foundation, which you can read about on her website. How does her work with the foundation contribute to her brand equity?
> Golfers who take lessons and purchase other services from the Annika Academy presumably share at least some of Sorenstam’s passion for winning. Would toning down the competitive aspect of Sorenstam’s public persona negatively affect the Annika brand in t
> How could meeting small groups of women in their homes to talk about pants possibly be an efficient communication strategy?
> If Red Ants Pants had investors looking for a quick return, how might that influence Calhoun’s decision to continue functioning as her own retail channel, rather than going through established retailers?
> How might Calhoun’s decision to keep production in the United States help solidify her market position in the minds of her target customers?
> Is it economically healthy for the United States when individual states compete against one another to attract companies, as Washington and South Carolina have done in the case of Boeing, for example? Why or why not?
> If a manager does nothing in response to a particular type of employee behavior that the company wants to encourage, is this an instance of reinforcement? Why or why not?
> Would it be fair to the residents of Washington state for Boeing to get nearly $9 billion in tax breaks–money that could have been used for schools, roads, and other public needs? Why or why not?
> Some union members criticized Washington governor Jay Inslee and the state’s U.S. Senator Patty Murray for their role in brokering the contract presented to the IAM. Is this a fair criticism? Why or why not?
> What are the potential risks of emphasizing personality, particularly offbeat personality, in the recruiting process?
> Not all potentially good employees have a bubbly, goofy personality of the type that Zappos likes to attract. Would it be wise for the company to reject a candidate solely on the basis of a shy, introverted personality? Would it be discriminatory to do s
> What are the potential disadvantages, from the company’s point of view, of giving employees this much flexibility?
> How can managers determine whether a Deloitte employee is working at a decelerated pace in the career customization model or simply isn’t working very hard?
> How might Deloitte’s lattice approach help motivate employees and improve job satisfaction and performance?
> Wooden musical instruments have been carved by hand for hundreds of years. Why wouldn’t Kiesel want to continue this tradition?
> Watch some of the video on Kiesel’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/carvinguitars. How might this information help convince potential buyers to consider Kiesel or Carvin guitars?
> Discuss the strategic choices that must be considered before entering international markets. (1) If a multidomestic approach gives local managers the most flexibility for responding to local market conditions, why wouldn’t every international company use
> If Kiesel experienced an increase in orders from its website over a period of two weeks, should it expand its production capacity to make sure it can handle increased demand in the future? Why or why not?
> How could Cemex use Shift to recruit new employees?
> Should Cemex open Shift up to business partners and customers, in addition to employees? Why or why not? If it did, what factors would the company have to consider first?
> Why might it be difficult to implement a system like Shift in a well-established company such as Cemex?
> How does low employee turnover contribute to the distinct and positive corporate culture at Wegmans?
> Would the Wegmans approach work for a car dealer? A bookstore? A manufacturer of industrial goods? Explain your answers.
> Wegmans has always been managed by members of the Wegman family. Do you think the company could continue its winning ways if the next generation doesn’t want to take over, forcing the company to hire someone from outside the family as CEO? Explain your a
> Would opening their own retail stores be a risky decision for Sister Sky? How would this change the company’s business model?
> Should Simeon and TurningRobe consider lowering their ingredient costs by switching to petroleum-based ingredients or stopping their use of pure distilled water? Why or why not?
> Which of the qualities of successful entrepreneurs have Simeon and TurningRobe demonstrated?
> Define the major forms of international business activity. (1) Can a company successfully export to other countries without having staff and facilities in those countries? Why or why not? (2) Why does so much foreign direct investment take place between
> Assume you’re a Cisco executive leading the effort to acquire a small software company. The company is interested because it needs more resources to keep growing, but the founders are leaning toward an offer of a 50/50 merger with another small software
> Would a hostile takeover be a good move for Cisco, given its approach to acquisitions? Why or why not?
> In today’s global economy, why do you suppose Cisco puts so much emphasis on the location of potential acquisition targets?
> Is it ethical for NGOs to put pressure on just one company in an industry when they are trying to effect change across the entire industry, given that responding to that pressure is likely to cost that one company more than its competitors?
> How does Mark Parker’s phrase “sustainable business” relate to sustainable manufacturing?
> This chapter covers three factors that influence ethical decisions: cultural differences, knowledge, and organizational behavior. How have these factors shaped Nike’s CSR actions over the past two decades?
> H&M’s growth, including its international expansion, is entirely self-funded (meaning it doesn’t borrow money to launch new stores). How might this influence to company’s decision-making and expansion efforts?
> Would H&M have been able to succeed with its consistent global strategy in the days before mass media and digital communications? Explain your answer.
> Some companies play up their home-country roots as they expand internationally, such as the way BMW and Mercedes emphasize their German engineering. Should H&M promote some aspect of its “Swedishness?” Why or why not?
> Apple is famously secretive about the details of upcoming product launches, leaving consumers and industry insiders to speculate on the features and functions of new models. What effect might this have on demand?
> Discuss the importance of understanding cultural and legal differences in the global business environment. (1) What steps could you take to help someone from another country adapt to U.S. business culture? (2) How can you convey respect for another perso
> Define reinforcement theory, and differentiate between positive and negative reinforcement. (1) Is demoting an employee for failing to finish a project an attempt at negative reinforcement or punishment? Why? (2) In what ways is reinforcement theory simi
> Describe the job characteristics model, and explain how it helps predict motivation and performance. (1) Can the job characteristics model be used to motivate employees in such positions as janitors or security guards in a factory? How? (2) Is modifying
> Identify the strengths and weaknesses of goal-setting theory. (1) Why is collaboration between employee and manager essential to goal setting in MBO? (2) How can overly narrow goals and overly challenging goals contribute to ethical lapses?
> Explain why many consider expectancy theory to be the best current explanation of employee motivation. What steps could managers take to alleviate the self-doubt employees often feel when they join a company or move into a new position?
> Define motivation, and identify the classical motivation theories. (1) How could a manager tap into the drive to defend as a way to help rally employees? (2) Could Herzberg’s hygiene factors help explain the significant problem of employee theft and embe
> Define quality, explain the challenges of quality and product complexity, and identify four major tools and strategies for ensuring product quality. (1) How significant is the role of software in product quality today? (2) How can process simplicity
> Explain the unique challenges of service delivery. (1) How can technology help some service businesses address the challenge of scalability? (2) If customers are paying for a service, why should they ever have to share in the responsibility of ensuring q
> Identify the major planning decisions in production and operations management. (1) Why is it essential to identify tasks in the critical path of a project? (2) How does mass customization help a company balance productivity and customer satisfaction?
> Define supply chain management, and explain its strategic importance. (1) Why can’t companies just stockpile huge inventories of all the parts and materials they need rather than carefully manage supply from one day to the next? (2) Why would a company i
> Describe the value chain and value web concepts, and discuss the controversy over offshoring. Do U.S. companies have an obligation to keep jobs in the United States? Why or why not?
> Identify the major organizations that facilitate international trade and the major trading blocs around the world. (1) Why do trade disputes sometimes take years to resolve? (2) If a country currently benefits from high tariffs on imports, why might it c
> Explain the systems perspective, and identify seven principles of systems thinking that can improve your skills as a manager. (1) Why are leverage points in a system so critical to understand? (2) Why should a manager in marketing care about systems in t
> Explain the concept of an unstructured organization, and identify the major benefits and challenges of taking this approach. (1) “Unstructured” organization is something of a contradiction in terms; are such companies still “organized” if they have no pe
> Review the five stages of team development, and explain why conflict can arise in team settings. (1) How can a team leader know when to step in when conflict arises and when to step back and let the issue work itself out? (2) What are the risks of not gi
> Highlight the advantages and disadvantages of working in teams, and list the characteristics of effective teams. (1) Is groupthink similar to peer pressure? Why or why not? (2) Is supporting a group decision you don’t completely agree with always a case
> Explain how a team differs from a group, and describe the six most common forms of teams. (1) How might the work of a task force or committee disrupt the normal chain of command in an organization? (2) Should new hires with no business experience be assi
> Define four major types of organization structure. (1) Should The Container Store use the same organization structure in each of its stores around the country? Why or why not? (2) Why does a matrix structure create potential problems in the chain of comm
> Explain the major decisions needed to design an organization structure. (1) What are the risks of a poorly designed organization structure? (2) How does a flat structure change the responsibilities of individual managers?
> Identify and explain four important types of managerial skills. (1) Why is trust a vital aspect of a manager’s interpersonal skills? (2) What are the risks of poorly defining problems or opportunities prior to making decisions?
> Describe the controlling function, and explain the four steps in the control cycle. (1) Why is it important to meet the needs of internal customers? (2) Is lowering performance standards in response to a failure to meet those standards necessarily a sign
> Describe the leading function, leadership style, and organizational culture. (1) Are management and leadership the same thing? If not, why not? (2) Can a single individual be an autocratic, a democratic, and a laissez-faire leader? Why or why not?
