Posts Tagged: Profit Margin

Helium Crisis

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There’s a severe helium shortage brewing in the U.S., thanks to a 1996 law set by Congress to force the government to sell off its helium reserves at bargain-bin prices. As this video explains, the nonrenewable gas is much more important for products other than balloons! 1. What products use helium? 2. What are the… Read more »

Patagonia: A Vision for Sustainability

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Patagonia started out as a small company that made tools for climbers. The company’s worldwide business still embraces Alpinism remains at its heart, making clothes for climbing – as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running. True to its love for nature, the company’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, launched the company… Read more »

The Price of Transparency in Hospitals

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One of the biggest problems today is that consumers have no way of figuring out how much a particular health care service costs. Unfortunately, a recent Arizona bill to encourage hospitals and doctors to become more transparent about the prices they charge for services was just killed by the state legislature. The bill would have… Read more »

Remember Driver’s Ed? Things have Changed!

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Mercedes-Benz has long been at the forefront of creating safer cars and now they are aiming to create safer drivers. In December 2011, the company opened the its first driving school in the U.S. called Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy. Mercedes has three more in Europe). This school is located on Third Street in downtown Los Angeles…. Read more »

Fed Up with Scorched-Earth Tactics

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A lot of people and companies are upset with Amazon these days. At the end of February, The Educational Development Company (EDC) announced that it would remove all of its titles from the online retailer’s listings because of their predator selling practices. Amazon would buy EDC’s books from a distributor and discount them to the… Read more »

The Economic Downturn Hits J.C. Penney’s Hard

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About 600 employees were laid off at the corporate headquarters of J.C. Penney this week. Under the leadership of the new CEO, Ron Johnson, one of its three call centers in Pittsburgh, PA, will also be closed later this year, which eliminates 300 more jobs. Questions: 1. What type of business is J.C. Penney? Research… Read more »

Is it Really February?

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The warm and sunny weather is raising spirits all over the upper Midwest in January and February, but not for some businesses. Questions: What businesses did the video profile? Can you think of other types of businesses that would be affected, both favorably and unfavorably? Discuss whether you mean in terms of profits, variable costs,… Read more »

Verizon Posts New Numbers

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Verizon Communications on Tuesday reported a net loss of $212 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, despite rising iPhone sales and revenue growth in its wireless business, compared with net income of $4.65 billion in the same quarter a year ago, the company said Tuesday. The loss was primarily because of the impact of… Read more »

First-Class Travel Has Never Been So Good, For Those Who Can Afford It!

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Though first class represents less than 5 percent of all seats flown on long-haul routes, and business class accounts for 15 percent, those seats combined to generate 40 to 50 percent of airlines’ revenue, according to Peter Morris, the chief economist at Ascend, an aviation consulting firm. After its merger with Continental last year, United… Read more »

We Did Everything Right and Still Lost Our Business: Five Failing Businesses in 2011

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It has been another tough year for small businesses. According to the National Federation of Independent Businessesm one in four believes the biggest problem is weak sales. Issues of timing, cash, and a lack of realistic estimates also add to the challenges they face. Questions: 1. After reading the article, what advice would you offer… Read more »