Jobs report shows increase of 517,000 in January, crushing estimates, as unemployment rate hit 53-year low

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Marketing Research, Metrics/Analytics, Retail Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: The employment picture started off 2023 on a stunningly strong note, with nonfarm payrolls posting their biggest gain since July 2022. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Feb 03, 2023 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/03/jobs-report-january-2023-.html Questions for discussion: Where were the main growth areas for employment? What does this say about how the economy is recovering from… Read more »

How a Drug Company Made $114 Billion by Gaming the U.S. Patent System

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Strategy, Pricing, Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: AbbVie for years delayed competition for its blockbuster drug Humira, at the expense of patients and taxpayers. The monopoly is about to end. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Jan 28, 2023 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/business/humira-abbvie-monopoly.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues related to how businesses, governments, insurance companies and consumers are connected to the drug Humira. Is this… Read more »

Nest smart thermostat co-founder is back with a new device for the home, focused on food

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Marketing Strategy, Pricing, Relationship Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: Matt Rogers has always liked to look at areas that are overlooked. Before he left Apple to start smart device company Nest Labs in 2010, for instance, no one thought twice about their home thermostat and took its technology for granted. Nest’s smart thermostat, which allows users to control their home’s heating from an app on their… Read more »

How the secret $40 billion food fraud market works

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Description: The food in your kitchen cabinets may not be what it seems. Fraudsters motivated by economic gain secretly infiltrate the global food market through a variety of means, including counterfeits, dilutions, substitution and mislabeling, according to the Global Food Safety Initiative. This not only adds to your food bill, but can put your health… Read more »

Shopify’s (SHOP) Commerce Components to Attract Merchants

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Description: Shopify SHOP recently announced the launch of its new solution — Commerce Components — which is a composable stack for enterprise retail. The solution will allow retailers to integrate the components of Shopify with their systems. Source: Yahoo.Finance.com Date: Jan 04, 2023 Link: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/shopifys-shop-commerce-components-attract-150303128.html Questions for discussion: What are the marketing related developments recently announced… Read more »

Lululemon drops most since 2020 on inventory, profit woes

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Description: Lululemon Athletica Inc. shares fell the most since the start of the pandemic after lower-than-expected profitability raised concerns about a pileup of inventory and the yogawear maker’s full-year sales forecast disappointed Wall Street. Source: BNNBloomberg.ca – video report Date: Dec 09, 2022 Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/lululemon-drops-most-since-2020-on-inventory-profit-woes-1.1856893 Questions for discussion: According to the report, what are the… Read more »

Tim Cook says Apple will use chips built in the U.S. at Arizona factory

Posted by & filed under Global Marketing, Product Brands and Branding, Supply Chain.

Description: CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Apple will buy U.S.-made microchips at an event in Arizona on Tuesday, where President Joe Biden also spoke. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Dec 06, 2022 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/06/tim-cook-says-apple-will-use-chips-built-in-the-us-at-arizona-factory.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail Questions for discussion: Why is Apple doing this? What are the implications for future global supply channels? What does this… Read more »

In Winning a Grueling Legal Battle, Figs’s Founders Found Power in Optimism

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Description: The medical scrubs company won a four-year legal battle with legacy competitor SPI. Why the co-founders wouldn’t settle, despite the high cost of litigation. Source: INC.com Date: Nov 21, 2022 Link: https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/figs-trina-spear-heather-hasson-lawsuit.html?utm_source=newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=IncThisMorning-Nov%2021,%202022&leadId=261346&mkt_tok=NjEwLUxFRS04NzIAAAGIPkvuhstFy9fqhJaoUlo60HSq6fQvSq5xW9IDbIquKz2K69IoNnZjDwvStpUE_n7aWTtTXMvQrnNycBoNVrqso5Fjrs83wp9Qeb7uqA Questions for discussion: What does this report say about the use of legal tactics to undermine competition? Do you think the use… Read more »

Canada’s battery supply credibility jumps as multi-billion announcements keep coming

Posted by & filed under Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Marketing Strategy, Supply Chain.

Description: Federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne is selling Canada’s battery-supply chain prowess in Asia again this week, but this time he has a new boast in his back pocket. Research firm BloombergNEF pushed Canada’s position in its annual global ranking of battery-producing countries ahead of everyone else but China. Source: BNNBloomberg.ca Date: Nov 22, 2022… Read more »

When Does Collaboration Become Collusion?

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Description: Adhering to antitrust regulation while negotiating collective sustainability targets is proving tougher to navigate for some in the fashion industry. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Nov 07, 2022 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/07/fashion/fashion-industry-antitrust-sustainability.html Questions for discussion: What are the issues facing the fashion industry as it attempts to become more efficient and eliminate waste? What are the marketing implications… Read more »