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| Note: The FORTUNE Preview Guide is created in HTML. If you are unable to properly view the cover image, Course Connector, or hyperlinks, please view the online version at http://www.fortuneeducation.com/preview_guides/index.html. |
| COURSE CONNECTOR |
| ARTICLE SUMMARIES AND QUESTIONS |
| "How
Big Can Apple Get?" pp. 66-76: Apple is on an upswing, and Steve Jobs
is enjoying every minute. Twenty years after the introduction of the Macintosh
computer, the multimedia company is enjoying a new burst of energy, thanks
in most part to a slew of innovations, including the iPod, iTunes, iMac,
and iMovie. Hitting an all-time high of nearly $80 a share, Apple's stock
price is triple what it was last year, and the company recently posted
the highest revenues and profits ever in its 28-year history. Sales of
software and related services are likely to reach $1 billion this year.
Innovation has always been the key motivator at Apple, and Jobs is looking
forward to churning out more products and services that will wow both
consumers and competitors alike. Despite Apple's historic ups and downs, the company's perseverance has created an inspiring success story for students in marketing, management, and information technology. Discussion Questions:
"Saving Face at Sony," pp. 79-86: The overwhelming success of portable MPG players – such as Apple's iPod – has put Sony at a surprising disadvantage. Once synonymous with portable music players (more than 340 million Walkmans have been sold since 1979), Sony has found itself far behind the competition. In the 1990s, when online file sharing hit the scene, Sony's proprietary music division balked at producing players that would play illegally downloaded songs, and its cumbersome online music venture with Universal Music Group eventually folded after failing to attract enough users. Banking on the steady success of its PlayStation video game console, Sony expects to release a handheld version in the U.S. this spring, and the company is working on creating interoperability with more services and other companies' devices – perhaps even joining up with Apple and Microsoft. This article helps students understand how failure to innovate has caused problems for the world's biggest consumer-electrics company. Discussion Questions:
"Iran Looks East," pp. 88-95: Iran and China have inked an energy deal that could spell trouble for the United States. In its quest to serve its growing population, China will import more than 270 million tons of natural gas over the next 30 years from Iran. In exchange, Iran will receive about $70 billion in hard currency, creating a win-win situation for the two countries. The U.S., however, has threatened sanctions against countries that invest more than $20 million a year in Iran's oil industry and has imposed penalties on eight Chinese companies it says are exporting high-performance metals to Tehran – materials that could be used to develop long-range missiles. Iran is more concerned about its high unemployment rate, and the deal with China will provide a boost to Iran's economy for a long time to come. This article about the growing relationships between Iran and China will be of interest to students of economics, international relations, and political science. Discussion Questions:
"Greenberg and Sons," pp. 104-114: Maurice "Hank" Greenberg has been CEO of AIG for 37 years and he doesn't show signs of stopping. Greenberg has led the insurance giant to its current mark as the tenth-largest company in the United States, with $81 billion in revenues and a market value of $173 billion. Many insiders attribute AIG's success to Greenberg's unwavering toughness, which has cultivated an atmosphere bordering on fear and crisis. Sons Jeffrey and Evan were not exempt from Greenberg's tough-love style of management, and they eventually quit the company for high-level positions at Marsh & McLennan and ACE Ltd., respectively. Recently, all three men and their companies have been subpoenaed by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for various business-related offenses, and it remains to be seen which Greenberg is tough enough to emerge unscathed. This article is a case study on the dynamics of a family-operated business. Discussion Questions:
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