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| COURSE CONNECTOR |
| ARTICLE SUMMARIES AND QUESTIONS |
| "Microsoft's New Brain," pp.
56-68: Ray Ozzie may be relatively new to Microsoft — he joined the company in spring 2005, when Microsoft bought Ozzie's Groove Networks — but he has quickly become a leader at the software giant. A renowned programmer famous for creating Lotus Notes, Ozzie was a dream hire, according to both chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer. And the duo hasn't wasted any time in cementing Ozzie's importance to the company. Indeed, they've charged him with spearheading a companywide transformation that they hope will put Microsoft back out in front of the tech industry. While the company is still stupendously profitable, its stock price has barely budged since 2002, largely because Wall Street no longer sees Microsoft as a growth business. To compete with investor darlings like Google and Yahoo, Microsoft must learn to think like they do, and once and for all truly harness the power of the Internet. That's where Ozzie comes in. With his background in developing Net-centric collaboration software, he is well qualified for his assignment to intertwine Microsoft's entire product line with the vast and ever-growing power of the Net. Moreover, he can do what Bill Gates no longer can — not
only formulate strategy but also help implement it by working with
the troops. Microsoft has some catching up to do, but with Ozzie on
board, the company isn't out by a long shot. In this article, students evaluate whether software programmer Ray Ozzie has the vision and the acumen to reclaim Microsoft's former glory. Discussion Questions:
"Playing with Pain," pp. 90-104: NBC Sports' Dick Ebersol is one tough character. He survived a deadly plane crash in 2004 that took the life of his 14-year-old son, Teddy. Not five months later, after recuperating from a broken back, three broken ribs and fractures to his coccyx, pelvis and sternum, he brokered a multibillion-dollar deal to bring the NFL back to his beleaguered network. NBC needs all the help it can get. After a decade of dominating primetime, the network now finds itself deeply mired in fourth place behind a resurgent ABC, FOX, and CBS. But NBC has an ambitious comeback plan, and Ebersol's NFL deal has emerged as its centerpiece. In fact, NBC Universal Television Group CEO Jeff Zucker has referred to Sunday Night Football, which this fall will replace ABC's Monday Night Football as the premier primetime football broadcast, as "the cornerstone of rebuilding." If Ebersol is feeling any pressure, he's not showing it. After a career in which he helped create Saturday Night Live, popularized professional wrestling, and produced the past eight Olympic games for NBC, Ebersol exudes a been-there-done-that calm. He expects Sunday Night Football to be in the top dozen or so shows each week, opening the door for other NBC offerings to grab a portion of the audience. It's no wonder he's so confident — with the life and death struggle he's endured, staging a few football games and taking on network rivals is hardly daunting. Students analyze how NBC hopes to reverse its fortunes with new sports programming headed up by television producer and executive Dick Ebersol. Discussion Questions:
"Not Exactly Counterfeit," pp. 108-116: Are those brand-label shoes you're wearing the real deal? Don't be too sure. Now that Western companies are pervasively outsourcing the manufacture of their products to factories overseas, they're entrusting their precious intellectual property — designs, molds, specifications, trade secrets — to hundreds of contractors and subcontractors all over the world. The risky business trend has led to a rapid increase in the number of counterfeits, knockoffs and "third-shift products," unauthorized products made by authorized contractors, on the market. Take the case of New Balance, the Boston-based, high-performance shoe manufacturer. In 1999, the company requested that its Chinese manufacturer and licensed distributor, Horace Chang, halt the production and sale of an inexpensive style of New Balance sneaker known as a "classic." Chang was not pleased; he'd had tremendous success with the classic and anticipated sales to increase. He disregarded the order and continued to produce and sell the shoe, leading New Balance to terminate his contract. That still didn't stop Chang, who persisted in making and marketing New Balance sneakers and even launched a competing sneaker brand with a similar style and logo. Legal proceedings are still pending in the largely corrupt Chinese court system. New Balance's experience stands as a cautionary tale for all companies outsourcing overseas — when it comes to managing the supply chain, you can't be too careful. This article reveals how global outsourcing can lead to intellectual property leaks that threaten a company's reputation and profitability. Discussion Questions:
"Mr. Johnson Goes to Wall Street," pp. 118-124: Robert L. Johnson has a very impressive resume. The founder of the BET cable network, he is the first black majority owner of an American pro sports franchise, the first CEO to take a black-owned company public on the NYSE, and a consummate dealmaker who oversaw a mini-empire encompassing everything from a jazz label to a hotel company to a lottery operation in the Caribbean. Lest one think he has nothing left to prove, five months ago he formed RJL Asset Management, an umbrella under which he plans to assemble what he says will be Wall Street's first black-owned full-scale financial services operation. Wall Street's color barrier has been notoriously difficult to knock down. Minorities presently manage only 2% of America's private investment dollars. Johnson hopes to change that statistic by hiring top black money managers and analysts and rounding up investors from his inimitable network of entertainers, sports stars, and businesspeople. There is one minor detail — Johnson has never managed money, overseen a hedge fund, or operated a bank. That doesn't bother Johnson, who has already begun surrounding himself with well-respected talent from the investment world. If things go his way, as he suspects they will, he will not only create wealth for himself and his investors, but also open wide the doors to Wall Street to a minority community hungry for opportunity. Students take a closer look at the career of businessman Robert L. Johnson and his current plans to shake up Wall Street. Discussion Questions:
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