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Intro to Business News is South-Western's service to provide summaries of the latest Business news stories. Review the brief summaries and, for stories of interest, select the full summary. |
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| Title | Brief Summary |
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Starbucks Corp., the poster child of green business admired by consumers and social activists alike, faces a brewing controversy in China where it currently operates over 200 coffee shops. (Updated April 2007) |
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Cold Stone Creamery's vision is to be the No.1 selling ice cream in America by 2010. In light of the company's rapid international expansion, the franchise may need to revise its vision to read "No.1 selling ice cream in the world." (Updated February 2007) |
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South by Southwest Music Conference (SXSW) began in 1987 as a concert series for obscure indie-rock bands from Austin, Texas. Twenty years on, the music-biz trade conference has become the largest of its kind, attracting bands, record companies, and audiences from around the world. (Updated May 2006) |
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Globalization, and the technology that fueled it, promised workers a higher quality of life and the easing back of job-related stresses. Unfortunately, technological developments of recent years have increased burdens on workers and led to the creation of the 24-hour workday. (Updated February 2006) |
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In spite of opposition from anti-globalization groups, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been approved by the U.S. Congress and awaits only a presidential signature to go into effect. What will the new free-trade agreement mean for American businesses? (Updated September 2005) |
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Despite France's veto of the EU's first constitution and the plummet of the euro that followed in its wake, the economic relationship between the European Union and the United States remains strong and vital to the global economy. (Updated August 2005) |
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This article describes the recent trend of offering coffee with a "fair trade certified" label, proof that the company paid a living wage to the growers and this acted in a socially responsible manner. This latest example of politically correct labels begs the question of whether such labels are helpful and wise. (Updated May 2004) |
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This article contrasts two views about outsourcing jobs to foreign countries. On one hand, critics argue that the outsourcing trend is increasingly targeting high-skilled jobs, previously the dominion of the U.S. workforce. Proponents contend that the U.S. true competitive advantage lies not in services, but in innovation. (Updated November 2003) |
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This article discusses the reasons for an increasing number of companies to outsource their technology R&D to vendors in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The article also discusses some risks of outsourcing in general and how companies address these risks with "offshoring," that is, direct foreign investments. (Updated November 2003) |
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The article provides a summary of the recently published Census data on the Hispanic population in the USA. With 38.8 million people, the Hispanic population has become the largest minority group in the United States. The growth has impacted many facets of our life, from product offerings to advertising, from music to movies, from sports to politics. It also has increased frictions between the different ethnic groups. (Updated November 2003) |
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Work life balance has become an important factor for both employer and employee. This article examines two approaches, the American and European, and provides students an opportunity to reflect on the potential impact each has on business. (Updated November 2003) |
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This article provides a glimpse at the difficulties of lowering trade barriers, even after signing a free trade agreement like NAFTA. In 2000, Mexico accused U.S. producers of dumping beef and white long-grain rice (i.e. selling them below production cost) and charged U.S. producers with import duties. The U.S. is accusing Mexico of unfairly restricting agricultural imports from the U.S. (Updated November 2003) |
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