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Business Case Studies

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Addicted to Cheap Shopping? Why the Real Cost of Goods Keeps Going Down - DVD

Produced -2007

In this program, host Libby Potter travels around the world as she takes a meaningful look at the economics behind the inexpensive goods for sale in big-box stores and malls. Cost-cutting through supply chain management and waste reduction, economies of scale achieved by shipping offshore-manufactured goods to market via super-container ships, the Wal-Mart effect, and the no-frills philosophy of IKEA are addressed. The triumphs and woes of China, in its role as manufacturer for the world, is given special attention, and the clothing industry is presented as a case study of the cheap goods cycle. But the program also considers the hidden societal costs of cheap goods, such as sweatshop labor and the environmental impact of cavalier overconsumption, and questions how much longer prices will continue to drop as China’s standard of living rises. Original BBCW broadcast title: Addicted to Cheap Shopping? (59 minutes)

  • Addicted to Cheap Shopping? Why the Real Cost of Goods Keeps Going Down - DVD $189.99 [Add to Cart]
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Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire - DVD

Produced - 2007

Despite the low-wage, low-prestige reputation of the typical “McJob,” a McDonald’s franchise owner often manages budgets and income in the millions of dollars. This NBC News program looks at the history and working philosophy behind the world’s largest food-service corporation, featuring a number of interviews and concise case studies. Operations manager Tyrone Davis runs six Connecticut restaurants and hopes to become an owner. A once-struggling store in the same state has built newfound profitability on frequent tour bus crowds. And former Four Seasons chef Dan Coudreaut talks about his mid-career move to the McDonald’s test kitchen, while the company’s future in China—and nutrition-conscious America—is also explored. (46 minutes)

  • Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire - DVD $179.00 [Add to Cart]
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Marketplace of Ideas: What Makes a Great Advertisement? - DVD

Released - 2000

Who knows what makes a great advertisement? The judges for the annual Clio Awards do, and in this penetrating two-part series they spell it out. In addition, creatives from some of the world’s best agencies share their knowledge and experience, as they discuss the business of making profitable—and memorable—TV and radio spots, print ads, and posters. 2-part series, 31-32 minutes each.

The Series Includes: Marketplace of Ideas, Volume 1 | Marketplace of Ideas, Volume 2

  • Marketplace of Ideas: What Makes a Great Advertisement? - DVD $299.99 [Add to Cart]
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Should We Be Afraid of Google? - DVD

Produced - 2007

navigates the turbulent and uncharted techno-social currents the company has itself in part created, is Google drifting to the dark side? Is Google the new Big Brother? This program recounts the remarkable story of Google, but with a twist. In addition to detailed background on cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the birth and exponential growth of their company, and the heady experience of working at the Googleplex, Should We Be Afraid of Google? scrutinizes Google Web Search and various other initiatives—AdWords, Google Earth, Google Book Search, and more—within the context of how the aggregation and commoditization of data threatens both personal privacy and the free spread of uncensored information around the world. Commentary is provided by David Vise, author of The Google Story; New York Times tech writer John Markoff; Brad Templeton, president of the Electric Frontier Foundation; and many others. (90 minutes)

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Cola Wars: Message in a Bottle - DVD

Released - 2004

This program examines how brand identity is influenced by consumer perceptions through the struggle between Coca-Cola, icon of American culture, and rivals Qibla Cola and Mecca Cola for market share in Muslim locales. Qibla’s Zafer Iqbal and Mecca’s Tawfiq Mathlouthi tell the story of two opportunistic, politically correct Davids taking on a marketplace Goliath—and each other—while Coke executives share their plan for defense against a commercial threat that is as serious as it is unprecedented. Original BBCW broadcast title: Cola Wars (a.k.a. Message in a Bottle). (51 minutes)

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The 51st State: America’s Working Poor - DVD

Produced - 2007

While poverty has traditionally been a problem only for the unemployed, a new demographic of Americans has emerged—the working poor. This program explores the disturbing realities that many people in low-wage jobs face every day—such as having to decide whether to pay the rent, buy groceries, or see a doctor. Viewers will learn how standards of living are often measured, how suburban areas have fostered a particular type of economic hardship, and how welfare-to-work programs have, at times, led to more resistant poverty. The film also draws connections between America’s immigration challenges and the swelling numbers of working poor. (57 minutes)

  • The 51st State: America’s Working Poor - DVD $179.00 [Add to Cart]
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Buy-ology: The Science of Buying and Selling - DVD

Released - 2001

Americans, as a whole, live in a constant state of acquiring and discarding, collectively spending billions of dollars and innumerable hours on shopping every day of the week. This intriguing two-part series draws on experimental data, anecdotal case studies, and interviews with a wide range of experts to scrutinize why people buy—and how sellers manipulate their desires. Original BBC broadcast series title: Buy-ology. 2-part series, 51 minutes each.

  • Buy-ology: The Science of Buying and Selling - DVD $399.99 [Add to Cart]
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Big Brother, Big Business: The Data-Mining and Surveillance Industries - DVD

Produced - 2007

Digital technology plays an increasingly significant—and, many believe, unethical and intrusive—role in the lives of Americans. This CNBC program examines the rapidly growing data-mining and surveillance industries and brings examples of dubious and hurtful information-sharing to light. Case studies include a man whose cell phone records were acquired by his former employer, a woman whose personal information was stolen from a company she had never heard of, and a man whose rental car company tracked his every move. The documentary also looks at how law enforcement agencies and even schools are using biometric technologies, and at an AOL division that provides members’ personal data to law enforcement. Original CNBC broadcast title: Big Brother, Big Business. (78 minutes)

  • Big Brother, Big Business: The Data-Mining and Surveillance Industries - DVD $179.00 [Add to Cart]
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Business Ethics: A 21st-Century Perspective - DVD

Released - 2000

The globalization of commerce has added new shades of gray to the complex subject of business ethics. In this program, Frank Daly, corporate ethics officer at Northrop Grumman; Thomas White, director of the Center for Ethics and Business at Loyola Marymount University; and David Vogel, of the Haas School of Business, analyze the challenges to making ethical choices in the Information Age. Issues raised include the need for multinationals to agree on a set of core international business values, the impact of ever-shrinking time frames on the decision-making process, and the necessity of secure data transmission. (16 minutes)

  • Business Ethics: A 21st-Century Perspective - DVD $149.99 [Add to Cart]
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NewsHour Medical Ethics and Issues Anthology - DVD

New Release - 2007

A respected source of balanced, first-rate journalism, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer raises urgent and challenging questions whenever it covers the healthcare field. This anthology of NewsHour segments confronts ethical dilemmas and complex issues in medicine today. Through in-depth reporting and interviews with doctors, nurses, patients, and other experts, the anthology examines case studies, scientific breakthroughs, and connections between corporate and public policy.

The episodes are…

  • Rising Healthcare Costs: Susan Dentzer explains a 2007 U.S. healthcare spending report projecting a dramatic rise over the next decade, from $2 trillion to over $4 trillion by 2016.
  • Uninsured Americans: Susan Dentzer analyzes a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau report on the number of uninsured Americans, which has increased by 1.3 million—including 400,000 more children—since 1999.
  • Longevity and Income: Highlighting medical research that links certain health risks with low social status, Paul Solman reports on the connection between what we earn and how long we live.
  • A Plan to Insure Everyone: Susan Dentzer clarifies groundbreaking Massachusetts legislation which would allow 99 percent of individuals in the state to obtain health insurance.
  • Foreign Country Doctors: Fred de Sam Lazaro studies the increase in doctors from overseas working in the U.S. healthcare system—and how American hospitals often can’t manage without them.
  • Medical Mistakes: Up to 98,000 deaths annually can be attributed to errors in U.S. hospitals. Susan Dentzer reports on the 100,000 Lives campaign which aims to prevent those tragedies.
  • Nurses Denied Training: Why are thousands of would-be nurses denied affordable training at community colleges while America’s healthcare providers, facing a shortage, import nurses from abroad? John Merrow investigates.
  • Caregivers Struggle with Alzheimer’s: Susan Dentzer looks at the growing number of patients stricken with Alzheimer’s disease and the emotional, physical, and financial burdens placed on their loved ones.
  • Restructuring the ER: Studies show that more than half the nation’s emergency rooms are so overcrowded that they frequently turn patients away. Susan Dentzer sheds light on this critical situation.
  • Risk of Hospital Infections: Ray Suarez interviews Dr. Richard Shannon of the University of Pennsylvania about an alarming statistic: approximately 100,000 Americans die each year from infections acquired in hospitals.
  • Changing Face of AIDS: Joined by activists and health professionals from the U.S. and Africa, Ray Suarez moderates a roundtable on AIDS policy.
  • Conducting Drug Research in India: Fred de Sam Lazaro visits India, exploring the controversial decision by many pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical trials there.
  • Debating Drug Company Gifts: Gwen Ifill and two experts discuss a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Big Pharma marketing tactics—and their effects on patients.
  • Drug Safety: Margaret Warner interviews FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach about administrative changes designed to improve oversight of prescription drugs.
  • Mandatory Cervical Cancer Vaccine Debate: After a background report from Susan Dentzer on the human papilloma virus, two guests debate mandatory HPV vaccinations for school-age girls.
  • Pricing Drugs: Ray Suarez focuses on efforts by states to make prescription drugs more affordable. His guests are Marjorie Powell of PHARMA and Kevin Concannon, director of the Iowa Department of Human Services.
  • Assisted Suicide: A Case Study: Lee Hochberg guides viewers through the U.S. Supreme Court case concerning Oregon’s assisted suicide law; Margaret Warner interviews doctors and activists regarding the controversy.
  • Embryonic Stem Cell Tests: Susan Dentzer studies two new techniques for creating stem cells and the ethical and religious concerns surrounding them.

DVD, 2 hours 48 minutes.

  • NewsHour Medical Ethics and Issues Anthology - DVD $299.99 [Add to Cart]
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Ad Infinitum: The Many Paths into Advertising - DVD

Released - 2006

What kind of person goes into advertising? How do you break in? And what does it take to succeed once you get there? This program goes to New York City-based Euro RSCG, one of the world’s largest ad agencies, to find out. Shoot-from-the-hip candid, a mixed group of recent hires and award-winning professionals—account executives, an art director, creative directors, executive creative directors, and the director of human resources—tell their stories to founding partner Tom Messner in a way that is as intriguing as it is informative. Ideal for helping students decide if a career in advertising is right for them—and for providing insight into the operation of an award-winning advertising shop. (60 minutes)

  • Ad Infinitum: The Many Paths into Advertising - DVD $149.99 [Add to Cart]
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Food Packaging - DVD

Released - 2002

Using a clever news report approach, this program addresses three important topics: packaging materials and their function, safety, and design; innovation in packaging techniques; and environmental issues involving packaging, with an emphasis on plastics. Experts from Heinz and Cryovac, among others, discuss packaging development while making sense of key industry terms such as modified atmosphere and active and aseptic packaging. (31 minutes)

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The Wharton Management Development Series - Video

Produced - 1995

No one knows business like The Wharton School, one of the top B-schools in the nation. In this timeless four-part executive education series, Wharton faculty members and senior executives from companies both large and small share their knowledge of how to achieve total competitive advantage. On-screen topic outlines and diagrams enhance this potent resource. 4-part series, 46-64 minutes each.

The Series Includes : Achieving Competitive Advantage: Managing for Organizational Effectiveness | Creating Customer Value: The Essentials of Marketing | Achieving Competitive Advantage: Neutralizing Competition | Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager

  • The Wharton Management Development Series - Video $399.99 [Add to Cart]
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Jack Welch: Icon of Leadership - DVD

Released - 2001

This program, guest-hosted by CNBC’s Stuart Varney, profiles Jack Welch, dubbed Most Admired CEO of the Century by Forbes and lauded by Fortune as “perhaps the most admired CEO of his generation.” General Electric’s former chairman and CEO shares his commonsense philosophy and the leadership initiatives that transformed GE and revolutionized the world of business. In addition, MBA students and faculty from the University of Michigan Business School ask questions about the difference between creating an edge and creating fear, whether the GE leadership model can be transferred to governmental agencies, and Welch’s worst professional decision. (58 minutes)

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Asian Values Devalued - DVD

Released - 1998

As the tiger economies of East Asia turned from boom to bust in the 1990s, the general public was amazed, yet many economists nodded their heads knowingly. This program focuses on the plights of Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, where nepotism, cronyism, corruption, suppression, and the exploitation of cheap foreign labor brought about a financial crisis of enormous proportions. These regions grew too quickly without proper controls and economic safeguards, which has left the middle and lower classes, who are crushed by inflation and unemployment, to pay the bill. Experts agree that East Asia will survive, eventually recover, and probably surpass itself, but at a staggering cost in money and human misery. This program is an excellent exposé that reveals why the bubble burst. (39 minutes)