Read the article entitled "Earnings, Economy, Here Comes Terrible", and answer the following questions:

• The government has already dumped a massive $750 billion in the form of a corporate bailout (aka corporate welfare) last quarter (Fall 2008), claiming that if they [the government] did not bail out these companies, then the economy would fail.  Based on this article, has the bailout worked?  Is it still to soon to tell?  Will another bailout work?  Explain.
• Here is more evidence that given the choice to do the right thing, most people won't.  Read how corporate executive John Thain spent $1.2 million of our taxpayer dollars that his company was given as part of the corporate bailout on redecorating his office.  Based on this, does any report of economic disaster warrant a corporate bailout?  Explain.

Your initial post is due by Sunday, 1/25/09, and you response post to at least one other post is due by Thursday, 1/29/09.

In observance and honor of this unprecedented historic presidential election and inauguration of the first African American to be elected and sworn in as our 44th president of the United States, I am doing something a bit different for this week's blog.

There is no article to read and comment on this week.  Instead, I would like you to tell me what this historic presidential election and our having the first African-American president means to you. 

President Obama (as of 1/20/2009) did not become President of the United States because he is black, but he achieved this amazing victory despite his race.  So what characteristics did Obama possess to put him in the White House?

And lastly, putting the person aside, what does an Obama presidency mean to you in terms of opportunity, the economy, and public and fiscal policy.

Please read the article entitled Managing Through a Crisis: The New Rules (BusinessWeek.  Emily Thornton.  January 8, 2009), and answer the following questions:

1. Do you feel that there are opportunities in this current market crisis as there were in market's past?  Explain.
2. Do you feel that innovation is a) as important or b) more important today than in past years?  Explain.

Read the article Obama Readies Push on Recovery Plan (Sahadi.  CNN.  1/5/2009) and answer the following questions:

1. How necessary is this plan to our current economic condition?

2. What part do you feel is the most important? Explain?

Post for Week #4 (10/26-11/1/2008)

Please read the article entitled "Finding the Right Franchise" by Marcia Wade (Black Enterprise, 2008) Answer the following questions.  Your initial post and response to at leat one student is due by Sunday, November 2, 2008.

1. Why is money only one of many factors when considering a franchise?
2. What other factors (besides those listed in the article) are important to consider to determine if a franchise is right for a person?

Please read this week's article entitled "A Legal Scramble Over Egg Prices" by clicking on the title.  Your initial post and response to at least one other student post is due by Sunday, 26 Oct 2008, by 11.59PM CST.

Be sure to address the following questions:

• What are the implications of restricting supply to fix pricing?  (Think about oil and other necessities).
• Is there ever a good reason to restrict supply?

Please read the article entitled MySpace Woos Small Business Ads (Heather Green.  BusinessWeek.com.  October 12, 2008).

• Do you think this will work?  Why or why not?
• How do you think the competitor Google will affect this new endeavor by MySpace? 

Please respond to this initial post and also one other blogger post by Saturday, Oct. 18. 2008. 

Please also remember that once you hit submit, your post will need to be approved by me, so only hit submit once as it may take a day for it to post once approved.  Thanks.

Dear students and companion bloggers:

To post a blog, click on "Post Comment" under the appropriate blog post.  It is important that you click on "post blog" right under the blog post that you wish to respond to.  

Once you click on this comment link, you will be brought to the blog window. It is important that you type your first and last name as well as your rasmussen email address as part of posting your blog.  This is especially important for my students as if I do not know you you are, then I cannot give you credit for your post.  Once you fill in the three fields; Name, Email, Message, you then enter the text shown in the text box.  You then hit submit.

Your blog will not show up right away, as it has to be approved my me.  I am going to check into see if there is a way for your blog to be posted in real time as soon as you hit "submit"; but in the meantime, your post will not show until I approve your comment.

To my students specifically:  When you respond to another student, you follow the same steps as posting to my blog as there is not a "sub-post" which would cause your comment to fall underneath the post of the student whom you are responding to.  Because of the way this posting system works, when responding to a fellow poster (student or other), please open your post by stating "In response to {first name last name}'s post: and then state your response.

Again, this is a brand new pilot project that I am incorporating into my business classes, so I appreciate your bearing with me as I work to refine and improve this process.  For you seasoned bloggers who are seasoned at posting to this site, please feel free to post any helpful feedback and suggestions to make this process more efficient and effective.

As always, please feel free to email me with questions at Matt.Gargano@rasmussen.edu.

Thanks!

With regards,

Matt

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

This blog is open to all students, faculty, and staff.  I welcome and encourage a lively (and respectful) discussion of our current business issues!

To my business students:  You are required to complete this post as part of your week #1 assignments.  Please read the article (via the link by clicking on the article title) and make an initial post (responding to my questions) by Sunday, 12 October 2008 11.59PM (CST), and respond to at least two posts by Wednesday, 15 October 2008 (11.59PM CST).

Please read the article entitled Tough Day for Stocks (Alexandra Twin, CNNMoney.com senior writer, October 6, 2008) and answer the following questions for discussion:

• Based on the article, why do you think the market reacted the way it did based on Congress approving the $700 Billion bailout?
• At one point yesterday, the dow was down by 800 points and eventually rallied to close at under 300 points.  Please explain this market reaction.
• There are similarities between the way the market reacted last week when the bailout was not approved; and this week, based on Friday's approval of the bailout.  What factors account for these similarities?
• According to the reading "A CNN/Opinion Research poll showed that nearly 60% of Americans think a depression is likely".  Do you agree or disagree.  Please explain.

Please visit the article “At Freddie Mac, Chief Discarded Warning Signs” (Duhigg.  2008) and answer the following questions to spark a lively debate:

• The article reads “Richard F. Syron, the chief executive of Freddie Mac, says he had to balance the demands of shareholders and Congress.” (Duhigg.  2008)  Do you think this is an acceptable (and plausible) response in this situation?  Explain.
• Should Freddie Mac have been bailed out by the taxpayers?  Was the concept of “moral hazard” (look this concept up as it is not in the article) applied fairly?  Explain.
• Should CEO’s be held more accountable?  Explain.

Let me know what you think.