Amazon
What principle is Amazon built on?
Customer Satisfaction.
What is S.W.O.T?
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
S.W.O.T. analysis is a strategic tool used to identify and assess an organization/company's internal (S.W.) and external (O.T.).
Who is Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" about?
Drake
A Disney princess sings with animals while also becoming the first superhero in a cinematic universe.
Cinderella Man
What opens only twice a year?
Van Winkle Gates
How do the policies described in the case serve to motivate the people developing software for Amazon?
a. Software developers compare themselves to very capable and hard working peers (“brilliant teammates”)
b. Amazon’s unique culture translated into their software development process, requiring developers to write a press release and list of potential questions for the product they envisioned before developing it.
c. Nevertheless, working at Amazon is a challenge. One can learn much by working at Amazon. Successful software developers have overcome a challenge—“you can work long, hard, or smart but … (you) can’t chose two out of three.” .
d. Developers feel they are doing meaningful work— “implementing for a quarter billiom customers”, “creating history”.
e. Managers are obsessed with the job (midnight emails, Bezos “nutters”).” Staff members share the belief they are doing something worthwhile.
What is the core concept of a business?
Find and validate and unmet need....make profit!!!
In 2023, this rapper made history as the artist with the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 among rappers, surpassing legends like Jay-Z and Eminem.
Who is Drake?
A shark terrorizes beachgoers, but it’s okay because a toy cowboy and spaceman come to the rescue.
Jaws Story
Who is the President of Brown?
Cpax :D
What is the bell curve approach?
This is based on the idea that workers’ performances will follow a bell curve, with always some low performers, who should be terminated. In short, managers are expected to select some staff members each year for termination.
What are the 4P's of Marketing?
Product, price, place, and promotion
This artist is known as the youngest solo act to win all four major Grammy categories: Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, which she accomplished at 18.
A group of dinosaurs learn the art of singing and dancing in high school.
Jurassic Musical
What should you never step on?
Pembroke Seal!
In what ways are the policies harmful to Amazon? Turnover is high—“second highest among Fortune 500 Companies..median tenure of one year”.
a. Hiring is difficult for Amazon and the company is expanding. Hiring will be especially difficult when new facilities are built in smaller cities with a smaller pool of tech talent.
b. Maintaining project momentum must be difficult with a high turnover.
c. Company is less attractive to women. Very few women across their leadership teams and unsupportive culture around raising families. Hiring process is costly—much of the cost is wasted if people leave quickly.
What is EQ vs IQ?
EQ: ability to understand, manage, and navigate emotions...focusing on emotional and interpersonal skills
IQ: emphasizes technical and cognitive skills in the business world
What is the best-selling album of all time?
Thriller, Micheal Jackson
A little fish gets lost, and his dad enlists the help of a masked vigilante who fights crime at night.
Finding Batman
What year was Brown founded?
1764
What are specific actions that Amazon can take to create a culture that is both high performance and sustainable in the long run.
a. Hard question and most managers find it difficult to deal with. People who play sports and have dealt with a coach should understand the problem.
b. One approach to making the place more humane is simply to set limits—for example, no emails or calls after 9:00 PM. No required meetings after 5:00 PM, and so forth. Managers should set an example of being committed to the work but also sensitive to long term consequences of that level of rigor.
i. Ask students to think about how the above quote “you can work long, hard, or smart but … (you) can’t chose two out of three,” applies to this thinking. Right now, folks are working long which may make it difficult to work hard or smart.
c. Possibly give the Human Relations staff more responsibility to protect staff but the history of leaning on HR has not always been successful. “Perks” like gourmet meals, on-campus dry cleaners, games, and so forth were fashionable in Silicon Valley for a while but seem to be less respected than in the past. “I would rather do interesting work than be entertained.”
d. Individual recognition, “employee of the month”, seem to have some value, so does informal praise from a senior person.
i. Case mentioned Amazon having few perks and benefits. If the company focused on adding this kind of value, employees could feel more supported and cared
for.
e. Almost any action that shows the organization genuinely realizes the contribution of individuals seems to be effective.
f. Treating staff people respectfully does seem to be worthwhile.—even Jeff Bezos seems to recognize that. Different people respond differently to various actions so managers should try to match the particular needs of each staff person for reassurance or direction but doing so is not easy.
What is the "advertising halo"?
Positive feelings about one product in a brand make people feel good about other products from the same brand and or line.
Beyoncé's Renaissance is the first part of a three-act project. What is the second act called?
Cowboy Carter.
This mix-up combines a sci-fi adventure about a robot that loves compacting trash with a 90s comedy about a man who inherits a hotel empire.
"WALL-E and Happy Gilmore"
Where did Hazeltine graduate from? (Hint: Ivy)
Princeton