White House Projects 100,000 to 240,000 U.S. Coronavirus Deaths

Posted: March 31, 2020

   The Whote House has calculated that the U.S could face between 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump has warned Americans to brace for an unprecedented crisis in the days ahead saying that "this could be a hell of a bad two weeks".
   President Trump appeared at the breafing with two of his top medical adviserd and repeatedly urged Americans to follow federal social-distancing guidelines that have now been extended through the end of April. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the  sayd that "We've got to brace ourselves"
   The U.S. has more confirmed cases than any other country, with more than 189,000 infected. New York has more than half of infected contribution in this number. And the death toll has reached greater than China's 3,900 deceased, but far less than Italy's 189,000 deaseased
  The New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sayd that "We underestimated this virus. It's more powerful, it's more dangerous than we expected." However, through all this, President Trump refuses to take responsibility of underestimating the Coronavirus Pandemic and not making affermative actions early on.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-coronavirus-count-excluded-infected-people-with-no-symptoms-11585650226?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Stocks Turn In Worst Quarter Since 2008

https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stock-markets-dow-update-11585617395?shareToken=st068854c29b4445cd9826fda308c1463c

U.S stocks are just tumbling to their worst since the financial crisis. Even the eldest members of wall street have claimed that this is the worst they have ever seen the market. When the coronavirus hit the world it basically brought the world to a major hault. The longest ever bull market in the US came to a sharp downturn. Money managers do not know when the worst of the selling might pass. There is a huge amount of uncertainty right now with everything and cases in the US getting worse by the day. The worst companies are Chevron and Exxon Mobil; they have lost more than 35% for the year. Series of emergency interest rate cuts have helped stabilize the financial system. Banks in the federal reserve have been forced into emergency interventions to help boost in credit markets. These measures help investors stay calm. China has bounced back a little in the start of March with the pandemic calming down there. They were able to reopen many factories that were not manufacturing anything. Economists still warn that activity remains everything but normal. There are also signs of hope for Italy as it seems that infections might be slowing down. The hope is that we may be able to contain the virus in the second half of the year.     

Executives Should Look For Help Before They Leap

In this article, a comparison is given between two executives who took big leaps and were assigned the task of managing a large number of staffers. One was given coach assistance after a year and the other had assistance from since the beginning of her job. Numerous executives intend to jump from managing a small number of associates to hundreds and thousands of them. It turns out to be damage to the career of executives who wish to do that as they end up failing miserably. It is favorable to take help from a professional coach who can guide well on how to successfully take big leaps. An example of a person named Evan Hanlon is given who committed the same mistake. He took a big leap of managing 80 staffers to an astounding number of 500 workers. This resulted in clashes with other executives due to a lack of experience. After one year, he sought professional guidance from the coach. Currently, companies are working for this cause with the help of acclimation coaching for example Mastercard.  This helped him improve to a great extent. Previously during his work, Hanlon used to show arrogance and had no experience managing a large number of people. Some people even had negative reviews about him, but with the help of the company, he met those people and promised to work better this time. Coaching helped Hanlon improve in a positive manner which awarded him a promotion. The article then mentions another executive who had coach advice from the beginning of her profession and was able to impress the food producers with good management skills. She appointed a lieutenant as the chief of staff who would complete tasks while she could spare time for deep thinking related to her job. When she was the vice president she had 5000 workers under her. She knew personal information about every single worker. She also conducted virtual town hall meetings with workers, to know about the problems they were facing. After her promotion in 2018, she managed 12,000 staffers and then 75,000 staffers later in the year. According to her, the most important thing between a manager and the staff is trust. To lead a successful company which has a bigger workforce it is important to have good relationship between a manager and his/her workers.
This article is important to me as it provides insight into how executives should fine-tune their management skills to manage their relationships with workers. While getting a promotion is everyone's dream, but that should be complemented with a constant learning experience and little help from others as the title of the article suggests. The suggestions and experiences mentioned in the article can come in handy for anyone aspiring to be a manager of a bigger workforce at some stage of his/her carrier.

Link to the article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/executives-should-look-for-help-before-they-leap-11585137600
Time Posted: March 25, 2020 8:05 am ET

Small-Business Loans Expected to Start this Friday, Mnuchin Says

As the nation is crippled by the Coronavirus pandemic, millions of small businesses are faced with a difficult decision; pay their employees or pay rent. In an interview with Fox News, Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, said starting this Friday, loans for small businesses and companies will be available at "lightning speed." Businesses who have less than 500 employees are eligible to apply through the Small Business Administration or any other FDIC-insured institution to receive the loan.

With the White House extending social distancing guidelines until the end of April, these loans will provide small businesses across the United States with resources to pay their employees and the rent which is due on April 1. Mnuchin added, if this program is successful, then they will ask Congress for additional funding. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is certain, this will be a pivotal moment for millions of small businesses; determining whether their doors will reopen or remain closed indefinitely.


https://www.wsj.com/articles/small-business-loans-expected-to-start-friday-mnuchin-says-11585577658

U.S. Prepares for Prolonged Shutdowns as Coronavirus Strains Hospitals


As the nation prepare its self for another month of isolation to help flatten the curve of this virus that means no income for people who cannot work in high volume social gathering venues like restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, etc. With the US leading the world is most confirmed cases and the people being ignorant to this real pandemic there is no real telling when the continuing of contamination will stop. For the time being we will continue to be in quarantine to help and the online, food delivery world will continue to thrive due to this. As a result, most companies have to switch over to more technological resources and to the online world is they wish not to die and this starts with marketing. This is why marketing is so important because there are so many companies that sell similar products that want the most customers but if you cannot market your product the best way then you will perish. Almost something like survival of the fittest. Being able to adapt is crushing at this time so it will be interesting how executives and managers adapt to this situation to help stay afloat.

Food Delivery's on Trial Due to Coronavirus

During this pandemic, food delivery companies have either been overwhelmed or have been thriving because of the high demand on behalf of their customers. As customers are following “stay at home” orders they have been ordering food delivery which has increased to-go sales by more than 10% during the time period of one week. Although this may be beneficial for the food delivery companies, there employees are put at high risk of getting contaminated with the Coronavirus.  

Without the drivers, the food delivery services would not be available to those who order them, and the company would be harmed from this. Even though, Uber and DoorDash have stated that they will offer 14 days of missed pay to drivers who are infected or quarantined this can not ensure that business will be around for long. With this in mind, as the situation has gotten worse there have been many concerns about food contamination on behalf of consumers which will not make matters easier for food delivery companies.

 I chose this article, because this demonstrates how companies must attempt to show differentiation by gaining customer confidentiality to ensue that their services are safe to utilize. In order to do this, there are various companies that are allowing front door drop offs which limit the contact between drivers and consumers during delivery.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/food-deliverys-big-coronavirus-test-can-it-deliver-11584291600?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=5

Stimulus Bill Will Make It or Break It

The Coronavirus pandemic that the entire world has been experiencing throughout these past months has led 3.28 million Americans to file for unemployment benefits during the month of March. Many have been even more stressed out now than when they had a job, because as we are approaching April many are aware that there are bills which will have to be paid off. Considering all this, congress has passed a $2 trillion rescue plan to help businesses keep their employees on payrolls. Although this aid will be of great help to some there are still doubts if the aid will be enough to get everyone through.

This article caught my attention because although I am relieved that congress has offered this aid for Americans, as a first-generation student I am extremely concerned for those who are not eligible. During these difficult moments there are millions of businesses and families throughout the entire world who are economically impacted by this pandemic.

Allowing everyone to receive some type of aid will ensure that everyone gets through these difficult times. When looking into the marketing aspect of this, this bill will relieve some threats that companies are currently experiencing especially with keeping their place where employees produce their products. But not all small businesses are owned or founded by Americans so this stimulus bill will assist a portion of our people, but it will not relieve our entire economy.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-make-or-break-week-11585510109?mod=hp_lead_pos4

Would You Buy an iPhone Now? Coronavirus Tests Demands for Apple’s Flagship Products

Among the Coronavirus pandemic, many companies are being affected globally, Apple being one of these companies. With many of the factories and stores being closed due to health precautions, the sales and production of certain devices is being affected. A less expensive iPhone model would have been announced this month, but the production of it is probably going to be delayed due to the global pandemic. Although, Apple is one of the wealthiest companies in the U.S., their slow sales does not worry them too much because they have existing revenue that can help out balance their gains and losses. 

Customer service plays a huge role; if the company fulfills the wishes of its customers and tries to bring products at lower costs, sales could increase. Apple is a well known brand that does not usually need to invest a lot of money in advertising or sales promotion, customers believe in the brand’s credibility. Customer service in their Apple stores allows customers to feel comfortable when going and discussing problems with their devices, or just making another purchase. At times, the prices of their products do not play an obstacle when considering purchasing a device, but in times of a pandemic, this can be reconsidered. 

Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/apples-latest-coronavirus-test-will-consumers-buy-iphones-in-a-crisis-11585215007?emailToken=c6d4c27b889a044561206af82b3ffbf5wiQOZVIIoqH9p7mwxVWr0hLsmql/ndRQ1WPfHo68cFfdQPSe16nf0bEFUk1kZed7BeRjmzB/f0HCElvxaRTIYXwd7kkl0fUEzcjXkUdxiy/dSSb1qjjA6uzxo4uHqbkKNssT3BGtYfC9t/+dNm+rrA%3D%3D&reflink=article_copyURL_share

Image:

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-11-pro

Should You Clean Your Phone to Combat Coronavirus? Definitely... Maybe.

Corona-virus germs can be anywhere, including in our phones. We take our phones everywhere, we touch it with our hands that have touched a variety of things that could be infected and then bring it to our face to make a phone call. For years, famous phone companies like Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft have never recommended to use Clorox or Lysol disinfecting wipes, only a soft microfiber cloth. The reason is because phone screens are protected by a coating called the oleophobic coating, which prevents any liquid from damaging the phone, but will wear out over time. However, all of a sudden, phone companies have approved the use of Clorox wipes in their phones. Why is that so? 

Phones are like a hand that needs to be washed because they are taken everywhere and exposed to millions of germs. Wall Street Journalist Joanna Stern proves in her phone disinfecting experiment that your phone's oleophobic coating will still be fine after disinfecting it more than one thousand times using clorox wipes.

I found this article interesting because it relates a lot to technology, product, and promotion. For years, disinfecting wipes have been disapproved for phones and all of a sudden they are promoted as a way to disinfect our phones. Stern's research video could also be viewed as advertising for the clorox and lysol companies because she specifically addresses those brands, although it was not advertisement. After reading this article and watching the video, it has brought me peace of mind that commonly used disinfecting products are safe for technology. After individuals view the article and video, they will feel more encouraged to purchase the wipes. If we wash our hands, but then touch our dirty phone, then our hands become infected again. Phones silently transmit germs, and it is important that we clean them often during the pandemic. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-you-clean-your-phone-to-combat-coronavirus-definitely-maybe-11584018237?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_2&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

Laura Orcutt, Kraft Heinz Plans Marketing Binge to Lift Sales

Kraft Heinz will be increasing its marketing spend by 30% this year with television ads and other consumer-oriented marketing while reducing ‘less-visible expenses like agency fees’. This comes in response to another year of declining sales and reduced profits. Overall, the big food maker industry has had increased levels of competition due to many store brands entering the market. They are now adjusting their strategies. For example, Hershey and Kellogg’s ran 2020 Super Bowl commercials aka as the ‘big leagues’ of advertising with the average 30-second commercial costing approximately $5.6 million dollars, per a Feb. 2, 2020 USA today article.

Mondelez (maker of Oreo) also increased their marketing budget last year by roughly 5%. This may seem small, but for years many companies have only been relying on decreasing expenses to increase their profitability which has not addressed declining sales.

Last July, Kraft Heinz added a new CEO, Miguel Patricio, who recognized the need for change. He said in an interview “You need to nurture brands, take care of them, to keep them meaningful after 150 years.” He continued, “We want to invest in our brands”. He also said he would challenge the current supply chain to increase efficiency and simplify its enormous operations. The savings would then finance new investments. At the very least, Kraft Heinz isn’t being conventional. Last year, they created their first ever global ad campaign to celebrate their 150^th year anniversary and brought along music star, Ed Sheeran, to create a limited-edition ketchup, named “Edchup”.

I believe Mr. Patricio has clearly analyzed the External Market and is aiming to differentiate Kraft Heinz by significantly investing in his marketing department. I image his investment would also ensure a sizable amount is allocated for more marketing research into the customer’s ever-changing dietary preferences. 

I thought this was an interesting article because over the years I have noticed that every grocery store has their own brand(s) and they’re often just as good, if not better and still less expensive than the most recognized brand item. I remember when the only choice was the well known brand or the no-name generic item. As a consumer, I think it’s great that this competition is forcing big food makers to drive efficiency in their operations which will hopefully bring down cost even further and increase novel items and quality. This is clearly relevant to our class and also to me as an accounting major because it’s a real-life example of how strong profits are not the only relevant line item on financial statements; sales have to also be considered for long-term success. I also didn’t know Ed Sheeran has a Heinz Ketchup tattoo! 

Article posted at https://www.wsj.com/articles/kraft-heinz-reports-weaker-sales-as-cheese-cold-cut-shipments-fall-11581598139?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=6 on Feb. 13, 2020 2:33 pm ET. 

Are People Still Shopping With the Coronavirus Going Around?

With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) going around, it has made it very difficult for retail stores, businesses, and even restaurants to operate because of fear of spreading the virus. The largest retail stores in the world like Nordstrom, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Adidas, Gucci, etc. have closed their physical locations. This might not be a big problem for big companies like these, but for a clothing label like Adsum, the closure of the stores is really detrimental to the business. Adsum, which opened five months ago, just before the Coronavirus came to be, is praying, like most companies are, that online retail will help push them through these difficult times. As best stated by Mr. Jacob Gallagher in his article, "For small businesses that lack a cash-reserve cushion, having a sales slowdown of even two weeks could be crippling.". The online market could prove to be beneficial at this point in time. Companies using social media to advertise their products and hoping people would purchase them. Making online shopping even sweeter, the businesses offer incentives to purchasing products online, like free shipping and handling and even going further and giving discounts on products on their websites as well. Though online shopping looks appealing right now, there is still a big question mark to address. If, people are going out of jobs, will they have money to buy our products? That is the biggest question that all retail stores are facing right now. I love the idea of online shopping at this point in time and it will be helpful for the social distancing. It will limit human contact, thus making it safer for everyone. It's a good concept and will indeed make it safe, but will there be enough consumers? That is the big question and the biggest unknown. We will just have to wait and see how this all plays out. 

Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-anyone-still-shopping-for-clothes-during-the-coronavirus-11585315319

Out of Work and Tips, Restaurant Workers Face Their Own Coronavirus Crisis

By: Zariah McInnis

An empty bar in Sioux Falls, S.D., this week. As workers reel from the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis, tipped employees who lack a cash cushion are especially vulnerable.

PHOTO: ERIN BORMETT/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many people are out of work. Many are bartenders, who were currently making an income for themselves. No with the bar and restaurants closed they are unemployed and cant serve drinks at all.

The bill being passed through congress this week is set to help the unemployed. It is said to give $600 to unemployes on weekly benefits, but bartender were typilcally making $450 in one night. For them to adjust it gone be hard and they are getting hit the hardest.

Anthony Nguyen

"Coronavirus Quarantine Boosts Streaming Video, but Not Advertising Yet" Analysis

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-quarantine-boosts-streaming-video-but-not-advertising-yet-11585215004?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=16

Article Published on March 26, 2020

          Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, many businesses have struggled to maintain profit due to a decrease in physical contact and an increase in social distancing. Despite this, some businesses are actually thriving like streaming services and online services due to an increase in viewership and traffic. However, it seems like most businesses that want to advertise their products are struggling.
          According to the article, the reason why so many people are constantly looking for stuff to watch is because many popular industries that are usually on television, such as sports, are not there because of COVID-19. Due to this many people now want to look for more things to watch so they can distract themselves and find entertainment. However, as was stated before, advertisement has been decreasing. This is due to many factors such as travel industry not wanting to offend others or the fact that advertisements would be an expense to the companies because no one can actually go outside and buy their products and delivery is limited to only essentials or are outright not allowed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
          The way this connects to our learning is through Chapter 14. In Chapter 14, the main topic is about promotion and connecting with your audience in order to buy your product. In some ways, by not advertising your product in order to not offend your audience, you are connecting with them, but on the other hand no one is going out there to buy your products in retail and your relationship isn't truly developing because you aren't constantly trying to persuade them into how they should relate to your products and see how the product might be beneficial to them.

Haile Hernandez

March 27, 2020 12:22 pm ET

Five Lives. Five Countries. Five Weeks. How Coronavirus Swept the Globe.

This article tells the story of five different families and how Corona quickly changed their lives. The story was broken down into the five cities the victims were in and also 2 other cities where some of the family members were. The cities where the victims were in are Budapest, Milan, Tehran, Manila and Singapore. The two cities also talked about because family members were in them are Washington D.C. and Bangladesh. The article went back and forth between the victims and their family members explaining what was going on with them during the Corona crisis. The stories took place back in February and early March, when there was not much information about the virus and it showed how scared the victims and their families were. What interested me was how it was focused on the victims, but also explained how the doctors were feeling. Everyone was scared and unsure for what was to come. One thing that really caught my attention was when the victim Mr. Szabo from Budapest thought he was just having complications from his cancer treatments, so doctors did not even think to test him for Corona. Unfortunately Mr. Szabo did have Corona, but he was an early case, so doctors did not even realize. It is crazy to think that in the early stages of the Corona outbreak, no one knew much about it, and in less than 3 months the entire world knows about it and its symptoms. Corona has seriously changed the world, and has put things on hold. Articles like this shows people that this virus came very unexpected, and the lack of knowledge is the reason for the fast spread across the world. Businesses are dramatically being affected by this virus, but they do have the opportunity to capitalize on this pandemic. Corona has made a big impact on marketing strategies. Every time you turn on the tv a company has a new commercial about how they are here to help during this hard time. They are talking about promotions and deals and how they will make things easier for your family. Ultimately working on their customers' pathos, convincing them to continue buying products from their business.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/five-lives-five-countries-five-weeks-how-coronavirus-swept-the-globe-11585326162?mod=hp_lead_pos5

Online Grocers Are Getting a Preview of Their Future

While everyone in the world is so focused on trying to find the cure for the coronavirus. Many supermarkets are dealing with a high demand of online delivery for their customers. Before when the coronavirus was not a threat to the world. Supermarkets had the option of online grocery shopping for their customers. Not many customers used the online option to buy their groceries many still preferred to go to the supermarket and pick their groceries personally. With the supermarkets barely introducing and building their online services. Many supermarkets were not prepared for the lockdowns and the quarantines that caused many customers to use their online services. With these situations going on, it will allow many supermarkets to learn and adjust to better methods on how they can improve their services through online shopping. This could help them in the future by being able to improve their service and how they can come up with new ideas to compete with other supermarkets through the online grocery shopping.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/online-grocers-are-getting-a-preview-of-their-future-11585302760 

Airbnb Racks Up Hundreds of Millions in Losses Due to Coronavirus

Airbnb plans on raising capital and going public with the situation occurring. Due to the coronavirus it has impacted the home-sharing company leaving them with many losses. The company allows people to list their properties for rent on the marketplace. Booking have been decreasing worldwide and only getting worse. Last year Airbnb did not go public when the stock market was soaring leaving many board members unhappy with the decision. Believing stock options will become worthless beyond the end of the year. 

Before the pandemic, Airbnb had more than two million people booking every night worldwide. Now it has significantly decreased offering full refunds for cancellations but are fully aware that this will only be temporarily until the moment passes. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/airbnb-racks-up-hundreds-of-millions-in-losses-due-to-coronavirus-11584723498?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1

Car Dealers Push Online Sales

Covid-19 has had a large impact on the market which has brought upon a massive change. Many businesses, that haven't been able to adapt to this crisis, have been forced to shut down. Others, however, are taking their business online. For example, car dealerships have been pushing to reduce the contact they have with their customers while still providing amazing services by allowing customers to easily purchase and finance a vehicle through a website. Although dealerships are not the first to go online, Covid-19 has clearly caused a change in many markets and how they do business.

I chose this article because I am interested to see whether the crisis that we are facing today will help many services go online and how this will change markets all over the world.

This article relates to marketing because it shows how different markets are adapting to satisfy their customers' needs. This deals with customer service. Moreover, this shows that the internet is the future and this can affect how we conduct online marketing.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/car-dealers-push-online-sales-to-make-up-for-coronavirus-losses-11585229103?mod=business_lead_pos4

U.S., China Trade Blame for Coronavirus, Hampering Global Economy Rescue

Posted: March 26, 2020 6:09 pm ET

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been on a telephone spree this month offering support to the leaders of France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. One phone number he hasn't dialed is Donald Trump's.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi participated in a video conference with other leaders, which pledged to spend more than $5 trillion to help the global economy. While China and the U.S. supported this goal, the two leaders didn't address eachother directly.
As the global economy lurches toward recession, the world's two largest economies are taking potshots at each other and ignoring chances for coordination. It is interesting that though the U.S needs the support, and the president is highly concered for the U.S economy, Trump has prevented any way for China to want to help us. This relationship has helped pull the world out of a global recession a decade ago, and now it is on the rocks, with Mr. Trump ignoring appeals to use the crises to turn away from protectionism.
China and the U.S have been frayed by conflict over trade, accusations of technology theft and China's more assertive pushfor global influence. More so, in recent weeks, President Trump, and other officials have been refering the coronavirus as the "China virus" or "Wuhan virus" to highlight China's role in the pandemic. This causing an unhelpful turbulance with respect to the areas of coorporation that could be there. As a result of working closely with China, it could help the global economy recover faster.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-trade-blame-for-coronavirus-hampering-global-economy-rescue-11585248616?mod=hp_lead_pos2

U.S. Drug Trafficking Charges Against Venezuela

The Trump Administration has tried desperately to cripple the leftist government in Venezuela because of their mismanagement and corruption in their country. The problems have not improved since, Venezuela’s prices for basic goods have increased and Nicolas Maduro does not allow any type of political opposition to stand a chance. As a result, the United States have kept a close eye on the Venezuelan and Colombian government because of their plan to flood the U.S. with tons of cocaine over the past twenty years. These types of actions mirror what these corrupt governments are trying to do, and that is to make the rich wealthier while ultimately leaving the poor to struggle with no basic goods. This contradicts Maduros message in which he constantly describes that his goal is for socialism to improve the wealth gap in order to create more opportunities in the country. Recently the country saw the economy contract by thirty five percent and ending up falling into a five-year depression, and with the Corona virus affecting everyone Venezuela is left vulnerable because of their poor health care system. As a result of the findings of drug trafficking against Venezuela the United States hopes that soon they will begin prosecuting Venezuela officials and hopefully being the crippling of the country in order to overthrow it.

Wall Street Journal (https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-indicts-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-on-allegations-of-drug-trafficking-11585236443)

Guns, Groceries and News: What Sells in a Pandemic—and Doesn’t

             

By 

Gwynn Guilford

Updated March 24, 2020 11:31 am ET
Since the coronavirus outbreak, there has been a different pattern in what the U.S. is buying. There is a decline in hotels, restaurants, travel. Yet, grocery stores, guns, ammunition, marijuana suppliers, and general stores are all booming with sales. Overall, consumption is at a low. 
Spending patterns are constantly changing, even next week there will be different patterns. According to the stats, as of now restaurants are taking the biggest tank. Most restaurants are switching to having take out so they can still stay afloat since they can't have any customers dining in. 
Companies like Amazon, Walmart and Target have all profited from online sales. Switching to online sales helps the companies still have an income because they know in this crisis most of their customers are at home and do not want to leave to go to the store. Even if they do want to leave to go to the store, they want to make it efficient and only get what they need. Since customers are just getting what they need, it is hurting companies that sell big ticket items. For example the car market is suffering right now. People do not have any extra money right now to buy a car. 
Another market that is surprisingly doing well is the cannabis market. Only in the legal states is this present, but customers are stocking up while they are at home.
                                        
There has been a decline in the job market. Since companies are not financially staying afloat, they can't afford to grow their companies. Since they cant grow their companies, they cant hire new employees. Some are even firing employees, leaving unemployment high. 
                                          
All of these factors can change on the daily and depending on new news that is released to the public. Hopefully once the coronavirus is over, the economy will go back to how it was or even better. In the mean time, companies need to focus on how they can use their resources to be online and approach their potential customers in a way to benefit both parties. In this time it would be most appropriate to approach them with sincerity because this is a crisis for everyone right now. 

When Will It Be Safe to Loosen Coronavirus Lockdowns?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/governments-prepare-for-the-long-haul-in-battle-against-coronavirus-11585128601?shareToken=sta044508c0ef94a89aa996b43123e512a

The government and scientists are seeing if locking down people in order to spread the disease will be enough to stop the contagion. Accomplishments in containment can be really easily undone by new waves of infection. The higher risk of this is that we still do not know when it will be safe to release people. In the Us we will be contained for 15 days in order to help slow the spread and after that we will see what to do next. The pandemic will be brought to an end by finding a vaccine or achieving herd immunity. All of the solutions that we have come up with so far have their own problems. We need to figure out how we will carry on as a society because nothing will be the same for years to come. All of this can last for more than a year experts are saying we will be in this for a long haul. Countries who did a great job containing the virus in the first wave are not in serious problems as the numbers are rising faster than the first time. Singapore says that they will be using circuit breakers in their society in order to help contain outbreak as needed. China says that we will not be coming back into a new normal. This will be a non-normal return. One of the biggest challenges is the uncertainty.    

China’s Progress Against Coronavirus Used Draconian Tactics Not Deployed in the West

China once again gave a light of hope to the world. On Tuesday, it became known that Wuhan, the focus of the covid-19 epidemic, will lift travel restrictions on April 8 after more than two months of confinement. While countries like Italy and Spain do not give in to the disease and their deaths rise dramatically, the epicenter of that crisis begins to see a way out of that emergency. The measures taken by the Asian giant were strict and much more in time than what has happened in Europe. And, for now, it looks like they are succeeding. The federal government and states don't act together, and Democrats and Republicans don't agree to pass a nearly $ 2 trillion economic stimulus plan. The search for a balance between health objectives and the economic survival of the country is undoubtedly a legitimate debate, but the way in which the Republican president changes course over and over again baffles both his Democratic opponents and his allies. The worst is yet to come in the United States and it is not yet time to slacken efforts. With no medical treatment in sight, the only option for defeating the corona-virus is to maintain a strict restriction on the movements of citizens for as long as possible. Almost one in three Americans is affected by a containment measure enacted by the governor of their state. The article states how China recommends stricter measures to effectively lower the curve.  

March 24, 2020 2:36 pm

Online Ordering Overload: How Covid-19 is Straining Online Retailers' Ability to Process Orders

It comes as no surprise that e-payment providers are facing surges in demand amidst efforts to contain the coronavirus. These efforts have created a new market of homebound shoppers trying to maintain some sense of normalcy in these uncertain times, and business owners are struggling to deal with the sheer volume of payments. 

Sudden spikes in volume of orders like this are not entirely unprecedented: Black Friday, as an example, traditionally marks a burst in online orders that retailers have had to deal with well before the Covid-19 outbreak upended everyday life. Retailers are now beginning to tap into on-demand contingency systems designed for these seasonal bursts to meet the demands of corona shoppers, but even that may not be enough to stem the tide: video streamers like Netflix and Youtube have had to reduce quality of video streams amidst fears of overloading the network, suggesting that the internet is reaching a breaking point. 

There are a couple things of note  that can be drawn from this article. The most prominent of these is the re-emphasis of the value of online retailing as an alternative means of allowing customers to purchase products, particularly one that is capable of continuing even amidst a public health crisis. This helps businesses maintain some degree of activity even when shutdowns are enacted, hopefully shielding them from the worst impacts of these crises. Such leads into another relevant lesson: the importance of keeping up with opportunities presented by advances in technology. Businesses (particularly smaller ones) that have little to no online presence are largely cut off by the current outbreak, with little means of continuing effective operation, and in drastic situations like this, even the marginal amount of activity generated by online business is preferable to no activity at all.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/digital-payments-soar-amid-coronavirus-restrictions-11585005215?mod=hp_minor_pos4

Coronavirus Sparks Layoffs Across New York Region

Again as everyone has heard from the news, the corona-virus or COVID-19 has not only negatively impacted people's health but also the economy especially the restaurant business. Some states are impacted more greatly than others but CDC has already issued a ban of gathering of 50+ people which includes sport stadiums, restaurants/bars, gyms, music concerts, etc.... As seen in the title, this article talks about the impact that the coronavirus has on the New York Region specifically.

The reason I chose this article is because the New York region is one of the most prosperous region in the U.S. in terms economy yet they seem to take the biggest downfall from the coronavirus. It's hard for companies to keep these jobs open when everyone is quarantined after New York issues a lock-down to protect its people. Tens of thousands of people have already filed for unemployment benefits across the tri-state area this week alone. Although businesses like restaurants are closing and firing their employees, the owners are doing their best to help their employees get some kind of payment. One example would be  Danny Abrams and Cindy Smith who co owned 6 restaurants and have a 7th one under construction. They had to close all 6 restaurants due to the coronavirus which is resulted in many employee layoffs. One way they helped was allowing their employees to take what ever is left in the walk in refrigerator and they even started a GoFundMe page that has a goal of $100,000. So far they've raised $15,000.

This isn't only happening in New York but these owners are setting a good example to all of the owners in the world. Restaurants aren't the only businesses that are losing money. Now owners are doing their best not only to help their previous employees, but also other ways to market their businesses so they can make a little bit of money to pay for their businesses.   

A Devastating Domino Effect for Small Business In the US During Coronavirus Period

As you have heard of the news recently, the coronavirus (Covid-19) has some seriously devastating effects not only on human health but also on the global economy, including the US. This article talks specifically about these impacts and provides us with real-life instances of how American businesses, especially small businesses, suffer from financial loss.

The reason why I chose this article is that it shows us the whole picture of the impact of coronavirus one specific industry in the US, particularly small businesses. It is a chain reaction that causes many other businesses associated with restaurant industry collapsed. It is imperative that more resources and financial help should be given to these small businesses as they are also the victims of the coronavirus.

The article perfectly illustrates the principle of marketing, which is to direct the right amount of produced goods and services to the need of society. When the coronavirus began to evolve in the Cartersville area, Georgia, residents began to reduce their dining out behavior, which in turn decreases the revenue of restaurants. Restaurant managers then decided to close their dining in service and, at the same time, lay off the amount of staff in order to reduce the expenses. That negatively impacts other businesses that associate with the restaurant industry, including credit card processing, hydroponic farming, liquor, bank, and linen-supply. Therefore, it is imperative that many companies come up with certain ideas to increase their sales. This is what we learned in class under Chapter 3: Evaluating Opportunities in the Changing Market Environment. Specifically, it is about the external market environment, which is the first box in the Business Marketing Plan. The external market environment consists of economic environment, technological environment, political and legal environment, and the cultural and social environment. When the coronavirus hit the US, the stock market plunged as the investors were afraid of the risks. The economy was further devastated by mass cancellations and restrictions of trips and events. A lot of people were laid off and, therefore, had to tighten the budget, which means they would not go out to eat at dining-in restaurants. Taking out, however, is still an option for many. As a result, the restaurant industry had to come up with incentives to make their products more appealing to customers. For instance, the restaurant Table 20 mentioned in the article came up with a new dish that was specifically designed for taking-out option.

In the aspect of the political and legal environment, since the authority has called for the closure of bars and restaurants, restaurant managers had to come up with ways to adapt to the new regulation. Table 20 decided to close its wine and alcohol section, which generally brings a massive amount of revenue to the restaurant, in order to balance the budget. Additionally, Table 20 also deferred many services that associate with the dining-in option such as online booking and towel service. Doing all those things were not easy, because it involved an extensive research, screening, and considerations, according to the managers.


Picture taken from: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/empty-sidewalks-deserted-hotels-coronavirus-slamming-tourism-industry-n1147061


Article link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-small-businesses-its-a-virus-chain-reaction-11584763203?mod=hp_lead_pos7

AI Helping Hospitals Manage Covid-19

Currently, hospitals are facing a large problem. They are getting flooded with patients while also trying to contain the spread of the virus. Due to this event, hospitals are relying on artificial intelligence. Patients with COVID-19 are being kept away from staff and monitored with AI sensors which monitor and predict patient's conditions. Moreover, incoming patients are undergoing face scanning in some hospitals. These screenings can detect if a person has a fever or other symptoms.

I decided to write on this article because it deals with current events that the whole medical industry is facing, and I believe this is important information to know.

This article relates to marketing because it shows that hospitals have big social responsibilities. While many other employees in other fields are able to work from home, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff are all putting their lives at risk in order to help society get through this pandemic. Moreover, it relates to the external market environment with the introduction of the new and current AI in hospitals.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-tap-ai-to-help-manage-coronavirus-outbreak-11584696601

Smile! Your Boss Is Tracking Your Happiness

Source: John Holcroft

Employee happiness has become a priority for many companies around the world. And to keep their workers satisfied, they first have to have a knowledge of the mood of their employees. As happiness is something that is associated with productivity at a job. So, the corporate world has also increased focus on it. It is considered good for managers to know how their people feel. To collect the required information, stress data is being monitored through various means. Softwares, surveys and IT people are in play to collect this data from the employees. Even the social profiles and emails of workers under observation to get a hold of an iota of information available regarding the mood of an employee. The little things matter at the job. However, all the above-mentioned steps have created privacy concerns for employees as well. It has resulted in the loss of private space of workers as they are being monitored by their bosses all the time. 

This article interested me as I intend to be a manager in the future. And being a student of MBA, I must have a knowledge of different techniques being used by the corporate world to get the better out of their employees. And knowledge of an employee’s mood is an important parameter to have to make better decisions.

Link to the Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/smile-your-boss-is-tracking-your-happiness-11583255617

Time Published: March 7, 2020, 12:00 amET