Amazon's Sales jump as Coronavirus Prompts Surge in Online Shopping

Amazon reported soaring quarterly sales as the company experienced a surge in online orders from homebound customers contending with the coronavirus pandemic. According to a tech giant, Amazon revenue has risen by 26% in a time (right now) which is usually the slowest period of the year. Amazon offers a 1-2 day prime membership, which means you will get your things faster. However, due to high demand Amazon experienced trouble getting items to customers quickly. Prime orders sometimes showed monthlong delivery windows. 

In addition, the company has to hire more employees and temporarily raising the pay of essential workers by $2 an hour. This additional pay will apparently cost the company $700 million. This high demand may seem like a good thing for Amazon, but they are spending way more on resources than they ever did before. 

I chose this article because I was curious about how the coronavirus pandemic is effecting huge companies like Amazon. I am a prime member and I want to make sure I am receiving the benefits I was promised by the company. I feel amazon should stop charging prime members during this time if they are not receiving the benefits they are paying extra for.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazons-sales-jump-as-coronavirus-prompts-surge-in-online-shopping-11588278740

Should You Wear a Mask When Exercising Outdoors?

During the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an increase in people exercising outside. There are no public gyms open at this time, so many are trying to get the best exercise they can outside. Though there is concern about whether people should wear masks when exercising outdoors. Mask are not easy to breathe in which can make exercising unenjoyable. Experts warn that poorly fitted masks could impede the hearing or vision of walkers, runners, and cyclists on the road. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone now wears a mask of some kind when they leave home, and some cities and towns require a facial covering if you are outside. There is a better solution to this problem. It's suggested to have a mask hang around your neck while walking, running, or cycling so that you can pull it over your mouth and nose when you see or pass other people. 

I chose this article because me and my family have had the same question. I run outside every day and about 90% of people I see are not wearing a mask, including myself. Now I know to wear a mask around my neck so that I can still breathe and hear. This article was very interesting and I enjoyed reading it very much. I now feel more comfortable to exercise outside. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-you-wear-a-mask-when-exercising-outdoors-11588079594

Pantry Loading Boosts Sales at Kraft Heinz, Kellogg

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a demand for packaged foods. Kraft Heinz Co. and Kellogg Co. sales have climbed by 8% and they are winning back customers who stopped eating their cheese and cereal products long ago. People no longer gravitate towards fresh food and niche brands because they want stuff that will last longer and cost less. According to the Chief Executive at Kraft Heinz, they plan to seize this opportunity and use this demand to our advantage. 

However, there are some downsides. Kraft Heinz said it is running its factories near capacity and making fewer varieties of some goods. This has all boosted profitability. But the coronavirus pandemic has also increased some costs. Companies that are in high demand have to hire additional trucks to transport food and increased pay for factory workers. 

I choose this article because it demonstrates how fast sales can change depending on the consumer. Before this pandemic people were eating healthier and more high-end brands. Now they turn to cheaper and lower-end brands for food. It's crazy to see numbers change so fast. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pantry-loading-boosts-sales-at-kraft-heinz-kellogg-11588263378?mod=newsviewer_click

New York City Subways Won’t Run 24 Hours a Day During Pandemic

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-to-shut-new-york-city-subway-between-1-a-m-to-5-a-m-during-coronavirus-pandemic-11588265268?mod=hp_lead_pos7

Amidst the pandemic of the coronavirus New York city has decided to stop running the subway 24 hours a day. In order to prevent homeless people from boarding the train and causing infection to keep on rising. If they stop the trains they will also be able to disinfect them properly. New York's governor Andrew Cuomo said that this new rule will come into effect on Thursday. All stations will be closed from 1-5 a.m. during this past century the subway trains have been closed from strikes, storms and blackouts but this is the first time that the system has ceased to be run in 24 hours. Subway ridership has fallen more than 90% which adds up to less than 500,000 weekday riders. There will be other alternatives for these riders that are still using the subway.  

Coronavirus Pushes Colleges to the Breaking Point, Forcing 'Hard Choices' about Education

Coronavirus Pushes Colleges to the Breaking Point, Forcing 'Hard Choices' about Education

Forecast declines in enrollment and revenue trigger spending cuts and salary freezes; 'the world order has changed'

Due to the coronavirus pandemic schools have been closed for the rest of the spring semester. Many small schools are facing declining enrollment and financial shortfalls. This global health crisis brought unexpected costs for shifting classes online and partially reimbursing room and board for students being forced to finish out their spring semester at home. There is still concern about returning to campus in the fall. Every source of funding is in doubt. Schools are facing tuition shortfalls because of unpredictable enrollment and market-driven endowment losses.

Apparently, some colleges are even cutting spending, freezing staff salaries, and stopping any new building. Schools are preparing for the financial deficit that is to come and there's no way of knowing what's to come in the fall. They should expect a 15% decline in enrollment next fall and a huge decline in revenue from tuition, room, and board, and services. Colleges have to make very crucial decisions this coming fall. Some schools have already said they do plan on opening. But what about sports, clubs, and classroom capacities. In addition, some highly selective colleges will be a little less exclusive next year and possibly for years to come. This could be a good thing when it comes to enrollments.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-pushes-colleges-to-the-breaking-point-forcing-hard-choices-about-education-11588256157

Google to Require All Advertisers to Identify Themselves

New requirement will help Alphabet unit crack down on digital ads purveying fake products and coronavirus misinformation

By Patience Haggin

PHOTO: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

Due to the corona virus pandemic, there has been a huge surge in fake online promotions of vaccines and various other misleading products.  To have control of the fake products and to hold advertisers accountable for truthful ads, Google is making it a requirement for advertisers to verify their identity.  

Although this process was already being implemented prior to the pandemic, this is intended to "help support the health of the digital advertising ecosystem by detecting bad actors and limiting their attempts to misrepresent themselves" said Google's director of product management for ads integrity, John Canfield.

Several measures in place to verify are IRS tax documents, government issued photo ID, address, and employer identification number.  Facebook has similar requirements and it's just a matter of checks and balances for all digital ad purchasers.  Advertisers will be contacted in phases and are given 30 days to complete the verification process. 

Facebook Shares Soar as Ad Sales Stabilize

Revenue rises to $17.7 billion, beating expectations, as number of daily active users jumps 11%

By Jeff Horwitz

PHOTO: HOLLIE ADAMS/BLOOMBERG NEWS

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-rides-surge-in-usage-to-strong-growth-11588192751?mod=searchresults

With so many people locked inside their residences, Facebook has seen an increase in social media users.  Since so many people are logging in and advertisers are return to the social media giant, Facebook, to buy ad space and stay in touch with the consumer.  

Last March, Facebook reported a steep decline in ad sales but later reported this month of April that there was a 10% gain.  

With this gain, Mr. Zuckerburg, Facebook Chief Executive, said the company intended to add "at least" 10,000 new positions in engineering and product-development.

Zoom Adds Oracle to Its List of Cloud Providers

https://www.wsj.com/articles/zoom-adds-oracle-to-its-list-of-cloud-providers-11588180156?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=4

It is no surprise that Zoom has had to transfer more than 7 petabytes of data through Oracle's servers everyday, given the added traffic the site has had amid the corona virus pandemic.  Everyone from employees working from home, students now forced to home school, couples practicing social distancing while performing weddings, and churches having to broadcast mass online. 

The corona virus pandemic has brought a new demand to Zoom Video Conference.  Previously Zoom reported 10 million participants in the 4th quarter of 2019 to a staggering 300 million last week. 

There are other cloud providers such as Amazon.com and other undisclosed clouds but due to the higher demand, Oracle had to be added for increase cloud support.

Security had to be beefed up due to online hijackers because Zoom did not have adequate security. Oracle offers benefits in security, scalability, and performance.  Mr. Lowery, who is a cloud computing expert said the Zoom and Oracle deal is "more of a marketing win than it is a tech win".  Looks like Zoom and Oracle are in for a successful win.

Gucci’s Chinese Revenue up in April After Bruising First Quarter

China shoppers are usually relied on by Gucci to make revenue. So when the Coronavirus hit China, it also hit the Italian fashion label when the store in Beijing was forced to shut down amid their economy lockdown. Although ever since the country came up from lockdown the revenues have been increasing for Gucci. One of the company's chief financial officer stated that some of the stores are doing really great in sales. The sales show that China's usual luxury shoppers were longing to spend soon after the lockdown. Chinese shoppers make up 30% of the company's sales and most of them come from international shopping. That is currently not possible since people really can't travel, therefore, sales are down.

Gucci seems to be really big in China out of all other designer brands. It would make sense for the shoppers who are used to buying it to want to splurge after being secluded from it for so long. Although I did not expect Gucci to be one of the company's to be doing good so soon after a shutdown. I expected high-end brands to wait as the economy got better in order for their sales to slowly rise. Gucci is doing well but I can only imagine how much better it will be as the economy does improve and go back to normal. Marketing wise I feel as if Gucci will always be Gucci, regardless of the amount of effort put into their marketing. Since it is a well-known designer brand people will always want to buy it.

SOURCE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/guccis-chinese-revenue-up-in-april-after-bruising-first-quarter-11587492700?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2    

Lululemon Says Coronavirus Curbed Sales Growth in March

Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, many companies and businesses were affected greatly due to the fact that they were forced to close down. Lululemon is no exception to that, they had to close down stores from all around the world which includes the U.S, Europe, and China. Although all but one store in China has now reopened the ones in the U.S and Europe plan to reopen early April. In China the sales are still not at the level they once were but are slowly getting better as the weeks go by. E-commerce has been a huge help to businesses in trying times like these and that is no different for Lululemon. Chief Executive Mr. McDonald made it known that the company is doing well during the crisis and free of debt. 

This article caught my attention because I regularly shop at Lululemon and thought the Coronavirus would have made more damage to the company. To my surprise, they are doing well during this crisis. Online shoppers are keeping them afloat and that does not surprise me since I can be included in that pool of people. During this crisis, boredom has risen and that pushes people to occupy their time by online shopping. In the marketing world, Lululemon is excelling by reaching out to its customers and offering workout plans they can do from home which leads them to promote their products.

SOURCE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/lululemon-says-coronavirus-curbed-sales-growth-in-march-11585262567?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=4         

Venezuela Appoints Alleged Drug    Trafficker as Oil Minister

Tareck El Aissami

Since 2017, Venezuela has had a new oil minister appointed and that is Tareck El Aissami he is in charge of organizing the energy field. Although, recently Venezuela has struggled to stay on top of its economy which has greatly affected its oil field and the people have been truly affected by it having to wait hours in line to pump gas. As stated in the article the U.S narcotics punished Mr. Aissami which put him on a list of presumed narcotic kingpins. Today the oil industry has just gotten worse it is as if it has been forgotten, as well as U.S sanctions making it harder for gas to be imported to Venezuela. The long lines for gas have pushed people to look towards the black market in hopes to purchase gas faster. The gas has affected public transportation which has led to problems with the food industry amid the coronavirus outbreak.

This article is unique in a way that while the world is not only battling a pandemic but each country continues to struggle with problems within their country. Venezuela has been having ongoing problems within its government as well as its economy in recent years. Although the country is trying to come up from the problems they are having they are not doing it in the best way possible. Electing a suppose drug trafficker as the oil minister is not a good look for the country. The image it portrays is not good given the fact that other countries would not be happy to engage with people whom themselves engage in illegal activities. Who is to say that if countries do decide to do business with Venezuela in the oil field the business will be completely valid and legal.

SOURCE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuela-appoints-alleged-drug-trafficker-as-oil-minister-11588032834         

Delivery Gains as Dine-in Remains Off the Table

Dine Brands Global Inc., the company behind Applebee's and IHOP, and Brinker International Inc. the owner of Chili's, said that more and more diner are reported to increasing turn to delivery and takeout options that help with the social-distancing measures of Covid-19 that is keeping their dining rooms empty. With the fall in traffic in their restaurants across locations, they are trying to earn as much as they can from the implemented delivery and take-out services.

Same-store sells at Applebee's fell to about 11% in the first quarter and 15% at IHOP, according to Dine. As well as for Brinker's Chilis who fell by 5% for it first quarter at the end of March. With the closure of their dining rooms being the main reason for a flatten curve for their drops in sales, they also have a concern about the significant impact it may impose after the Covid-19 pandemic ends, since not everyone will be comfortable in entering restaurant with other people.

With both companies bolstering their efforts to sell more food to consumers, they have focused most of their attention towards pick up or delivery, with this implemented Dine Inc. has seen a jump of 23% in sales and Brinker Inc. jumping up to 29%, although both stocks for each company has dropped more than 40%.

With most of the profits now coming from pick up or delivery, these companies are re-configuring takeout areas at its restaurants to handle these higher volumes of orders. Both companies are now preparing to reopen dining rooms in part of the country that is starting to reopen things. 



Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/owners-of-applebees-chilis-report-pick-up-delivery-gains-as-dine-in-remains-off-the-table-11588184178?mod=business_lead_pos12

Monopoly Maker Gets a Big Lift From Lockdown

Hasbro Inc. has seen an increase in sales, largely because of the quarantine orders to stay at home for families. Families have been seeking entertainment and activities for fun, due to the stay at home orders from COVID-19. The sales for Hasbro have increased a total of 25% in the first quarter from the games Jenga, Connect 4, Monopoly and operation, which is a big growth compared to the recent year.

Since there is no more school or work for kids and parents, this poses the opportunity for them to play at home. Many families have purchased new board games to be able to add to their at home quarantine activities. Especially right after schools were being cancelled, Hasbro Inc. saw a burst in sales of 26% increase.

Hasbro Inc. has seen some challenges from the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 hit China, the toy company's production was heavily affected due to the closing of toy factories in China. China provides 55% of production for Hasbro so it was a significant loss of production, but the factories are now open due to the lower numbers of cases in China. The virus has also closed production in other Hasbro factories around the world.

The company of Hasbro Inc. has seen an increase in demand from their games. The consumer behavior and decision process to purchase these products has been a consequence of the global pandemic. Due to the circumstances, consumers have increased in the purchase of the games.


Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/monopoly-maker-gets-a-big-lift-from-lockdown-11588169873?mod=business_lead_pos12

Animal Crossing: An Escape from the Coronavirus

With the self-quarantine orders given amidst efforts to contain Covid-19, it comes as no surprise that people are trying to find new ways to fill time that ordinarily would’ve been spent out and about. Video games, the perennial stay at home pastime, are unquestionably at the frontlines of this, and one of the strongest competitors has been Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, their latest release in a series spanning nearly two decades. 

For many, the game can be thought of as a simulation of real life, minus all the stress and responsibility - players are encouraged to explore the world and do as they please (no face masks necessary). Friends can meet up on each other’s islands, providing a much needed social outlet for anyone feeling cooped up in their homes. Families find the rated E for everyone game to be a perfect pastime for both parent and child alike. Workers, meanwhile, take advantage of its real time mechanics that sync up with the local timezone to impose a sense of structure in their new, looser work at home environments. 

Above all, people flock to the game for the sense of control and normalcy it provides - something the world around them distinctly lacks. Such has caused sales of New Horizons to rocket to the point that its companion hardware, the Nintendo Switch has gone the way of toilet paper: sold out in retailers across the country and sold online by third parties at several hundred dollar markups. Without question, new and returning players alike are finding much needed relief in the world of Animal Crossing: a world where the worst thing one has to worry about is paying off their loan to a talking racoon who charges no interest and accepts heavily (as in, indefinitely) deferred payment without complaint. 

There is something to be said about the value of Nintendo’s brand and how it has aged into the 21st century. Fundamentally, Nintendo deals in one thing: joy. This is reflected in their vision statement: “Putting Smiles on the Faces of Everyone Nintendo Touches.” This recent success with Animal Crossing: New Horizons is only the latest in a long line of instances where the company has accomplished its vision with flying colors - putting smiles on faces that sorely needed them. In a time period where change is a constant and normality gives way to uncertainty, Nintendo provides a steadfast source of relief, a way for people to forget about the troubles of the real world for a little while and just have fun. In effect, then, they can be thought of as intrinsically oriented towards marketing, for if marketing aims to identify and satisfy the needs of the consumer, Nintendo as a company aims to satisfy a need inherent to every human being: happiness.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-animal-crossing-became-coronavirus-therapy-11587318513?mod=djem10point

U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top One Million as Some Lockdowns Ease

A crowd gathers to see US NAVY Blue Angels flying to honor first responders and essential workers during the outbreak

On April 28th, the USA surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases nationwide, with US deaths standing at 58,000. Nearly 100,000 people have recovered. These numbers continue to grow amid speculation that reporting and testing are still severely under represented due to the fact that not everyone is getting tested, and some people who are asymptomatic do not get tested and do not get added to the count. 

The staggering number of cases comes in at a third of cases worldwide, and also comes in at a time where many states are planning to reopen soon, causing fear of a second wave to come with the reopening. 

Senator Pushes DOJ to Open Criminal Investigation Into Amazon

April 28, 2020 9:16 am ET

The Amazon online commerce portal uses data from the companies they sell on the platform to create and launch their own products, contrary to the company's support, according to the Wall Street Journal. The research, which was based on interviews with 20 former employees and internal Amazon documents, found that the firm uses data on sales, marketing costs, and shipping products that other manufacturers sell through the platform for their own products. The company's internal policy prohibits its employees from using non-public data to make decisions regarding their own products, so in the journal, s.a. Amazon said it has opened "internal research." This disclosure highlights Amazon's dual nature as an e-commerce platform open to third parties and as a manufacturer of its own products, which are also sold on the online portal and therefore engage in direct competition with those of other sellers. Thus, the company is both the "boss" of the market and one of the shopkeepers, raising constant suspicions of monopolistic practices and having caused multiple regulators in both Europe and the US to open investigations against it for alleged violations of free competition.

As the king of e-commerce, Amazon is living through times of tremendous growth in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent orders to confine and close physical shops, although in turn it has been placed in the public eye for not providing enough security measures to its workers and for abusing their market dominance.

‘Trolls World Tour’ Breaks Digital Records and Charts a New Path for Hollywood

April 28, 2020 12:00 pm ET

The film, a sequel to the 2016 animated production, has grossed $100 million in its first week. The Title of Dreamworks reached the PVOD on April 10 and, according to Universal Pictures figures, the film has been leased 5 million times.
   Trolls World Tour has already generated $77 million in revenue, more than the original 2016 film did. This first part, with a budget of $125 million, grossed $153.7 million at the national box office and $346.9 million worldwide. The budget for the sequel, World Tour, was approximately $90 million. To the Numbers of Trolls World Tour, we have to add another $60 million from the rents of the aforementioned Invisible Man, The Hunt, Emma and Never Rarely Many Always, which were in theaters when the coronavirus outbreak broke out and jumped into the PVOD early.
 "The trolls World Tour results have exceeded our expectations and demonstrated the viability of the PVOD," said Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal. "As soon as the cinemas reopen, we hope to release the films in both formats."
This new turn might not please theater owners: when Universal's trend spread to other companies and productions, since the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) asked studios not to release their films on PVOD and streaming during this pandemic. "We need studies to help us," said John Fithian, president of NATO. "We need your films to be released in theaters later this year. We need to have something to project on our screens when we get back." Studios like Warner Bros.

Airlines Urge Passengers to Wear Face Masks

As the Coronavirus continues to spread across the nation, face masks and gloves are becoming an everyday essential when venturing into public. Whether it’s going out for a jog around the neighborhood or going to the grocery store, millions of Americans are choosing to protect themselves. However, for some companies, wearing a face mask will be a requirement. Starting on May 4, JetBlue Airways will require all passengers to protect themselves with masks. This new policy will force passengers to cover their mouth and nose from the time they checking-in, throughout the duration of the flight and deboarding the plane.

Many other airline companies are following in the footsteps of JetBlue. Both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines will provide passengers with face masks while boarding the airplane. According to American’s senior vice president, Kurt Stache, “We are looking out for our customers’ well-being to give them peace of mind while they travel with us.” Another way companies are easing the minds of their passengers is requiring their flight attendants to wear masks and keeping an empty seat between passengers.

Many of these changes relate to marketing because all major airline companies will need to redesign their marketing strategies to encourage people to consider stepping onto an airplane for any purpose. There is possibility that life may never be what it once was before the pandemic, but if airline companies such as American and Delta are able to promote their flights with appropriate safety precautions, there is a possibility airlines can recover. Although it would not be an immediate resurge of passengers booking flights, the airline industry must first earn the trust of the public.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/airlines-urge-passengers-to-wear-face-masks-11588039204?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2

1. Haile Hernandez

Title:WSJ Wealth Adviser Briefing: Liquor Sales Rise, Grocers Go Green, Europe Tourism Doldrums

https://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2020/04/24/wsj-wealth-adviser-briefing-liquor-sales-rise-grocers-go-green-europe-tourism-doldrums/?guid=BL-MBB-71458&dsk=y

Apr 24, 2020 6:00 am ET

This article talks about many industries and how they are doing during the CoronaVirus Pandemic. It discusses how banks are getting bigger, liquor stores sales increase, the tourist industry is hurting and much more. I found it very interesting when it explained that there is more money in the banks than normal. This is due to the lack of unnecessary spending people are doing. With the pandemic, people are only buying necessary items, leaving more money in their bank accounts than normal. This creates a big problem for the tourist industry. The tourist industry relies on tourists making impulse spending habits to make money. With no one being allowed to travel and most only buying necessary items, the tourist industry is really hurting. With that being said, a great way for them to bounce back is by really promoting a vacation once the pandemic is over. With everyone being stuck at home the first thing most people will do is leave their house and go somewhere. The tourist industry should really promote themselves to those who need a vacation. They can do this by showing commercials and ads directed to this audience. This will really help them bounce back from this dramatic drop. One industry that is doing well during this pandemic is liquor stores. During this pandemic there has been an increase in sales of alcoholic beverages. There is not an exact reason for this; however, it can be inferred that with more leisure time people are consuming more alcohol. The article believes that after the pandemic liquor sales will decrease dramatically because people are already stocked up on their liquor, but I believe sales will just go back to normal because liquor is loved by many.

States Move to Ease Lockdowns as Global Cases Top 3 Million

Texas, Ohio, and other states took steps to ease lockdown orders & reopen their economies, as the reported U.S coronavirus cases are near to reach one million. The state leaders have been hit the hardest with the pandemic having to find testing and think of the overall wellness of their residences. While urging people to stay home and avoiding public contact, officials are searching to expand testing capacities and create contact-tracing teams. Some states have already began to reopen some businesses. The Trump administration plans ion sending all 50 states supplies to test atleasr 2% of residents.

Texas specifically will allow retail stores, restaurants, malls, movie theaters, museums and libraries to reopen on fridat at 25% capacity. Gov. Greg Abbot said that the stay-home order that is now in place will expire on thursday."The executive order has done its job." "Now it is time to start a new course."
Most of the population is worried about the economy opening up too soon. However, for other states Texas' actions will be seen as a test to understand how big of an impact reopening the economy too early would be.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-latest-news-04-27-2020-11587982265?mod=hp_lead_pos1

People Were Leaving New York City Before the Coronavirus. Now What?

One of the positive things to come out of COVID-19 is the storage/moving industry in New York City. From first hand experience, Ross Sapir talks about the increase in business he has had due to COVID-19 in New York. Many residents are looking to leave the city and many are not thinking of coming back. It was written that many will leave the city with no plans on where to go. They leave their belongings and call companies like Roadway Moving to help them gather their belongings from their apartments and transfer them to where they have settled. While it is seen as a positive for moving companies, it has added to the decrease in population that New York City has had in the past three years. There is fear that due to the pandemic and New York being an epicenter to it, the decrease in population may spiral out of control. Many have already found the city to be a dangerous place to live and living conditions are also not as hygienic. Regardless, the city's arts and cultural scene makes up for the cons to living there.
Despite this, there is optimism that New York will pull through. There are already plans drawn up to help the city improve its infrastrure and ensure that the people of New York feel safe and cared for after this pandemic. They want to make sure they keep their trust and plan to work with more businesses to promote the city.
While this may drive people away from New York City, there are still many optimists that are looking for the chance to secure a good place in the city. I would be one of them and as graduation nears, it feels a little more hopeful that I may one day end up living here. To the people already living there, I think it will take a lot of marketing strategy to ensure that they remain and that outsiders, such as myself, feel welcomed and safe. I think there will be a lot of target market involved and one of the things thats the most appealing about New York is their arts. While COVID-19 has instilled fear, it is definitely interesting to find out what will happen to New York in the coming years.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/people-were-leaving-new-york-city-before-the-coronavirus-now-what-11587916800?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2

The Future of Electric Vehicles May Ride on Two Wheels

Analysts say that there will be substantial growth for the next decades in the two-wheeled electric scooter markets, especially in markets like India and China after the measures that they have taken to increase electric scooter use.

One of the main problems that electric scooter companies in India have had is the competition with low priced gasoline motorcycles. However, the Indian companies are confident that this will change in the next year with their lowered prices, and expect that sales will take off. According to Mr. Munjal, the managing director of Hero Electric vehicles(India's top electric bike brand), the price of owning an electric bike is often cheaper than owning a gasoline bike, especially in the long run.

The environmental benefits from the electric scooters are worthy to take into account, this is why highly polluted nations, as India and China have pushed for the growth of the product. A mind-blowing fact is that electric scooters have reduced more emissions than electric cars. This comes to show the incredible effects that it could have to help the environment and the growth of the industry.

The electric scooter companies in India have had to change some marketing strategy decisions to adjust the prices, and the product to fit the needs of the markets where they are located. For example, the Indian company Hero Electrics, that has innovated with durable materials and heat resistance batteries.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-future-of-electric-vehicles-may-ride-on-two-wheels-11587812401?mod=business_lead_pos6

Published April 25, 2020

Anthony Nguyen

U.S. Stocks Slide Into a Correction as Virus Gears Show No Sign of Easing Analysis

https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stocks-extend-declines-as-coronavirus-concerns-mount-11582784087

Published on Feb 27, 2020 7:22 pm ET

Credit for information used goes towards the New York Times and its publishers

The coronavirus has been an international issue in the past couple of weeks and to say that the virus has gotten many people scared would be an understatement. What makes this topic fascinating is the fact that the way people are responding to this virus seems to be different than how people had responded to other big diseases of the past.

                Although it can be considered very loosely related, the coronavirus and stocks are somewhat similar to Chapter 9 as it talks about product management and new-product development. Although not specifically stated in the New York Times’ article on the coronavirus, it has been stated by many news websites that many companies are either slowing down or halting production of their products because of the coronavirus fears while some companies are outright cancelling events that they had previously planned.

                The way this relates to Chapter 9 in a bigger sense is that, as the article stated, stocks seem to  be declining into the “correction territory” because of the coronavirus fear that has been spreading. This decline means that there are less investments within the stock market, which also means that companies are not receiving the funds they need in order to create new products. By not receiving more funding, companies have to slow down production, which means there will be less sales and less profit to be made. Usually the market also like to innovate in order to attract new customers, but because of less funding, as stated before, which means that maybe research isn’t funded as much and has to slow down. Another thing to consider is that if one market slows down, it might also slow down other markets as well.

                On the other side, maybe because there isn’t enough funding and a desperate desire to increase profit, some companies might rush out their product and decrease their products life cycle because the product in question isn’t well made or defective. Maybe during this time, people might also change their minds about what they like because their state of mind has changed, which creates a new sense of what’s fashionable or desirable, which means companies have to find ways to go towards to what the market is now demanding.

                As a psychological factor, as stated in the article, “Investors have grown increasingly pessimistic that efforts to stop the spread of the virus will prevent significant damage to the global economy.” (Langley, Ostroff, Koh, New York Times). To summarize the whole article in one sentence, the problem with the American economy right now is that stocks have been declining rapidly because the fear of the coronavirus is spreading and many companies are suffering because of this and other countries might soon be affected by these changes in stocks also.

Facebook Launches its Answer to Zoom video

This article by Jeff Horwitz talks about Facebook creating a video chat to compete against Zoom. In the past we have seen Facebook either buy out competition like it did with Instagram to compete with the likes of SnapChat and Twitter. As many schools, jobs, and about every type of communication has moved online. Since Zoom has been the big thing everyone has been using like Instagram, Facebook could not buy it out but instead are going to create their own Zoom, "Facebook Inc. FB 2.67% is rolling out a new video-chat feature to rival Zoom, part of a suite of new offerings aimed at users kept home by the coronavirus." Facebook also stated that this new group video chat "can accommodate up to 50 people, along with additional video options for gamers and singles looking to chat with matches on Facebook Dating." I do see this being a success on Facebooks end since Zoom has been having a ton of issues with security and people interfering with meetings known as "Zoombombing" and information of Zoom stuff hitting the dark-web, it has raised everyone's concern with their safety.

This article interested me because of right now most of my classes are online and on Zoom. The virus is affecting about everyone globally and with new options coming out to communicate , with others and with classes I feel that it is important everyone has a choice on what service they would like to use.

Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-launches-its-answer-to-zoom-11587752287?mod=business_lead_pos7

Anthony Nguyen

"The Coming Era of Decision Making Machines" Analysis

Article Published by Irving Wladawsky-Berger on March 27, 2020 3:44 PM

https://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2020/03/27/the-coming-era-of-decision-machines/?guid=BL-CIOB-14886&mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2&dsk=y

          In Chapter 18, most of the chapter talks about how when you make a product, not only does it need to be ethical in the sense it doesn't harm others or manipulating customers, but also how it makes customer's lives better by having the ability to improve quality of life and is efficient. In the article, "The Coming Era of Decision Making Machines", the author says that stronger computers are starting to become less expensive, and as such its getting easier for people to get machine learning algorithms to help make predictions or decisions for others. After that, the article essentially talks about how important decision making is and how having a machine make decisions for you is definitely a scary prospect. He then goes on to also say that the importance of AIs making decisions is that you would have to constantly monitor and make sure the AI doesn't go out of the intended decision makings and how complicated all of this might be. What really struck me about how this article relates to Chapter 18 though was where the article says "What should software engineers learn about the ethical implications of their technologies? What's the relationship between domain and technical expertise in thinking about these issues?" (Wladawsky-Berger, WSJ). From my perspective, I'm against the idea of having an AI make our decisions. I can understand the quality of life improvements that to many lives, but I'm afraid that in some way people will lose the will to think as much or deeply about decisions and instead rely on AIs. However, despite all of this, it is interesting because such a thing has never really happened, and seeing what might come of it could be something.

Coronavirus Lockdowns Lead to Surge in Digital Piracy

With everyone in quarantine due to the COVID-19 many people are finally finding the time to be able to start watching their tv series and movies. With nothing to do in the house besides online school and work, streaming services have been able to notice the increase in subscribers in the past couple of months. With many new shows and movies being released on Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and other streaming services. Many households have subscribed to these streaming platforms to past the time while in quarantine. Not only has there been an increase in the number of subscriptions but as well there has been an increase in the amount of viewers accessing digital piracy of many shows and movies that are being streamed on other streaming services. The article goes on to state that the activity of digital piracy was mostly seen during the weekends and with everyone stuck in their house, the digital piracy has risen showing activity of digital piracy throughout the whole week.

With this happening many websites of the digital piracy have started offering deals and subscriptions for their viewers in hoping to make a profit from the situation. The streaming services are working in trying to prevent the people from getting digital piracy from online websites. In order to do so many streaming services are going to have to come up with an idea on how bring the attention of the people in buying their subscriptions at a time like this.

Our Zoom Future: Will Coronavirus Change Friendship Forever?

Due to the pandemic, we have all been obliged to adapt to a new lifestyle. Schools are been held online, companies have held meetings online, some individuals are having parties online, but after the pandemic is over, will it be easy to return to our normal lifestyles?
Apps like zoom have allowed everyone to keep communicating and have about their daily lives as much as possible as they used to. They have also permitted families to obtain quality time, some of which were lacking this. Before the pandemic, not many knew about zoom but now everyone is using it, however, everyone is adapting differently. It is predicted that the use of technology and video calling apps will transform how companies do business in the future, and it is predicted that some will no longer view traveling as an option because communication will be easily held through video calls across any part of the world, reducing their expenses and damage to the environment. CEO Simon Allen says that at his company, he predicts the number of employees to take advantage of the option to work from home to double after the pandemic is over. However, it has been observed by some parents that for children, apps like zoom were not the best solution. Parents have observed that their children started using zoom with excitement but as the days have been passing by, it is more and more difficult for them to concentrate and do their schoolwork, noticing the necessity of a school environment.

Whatever the case might be in the future, it is predicted that no one will be able to ignore the use of these apps, and will consider them as an alternative of doing work or communicating with others. Technology has helped us go through this challenging time and has helped many to not fall behind in their responsibilities. I chose this article because technology has become a necessity and not a luxury in our lives, especially in times like these of emergency.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/our-zoom-future-will-coronavirus-change-friendship-forever-11587182431?mod=tech_lista_pos2

Amazon Scooped Up Data From Its Own Sellers to Launch Competing Products

The two products pictured above are from Fortem (on top), a private seller on Amazon, and Amazon's product (on bottom). The company owners pay Amazon about $60,000 a month to be advertised first on Amazon for people looking for products such as this. The complaint from Fortem is that Amazon has used their private selling data to create a product to compete against them. Amazon has come on record stating that it is against Amazon's policy to use their data to create a competing product. It appears that Amazon has done an internal investigation and found no evidence they did anything wrong. The internal investigation is still ongoing.



Current and former Amazon employees have come forward saying that they do look into third party sellers data to create products to reach a new market. Could this be a coincidence or is Amazon violating their policy to find profits in other markets? The answer may seem obvious but only Amazon has the proof and we'll find out once they investigate themselves.

Consumers do not bother looking into what Amazon is doing as long as their are more inexpensive or comparable products. When searching for a product the consumer looks for the best deal. This could lead to Amazon not being held accountable for their actions against third party sellers.



What products have you seen on Amazon that could fall into this investigation?



https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-scooped-up-data-from-its-own-sellers-to-launch-competing-products-11587650015?mod=hp_lead_pos5

iPhone SE Review: An iPhone for People Who Don’t Like New iPhones

Aren't you tired of the having to buy an iPhone every year, for astronomical prices? Or maybe you have an old iPhone or different phone that you want to replace with a newer iPhone? Well iPhone has now released a new, more affordable option for people, especially for the many customers that are going through a difficult time of the coronavirus. The iPhone SE could be deemed as one of Apple's best value for phone in years, providing many features of the newer iPhones, but with an older style model and just for the price of $399!

It also offers a new more affordable iPhone for those who have the older iPhones and are running out of room and time before Apple cuts off their IOS updating, which offer new features, security and bug fixes. Its also the option to people who decide don't want to spend on the new expensive iPhones every year or two years like many people do.

This new product by apple shows that Apple's adjustment to the market by releasing an iPhone that suits people's pockets more during this difficult time, in place of their more expensive options. This will allow them to get more sales with this hot offer that their providing, while many other phone companies are on hold. With this new product they have also offered a means of differentiation, or different product to the usual, for customers and shows how Apple are taking advantage of the market environment that the world is in currently.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/iphone-se-review-an-iphone-for-people-who-dont-like-new-iphones-11587560400?mod=business_lead_pos5
Updated April 22, 2020

Coronavirus Deaths in U.S. Nursing, Long-Term Care Facilities Top 10,000

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-deaths-in-u-s-nursing-long-term-care-facilities-top-10-000-11587586237

The coronavirus has taken a huge toll in the deaths of older people and has affected nursing homes 10,000 owners of nursing homes are saying that they are still struggling to get the testing that they need to be done. Testing helps detect people who are ill from the sickness and to help curb the outbreak. Many health departments are reporting fatalities linked directly to older people housing who are often frail in health and are very vulnerable to this particular virus. Some cities are falling behind in reporting their data like Ohio and Washington state but WSJ has found at least 10,783 fatalities among more than 35 states.

Supercomputers Aiding Researchers in Drug Discovery for COVID-19

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In this article, Sara Castellanos talks about supercomputers and how they are helping speed up the research to find a drug to treat COVID-19. The U.S. Government has granted full supercomputer access to the research teams that are working to find a cure for this virus. The researchers are working in a partnership with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, International Business Machines Corp., Alphabet Inc.’s Google Cloud, Amazon.com Inc.’s Amazon Web Services and others. In the research already found, it has been found that the the virus causes illness by binding to the body's ACE2 receptors. The plan at the moment is to develop a Covid-19 drug using a decoy, in hopes that the virus will bind to a fake version of protein, which could prevent illness. The use of supercomputers is speeding up the research for the drug tremendously and could possibly have a drug ready in a matter of months. 

I chose this article because as of right now, the virus is affecting almost everyone with the virus being global. We all want this virus to go away and be able to go outside again without any fear and also be able to return to jobs and getting back to work. There is a specific target market using the supercomputers and that is the research teams working on finding this drug for the virus. If they can find a cure in a couple months, hopefully we all are able to return to our normal lives soon. 

Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/supercomputers-help-researchers-speed-drug-discovery-for-covid-19-11586888735?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2

Coca-Cola Sales Slide as Pandemic Progresses

Throughout the course of the pandemic, many companies have seen a fall in consumer consumption. As a result, another company added to the list of falling sales is Coca-Cola. As of April 21st, global sales have dropped 25% since the beginning of the month. Since millions of individuals around the world are under a stay-at-home order and not participating in social activities, Coca-Cola's Chief Executive James Quincey said, "We may be at the end of the big global lockdown, but we are still a long way from the new normal."

During the months of the Coronavirus, the company has had to cut marketing and capital spending, as well as put employees on a paid furlough until the end of June. Some of the companies' strategies during this pandemic is concentrating on their main brands such as Coke products and other brands such as Dasani water and Powerade. As a result, the March-ended quarter recorded a 1% decrease to $8.6 billion dollars, compared to $2.76 billion dollars for the same time last year. 

This article is related to marketing because this shows all companies, both big and small, are being impacted by the lockdowns across the globe. Since most customers of the company are closed, such as movie theaters and restaurants, Coca-Cola should re-evaluate their marketing strategy to encourage more individuals to purchase their products. For example, a new strategy could be to make ads promoting doctors and nurses drinking their Coke products and each purchase of a drink will send a percentage of the sale towards the fight for a vaccine.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coca-cola-quarterly-sales-slide-as-pandemic-progresses-11587466055?mod=business_lead_pos1

One Year After Fire, Notre Dame’s Rebuild Is in Limbo

A year ago, on April 15, 2019, fire struck the historical, 800-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral located in Paris, France. To commemorate the first anniversary of the fire, the Cathedral's bell rang and citizens applauded for all the healthcare heroes working on the frontlines. France President, Emmanuel Macron, promised that the damages the Cathedral suffered were going to be completely repaired within five years, by 2024, in time for the Olympic games happening in France. Unfortunately, the Cathedral reparations have been greatly delayed due to the impact the Coronavirus pandemic has caused. There is fear that because delays are happening, due to the heat and moisture, the ceiling can collapse.

France has about 902 million Euros destined for the reconstruction of the cathedral. Currently, it has spent about 188 million Euros in reparations. A new scaffolding has been constructed around the damaged one and the burnt scaffolding was about to be taken down when the pandemic lockdown began and this has delayed all scheduled plans for the roof reparations. Although it is currently uncertain when reparations for the Cathedral will start again, there is hope that with extra effort, it will be fully repaired by 2024.

I chose this article because it relates to the social and political factors of the external environment. The beautiful Cathedral is a symbolic and historical place that attracts a lot of tourism, and it represents French culture. The impact COVID-19 has had on it is important because it will affect tourism, if it is not finished by 2024, in time for the Olympic games. It was also a promise made by President Macron, that it would be finished by 2024, which could affect the political area if not finished at the promised time.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-year-after-blaze-notre-dame-rebuild-is-in-limbo-11586954747

Fall of Natural Gas Prices Speeds Energy Shift in East Asia

For the first time in many years, natural gas costs about the same as coal in East Asia. This is a very important opportunity for East Asian countries like China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. For years coal has been the main energy source because of its large abundance and its low cost. This has had a huge social and economic impact in terms of pollution and efficiency. Burning coal emits around double the amount of harmful pollutant into the atmosphere as burning natural gas. For countries with pollution problems, like China, switching from coal is not an easy choice. Until recently, producing and transporting natural gas has led it to be too expensive for realistically replacing coal. Now that costs have dramatically decreased, the ability for East Asia to begin relying more heavily on natural gas is feasible.

I find this article very interesting because sometimes we forget to think of the effects of event outside of the U.S. I have friends and family in the oil business who lost their jobs recently due to the drop in oil prices. It is refreshing to see that there is a positive side to these events.

From a marketing view, this is a very good example of the importance of "product". Both natural gas and coal can do the job of providing an energy source, so the consumer has to look at more than just its use. All the aspects of the product, including the cost, supply, and environmental effects, must be taken into account.

Article by: River Davis and Andrew Jeong
Post by: Zachary Micklitz
https://www.wsj.com/articles/fall-of-natural-gas-prices-speeds-energy-shift-in-east-asia-11587290400

Deal is Soon to be Made on Small-Business Funding Agreement

Mnuchin, Democrats Say They Are Close on Small-Business Funding Agreement

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin

After the original appropriations for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)  CARES ACT  were exhausted last week, senators are working to pass more funding in Washington DC. This extra funding has been called for for a number of weeks now as analysts were predicting the money to run out soon, but negotiations have been stalled due to people wanting to add different things to the bill other than strictly more money for these programs.

These programs, which were passed as the record setting $2 Trillion dollar CARES act, have been helping small business tide over and receive loans and grants in order to keep people on their payrolls. There has been some bad experiences with this as some business owners say they have not heard anything back from their bankers and unfortunately did not receive money before the funds ran out. 

Progress is expected to continue and hopefully more funds are added for this important part of helping the economy restart.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pelosi-says-we-re-close-to-deal-on-small-business-funding-11587301707?mod=hp_lead_pos1

More Americans Fear Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions Too Soon, WSJ/NBC Poll Says

Acording to Wall Street Joural/NBC News poll, Americans are worried about lifting stay-at-home orders too quickly during the coronaviru pandemic. The pandemic has dramatically upended life in a month marked by business shutdwns, job losses, illness, and death.
60% in the survey said that they are concered that the country would move too fast to loosen restrictions aimed at slowing the outbreak. 30% are mre worried about the economic impact of waiting too long. 10% were not sure about which concequence of the pandemic might be too important for them. The polls also revealed more anxiety over the virus compared with a similar poll in march.
In regards Mr. Trump's popularity, the Polls indicated that the pandemic hasn't significantly altered his job-approval rating as he campaigns for re-election, with a 46% approving rate and  51% disapproving rate. In a head-to-head match-up with Joe Biden, 49% said they would support the Democratic nominee and 42% say they would support Mr.Trump.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-americans-fear-lifting-coronavirus-restrictions-too-soon-wsj-nbc-poll-says-11587301203?mod=hp_lead_pos6

Crawfish Prices Slump as Coronavirus Curtails Cajun Industry

Crawfish season in Louisiana has been effected by the prices of the crustaceans due to the coronavirus. Country-club boils, gatherings and restaurant dinner have all be canceled due to the virus leaving crawfish farmers and fishermen struggling. During this time it would be the height of crawfish season with corn and potatoes as s rite of spring. Even with the low prices for mudbugs many people still aren't buying as much especially with restrictions that limits their purchases. 

More than 28% of the average prices has fallen between February and Easter. Many farmers are unable to accept federal Paycheck Protection Program since some of their temporary workers are Mexico who do not qualify. Many people are being impacted due to the coronavirus 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/crawfish-prices-slump-as-coronavirus-curtails-cajun-industry-11587124801?mod=searchresults&page=4&pos=17

Dressing to Impress During Quarantine

                                   

Many individuals have discovered Nintendo’s “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” game during this quarantine. With the stay-at-home order the players have found an escape through this “role-playing game in which a cutesy, cherubic character builds a community on a deserted island.” Since its release on March 20, the game sold nearly two million copies within its first three days of being released. With the game having such a high demand on the market, the Nintendo company has also sold out of their Switch and consoles which enable users to play the game.

Jonathan Villamar and Renzo Navarro are players who have spent hours designing their characters clothes. Throughout their time spent playing, they have recreated real world clothes that their avatar can wear. As Navarro was sharing his experience he said, he has been “Itching to wear something nice and the game has given him the ability, even if he can only wear it digitally.” Along with Navarro, many players have enjoyed and appreciate digital games like “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” because they are a part of what is getting them through these unprecedented times.

As I analyzed this article, I loved that it shared personal experiences of players around the world who are simply trying to get through these difficult times just like everyone else around the world. When it comes to the marketing strategy in this article, I noticed the Nintendo company developed and released their products while keeping their customers needs in mind especially during this quarantine. The strengths of this game for current players would be that it has allowed them to express themselves through their avatars, because the players can not physically do certain things right now.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/animal-crossing-why-gamers-are-spending-hours-making-virtual-clothes-11587182401?mod=hp_listc_pos3

'Sometimes the Crisis Makes the Leader': Andrew Cuomo and Five Lessons on Leadership

Crisis-communication experts have pointed out how sometimes the crisis makes the leader. To explain this, they have taken the example of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who is at the frontline of the fight against coronavirus in New York. Mr. Cuomo's job performance rating soared in March to its highest level ever according to a poll. He uses daily briefings, in which he presents data methodically in power-point slides coupled with his personal opinions. Crisis communication experts have singled out five traits of a leader by reacting to Mr. Cuomo's leadership style:

1. According to Lawrence J. Parnell, associate professor of strategic public relations at George Washington University, a leader should be transparent, credible and accountable. To make people believe in what you are saying, you need to be personal and believable.
2. Tough time need tough people to act, and that is what Governor Cuomo is doing amidst the crisis. America needed a field general to take the pandemic head-on. Mr. Cuomo did exactly that, "He is informed, his sleeves are rolled up, he's walking the talk he is not abrogating the 6-foot rule just because he's president or prime minister". In the virus crisis, he let go off dysfunction, which kills, and engaged people's trust very quickly
3. Erik Bernstein, president of Bernstien Crisis Management, Inc., says that "he's making people in he's in there with them". He presents stressful information with some personal stories and anecdotes to let people absorb as much as possible. He is not getting carried away by the job and promising people what he cannot deliver.
4. Chris Allieri, founder and principal, Mulberry & Astor, a communication consulting firm, has identified Mr. Cuomo's particular way of presenting the information. He mixes personal stories with critical information in a professional way. This is a good way of handling a crisis in a professional style.
5. Along with all the above-mentioned aspects, clarity in communication is of utmost importance. A simple and straightforward message is more powerful than a flashy and sugarcoated one. Instead of talking about abstracts, being particular and concrete about what you want to get done is relevant for a leader.

 Being a leader, and that too in a crisis takes a lot to prove one's mantle. Mr. Cuomo's leadership style is what plays the role of a tower of light for anyone seeking inspiration in tough times.

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sometimes-the-crisis-makes-the-leader-andrew-cuomo-and-five-lessons-on-leadership-11586364647

Time: April 9, 2020 11:30 am ET