Monthly Archives: July 2015

by | Thursday, July 16, 2015 · 9:18 am

2015 Green Rankings in U.S. and World

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Corporate sustainability and environmental impact are concepts that are increasingly becoming key parts of companies’ operations and marketing efforts. Newsweek recently released its annual green rankings, analyzing companies with eight indicators that assess and measure their environmental performance. The indicators include: combined energy productivity, combined greenhouse gas productivity, combined water productivity, combined waste productivity, green revenue, green pay link, sustainability board committee, and audited environmental metrics.

The U.S. top 10 companies may surprise you:

  1. Biogen, Inc. (healthcare)
  2. Allergan, Inc. (healthcare)
  3. Adobe Systems, Inc. (information technology)
  4. Broadcom Corp. (information technology)
  5. Sigma-Adlrich Corp. (materials)
  6. Hershey Comp. (consumer goods)
  7. Ecolab Inc. (materials)
  8. Coca-Cola (consumer goods)
  9. Aflac (financials)
  10. Mead Johnson Nutrition Comp. (consumer goods)

For the full lists of the top 500 largest publicly-traded companies, check out the Newsweek rankings at http://www.newsweek.com/green-2015/top-green-companies-u.s.-2015/.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: Who buys (or tries to buy) from environmentally-friendly companies?
  2. Have students name companies that they think fits this description.
  3. Discuss how sustainability fits into marketing campaigns.
  4. Show the Newsweek rankings for U.S. and Global companies:

US: http://www.newsweek.com/green-2015/top-green-companies-u.s.-2015

Global: http://www.newsweek.com/green-2015/top-green-companies-world-2015

  1. How can and should this information be used in marketing campaigns?

Source: Newsweek

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by | Monday, July 13, 2015 · 9:14 am

Transportation: Air-Powered Cars

Cars

Think that electric cars are the best bet for reducing pollution? The people at Zero Pollution Motors would argue that point. Zero Pollution Motors manufactures and sells what it calls a more environmentally-friendly solution – a car that runs on compressed air, called the AIRPod car. The compressed air drives the pistons in the engine and uses a propulsion principle rather than a combustion principle.

Selling for $10,000, the car has a top speed of 50 mph and maximum range of 111 miles before it needs to be refilled. The car can be refilled by transferring air from a compressor, similar to the ones that exist today at gas stations for filling up tires, but with larger capacity and pressure.

Zero Pollution Motors is the first U.S.-based licensee for MDI, a Luxembourg developer. Using a unique manufacturing model, the car is produced at turnkey, micro production factories in locally-based regions. Manufacturing 80% of the vehicle, and then selling it in the same location drastically reduces logistics and costs. The first U.S. cars are expected to be built and sold in Hawaii near the end of 2015.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Start the discussion on this product by showing the Shark Tank video: https://youtu.be/C5wXbm1nPPA
  2. Show the Zero Pollution Motor Web site: http://zeropollutionmotors.us/
  3. Discuss the various promotional tactics that can be used for launching a product.
  4. Have students come up with tactics and list all the tactics on the white board (ex: billboards, print, direct mail, etc.).
  5. Divide students into groups to work on this exercise.
  6. Have each team select three different tactics. For each tactic, explain why it was selected and how it will be used.
  7. Debrief by putting together the entire suggested lists on the white board. As a final step, have the entire class vote on the top three tactics to use.

Source: Manufacturing Business Technology

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by | Friday, July 10, 2015 · 9:10 am

The Future of Urban Transportation: The Bicycle

Bike

It’s summertime and we all love to be outside, in the sunshine, riding bikes. Although some form of bicycle transportation has been around since 1418, the most modern version of the two-wheeler dates to the 1890s when mass production of bicycles began. Given the seemingly non-stop advances in technology, what does the future hold for the humble bicycle?

First, it’s not so humble anymore as the bicycle evolves to give us new travel options in an urban environment. Case in point: Ford recently announced a new concept bike named the Ford MoDe:Flex, a folding electric bicycle that is tough enough for trail rides, but light enough for commuting to work. The bike has rear brake lights, turn signals, headlight, and folds so that it can be stored in a car’s trunk.

That’s not all – by using a smartphone app, a function called the “no sweat mode” monitors the rider’s heart-rate and calculates how much effort is needed to pedal so that the rider is not sweaty when arriving at the destination. The app can plan routes, see forecasts, and access fitness information. In addition, when a car approaches behind the bike, the handlebars vibrate to warn the rider. Power is from a lithium ion battery and is controlled by the app.

The future of urban transportation? The bike.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Take a look at a time line of the bicycle history at http://www.ibike.org/library/history-timeline.htm
  2. Discuss transportation. Poll students as to how they get around campus and town.
  3. How many ride bikes? Why and why not?
  4. Show the Ford MoDe: Flex videos:

https://youtu.be/R4Hiclb18RM

https://youtu.be/OJfIn_8VxUA

  1. Discuss the importance of clearly defining a target market.
  2. For this product, what is the target market?
  3. Divide students into teams and have each team develop a profile of a target market. Include demographics, psychographics, behaviors, values, attitudes, etc.
  4. Based on the target market profile, what makes this product unique for these customers?

Source:   CNET, Manufacturing Business Technology, other news sources

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