Jan 10, 2018

Videos: Don't Know Much About History (of Cell Phone, Cable, Retail, and Banking Industries)?

Let these brief videos teach your students. We all know the pace of business and technology is accelerating...in these snappy 2-3 minute videos, the WSJ explains how we got to where we are in the fast moving cellphone, cable, retail and banking industries. Links to the videos are below with a series of questions for your students to answer. Thanks to my daughter for helping me review these videos and coming up with some excellent questions (extra bonus: she said she learned some new stuff too!)

Cell Carriers (2:50)

  • Who originally had a monopoly of nationwide landlines?
  • Who are the four major carriers and how were they created? Why?
  • As the market has become saturated with few new customers, how are the national carriers competing? 

Cable (3:40)

  • What made cable television better than broadcast TV?
  • Why did high speed internet become a part of the cable bundle?
  • Why are companies like Disney now struggling?
  • Why are consumers "cutting the cord?"

Retail (2:00)

  • How did the retail industry evolve since the early mom and pop stores? 
  • How did super stores beat out mom and pop stores?
  • Why is foot traffic to malls decreasing?
  • What percent of all retail sales are made online? Compared to a decade ago?
  • Where do you think the retail industry will be a decade in the future? 

Retail Banking (2:17)

  • Who had the first coast to coast retail banking network?
  • Why were the big banks useful?
  • What event caused big banks to change their business strategy (i.e. Bank of America deciding to close down rural branches)?
  • How do retail banks make their products more appealing?

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Be sure to check out the popular NGPF Video Library for a curated set of videos organized by topic. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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