Topic #1

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts Database Breached

Summary

From a single breach, a hacker gained access to customer information from several of the company's restaurants and other properties, and then downloaded it to an off-site URL. The information included names and credit card numbers of guests, the cards' expiration dates, and other data from the magnetic strip on each card. The chain notified the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates counterfeiting, as well as the attorneys general of several states. Wyndham hired an outside investigator to appraise the damage and advise on improving security and a firm that specializes in credit-card industry standards to look into each compromised property to improve compliance. In addition, Wyndham notified American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover of card numbers that may have been involved. It offered affected guests free credit monitoring and set up a special toll-free line that all guests could call for more information.

Based on your own research, share an example of an organization that has faced a breach of customer security.

What measures has this organization taken to address the situation?

What was the public relations response by the organization to address consumer confidence in the company?

How did this experience affect the company's financial bottom line in the short and long term?

Topic #2

Compare and contrast three common types of production processes: make-to-order, make-to-stock, and mass customization. What are the advantages and disadvantages to each? Why are more companies devoting at least a portion of their operations to mass customization? Identify three goods that could probably be adapted to mass customization and three that probably couldn't.

Topic #3

View the video segment from the CBS Sunday Morning show about BMW and an aging workforce in Germany, and share your thoughts. The link to the video is under the Week 7 Schedule in Course Content.

Is this model being applied in the U.S. and other post-industrialized countries? If so, provide examples. If not, would you recommend this model to American businesses and why?