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5 Winners and Losers of the Week in Business

From Pandora, which is trying to encourage more of its music streamers to pay, to Monster, which is trying to win back a good rep for its an energy drink, here's a rundown of this week's big winners and losers in the business world.

Founders Taking Their Firms Private: A New Wall Street Trend?

Barnes & Noble's Leonard Riggio, Dell's Michael Dell and Best Buy's Richard Schulze each want to save the troubled companies they founded from the pains of publicly traded life. But are their plans powered by sound thinking, or wishful thinking?

Barnes & Noble Chair Leonard Riggio Wants to Buy Retail Business

Barnes & Noble founder and chairman Leonard Riggio has told the book seller he is going to try to buy the company's retail business. The news sent shares up more than 17 percent in premarket trading. Riggio said he does not want to acquire the Nook e-reader business or the company's college bookstores.

Barnes & Noble to Close Up to One-Third of Its Stores

Barnes & Noble CEO Mitchell Klipper told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that his company will have 450 to 500 retail locations in 10 years -- down from nearly 700 now. Still, he insisted "it's a good business model," despite competition from e-books and online retailers.

The Tablet Wars Get More Interesting

If Amazon.com wants a price war, Barnes & Noble is ready to play. The struggling real-world bookseller announced this week that it's offering an 8-gigabyte version of its Nook tablet for the same $199 price point as Amazon's Kindle Fire. Meanwhile, Apple is widely expected to unveil the iPad 3 early next month.

Are We Reading the Final Chapter for Pure E-Readers?

Purists may cringe at the loss of easy-to-read E Ink screens, but it may be time to turn the page on the e-book reader. A key analyst has slashed his sales forecast for Kindles, seeing the rise of Kindle Fires, Nook Tablets, and of course, iPads as inevitable.

Study Finds Tablet, E-Book Ownership Soared

Tablets and e-readers were a popular gift over the holidays, so much so that the number of people who own them nearly doubled between mid-December and January, a new study finds. A report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project set to be released Monday found that 29 percent of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader as of the beginning of this month. That's up from 18 percent who said the same in December.

Savings Experiment: How to Pick a Tablet

Not since The Ten Commandments have tablets been in such demand. While the iPad launched the market, it's not the only option out there. Read on to find out what your options are when tablet-shopping, and how best to compare the various models.

Do We Still Need Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores?

The death of bookstore chain Borders begs the question: Is there still a place in the Internet-dominated market for brick-and-mortar booksellers and the value they add? Independent bookstores thinks so, and the numbers in the American Booksellers Association, believe it or not, are growing.

B&N Buyout Bid Is a Bet Against Amazon, Apple

Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by John Malone, made a $1 billion bid Thursday to buy Barnes & Noble. The bricks-and-mortar bookstore business is declining everywhere, so for Malone's gamble is to pay off, the Nook will have to gain some ground against Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle.

Is Amazon Kicking Off Another E-Reader Price War?

The tech giant kicked off an e-reader price war last summer and another may be in store. Why? The company announced Monday that it would cut its price on a new Kindle that will display ads. Will competitors follow its lead?