"Many of the country’s largest and most prestigious companies still systematically sideline pregnant women," according to an in-depth piece from the New York Times that includes individual case histories of women dealing with this issue. "In physically demanding jobs...the discrimination can be blatant. Pregnant women risk losing their jobs when they ask to carry water bottles or take rest breaks." But even in "corporate office towers, [where] discrimination tends to be more subtle," pregnant women are often "steered away from prestigious assignments, excluded from client meetings and slighted at bonus season."

"Over the past few months, Amazon has applied intense pressure to consumer brands across different product categories — seizing more control over what, where and how they can sell their goods on the so-called everything store," according to brand execs and analysts interviewed by Recode. Brands like Birkenstock and cellphone accessories company PopSockets have severed their relationship with Amazon, and others are likely to follow. “It often does not feel like human beings over there,” says one source.

After Chico’s same-store sales fell 10.2% in the third quarter, the retailer’s parent company said Diane Ellis will depart as Chico’s brand president effective Nov. 30. The retailer is adjusting in-store merchandising and display, print and digital media to feature clean, classic silhouettes along with the boho and artisanal styles that dominated the brand’s refresh last February, according to Chain Store Age.

Tiger Woods has signed a deal that will bring his life and golf skills into the world of programming, content and storytelling. Woods' content will be exclusively owned by GolfTV globally, including in the U.S., where Discovery said it “has the opportunity to execute an owned or partner distribution strategy,” according to New York Sports Journalism. Other pro athletes who have transitioned into content and programming include LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

The persistently long lines of customers waiting to enter the Canada Goose flagship store seem to indicate that it’s once again this year’s hot choice for cold-weather gear. “It’s not just Chicagoans who love the brand,” according to the Chicago Tribune. “The 61-year-old publicly traded ‘extreme outerwear’ brand, which outfits missions to Antarctica, teams of Iditarod mushers and Hollywood stars, remains, well, hot.”

Delta CEO Ed Bastian spends much of his time traveling from city to city and meeting employees and serving as the company’s biggest cheerleader. But the airlines faces shrinking profits and a slowing economy. “And if the company doesn’t execute its strategy to near-perfection, all of its stakeholders—from wheelchair-pushing porters to billionaire institutional investors—are going to need a lot more cheering up,” according to Fortune.

Toms has committed $5 million toward ending gun violence, the largest public corporate donation to the cause. The socially progressive shoe company has long offered a buy-one, donate-one model.  The company also has launched a campaign called “End Gun Violence Together,” urging Americans to call on Congress to take action to pass universal background checks—a move 90% of Americans agree on, according to Brand Channel.

Los Angeles-based billionaire Rick Caruso has a vision for retail that could turn the tide on the rapidly dying shopping mall. His projects such as The Grove blend outdoor spaces, destination activities and retail. “We have a formula for how we don’t overprogram it,” he tells The Wall Street Journal. Another development, Palisades Village, is designed to look and function like a small town.

David's Bridal, the nation's largest wedding retailer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with plans to stay in business. The company says it expects to continue operating more than 300 stores and its website, although it is facing hundreds of millions of dollars in debt from a private-equity buyout several years ago. The retailer assured customers that its bankruptcy would not disrupt their weddings, in part because it secured support from key lenders to stay alive, according to USA Today.

“The backlash against the Italian luxury fashion brand began earlier this week after it launched video ads featuring a Chinese woman struggling to eat pizza and other Italian food with chopsticks,” according to CNN. “The situation was then made worse by offensive comments that were allegedly sent from co-founder Stefano Gabbana's personal Instagram account.” The huge reaction forced the company to cancel a fashion show in Shanghai hours before it was due to start last week.