Super Bowl Sunday!

Well it’s almost time for the Super Bowl again.  So get the snacks ready in front of the big screen TV.  But what comes with the game and half-time?  Of course, the commercials.  However, the hoopla behind Super Bowl ads has spawned a team of skeptics. Growing research shows the $3.5 million that advertisers pay for 30 seconds during Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants often isn’t worth the cost.

 

Questions:

1.  What companies are lined up to advertise on the Super Bowl 2012?

2.  Why does the article say that companies would be better off advertising somewhere else?

3. How would you record, in the accounting records, the $3.5 M paid to a network for airing a Super Bowl ad?  Are there any other costs other than the airing costs?  Discuss what they are and how you would record them in the accounting records.

Source:

Dicker, R. (2012). Super Bowl: Are Ads Worth the Millions? The Huffington Post, Jan. 31 (Retrievable online at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/super-bowl-are-ads-worth-_n_1241677.html?ref=business)

M’Hudi Winery

A clinical psychologist, her ‘armchair farmer’ husband and their family launched an internationally successful wine label — without capital, farming experience or wine-making knowledge. The company is the first South African winery wholly owned and managed by a Black South African family.

Question:

1. How did the Rangaka’s decide on their particular farm? Discuss the costs or benefits of this approach?
2. How long did it take before the farm was producing a drinkable wine? How did Malmsey keep the winery afloat financially during the early years?
3. From a strategic perspective, does naiveté usually benefit a new entrepreneur? How does the article contend that this helped in this particular case?
4. One hectare is equivalent to 2.47 acres and the Rangaka’s have 21 hectares that produce 14,000 cases (12 per case) of wine per year. If the average price of 6 bottles is $52.38, what is the winery’s total revenue per year?

Source:

Pitman, J. (2011). M’hudi Wines: Malmsey Rangaka, Entrepreneur Magazine: South Africa, Dec. 14 (Retrievable online at http://www.entrepreneurmag.co.za/advice/women-entrepreneurs/women-entrepreneur-successes/m%E2%80%99hudi-wines-malmsey-rangaka/)
CNN Video. (2012). A Family of Winemakers. Jan. 30 (Retrievable online at www.cnn.com/videos).

Bonuses, Anyone?

Alan Johnson is among a small group of behind-the-scenes information brokers who help determine how Wall Street firms distribute billions of dollars to their workers. He operates as a compensation consultant in an obscure corner of the management consulting industry and in the shadows of high finance.

Questions:

1. What was the most interesting thing that you learned in this article?
2. How do this year’s bonuses compare to 2008?
3. What do Wall Street pay packages routinely include? Discuss how these bonus items are accounted for.
4. How does Mr. Johnson research his recommendations?

Source:

Roose, K. (2012).The Invisible Hand Behind Bonuses on Wall Street, The New York Times, Jan. 16 (Retrievable online at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/business/the-invisible-hand-behind-wall-street-bonuses.html?_r=1&ref=business)

First-Class Travel Has Never Been So Good, For Those Who Can Afford It!

Though first class represents less than 5 percent of all seats flown on long-haul routes, and business class accounts for 15 percent, those seats combined to generate 40 to 50 percent of airlines’ revenue, according to Peter Morris, the chief economist at Ascend, an aviation consulting firm. After its merger with Continental last year, United Airlines kept its first-class cabin only on some international routes that used to be served by United but not on those flown by Continental. It is also installing new flat-bed seats across its fleet in business class.

Questions:

1. According to the video, what was the price of a coach seat versus a business class seat versus a 1st class seat on a flight from the U.S. to Zurich, Switzerland?
2. Based on your answer in #1, assume that a plane going to Zurich has 230 coach, 50 business seats, and 20 first-class seats? What would be the gross revenue?
3. Based on your answer in #2, what would the expenses be in order to achieve a 50 percent net revenue?
4. How many times more is a first-class seat as compared to a coach seat, based on your answer in #1?
5. Discuss how you think an airline decides to configure its seating options. What is the linkage between this type of decision and cost or managerial accounting?

Source:
Mouawad, J. (2011). Taking First-Class Coddling Above and Beyond, The New York Times, Nov. 20 (Retrievable online at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/business/taking-first-class-coddling-above-and-beyond.html?pagewanted=1)

Video. (2011). In First Class, A World Apart, New York Times Video (Retrievable online at http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/11/21/business/100000001182807/in-first-class-a-world-apart.html)

We Did Everything Right and Still Lost Our Business: Five Failing Businesses in 2011

It has been another tough year for small businesses. According to the National Federation of Independent Businessesm one in four believes the biggest problem is weak sales. Issues of timing, cash, and a lack of realistic estimates also add to the challenges they face.

Questions:

1. After reading the article, what advice would you offer to anyone thinking about starting a business in 2012?
2. What was the main issue that Michelle Lewis mentioned that would have helped her business model and why is it important to you as a future accountant?
3. Which one of the five businesses mentioned do you think could have been viable with adequate advice from a financial advisor or accountant? Why?

Source:

Zimmerman, E. (2011). 5 Businesses That Failed to Survive Trials of 2011, The New York Times, Dec. 28 (Retrievable online at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/business/smallbusiness/five-businesses-that-did-not-survive-2011.html?pagewanted=1)

The Big Bank of America Settlement

On November 7, 2011, a federal judge gave final approval to a $410 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit affecting more than 13 million Bank of America customers who had debit card overdrafts during the past decade.  The settlement became final a week after Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America backed off a plan to charge a $5 monthly fee for debit-card purchases. The outcry prompted other major banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co., to cancel trial tests of their own debit card fees.

 

Questions:

1.  Although the judge awarded $410 Million in the suit, what percentage did Barry Himmelstein, an attorney for customers, anticipate was the actual amount collected by Bank of America for the overdrafts?

2.   Explain how the suit claimed that Bank of America maximized these fees.  Give an example that includes 5 overdraft incidences.

3.  Make the journal entry for Bank of America for the settlement, including amounts to be paid to the class-action lawyers.

Sources:

Associated Press Staff (2011). Judge Approves $410 Million Settlement of Lawsuit Against Bank of America On Overdraft Fees, Nov. 7 (Retrievable online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/judge-mulling-over-410-million-settlement-in-bank-of-america-overdraft-lawsuit/2011/11/07/gIQACKjZuM_story.html)

Youtube video (2011). Bank of America Agrees in Overdraft Fee Lawsuit to Pay $410 Million (Retrievable online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1Ov6QBMStt8)

Typos cost businesses money

Websites could be losing millions in online sales because of poor spelling and grammar. This is because Internet users are becoming more wary of scams which are typically riddled with errors and are then reluctant to make purchases on websites. As the BBC reported in July 2011, Charles Duncombe, an Internet entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom, measured the revenue per visitor to the tightsplease.co.uk website and found that the revenue was twice as high after an error was corrected. Typos affect not only online sales, but sizable contracts in all lines of business.
Questions:
1. Which example presented in the article was your favorite?
2. What are typosquatters? Explain how people make money from this concept.
3. What journal entry would Google make for the revenue it makes associated with typosquatters?

Sources:
CNN videos. Typos cost millions in online revenue, Oct. 14 (Retrievable online at www.cnn.com)
Wooten, A. (2011). Million dollar typos cause worldwide losses, Deseret News, Oct. 7 (Retrievable online at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705392032/Million-dollar-typos-cause-worldwide-losses.html)

Financial Crisis in Greece

While banks and European leaders hold abstract talks in foreign capitals about the impact of a potential Greek default on the euro and the world economy, something frighteningly concrete is under way in Greece: the dismantling of a middle-class welfare state in real time — with nothing to replace it.

Since 2010, the government has raised taxes and slashed pensions and state salaries across the board, in an effort to rein in the bloated public sector that today employs one in five Greeks. Last week, the government announced it would put 30,000 workers on reduced pay as a precursor to possible termination and would cut pensions again for nearly half a million public-sector retirees.

Questions:
1. The article mentions raising the value-added tax.  What is a value-added tax?  Does the U.S. have such a tax? Should they?  Discuss.

2. Ms. Firigou received a pay cut last year.  What percentage pay cut was it?

3. How does this financial crisis impact the U.S.?  What is at the heart of this crisis?

Source:

Donadio, R. (2011) Worried Greeks Fear Collapse of Middle Class Welfare State. The New York Times, September 24 (Retrievable online at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/world/europe/as-welfare-state-collapses-greeks-suffer-and-fear-future.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp)

Tax Breaks Galore in Video Games

The United States government offers tax incentives to companies pursuing medical breakthroughs, urban redevelopment and alternatives to fossil fuels, but also to video game producers. They are able to combine tax breaks across software development, the entertainment industry, and online retailing for a bonanza effect.

Electronic Arts, founded in 1982, has since become one of the world’s dominant video game companies, producing popular titles like SimCity, FIFA soccer, Harry Potter, and Madden NFL, largely due to huge tax incentives.

Questions:

1. Discuss why you think that Union Carbide failed to meet the experimental threshold for the R & D credit, though video game makers often seem to have little trouble meeting the requirement.

2. What was the most interesting point made in this article that pertains to you as an accountant? Do you agree or disagree with the tax incentives that the video game industry has been able to capitalize on? Discuss.

3. Do you agree or disagree with video game industry officials that say by improving technology, they are indirectly helping society at large? Why or why not?

Source: Kocieniewski, D. (2011). Rich Tax Breaks Bolster Makers of Video Games, The New York Times, Sep. 10 (Retrievable online at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/technology/rich-tax-breaks-bolster-video-game-makers.html?_r=2&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2)

Ostrich Farming, Anyone?

Ostrich meat, although poultry is red, not white like most other birds. This red meat, which looks and tastes much like beef, is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than not only beef, but also white meats like chicken and turkey. Ostriches belong to a family of birds called ratites, which includes emus and rheas well, and they are easy to tell apart from other winged creatures because they can’t fly. All ratites have red meat. It has to do with their muscles. They reproduce more often than cows, and they sell for a lot more because their meat is considered a delicacy, at least in the United States.

Questions:

1. What are the five steps for starting an ostrich farm?  Prepare a brief financial plan for starting an ostrich farm.

2. Based on the video, the owner of the farm said that he sold 25,000 pounds of ostrich meat last year.  At the Exotic Meat Market of Las Vegas (www.exoticmeatmarket.com), 25 pounds of ostrich meat sells for $600. If you assume that the markup is 50%, how much would the ostrich farmer earn?

3.  Based on the video, one ostrich egg is equal to 24 chicken eggs.  At the Exotic Meat Market of Las Vegas (www.exoticmeatmarket.com), one ostrich egg sells for $60.  Assuming the equivalency, what would the buyer be willing to pay per chicken egg?  What is the normal amount that you would pay for a chicken egg?  Is there a benefit to the ostrich egg over the chicken egg that is responsible for the price difference?

4.  What are some of the fixed costs and variable costs that an ostrich farmer would have? 

 

Source:

CNN video. (2011). Demand for Ostrich Meat on the Rise. August 22, 2011.

Arie, B. (2011). How to Start an Ostrich Farm. Chron.com, August 22 (Retrievable online at http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-ostrich-farm-17914.html)

« Previous Page — Next Page »