The questions asked each year are whether Super Bowl advertising is worth it and what the network is charging. This year Fox charged $5 million for a 30-second spot, last year CBS charged about the same, and Comcast NBC charged about $4.5 million for a 30-second spot. Questions: 1. How much is the per second… Read more »
Posts By: LuAnn Bean
The Dizzying Student Loan Game
The Feds claim that the nation’s largest student loan servicer gave rushed and costly advice. Questions: 1. What is the amount or size of the U.S. government’s student loan program in dollars? 2. What is Navient? 3. How would you describe the structure of Student loan servicing? 4. What are some of the claims about… Read more »
Snags at Starbucks
At Starbucks, customers are now able to order and pay for coffee via their phones, so many of them now head directly to the part of the cafe where beverages are handed out. Various snags contributed to company’s lower-than-expected sales and the coffee giant is working to correct problem, according to its Chief Operating Officer…. Read more »
May all your Wishes Come true!
Donald Trump met with Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son and soon news of 30,000 to 50,000 new U.S. manufacturing jobs were part of Trump’s boasts. Now Taiwanese manufacturer, Foxconn, appears to be reneging on claims that it is preparing to build a $7 billion factory in the U.S. Questions: 1. How did Foxconn’s chief executive officer,… Read more »
No more breakfast!
All-day breakfast is beginning to lose its novelty for McDonald’s Corp. Questions: 1. What happened to last quarter’s domestic same-store sales? 2. In your opinion, what will be McDonald’s next big source of growth? 3. Are the profit potentials the same for McDonald’s globally? Explain. Source: Giammona, C. (2017). McDonald’s All-Day Breakfast Push No Longer… Read more »
Not a good financial plan!
Even though Wall Street and the financial press have been harping for decades on the retirement savings crisis, this article provides some additional perspectives. Questions: 1. According to the Manpower Group, what percentage of millennials plan to work until they die (as their solution to retirement)? 2. Why do so many millennials have such a… Read more »
Xiaomi – Cheap phones online may not be the key to success.
Xiaomi, once hailed as an Apple iPhone slayer in China, now admits that they moved too fast to outpace their competitor. The company’s founder, Lei Jun, wrote his employees this week, indicating that the company needs to focus on the future and long-term sustainability. Questions: 1. Who are the domestic rivals to Xiaomi in the… Read more »
Warren Buffet talks about Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo used to brag about its immense “cross-selling” skills, boasting of the many checking accounts, ATM cards and other “products” it pushed on Americans. Questions: 1. What disclosure did Wells Fargo recently include in its most recent quarterly earnings report? 2. What was the fine that was levied against Wells Fargo in September? 3…. Read more »
What will be the distributional consequences of this tax overhaul?
According to Neil Irwin, our current tax system is infinitely complicated and it gives companies incentives to borrow too much money and move operations to countries with lower tax rates. With the House, Senate and presidency all soon to be in Republican hands and with all agreeing that a major tax bill is a top… Read more »
Japan Wants Its Overworked Citizens to Start Having Fun by Getting off of Work on the Weekends at an Earlier Time
Japan is the country that coined the word “karoshi,” or death by overwork. Now it wants companies to let workers finish early on the last Friday of every month, go out and have some fun. Questions: 1. What will this government campaign be called and when does it start? 2. How is this move expected… Read more »