Today’s column offers a review of a clawback fraud; CFO.com explains that Kraft-Heinz (KHC) reported supplier contracts that made it appear as if expense savings were provided in exchange for past or same-year events performed by the company when, in reality, they were upfront payments in exchange for a future benefit from KHC. This was… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting
Rise to Fame
According to MarketWatch, Wordle, the viral word-game sensation is going corporate after it was scooped up by New York Times Co., for an amount “in the low seven figures.” Questions: Who developed Wordle? What is the basic idea or rule behind Wordle? How fast has the popularity of Wordle grown over the last few months? What… Read more »
Walmart’s new venture into financial technology
Walmart Inc.’s financial-technology venture agreed to buy two small companies and rebrand itself in a step toward providing an app that enables customers to save, borrow and receive money. Questions: What are the two small companies the Fin-Tech venture agreed to buy? What is Walmart’s venture called? Why is this move going to shake up… Read more »
ID.me
The IRS has implemented a new verification process for taxpayers who want to access their online tax accounts and self-help tools that includes taking a selfie and submitting a photo of their driver’s license or passport to the third-party service, ID.me. Questions: Why are they requiring this new authentication procedure? True or False: Selfies from… Read more »
Just Like The Wild West: Massive Supply Chain Thefts
Waiting for your order in the mail? Your goods may be stolen from rail cargo thefts; in other words, goods at rest are goods at risk. Questions: Why is theft so rampant in Los Angeles for rail cargo like that of Union Pacific? According to the Guardian, what percentage increase in crimial rail theft has… Read more »
Location-based Salaries and Pay Equity
According to Babak Varjavandi, companies embracing location-based compensation send an unspoken message that people who live in more affluent areas are worth more to the company. Questions: What are the positive effects of avoiding location-based pay cuts? How does Babak recommend that companies set up fair compensation plans in a remote work environments? What is… Read more »
Diversity Disclosures
On this MLK day, we take a look at diversity disclosures and the S&P as detailed by Richard Binder at BenefitsPro.com. Questions: According to McKinsey & Company, how long will it take for Black workers to reach talent parity across all levels in the private sector? However, if promotion, attrition, and external hiring rates were… Read more »
So Can You Tell Me What The Tax Reg. Is For Deductible Tatoos?
According to Accounting Today, the year 2021 saw some pretty outrageous business deductions. Questions: Which deduction were you the most surprised about? Pick one of the deductions mentioned and write a paragraph to justify its legitimacy. What is the problem with a long-distance call to a client for $0.14? Source: Cohn, M. (2021) The craziest… Read more »
Is your state one of them?
In a recent article in Accounting Today, Michael Cohn presents the standout states for the highest rate of business fraud. Questions: Which state is the highest? Which state is the lowest? Which state were you most surprised about and why? Which state had the highest single amount per fraud? What was the difference in how… Read more »
Jury Still Deliberating
According to the New York Times, a federal jury in California is struggling to reach a unanimous verdict on three of 11 charges against Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO of Theranos. Questions: What is the maximum sentence for each federal fraud count? How many counts of fraud is Ms. Holmes facing? What is the makeup of… Read more »