Apple became the first U.S. company to top the $800 billion mark in market capitalization on Tuesday, slightly more than two years after it crossed the $700 billion threshold. Questions: 1. How much have the iPhone maker’s shares have gained this year? 2. What percentage does Apple make up of the entire S&P 500 .SPX… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Cost Accounting
Upside or downside?
According to the Washington Post, Purdue has acquired the for-profit Kaplan University to extend its reach into online and adult education, which some see as an unusual move for a public institution. Questions: 1. What were the benefits to Purdue of acquiring Kaplan? 2. What are the potential downsides of this acquisition for Purdue? 3…. Read more »
Puerto Rico is Bankrupt!
Puerto Rico has been facing huge debts and population loss for some time. However, in a historic move that will likely trigger a fierce legal battle, the island territory declared bankruptcy. Questions: 1. According to the article, what were the main debts it listed in its filing? 2. How many jobs and what amount of… Read more »
Promises Kept? Buy American, Hire Americans?
According to Lydia O’Neal with the International Business Times, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order urging the U.S. to “buy American,” in part by encouraging the Departments of Commerce and State to prioritize American firms when they dole out lucrative contracts. Unfortunately, a report released last week found, that the direction may not… Read more »
Private Debt Collectors used by the IRS. What could go wrong?
According to Slate, last year, Congress authorized the Internal Revenue Service to use private debt collectors to go after unpaid tax liabilities—and this month, if you are one of the unfortunate, you may have already had the pleasure first-hand. Questions: 1. What is the pleasure that this article is referring to? 2. Has this been… Read more »
$15 minimum wage
According to The American Interest, local minimum wage hikes cause restaurants to leave or shut down and deter new ones from entering, according to a new Harvard Business School study of the San Francisco Bay Area restaurant industry that contradicts the orthodox liberal view that steeply raising the cost of unskilled labor will not affect… Read more »
Too Many Bureaucrats?
The California State Auditor has delivered a damning assessment of the management practices at the single largest university system in the United States. Questions: 1. What controls could have prevented this situation? 2. How does this affect costs? 3. According to the audit, how does the rate compare to other organizations within the California government… Read more »
So you want privacy?
The privacy protections, approved in the final days of the Obama administration, would have required ISPs to get permission from customers before collecting and sharing their data. However, President Trump signed off on a repeal of the Internet privacy protections before they were able to take effect — despite an outcry from consumer groups and… Read more »
Time to Cash In
Miss Kindergarten is in the million-dollar club. So are Lovin Lit, the Moffatt Girls and about a dozen other teacher-entrepreneurs who are spinning reading, math, science and social studies into gold by selling their lesson plans online to fellow teachers around the world. Questions: 1. What types of things do these websites offer? 2. What… Read more »
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
United Airlines, the Chicago-based giant at the center of a public relations storm for its forcible removal of a passenger from a weekend flight, has spent more than $41 million during the past decade to lobby the federal government, often battling consumer-friendly causes. Questions: 1. What were some of these consumer-friendly causes that United lobbied… Read more »