Posts Categorized: Ethical Dilemma

Amazon goes into student loan business, sort of ……

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

This week a partnership between Amazon and Wells Fargo was announced. Members of Amazon Prime Student will receive a 0.5 percent interest rate discount on student loans taken out through Wells Fargo’s Education Financial Services. Questions: 1. Why are financial advisors wary of the deal? 2. How much did the Washington Post calculate a student… Read more »

Uncle Sam Picked the Wrong Cash Cow!

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

According to the Washington Post, dairy farmer Randy Sowers has gotten back all the money seized by Federal agents from in his bank account. Questions: 1. Briefly describe the underlying issue in this story. 2. What is smurfing? Is this what Sowers did? 3. Why was Sowers successful in getting his money back? Discuss. 4…. Read more »

Submarine Patents: What is their Role?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

Humira and Enbrel are biologic drugs, composed of complex proteins made in living cells. Humira was the No. 1 selling biologic with $14 billion in global sales and Enbrel was the No. 3 biologic at $8.7 billion. Questions: 1. Approximately how much is the yearly price tag for these drugs per patient? 2. During the… Read more »

Auction misconduct, silly mix-up, or something else…………?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

The Keno brothers, stars of the PBS series Antique Roadshow, have recently exhibited strange behavior that is oddly out of sync with their stature as antique world luminaries. Leslie and Leigh Keno, twins and celebrity appraisers, say they accidentally bid against each other this spring. Questions: 1. A New Orleans auction house is suing the… Read more »

Is this really about Saving America’s Past Time?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

U.S. Representatives Brett Guthrie (R-KY) introduced a bill misleadingly called the “Save America’s Pastime Act,” with the sole purpose of excluding Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players from regulation under federal minimum wage and overtime requirements. Questions: 1. What is Mr. Guthrie’s reasoning for exempting the pay of Minor Leaguers from Federal pay laws? 2. What… Read more »

Is this Really a Good Thing?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

According to the New York Times, private equity firms have increasingly been taking over public services, like emergency care and firefighting, often with dire effects. Questions: 1. What are the factors that private equity firms apply to public services that put these arrangements into jeopardy? 2. About how many Americans work for companies owned by… Read more »

That’s Billion with a “B!”

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

According to the Washington Post, the IRS paid $3.1 billion in bogus tax refunds in 2014 due to ID theft. Yes, that’s billion with a “B.” Questions: 1. How many individual tax returns did the IRS process in 2015? 2. What percentage and amount did the IRS identify as fraudulent claims before it paid them?… Read more »

All Lawyer’d Up and No Where to Go!

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

While demand for other white-collar jobs has grown substantially since the start of the recession, law firms and corporations are finding they can make do with far fewer in-house lawyers than before, squeezing those just starting their careers. Questions: 1. What do the data show regarding new law graduates getting jobs? 2. Discuss the costs… Read more »

Tax Dodging Clusters?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

According to Stacy Cowley of the New York Times, only around 1.5 percent of self-employed taxpayers are audited each year. Audits are not random, because the IRS has a secret algorithm that calculates how likely each taxpayer is to have unreported income. In looking at sizing up the honesty of small-business owners, the Taxpayer Advocate… Read more »