Profits or Ethics? Is it one or the other?

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

In November 2014, allegations of altered reports prompted a federal judge overseeing more than 1,000 hurricane related lawsuits in the New York City area to order and investigate all drafts of the engineering reports regarding 2012 Hurricane Sandy property damage. Based on these reports, the judge believed that engineering revisions were “widespread” in order to… Read more »

Are you getting what is advertised?

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Four major retailers were accused by the New York State attorney general’s office of selling fraudulent and potentially dangerous herbal supplements. The attorney general demanded that they remove the products from their shelves. Questions: 1. Who were the four national retailers? 2. What were the results of tests performed on the supplements? 3. In summary,… Read more »

A Big Bet!

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Pfizer is making a $15.2 billion bet on the drug industry’s new, more elite class of generics, which are costly, complex copies of already expensive biotech drugs. Questions: 1. What are biosimilars? 2. Why are there questions about the durability of the market for these specialty drugs? 3. What is the dollar estimate of the… Read more »

Credit Unions for Pot?

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Since medical marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2001 and recreational marijuana was legalized a year ago, sellers have had limited, if any, access to banking services. As a result, a group of other entrepreneurs in Colorado want to start the first-ever financial institution established specifically to serve the pot industry. Questions: 1. What are… Read more »

Pop Goes the Bubble!

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According to the New York Times, the drop in oil prices are dimminishing one of the few big bright spots that banks have enjoyed since the financial crisis. The reason is that banks have been experiencing a lending boom to companies in the nation’s energy industry. Questions: 1. Which banking group has the greatest investment… Read more »

No More SkyMall?

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The parent company for SkyMall filed for bankruptcy protection on January 23, 2015. SkyMall was the entertaining catalogue of everything you never thought about buying, but was in the seat pockets of every plane. As Farhi said, “the value added to this grotesque shlock was SkyMall’s enthusiastic descriptive copy. SkyMall’s writers never let on that… Read more »

Military Contracting Failures: A $1.5 Trillion Mistake

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The F-35 is being produced by 1,200 suppliers. Seen as the fighter jet of the future, it has trouble flying at night, its engines have exploded during takeoff, and early models suffered structural cracks. Questions: 1. Why is the military still pursuing the production of this pink elephant? Why doesn’t technology become less costly for… Read more »

Marriott to pay $600,000 to Resolve WI-FI-Blocking Investigation

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In March 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received a complaint that the Marriott convention center at the Gaylord Opryland location in Nashville, Tennessee was in violation of Section 333 of the Communications Act. After an FCC investigation substantiated unlawful use of containment features, Marriott agreed to pay $600,000. Questions: 1. What did the FCC’s… Read more »

Financial Worries Spark Divorce Settlement Appeals

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In late 2014, oil tycoon Harold Hamm called a divorce settlement with his ex-wife, Sue Ann Arnall, equitable and fair, awarding her about $1 billion. Since then his holdings in oil have decreased dramatically and he argues that her award is a substantially larger proportion than he first agreed to. Questions: 1. Who is Harold… Read more »

Don’t Pay that Medical Bill: The Truth about Balance Billing

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As health-care costs continue to soar, millions of confused consumers are paying medical bills they don’t actually owe. Typically this occurs when an insurance plan covers less than what a doctor, hospital, or lab service wants to be paid. The health-care provider demands the balance from the patient. Questions: 1. Explain why balance billing is… Read more »