Martha Stewart- Wildcard, Visionary, but Not a CEO

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There are very few corporate leaders whose interests are more closely aligned with their shareholders’ than the homemaking icon, Martha Stewart. She owns 26 million shares and controls nearly 90 percent of the voting rights of her company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. While the company lost $50.7 million dollars in the most recent quarter, this… Read more »

How much are you worth as a Voter?

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This article looks at ad spending on the presidential race from April 10 to Oct. 10, based on data from Kantar Media. According to the video and article, the millions of dollars spent by superPACs and other outside groups send a clear message: There are really only 12 states in this presidential election and it’s… Read more »

The Unveiling of the Future?

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Apple’s iPad Mini will likely be unveiled at a special event on October 23. The device is expected to ship with a 7.85-inch screen and costs about half of what the current starting price for an iPad. Questions: 1. According to both articles, what have iPad sales to the K-12 market been doing to PC… Read more »

CEO Quits Effective Immediately

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In a surprise move, Citigroup announced on Tuesday that Vikram S. Pandit, the bank’s chief executive, had resigned, effective immediately. While his unexpectedly fast departure has raised many questions, critics said there were many signs that the end was near for Pandit. Questions: 1. How long had Mr. Pandit been chief executive of Citigroup? 2…. Read more »

Long Island Stock Broker Creates Complex Web of Deceit

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Stockbroker, Mark Hotton, defrauded the producers of a Broadway production of “Rebecca,” through the combination of a fictitious loan and phantom investors, conjured up as part of a sham plan to rescue the financially ailing show. Questions: 1. How was the complex fraud described by federal authorities? 2. How could the producers have been proactive… Read more »

Exploding Water Pipe – Fraud Alert

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Forty-five government entities are now joining whistleblower John Hendrix’s suit against JM Eagle. The suit alledges that the largest PVC pipe manufacturer committed fraud by intentionally selling pipe to governments, where the company’s internal quality controls showed 50 to 80 percent failure rates. Questions: 1. What was Hendrix’s position with the firm and what did… Read more »

Aporkalypse? Not So.

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A bacon shortage was part of the headlines this week as a result of a September 20 press release from Britain’s National Pig Association, a trade group that describes itself as “Fighting for the growth and prosperity of the British pig industry.” While the pork industry is currently under serious stress, the reality is that… Read more »

How to Earn $46,000 for Each Day Spent in Prison

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Bradley Birkenfeld, the whistleblower in a tax fraud case against Swiss bank UBS AG, was awarded a record-setting $104 million reward from the IRS. Birkenfeld learned about the inner workings of UBS as an employee of the company and supplied many secrets about his former employer’s dealings with U.S. clients. Despite this, he was jailed… Read more »

The Unbanked

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According to a new Federal report, more Americans are limiting or have no interaction with banks. Instead they rely on check cashers and payday lenders to manage their finances. Questions: 1. What are the costs and benefit of avoiding banks? 2. What percentage of U.S. households are “unbanked”? What are the demographics of this group?… Read more »

The Business Model of Overstating Benefits: How Harmful or Ethical?

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It is estimated that between 50,000 to 100,000 patients died or had a heart attack as a result of taking the drug Advandia. For seven years, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) failed to report data that indicated Advandia increases the risk of heart attack by 40%. As we reported back in July, in the biggest health care fraud… Read more »