No More Free Online Returns?

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According to the Washington Post, the age of free online returns is ending.

Questions:

  1. What is ” bracketing”?
  2. Explain why returns are wasteful from a company’s standpoint.
  3. What are the benefits of adding restocking fees?
  4. What are the costs of adding restocking fees?
  5. Who are companies that help with reverse logistics?
  6. Give an example of a company that uses free returns versus one that does not (in the same industry).

Source:

Peiser, J. (2022) The age of free online returns is ending. The Washington Post, Dec. 9 (Retrievable online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/09/free-returns-holiday-shopping/)

A Bad Year for Bonds

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According to the New York Times, although it has been a bad year for bonds, the future appears to be brighter.

Questions:

  1. Should you buy bonds as a speculative bet for 2023?
  2. What did the period from January through October 2022 look like for bonds?
  3. What are the long-term prospects for bonds, according to the New York Times article?

Source:

Sommer, J. (2022). After a Terrible Year for Bonds, the Outlook Is Better. The New York Times, Dec. 9 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/09/business/bond-market-economy-investing.html)

More Than Three Years of Legal Battles End in Settlement

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According to the Washington Post, Juul Labs, an e-cigarette manufacturer, announced that it reached a settlement with almost 10,000 plaintiffs for 5,000 cases alleging nicotine addiction and other health problems.

Questions:

  1. Which company partially owns Juul?
  2. What long-term health consequences have e-cigarettes been linked to?
  3. In September, a lawsuit was brought by 33 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, alleging that Juul targeted youths and whitewashed the risks of using its products. How much did the company agree to settle this suit for?

Source:

Ables, K. (2022) E-cigarette firm Juul settles 5,000 lawsuits amid teen vaping concerns. The Washington Post, December 7 (Retrievable online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/07/juul-settlement-vaping-lawsuit-ecig/)

Is the Bird Really Freed or Just Flying the Coop?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

When Elon Musk took over Twitter on Oct. 27, he declared the “bird” being freed. What a difference less than a month makes!

Questions:

  1. What are some of the important organizational changes that have happened within the Musk takeover of Twitter over the last three weeks?
  2. How much did the acquisition of Twitter cost?
  3. With all the turmoil at Twitter, what has happened to the decentralized, open source social network Mastodon?
  4. According to the article and research project detailed by Professor Fiesler, what are the challenges faced by those who decide to leave Twitter?
  5. What is your opinion right now? Will Twitter fail like some other social networks that have gone before it?

Source:

Fiesler, C. (2022). Mass migration from Twitter is likely to be an uphill battle – just ask ex-Tumblr users. Salon, Nov. 20 (Retrievable online at https://www.salon.com/2022/11/20/mass-migration-from-twitter-is-likely-to-be-an-uphill-battle–just-ask-ex-tumblr-users_partner/)

Interesting New Study on Drone Readiness

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized, Video Updates.

According to the Mercatus Center, a nonprofit think tank at George Mason University, a new research study was released on how prepared each state is for commercial drone services. 

Questions

  1. Arkansas is tied for second with what state as the most drone-friendly state?
  2. What were the six drone readiness factors looked at by the study?
  3. Which of these did Arkansas receive top marks in?
  4. Zipline is a partnership commercial delivery systems. Where and when did the company open its first distribution center in Arkansas?

Source:

Talk Business & Politics staff. (2022). Study ranks Arkansas No. 2 for drone readiness. Talk Business & Politics (TB&P), Nov. 20 (Retrievable online at https://talkbusiness.net/2022/11/study-ranks-arkansas-no-2-for-drone-readiness/)

Where’s the World’s First Bikable Six-Story Building?

Posted by & filed under All Articles, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

Opening soon, is the world’s first bikable six-story building.

Questions:

  1. Where is it located?
  2. What’s the name of the building and what is its purpose?
  3. Who is the artist that created the mosaics in and around the bike ramps? What is he known for?
  4. What large corporation is housed in the same city?

Source:

Hall, K. (2022). WORLD’S FIRST BIKEABLE, 6-STORY BUILDING OPENING SOON IN BENTONVILLE. Arkansas Money and Politics (AMP), Nov. 18 (Retrievable online at https://www.armoneyandpolitics.com/first-bikeable-building-bentonville/)

401(k) Contribution Limits are Jumping

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Income Taxes, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

According to the New York Times, the I.R.S. announced one of its largest increases in decades to caps on retirement contributions, allowing workers with access to the plans to save more.

Questions:

  1. How much will employees be able to contribute in 2023 to 401 (k) plans?
  2. How much are the catch-up contributions for 2023 and what are these types of contributions?
  3. Social Security announced the largest COLA adjustment since 1981. What was it?
  4. What is driving all these changes?

Source:

Kelley, L. (2022). 401(k) Contribution Limits Are Taking a Big Jump for 2023. The New York Times, Oct. 21 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/business/401k-contribution-limits-2023.html)

Ye Burns Bridges

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According to the New York Times, Kanye West’s offensive behavior has been burning music industries now for awhile. Now his remarks are “putting off” corporate America.

Questions:

  1. How was his last album released?
  2. What happen to Kanye with respect to the Grammy’s?
  3. What is going on with Ye’s collaboration with Adidas?
  4. What happened to the Yeezy Gap hoodie?

Source:

Sisaro, B., V. Friedman, J. Testa, and E. Barry (2022). Kanye West’s Offensive Behavior Makes Corporate Partners Squirm. The New York Times, Oct. 24 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/24/arts/music/kanye-west-adidas-balenciaga-yeezy.html)

Nikola Fraud Update

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized, Video Updates.

Trevor Milton convicted of securities fraud after 6-year successful stock market run. His company and concept car was all a lie!

Questions:

  1. Why do, as the article says, “corporate executives tend to portray activist short sellers as vigilantes?” 
  2. Related to the first question, what has Nathan Anderson’s firm done in the past several years?
  3. Why were special purpose acquisition companies targets for short sellers in the recent past?

Source:

Warner, Bernhard (2022) An Activist Short Seller Gets His Day in Court. The New York Times, Oct. 22 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/22/business/dealbook/nathan-anderson-nikola-trial.html)

In Simplicity We Trust: But Not in America

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

According to The New York Times, if you want higher education to cost less, then it should be cheaper to enroll. But in America – that’s not how we ROLL!

Questions:

  1. Besides student loans, what other examples of complexity does author Ron Lieber present?
  2. What did the author list as the two administrative burdens for student loans?
  3. How does the government collect the money from student loans?
  4. What is the author proposing to simplify this system?
  5. Do you agree or disagree with the author?

Source:

Lieber, R. (2022). Why Aren’t Student Loans Simple? Because This Is America. The New York Times, Sep. 15 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/your-money/student-loans-personal-finance.html)