Shopping Comes at A Price

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

According to Chico Harlan, five years after the Great Recession, the most striking change in the world of low-income commerce has been the proliferation of rent-to-own stores. Questions: 1. How do rent to own stores avoid state usury laws and other regulations aimed at excessive interest payments? 2. What percentage of items are returned or… Read more »

The new trend in non-compete clauses

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, All Articles, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

If you are a chief executive of a large company, you very likely have a non-compete clause in your contract and also understand the importance of this clause in preventing you from jumping ship to a competitor until some period has elapsed. However, according to the New York Times, non-compete clauses are popping up in… Read more »

Dutch Treat?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Auditing, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

According to the New York Times, “Dutch pensions are scrupulously funded, unlike many United States plans, and are required to tally their liabilities with brutal honesty, using a method that is common in the financial-services industry but rejected by American public pension funds.” This article discusses the Dutch belief that each generation should pay its… Read more »

Should After-Work Screenings be Part of the Payroll?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, All Articles, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

The nation’s retailers are paying close attention to the hotly contested issue before the Supreme Court this week. On Wednesday, the justices will determine whether security checks and the related waiting time should be part of an employee’s regular, compensable workday. Questions: 1. As part of the opposition of compensation for antitheft checks, retailers’ groups… Read more »

Ouch! Sometimes Consent Forms Hurt!

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

According to the New York Times, an increasingly common practice used by hospitals is that some medical experts call drive-by doctoring assistants, consultants, and other hospital employees into cases and these incidents are charging patients or their insurers hefty fees. Most times patients do not realize these individuals have been involved or are charging until… Read more »

Alienating Customers?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

Microsoft confirmed it will acquire the studio that created the hit “sandbox” game Minecraft for $2.5 billion, a move that could help bolster the company’s Xbox and mobile ambitions. Questions: 1. According to the article, how does this acquisition strengthen Microsoft’s battle with other technology driven companies? 2. Why does the video hypothesize that Microsoft… Read more »

The Justice System and The Costs of Being Poor

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According to Mr. Edsall, the new growth industry, on the backs of the poor, seems to be private probation, correctional, and detention companies. In fact, Corrections Corporation of America, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and reported revenues of $1.69 billion in 2013. Questions: 1. This collection of private probation companies and the… Read more »

Rip Off: We Work Hard for the Money!

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

Although Guadalupe Rangel worked nearly 70 hours per week, he never saw any overtime pay at the Schneider warehouse in Mira Loma, California. As a result he joined a lawsuit involving hundreds of warehouse workers where he will likely receive more than $20,000 in back pay as part of the recent $21 million legal settlement… Read more »

Scamming scammers: The underbelly of debt collection

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, All Articles, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

From 2006 to 2009, the nation’s top nine debt buyers purchased almost 90 million consumer accounts with more than $140 billion in “face value.” This article details the saga of debt accounts that continue to be stolen, double-sold or otherwise exchanged without accurate supporting information by “debt collectors, including statements or copies of original signed… Read more »