Computers are great when they work……

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Intermediate Accounting.

The Knight Capital Group announced that losses they sustained on Wednesday, August 1, were the result of a computer glitch and now threaten the stability of the Jersey City firm. At the heart of this, the firm lost $440 million when it sold stocks that it accidentally bought Wednesday morning. Questions: 1. On Thursday, what… Read more »

Labor Department Violations

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

On Tuesday, the Labor Department announced that it had levied a $34,000 fine on C. J.’s Seafood for safety violations. This is the company that supplies crawfish to WalMart. In addition, the agency also ordered C. J.’s to pay $214,000 for wage and hour violations. Questions: 1. Where is the company based? 2. Specifically, how… Read more »

The Weather Channel Buys Weather Underground

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

This week, Weather Underground, a unique website with a cult following was acquired by The Weather Channel for an undisclosed sum of money. As a strong competitor to The Weather Channel, the website has a devoted readership, with approximately 10 million unique visitors per month. Fans of Weather Underground have expressed outrage and disappointment in… Read more »

Medical Tourism

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

Tourism is sometimes more than just for pleasure. In fact, thousands of U.S. citizens are crossing the border to Mexico or as the video shows, they are going to even more exotic places in search of more affordable medical care. Questions: 1. What types of procedures are people going to Mexicali to receive? 2. According… Read more »

Japanese Whistleblower Wins in the End

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Masaharu Hamada, a good salesman with experience in the U.S., was demoted by Olympus Corp. as reprisal for relaying supplier complaints to management regarding corrupt business practices. But he fought back and Japan’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the whistleblower for the first time. This case highlights the harsh treatment that outspoken employees have… Read more »

Saving Money in the Court System Leads to Problems

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According to Lisa Borden, an attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, many towns are so economically strapped, that the pressure is growing on courts to bring in more money rather than mete out justice. In this article, examples highlight aggressive tactics used by for-profit probation companies that promise revenue to the towns, while failing to offer constitutional… Read more »

Security for the Super Rich

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Intermediate Accounting, Video Updates.

Dan Clark has been Warren Buffett’s bodyguard for almost two decades. Since Clark has cultivated his security skills, he has started a security company that now employs 150 guards and he has safeguarded others like Sarah Palin, George Clooney, Barack Obama, and the Iraqi Judge who oversaw the trial of Saddam Hussein, when they visited… Read more »

Would you like to know what everyone in your company makes?

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

Boulder-based Namasté Solar, a Solar panel installation company, may be on the cutting edge of business practices by letting employees know what their co-workers are being paid. In addition to bi-annual retreats and a voting system for employees that counts the opinion of nearly everyone in the company, each employee receives equal bonuses. Questions: 1…. Read more »

Patagonia: A Vision for Sustainability

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Patagonia started out as a small company that made tools for climbers. The company’s worldwide business still embraces Alpinism remains at its heart, making clothes for climbing – as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running. True to its love for nature, the company’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, launched the company… Read more »

The Price of Transparency in Hospitals

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

One of the biggest problems today is that consumers have no way of figuring out how much a particular health care service costs. Unfortunately, a recent Arizona bill to encourage hospitals and doctors to become more transparent about the prices they charge for services was just killed by the state legislature. The bill would have… Read more »