During most of the 20th century, companies bringing in the most money also employed the most people. This article looks at a new paper from the Brookings Institute about the new age of ghost companies. Questions: 1. The article mentions Walnart as one of the five largest companies in 2012 that had 100,000 people employed… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Disclosure Issues in Financial Reporting
Arbitration Lurks in the Fine Print
In this article, the New York Times found that arbitration rules tend to favor businesses, and judges and juries have been replaced by arbitrators who commonly consider the companies to be their clients. According to the authors, this has created an alternative justice system with conflicts of interest. Questions: 1. What types of claims are… Read more »
Sam’s Club CEO, Rosalind Brewer, Talks about Changes and Lessons Learned
The rivalry between Sam’s Club and Costco comes close to what you find in college sports. Questions: Source: 1. What things did the Sam’s Club CEO say were learned about Black Friday? 2. What happened to CostCo stock versus Sam’s Club Stock in 2015? 3. What are the differentiation strategies that Sam’s Club is implementing?… Read more »
Avoid the crowds with Black Friday Apps
Questions: 1. What are the benefits of Nifti? 2. What are the benefits of ShopSavvy? 3. Based on the information in this article and video, if you were a brick-and-mortar retailer, what would you do to counteract the convenience of these apps and get more traffic (that translate into higher sales)? 4. From an accounting… Read more »
Amazon goes “brick and mortar”
In an unusual move, Amazon opened a storefront bookstore in Seattle’s University Village mall. Questions: 1. What are the characteristics of the books sold in the “brick and mortar store”? 2. In addition to books, what other products does the store carry? 3. What do you see as the costs and benefits of this new… Read more »
Circumventing the Courts with Nine Words
Banning class action suits have essentially disabled consumer challenges to practices like predatory lending. Additionally, a Wall Street-led coalition of credit card companies and retailers, have also engineered blocks on class action suits. In this article, various companies’ efforts to protect arbitration are discussed. Questions: 1. Why has the “birth of a thousand clauses” taken… Read more »
All Day Breakfast
In an email to franchisees, McDonald’s US President Mike Andres called the all-day breakfast launch a success. However, this article points to a survey of U.S. franchisees that disagree. Questions: 1. Why are McDonald’s franchisees saying that the all-day breakfast launch has been a nightmare? List the reasons and rank them according to your opinion… Read more »
A Solution for Legal Cannabis Cash?
Of the more than 7,600 banks and credit unions in the U.S., only about 220 accept cannabis cash, according to the Department of the Treasury. Questions: 1. If Anthony Rivera Jr. accomplishes his goal, who will be the bankers for legal cannabis cash? In your opinion, is this a good idea? Why or why not?… Read more »
Kaleil Tuzman: The Rest of the Story
Kit Digital Inc.’s former chairman and chief executive officer and its former chief financial officer were arrested and charged with accounting fraud at the software company. Questions: 1. What was the type of accounting fraud that Tuzman and Smythe are charged with committing? 2. According to the article, how much money was involved and who… Read more »
New Mortgage Rules for Those with Student Debt
New rules could make it tougher to qualify for a low down payment mortgage from the Federal Housing Administration, particularly with respect to down payment gifts and deferments associated with student loans. Questions: 1. What is the role of debt-to-income ratios in this story, as they related to student loans? 2. What is the old… Read more »