Jacob Fugger was a Renaissance-era banker and industrialist from the German city of Augsburg. At the time of his death in 1525, his fortune equaled nearly 2 percent of Europe’s total economy. Questions: 1. According to the article, there is much to learn about how Fugger built his riches. Why? 2. What were some of… Read more »
Posts Tagged: ethics
A Good Thing or A Bad Thing? WOW!
Three months ago, Dan Price announced he was setting a new minimum salary of $70,000 at his Seattle credit card processing firm, Gravity Payments, and slashing his own million-dollar pay package to do it. The result has been turmoil, both internally and externally. Questions: 1. What new costs has Mr. Price faced since his announcement… Read more »
What’s in a NAME?
McDonald’s has not opened in Tehran (only weeks after a nuclear deal was reached). Despite the prospect that the deal will ease international sanctions and possibly portend a change in Iranian revolutionary attitudes toward American companies, Mash Donald’s and other knockoffs of American food culture are a home-grown phenomenon. Questions: 1. Do you think that… Read more »
The Reverse – Upside down Prosecution!
Despite the fact that bank officials uncovered a fraud, fired its mastermind, investigated and reported it to regulators, and then provided New York State prosecutors with over 900,000 pages of documents, a tiny Chinatown bank, Abacus Federal Savings Bank, was under put under indictment by a grand jury in New York State Supreme Court and… Read more »
Innovation, Price Fixing, or Rotten Apples?
Recently, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling whereby Apple was determined to be the leader of an industrywide conspiracy among book publishers. Their goal was to raise prices of digital books. Questions: 1. When was the original case brought? 2. What were the damaging words in the case and who are these attributed to?… Read more »
So the 20% charge is not a tip?
The restaurant, Per Se, must distribute $500,000 in compensation to current and former employees as ordered by the settlement struck with the New York Attorney General. The Manhattan eatery is notable for its $300-plus prix-fixe menus. Questions: 1. How did the restaurant violate New York labor law and how did they remedy this situation for… Read more »
A Bizarre Story: Watch what you say!
A man having a colonoscopy sued two doctors and their practices for defamation and medical malpractice last week, after he found that his cell phone had recorded a most horrific “trash talking” event during his procedure, as well as evidence of a falsified diagnosis. In the trial, the jury ordered the anesthesiologist and her practice… Read more »
Unlimited Data Slowdown at AT&T
The FCC accused AT&T of improperly slowing down Internet speeds for customers who had signed up for “unlimited” data plans and imposed a $100 million fine on June 17. Questions: 1. How long has this practice been impacting customers? 2. Has the company violated FCC rules for similar issues prior to this current one? 3…. Read more »
New Study on Hospital Costs
Twenty of the 50 U.S. hospitals that charge the most for their services are located in Florida — and all but one of them are for-profit, according to a study released Monday. Questions: 1. Which facility is at the top of the list for charging the most and how many times more do uninsured patients… Read more »
College a Commodity?
Unfortunately, most everyone now evaluates college in purely economic terms, thus reducing it to a commodity like a car or a house. There is now a cottage industry built around such data. Questions: 1. According to the author, what does the value of a degree depend upon and why should it be set apart from… Read more »