This year’s proxy season is showing signs of greater activism by shareholders. The proxy advisory service Institutional Shareholder Services is projecting that there could be as many as 17 contests for the election of directors, which is slightly up from last year. The difference is that the contests are much bigger and include six at… Read more »
Posts Tagged: strategic management
Trolling for Patent Infringement Cases
One of the most striking results of a new academic study is that in 2012, litigation by patent monetization entities now represents a majority of the patent litigation filed in the United States. Specifically, patent monetization entities filed 58% of the patent lawsuits in 2012. This is a sharp rise from 2007, when patent monetization… Read more »
Got App?
Yahoo is looking to the future by targeting young entrepreneurs with enterprising apps. Yahoo announced Monday, March 22, that it planned to acquire mobile news reader Summly, which was the brainchild of 17-year-old Nick D’Aloisio. Yahoo plans to pay D’Aloisio a reported $30 million and he will become Yahoo’s youngest employee. Questions: 1. When Swartz’s… Read more »
Boeing CEO Gets Pay Raise Despite 787 Problems
Jim McNerney, Boeing’s CEO, saw his compensation rise by 15 percent to $21.1 million for 2012. His company rewarded him for better-than-expected profits and faster airplane production. Questions: 1. Based on this information, what was Mr. McNerney’s compensation for 2011? 2. According to the article, why has Boeing’s stock been rising? 3. If Mr. McNerney’s… Read more »
Watch Out for On-The-Lot Financing
Since many banks will not give auto loans to people with bad credit or no credit, due to increased restrictions or risk, on-the-lot financing has become more popular. Unfortunately, since Buy-Here-Pay-Here financing is not strictly regulated, interest rates can be quite high. Questions: 1. What are the benefits of on-the-lot financing? 2. What are the… Read more »
Justice for Dixon Illinois?
In November 2012, Rita Crundwell, comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and admitted that she stole approximately $53 million, admitting she stole the money from the city of Dixon while she was comptroller. She still faces 60 separate but related state felony charges for theft in Lee County. She has pleaded not… Read more »
Survey Shows that Out-of-Network Providers Are Billing Consumers up to Several Thousand Percent more than the Government would pay for similar Medicare Services
According to a new study from the Center for Policy and Research, the nation must address the soaring cost of medical care that continues to rise at an unsustainable rate. For consumers who choose to seek care out-of-network, their survey shows that the charges billed by some out-of-network providers can exceed several hundred or several… Read more »
The $10,000 degree – Innovation or Second Rate Degree?
Texas may be experimenting with an initiative to help students and families struggling with the high costs of college: a bachelor’s degree for $10,000, including tuition fees and even textbooks. Under a plan unveiled in 2011, Republican Gov. Rick Perry is proposing a bachelor’s degree for $10,000, including tuition fees and even textbooks. The governor… Read more »
The Unveiling of the Future?
Apple’s iPad Mini will likely be unveiled at a special event on October 23. The device is expected to ship with a 7.85-inch screen and costs about half of what the current starting price for an iPad. Questions: 1. According to both articles, what have iPad sales to the K-12 market been doing to PC… Read more »
The Cost Disease
Much of our political debate is fueled by the rise in the cost of healthcare, education, and other necessary services. Interestingly, the new book “The Cost Disease” is based on the work of William Baumol, who as a young economist in the 1960s promoted the idea tagged “Baumol’s Disease,” which explains that our current predicament… Read more »