Description: What happens when the Federal Reserve starts raising interest rates? Source: WSJ.com – video report Date: May 24, 2013 Link: http://on.wsj.com/19aZ4NG Questions for Discussions: What is the concern expressed in this report? Do you think a rapid rise in interest rates is to be reasonably feared? Do you think there will be a “rush… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Financial Planning
Berkshire CEOs Spend Quietly, Match Buffett on Heinz
Description: Warren Buffett stole headlines when he committed $12.1 billion in a deal to take ketchup maker HJ Heinz Co. (HNZ) private this year. Managers at his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A) spent as much in 2012 while attracting less attention. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: May 10, 2013 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-10/berkshire-ceos-spend-quietly-match-buffett-on-heinz-deal.html Questions for Discussions: What does this report… Read more »
Boutique Vintners Turn to Private Equity for Help
Description: When Ed Sbragia started Sbragia Family Vineyards, it was an accomplishment that was nearly a century in the making. His grandfather moved from Italy to California in 1904 to work in the wineries just north of San Francisco. In the 1940s, Mr. Sbragia’s father bought property in the Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg and… Read more »
The Game Theory Behind Starbucks’ Big Coffee Price Cut
Description: Good news for the caffeinated masses: Starbucks (SBUX) is cutting prices, starting May 10, on its bags of coffee sold in grocery stores. The $1-per-bag discount represents a 10 percent discount on its eponymous beans, a 12.5 percent drop on its cheaper Seattle’s Best brand. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Apr 12, 2013 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-12/the-game-theory-behind-starbucks-big-coffee-price-cut#r=hpt-lst Questions… Read more »
Low-Cost Drugs in Poor Nations Get a Lift in Indian Court
Description: People in developing countries worldwide will continue to have access to low-cost copycat versions of drugs for diseases like H.I.V. and cancer, at least for a while. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Apr 01, 2013 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/business/global/top-court-in-india-rejects-novartis-drug-patent.html?_r=0 Questions for Discussions: What is the basis for the decision? Do you think this will become a growing financial… Read more »
Spinoff of Time Inc. Rattles Employees
Description: It was an elite reception at a glittery Manhattan setting: prominent media figures like Gayle King and Lesley Stahl gathered on the 10th floor of the Time Warner Center on Monday night to toast Sheryl Sandberg, the Facebook executive who recently released a book about her life. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Mar 13, 2013 Link:… Read more »
Imagining a Swap Meet for E-Books and Music
Description: The paperback of “Fifty Shades of Grey” is exactly like the digital version except for this: If you hate the paperback, you can give it away or resell it. If you hate the e-book, you’re stuck with it. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Mar 07, 2013 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/technology/revolution-in-the-resale-of-digital-books-and-music.html?hpw&_r=0 Questions for Discussions: How will the new sharing… Read more »
A Revolutionary Marketing Strategy: Answer Customers’ Questions
Description: It is an indelible image of the financial crisis: a bird’s-eye view of the backyards of foreclosed houses, their in-ground pools festering with algae and mosquitoes. In Northern Virginia, Marcus Sheridan was in the financial storm. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Feb 27, 2013 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/business/smallbusiness/increasing-sales-by-answering-customers-questions.html?ref=smallbusiness Questions for Discussions: How should financial managers structure budgeting for… Read more »
In Dell’s Waning Cash Flows, Signs of Concern
Description: The proposed Dell buyout may be motivated more by fear than greed. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Feb 22, 2013 Link: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/in-dells-waning-cash-flows-signs-of-concern/?ref=business Questions for Discussions: What are the possible scenarios for Dell investors? Do you believe Dell management is facing a financial crisis? What do you think management will try to do with Dell as a… Read more »
Berkshire and 3G Capital in a $23 Billion Deal for Heinz
Description: Just days ago, the fate of a 144-year-old American icon was being hashed out in a Pittsburgh conference room as executives spoke by phone to representatives of two global billionaires who went by the code names “Owl” and “Goose.” Source: NYTimes.com Date: Feb 15, 2013 Link: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/berkshire-and-3g-capital-to-buy-heinz-for-23-billion/ Questions for Discussions: Describe the finiancial structure… Read more »
