Description: Ivan Rincon’s products may have been skimpy, but he was convinced his growth prospects were not. Orchid Boutique, the online swimwear shop he founded six years ago in Miami with his wife, Mayra, was approaching $3 million in annual sales. It had been profitable since 2010, he said, with margins that ran between 10… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Management Issues
Credit Suisse’s ‘spy novel’ tax evasion
Description: Less than 5% of the Swiss bank’s thousands of accounts with over $10 billion in assets were reported to the IRS. And you won’t believe the ways in which they allegedly hid the money. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 26, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/02/26/n-credit-suisse-offshore-tax-evasion-irs.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Do you believe the information demanded… Read more »
Here’s How Some Small Banks are Making Big Money
Description: On today’s “Insight & Action,” Bloomberg’s Adam Johnson looks at the health of small banks on Bloomberg Television’s “Lunch Money.” Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Feb 28, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2014-02-28/here-s-how-some-small-banks-are-making-big-money#r=nav-f-video Questions for discussion: What does this report say about the financial status of small US banks in comparison to the larger Wall Street… Read more »
Buffett: We’d like to own more of Heinz
Description: Warren Buffett may end up putting more money into ketchup maker Heinz. Source: Fortune.com Date: Feb 28, 2014 Link: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2014/03/01/buffett-heinz/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights presented in this report. Do you think the investment in Heinz was a good one? Would you be buying more?
Fed transcripts: Bernanke chose to let Lehman fail
Description: FORTUNE — September 15, 2008 was a watershed moment for the financial crisis that consigned much of the world to an economic malaise from which we are still recovering. That day, government officials hastily arranged a sale of investment bank Merrill Lynch to Bank of America, while another bank — Lehman Brothers — was… Read more »
Super-rich CEOs are mad as hell, and not gonna take this anymore
Description: As the insensitive comments and sky-high salaries add up, it’s easy to start thinking that CEOs and other execs have completely lost touch with the lives of everyday Americans. Sadly, that’s likely the case. Source: Fortune.com Date: Feb 14, 2014 Link: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2014/02/14/out-of-touch-ceos/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the basic argument presented in this report. Do… Read more »
Using data to pick the optimal start-up name?
Description: Naming your startup can be one of the hardest things to do when starting a company. Each founder must agree. The domain must be available to buy. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, investors need to like it because the first letter of startup’s name has meaningful impact on how easily the company will be… Read more »
Big game, big deductions for businesses
Description: New York City will get a $550 million economic boost from next weekend’s Super Bowl and corporations will get big deductions for their lavish spending. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Jan 24, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/01/24/big-game-big-spending-big-tax-breaks.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What are the benefits to corporations that send employees or clients to the Super Bowl?… Read more »
Railroads look at liquefied natural gas to power locomotives
Description: The diesel-burning locomotive, the workhorse of American railroads since World War II, will soon begin burning natural gas — a potentially historic shift that could cut fuel costs, reduce pollution and strengthen the advantage railroads hold over trucks in long-haul shipping. Source: Star-telegram.com Date: Jan 25, 2014 Link: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/25/5511561/railroads-look-at-liqufied-natural.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy Questions for Discussions: Do you… Read more »
Starbucks Just Sold $1.4 Billion in Gift Cards. What Did It Do With That Cash?
Description: Starbucks (SBUX) is slowly adding a shot of banking to its grande coffee empire. As customers pour money into its gift cards and its mobile-payment app, the Seattle-based company is booking a tidy profit simply by holding onto customers’ cash. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Jan 24, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-24/starbucks-just-sold-1-dot-4-billion-in-gift-cards-dot-what-did-it-do-with-that-cash#r=hpt-ls Questions for Discussions: How does this… Read more »
