Description: Carl Icahn, who disclosed a $1 billion stake in Apple Inc. (AAPL) in August, said he had dinner with Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and “pushed hard” for a $150-billion share buyback. Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Oct 01, 2013 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-01/apple-s-cook-pushed-hard-by-icahn-for-150-billion-buyback.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the financial plan proposed by Carl Icahn…. Read more »
Posts Categorized: Management Issues
For Constellation, Cerveza Makes Money the Way Beer Never Could
Description: Constellation Brands (STZ) put out a nice recipe for a profitable cocktail today:• 4 parts beer (must be Mexican)?• 3 parts wine (Arbor Mist, Ravenswood, Robert Mondavi)?• a splash of spirits (Svedka Vodka, Black Velvet Canadian Whisky) Source: Businessweek.com Date: Oct 03, 2013 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-03/for-constellation-cerveza-makes-money-the-way-beer-never-could Questions for Discussions: What is the basis for the… Read more »
NY AG wants to ‘redefine’ insider trading
Description: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the law has always lagged behind technology and it has to adapt as companies get data early to trade on it within milliseconds. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 26, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/09/26/investing-ny-ag-eric-schneiderman-early-data-insider-trading.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the problems discussed and the solutions presented. Do you… Read more »
Why Home Depot’s not building many stores
Description: Home Depot CEO says that the boost in online sales has allowed his company to grow while cutting back on brick-and-mortar expansion. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 24, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/09/25/f-leadership-home-depot-ceo-frank-blake-stores.fortune/index.html Questions for Discussions: How has customer behavior changed strategic planning at Home Depot? How will the reduction in new store openings… Read more »
Nike does it again; shares hit a record high
Description: Nike Inc. NKE has delivered again. Its shares, which debuted as a part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday, jumped 5% Friday to a record $74 after the company late Thursday reported a better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter profit amid stronger-than-expected sales. The company’s upside was even more notable in a retail environment where… Read more »
4 reasons billions in fines can’t stop Jamie Dimon’s stock
Description: Why haven’t JPMorgan’s legal issues done more to dent the stock? Source: Fortune.com Date: Sep 27, 2013 Link: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/09/27/jpmorgan-stock-rising/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons JP Morgan is still a popular stock. Do you think anything has changed as a result of the fines?
J. C. Penney Is on the Brink
Description: J. C. Penney (JCP), the centenarian retailer, is reeling from post-traumatic stress disorder. Its sales, stock price, and management credibility are all tanking. The company is in disarray after activist hedge fund manager Bill Ackman installed a chief executive officer (now departed) whose aborted attempt to reinvent the department store failed miserably and alienated… Read more »
Never ending woes for Olive Garden?
Description: Shares of Darden Restaurants, parent company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, plunged after the company’s sales and earnings missed forecasts. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 20, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/09/20/investing-the-buzz-darden-restaurants.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What is the greater economic concern suggested by the drop in earnings at Darden? Do you think the drop… Read more »
Buffett’s 9% Heinz Dividend Means 3G Cutting Jobs, Mini-Fridges
Description: HJ Heinz Co.’s longtime leader Bill Johnson stood in the Veranda ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, addressing the ketchup maker’s top 50 executives for the last time. Around the corner in a smaller room, his successor as chief executive officer, Bernardo Hees, waited to tell some of the same managers whether… Read more »
POSTMASTER SAYS USPS MAY NEED EMERGENCY RATE HIKE
Description: Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said Thursday his agency is in “the midst of a financial disaster” and may need an emergency increase in postage rates to keep operating. Source: AP.com Date: Sep 19, 2013 Link: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/postmaster-says-usps-may-need-emergency-rate-hike Questions for Discussions: What is the problem at the USPS? Why is it important to keep the service… Read more »
