1.42 Billion Chicken Wings

Posted by & filed under Financial Accounting, Student life.

Description: 1.42 Billion Chicken Wings: that’s a whole lot of chicken projected to be eaten in the United States on Super Bowl Sunday. Though prices are up over last year, the good news from the National Chicken Council (NCC) is that there are no fears of a wing shortage, unlike the situation accompanying last year’s… Read more »

Gas Going Up

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Canadian Economy, Student life.

Description: It keeps on going. Going up that is: the price of gasoline. You are probably among the many Canadians giving a second look at the price on the pump when you’ve been filling your vehicle with fuel. Though gas prices dropped to almost ridiculous lows in the early shutdown phase of the pandemic, prices… Read more »

Microsoft Acquires Activision

Posted by & filed under Financial Accounting, Student life.

Description: Big Tech giant Microsoft wants to grow bigger. Tuesday of last week Microsoft announced it is acquiring video game maker Activision in a cash deal totaling almost $69 billion. Activision’s products offer an advantage to Microsoft in the emerging virtual world. Some U.S. regulators are signalling, however, that they may take a hard look… Read more »

Taxing the Unvaxed

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Personal Tax, Student life.

Description: Desperate times call for desperate measures. With unvaccinated citizens having a much higher probability of being hospitalized by contracting Covid-19 than vaccinated citizens, the Government of Quebec responded this week by announcing its intent to begin assessing penalties upon the unvaccinated. Premier Legault said $50 or $100 would not be enough. It remains to… Read more »

Good Year for Vinyl

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy, Student life.

Description: In the music business, 2021 was a good year for Adele; and for vinyl records. Though vinyl accounts for only 2% of U.S. music sales, for the first time since 1991, vinyl outsold CDs as the primary physical medium. Of course, streaming outstrips these older technologies by a huge order of magnitude. Date:  January… Read more »

Bring Back Pandemic Premium?

Posted by & filed under Ethics, Managerial Accounting, Student life.

Description: Early in the Covid crisis, many lauded grocery strore chains as they cranked up the salaries of front line employees with “Hero Pay.” But the “Hero Pay” premium has all but disappeared, while at the same time grocery chain profits have generated big bonuses for company executives. This has prompted pressure from various voices… Read more »

Another Wave

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Student life.

Description: It’s another blow from the Covid crisis hitting us as 2021 winds down This latest wave of the epidemic is causing problems for schools and universities. Exams are being postponed or moved online. Public schools are closing early for the Christmas break. Amid the turmoil comes this news of the need for better ventilation… Read more »

Starbucks Encore?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Student life.

Description: Last week this blog featured a story of how Starbucks employees in Buffalo unionized the first Starbuck’s location in America. Following quickly on that move came news this week of two locations undertaking similar certification efforts in Boston. Union organizers say they anticipate that Starbucks will respond with anti-union tactics, much as happened in… Read more »

Starbucks Employees Unionize

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy, Student life.

Description: Starbucks employees in Buffalo have voted to become the first unionized Starbuck’s location in the United States. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, views this as symbolic of recent labour force trends, where employees are somewhat emboldened, reconsidering their options in the face of the Covid-19 economic and social trends. Starbucks has been… Read more »