Data Rates

Posted by & filed under Student life.

Description: The federal government has told Canada’s big 3 telecoms – Bell, Rogers, and Telus – to cut their cellphone rates by 25%, or else. Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains told the companies that if they don’t take action within two years, then the politicians will step in to force them to. On the company side, the response seems to be that cutting rates could result in declining capital investment or even court challenges.

Date:  March 5, 2020

Source:  cbc.ca

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/wireless-cellphone-fees-1.5484080

 

Discussion points:

1) How much are you paying for your cell service? How does this compare to what your classmates are paying?

2) Do you think that a government should order a private enterprise to cut its prices?

3) Wiley’s Financial Accounting : Tools for Business Decision-Making talks about accounting for research and development costs on page 485. Do you think the government’s action might impact the telecom’s spending on R&D?

Let CRA Do Your Taxes?

Posted by & filed under Fraud, Personal Tax.

Description: The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) had said they would make income tax preparation easier for Canadians. Globe and Mail columnist Rita Trichur has noted an inconsistency in the plan though: CRA has doubled the size of the form from four to eight pages. As she says, “Folks, it’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry.” Her suggestion is that Canada join other countries and have the CRA do the taxes for most of us. They already have the information from most Canadians anyway.

Date:  March 5, 2020

Source:  globeandmail.com

Link: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-why-the-canada-revenue-agency-should-do-our-taxes-for-us/

 

Discussion points:

1) How do you file your taxes? Does it cost you anything?

2) What would you think of having the CRA do most Canadians’ tax returns, perhaps with a simple text message approval like in Sweden?

3) Read the “Ethics in Accounting” text box on page 419 of Wiley’s Understanding Financial Accounting. Were you aware that not remitting payroll deductions to the CRA was considered a form of fraud?

What’s a Leap Day Worth?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Canadian Economy.

Description: The Financial Post took an interesting approach to February 29 this year, slowing things down a bit to reflect on what happens during one day in the Canadian economy. Among the fascinating facts listed is that 4,240,584 barrels of oil are taken from the earth while at the same time 63.7 carats of diamonds are mined up in the Northwest Territories. Meanwhile, on the ocean hard work results in a harvest of 266,800 kilograms of lobster.

Date:  February 28, 2020

Source:  financialpost.com

Link: https://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/theres-an-extra-day-in-the-calendar-this-year-heres-what-its-worth-to-the-canadian-economy

 

Discussion points:

1) What did you do on this “extra” day? If you were working, how does what you made compare to the average wage of $207.12?

2) Which of the statistics in the article surprised you the most? Why?

3) On page 173 of Wiley’s Understanding Financial Accounting we see a vignette about Cineplex. What would be the average amount of movie tickets sold in Canada on the average day?

HBC Going Private

Posted by & filed under Corporate Strategy.

Description: HBC is no longer going to be a publicly-traded company. Chairman Richard Baker won a shareholders’ vote in his third bid to take the company private. In June 2019 Baker offered $9.45 a share, but this drew negative shareholder reaction. By this January the offer was sweetened to $11 per share, and 98% of the shareholders jumped on board.

Date:  February 28, 2020

Source:  msn.com

Link: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/hbc-chair-richard-baker-wins-shareholder-approval-to-take-retailer-private/ar-BB10ttSy

 

Discussion points:

1) Do you or anyone in your family shop at HBC?

2) What are the advantages of taking a company private? What could be a downside?

3) In Wiley’s Financial Accounting : Tools for Business Decision-Making you can find HBC discussed in the opening vignette of Chapter 14. What strategy did HBC use to pay down $1 billion in debt?

Market Tumbling

Posted by & filed under News.

Description: Over the last few weeks, these Weekly Updates have featured a couple of stories on the impact of the Corona Virus on business: one dealt with how Canada Goose believes that the virus will impact its sales in China, and another talked about the impact of the illness on the travel industry. Now, stock markets have dropped for six days in a row in anticipation of negative impacts on business in general. No sector on the TSX seems to have escaped the wide swath of decline.

Date:  February 28, 2020

Source:  cbc.ca

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/friday-markets-1.5479438

 

Discussion points:

1) Do you normally discuss market trends in any of your university classes? Have the last few days been any different?

2) Why does fear seem to be so hard on the stock markets?

3) Starting on page 565 of Wiley’s Understanding Financial Accounting we learn about the Price/Earnings Ration (P/E). What would be happening to the P/E ratios of most firms during this market decline?

Bezos to the Rescue

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy.

Description: This week Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, said he would commit $10 billion of his wealth to a new foundation set up to fight climate change. Amazon has faced criticism for contributing to the climate problem through its many home deliveries and its vast server farms. The new foundation will start issuing grants soon. No word yet on whether the timing of the announcement had anything to do with the anticipated PBS Frontline documentary scheduled for Tuesday, February 18.

How Amazon Convinced Millions of People to Welcome “Listening Devices” Into Their Homes

Date:  February 18, 2020

Source:  datacenterknowledge.com

Link: https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/amazon/bezos-says-he-ll-commit-10-billion-fight-climate-change

 

Discussion points:

1) Have you contributed to the Amazon carbon problem by using quick delivery via Amazon Prime or partaking in its web services?

2) Have you or any of your classmates watched the Frontline documentary? What are the strengths and the weaknesses of Amazon’s business model?

3) On page 86 of Wiley’s Financial Accounting:Tools for Business Decision-Making, we read information from a recent financial statement of Indigo, a Canadian company that is a direct competitor of Amazon. What strategy might you recommend to Indigo in dealing with the challenges posed by such a large competitor?

Trains not Moving

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy.

Description: As rail blockades continue in Canada, inventory is beginning to build up at major Canadian ports of Halifax, Montreal, and Vancouver. Atlantic Container Line (ACL) says 90% of its business usually moves out of ports by rail, but the current blockades are hitting the normal routes hard. ACL has started to move shipments to the harbours of Baltimore and New York in order to route freight through the United States. Meanwhile, Superior Propane says its supplies are running low, putting households and various establishments at risk of running out.

Date:  February 21, 2020

Source:  cbc.ca

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/rail-blockade-ports-1.5471312

 

Discussion points:

1) Have you encountered any shortages yet as a result of the rail blockade?

2) If you were working for a business that could not get supplies by rail, what might you recommend to your management team?

3) On page 321 of Wiley’s Financial Accounting : Tools for Business Decision-Making, you can read about the just-in-time approach to supply chain operations. How might this current blockade impact a company wiht the just-in-time approach?

RUTR is Changing

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles.

Description: Many Canadians love to play that annual Tim Horton’s contest, Roll up the Rim, with its wide assortment of prizes. But this year you’ll only be able to roll up a real cup rim for the first two weeks of the contest. For the remainder of the time, you’ll be expected to bring a reusable cup and register through Tim’s rewards card to play the game online. Tim Horton’s will help customers with that by giving away over $1 million in reusable cups prior to the contest.

Date:  February 19, 2020

Source:  cbc.ca

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/tim-hortons-roll-up-the-rim-1.5468748

 

Discussion points:

1) Do you normally take part in the RUTR contest each year? Do you see lots of cups around your campus?

2) Do you agree with Mark Gordon’s prediction (as per the url) that the program is likely to fail in its new format? Why or why not?

3) Page 486 of Wiley’s Financial Accounting : Tools for Business Decision-Making tells us about franchises, including Tim Horton’s. Where does the value of a franchise appear on a balance sheet?

Maybe They Didn’t Get the Memo

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles.

Description: In December the federal government brought in new regulations requiring the airlines to pay up to $1,000 in compensation to travelers hit by they canceled flights, other than for safety reasons of course. But customers are complaining that they haven’t been getting the refunds when they request them, and, further, they also haven’t been receiving explanations when they are turned down for a refund request. The Canadian Transportation Agency is responding to these complaints by saying it will look into the matter.

Date:  February 14, 2020

Source:  cbc.ca

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cta-passengers-westjet-air-canada-compensation-flight-delay-1.5463206

 

Discussion points:

1) Have you encountered this flight cancellation problem and been denied a refund?

2) The regulations came into place on December 15. Were you aware that they had been enacted?

3) Wiley’s Financial Accounting : Tools for Business Decision-Making tells us about liabilities for uncertain events in Chapter 10. Do you think that refunds for cancellations might be an area where an airline would need to record a liability?

What’s Killing the Mall?

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy.

Description: You don’t have to look too far in most cities and towns to see a boarded up shopping mall or other retail establishment. But while the traditional theory puts the blame on online shopping, a closer look at the data reveals three other forces have a bigger share of the blame. Big box retailers, a rise in the relative value of services, and the rise of income inequality have had more of an impact than the internet in terms of shuttering traditional retail establishments.

Date:  February 14, 2020

Source:  theglobeandmail.com

Link: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/international-business/article-three-things-that-are-truly-killing-shopping-malls/

 

Discussion points:

1) Have you witnessed the decline of traditional bricks and mortar establishments in your university town?

2) Did this article surprise you? What can an article like this teach us about digging deeper for explanations when we see something happening in the world?

3) Wiley’s Managerial Accounting : Tools for Business Decision-Making provides us with a short vignette on Apple on page 373. How has Apple both positively and negatively impacted traditional shopping malls?