It's been an interesting week in the world of business, from a smartphone pioneer losing another major client, to travel troubles on land and sea that have cost two companies some serious goodwill. Here's a rundown of this week's biggest wins and losses.
Walmart announced Thursday that an internal investigation into bribery accusations involving its subsidiary in Mexico has broadened to include operations in Brazil, China and India. The disclosure came in a SEC filing tied to third-quarter financial results, which were downbeat.
America's flagship newspaper reaches across the pond for a chief executive who can engineer its turnaround. Will the former head of the BBC be able to make the Timesturn a profit?
The New York Times Co. finally has its new CEO, but picking BBC Director General Mark Thompson for the top job doesn't address the litany of lingering issues that surround print journalism in general and the Times in particular.
Warren Buffett was clearly in a selling mood during the second quarter: He unloaded big stakes in consumer products companies and put Intel outside his portfolio altogether. But he didn't just sit on the cash.
Sometimes, companies that were once leaders fall hopelessly behind. They may struggle on for years, but their chances to engineer turnarounds have passed. 24/7 Wall St. has found nine of these companies -- names you know well, but that will never be great again.
One of economists' most popular beliefs is a concept called "rational economics." It asserts that a person will do what's in his best financial interest. Only problem is, the idea fails in the real world over and over.
With 2012's first earnings season well under way, let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead: Here's why you should be watching one major mall owner, two tech giants, three homebuilders and a couple of old media behemoths.
Want a free $99 Nook? It'll cost you. Barnes & Noble is offering its entry-level Nook Simple Touch free to people willing to pay $19.99 a month for a year's digital subscription to The New York Times. So is this a good deal, or not?
New York Times is a survivor, but it's bleeding internally. Its stock has floundered in the single digits since March. It hasn't dished out a dividend in three years. Revenue has fallen every year since 2006. And its unclear if its Internet plans can sustain a traditional publisher.
For anybody who has followed the news over the past few years (probably on a computer), the long-awaited demise of newspapers shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But on Wednesday, the bell tolled once again for the printed word when the University of Southern California's Annenberg Center for the Digital Future offered a prophecy: Within five years, only four major daily papers will continue in print form.
The world's fourth Elvis-themed restaurant is scheduled to open in a mall in Georgia this year. But not in the Peach State in the heart of the Dixie -- the Elvis American Diner is in the Republic of Georgia. Seems that in the former Soviet Union, the King and 1950s Americana are considered pretty nifty.
Tablets, a new digital tollbooth, a traveling e-tailer, a smartphone tie-up, and a would-be titan toppler -- sounds like the plot for a Hollywood action movie, or, at the very least, the stuff that will dominate high-tech headlines in the coming days. Here's what to watch as the week unfolds.
Last year, 24/7 Wall St. put together a list of CEOs who need to retire, basing its judgment on quarterly earnings, stock price, and innovation. Now, with most large public companies having reported their second quarter results, 24/7 is back with a list of nine CEOs who are performing so poorly that they ought to be removed immediately. Read on to find out who, and why.
They're the brands you can't help but know, with logos that nearly everyone recognizes. These companies were founded back in the 1800s and became major players in the next century -- and the one after that. And while their logos have changed over time, they're essentially just refinements of the originals.