#420: Bean Boots Surge in Popularity

Proof that some quality products don't require constant upgrades or improvements.

#419: Small Business Saturday and Data Theft

Kenneth Chenault is one impressive executive and Small Business Saturday is a great partnership between American Express and local merchants. I LOVE Small Business Saturday!!

#418: Retailers Quiet on Security as Hacking Threats Persist

#417: Ford Is Betting on New F150

I love a good manufacturing video. In this case, Ford is looking for the win-win as they differentiate from their competitors with an aluminum frame and offer their buyers fuel efficiency savings. If the video doesn't open, you should be able to view it through this URL for Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/712267.

#416: American Giant Embraces New Model for Manufacturing, Distribution, & Marketing

A nice compliment to post #269 regarding cost structures for apparel.

#415: How Google Works

This Book TV program runs for a little over an hour, but provides free insights that many people would pay big money to hear at a tech or management conference. From how to grow a start-up to setting management priorities to establishing profit centers, a variety of insightful gems make this time well invested.

#414: Best and Worst Credit Cards

From cbsnews.com, this list of best and worst cards is their trick or treat offering since it was published just before Halloween. Their information comes from CardHub, a site for credit card comparisons.

#413: More on ApplePay

#412: Coming Soon to a Coffee Shop/Food Place Near You? Maybe Not.....

Why Apple Pay isn't the answer to all business owner's prayers - read this article and watch this video.

#411: Manufacturing Growth in the South

From Bloomberg Businessweek, how the American South is becoming competitive in the U.S. manufacturing sector - read it here.

#410: Tim Cook's Apple

A great article on the leadership style of Apple's Time Cook is found here.

#409: Internal Controls for Cash - U.S. Bureau of Printing & Engraving Style

This feature identifies the changes to the $100 bill which were made to reduce counterfeiting. Although this is over a year old, it's still interesting!

#408: Tyranny of Gratuity

This article from Bloomberg Business Week is relevant to a discussion I've been having with my live ACC 202 class on tipping and how the move from a standard 15% to 20% has allowed workers to increase their wages, while not at the expense of their bosses. Direct labor is one of the most controllable costs for most service providers and the workers are often dependent on tips to sustain their livelihoods. Would we be better off if workers were paid a living wage and that cost was built into the price of the service? I don't have the absolute answer, but it makes for an interesting discussion.

#407: Go Pro Soars to New Heights

This latest product launch is a perfect example of a company where activity based costing would be appropriate in accumulating costs and setting sales price for low end vs. high end.

#406: Achieving Three Big Financial Goals

#405: Why Employee Satisfaction Translates To Profits

It's almost like CBS read the QMS chapter on employee engagement!

#404: Interesting Article on General Electric's Efforts To Be Leaner & Quicker

This article from Bloomberg Business Week focuses on improved efforts in innovation from corporate stalwart General Electric.

#403: Coke's Big Fat Problem

This article by Claire Suddath in Bloomberg BusinessWeek does a good job of exploring the challenges facing Coca Cola as American tastes change with regards to carbonated beverages.

#402: Love This Entrepreneurial Idea

Although it's been some time since I had teenagers, I can appreciate the genius behind this phone app!

#401: Businesses Rely on Honor System

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

#400: Women Entrepreneurs Surging

#399: Debit Card Cautions for College Students.

Read this article to learn how to avoid expensive debit card fees.

#398: Berkshire Hathaway Closes Over $200,000

From NBCNews.com: If you want a piece of Warren Buffett, the second richest man in America, it will now cost you $200,000. That's the price a Class A share of his company, Berkshire Hathaway, reached in trading on Thursday. That's just one share for the price of a nice six-bedroom, four-bath house in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. While many companies use stock splits to keep their per-share price under $1000, or even below $100, Buffett isn't a fan of that maneuver because he thinks it encourages short-term trading rather than long-term ownership. As a result, Berkshire's Class A has, by far, the largest dollar price per share for any stock trading in the U.S. Berkshire first closed above $1,000 per share on Aug. 26, 1983, a few days before Buffett celebrated his 53rd birthday. It took almost another 9 years to reach $10,000 on Oct. 16, 1992. The stock closed at $100,000 a share just over 14 years after that on Oct. 23, 2006. According to the last Forbes magazine survey, Buffett's personal wealth is $58.5 billion, second only to Bill Gates at $72 billion.

#397: Amazon Clashes With Another Significant Supplier

Amazon continues to frustrate their vendors. This summer's "feature vendor" has been publishing giant Hatchette, but now they are going head to head with Disney. Jeff Bezos seems to value good customer relations, but still has some lessons to learn with vendor relations and employee relations.

#396: The Facts on Credit Cards

For questions on the chips inside newly issued cards, what's contained in your swipe strip, security codes, etc., this short article from Real Simple magazine provides the skinny. Just click to read!

#395: Amazon Rising on CNBC

I just finished a very interesting book called "The Everything Store" by Brad Stone which chronicles Jeff Bezos and his success with Amazon over the last 20 years. Like many of the other innovators of his time, there are some pros and cons for both the creator and his creation. I'll be watching this CNBC show to learn more. I'm sure it will replay multiple times over the coming year, as per the CNBC pattern.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

#394: Words of Wisdom from Jim Cramer

Jim shares tips on saving for retirement, investing, and diversification.

#393: Quirky Nurtures Online Innovation

#392: Tipping - Some Questions Answered...

... but not all!

#391: Economy, Energy, & Politics

Excellent segment with Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs should provoke thoughts on the relationship of these topics. Some discussion of payback period.

#390: Alan Mulally Retires From Ford

This segment is a great example of how a strong leader performs.

#389: Apple Splits 7 to 1: Great Explanation of Stock Splits!

#388: Mars Candy Expands Their Capacity

#387: A Must See for Students Who Will Take Finance In the Future - Is the Stock Market Rigged?

#386: Spirit Airline: Does Customer Service Really Matter If You Are the Low Cost Provider?

#385: Possibly the Best Example of a Price Setter That I Can Find!

#384: Prioritizing US Manufacturing with Innovation Hubs

#383: Women and Foreign Born Executives Moving to the Top in Bigger Numbers

Interesting shift in demographic trends of corporate America!

#382: Mark Zuckerburg on Facebook's 10th Birthday - A New Type of Leadership

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

#381: Apple - Looking Back on 30 Years of the Mac and Looking Forward

See more US News from ABC|World News Very excited that they are manufacturing in Austin, TX. More manufacturing news coming for AZ soon.

#380: Amazon Patents Anticipatory Shipping - Fascinating!

From Huffington Post: Late last month, Amazon patented a process they've termed "anticipatory package shipping," in which products would be sent to fulfillment centers near the customers most likely to purchase them, before customers even order them. In a bit of "Minority Report" meets Wal-Mart, the online retail giant could feasibly ship items before they're actually purchased, filling in the relevant details -- like a buyer's address, for instance -- at a later date. "The patent's examples illustrate a speculative shipment system that deploys goods to specific geographical areas," Engadget explains. "If a customer in that area places an order that matches a nearby package, it would then be redirected to its final destination." Which means the complete box-set of Monty Python's Flying Circus isn't going to arrive on your doorstep unannounced. It does mean, however, that Amazon may shuffle the product to a distribution center nearer you for faster fulfillment when you inevitably succumb to your love of British comedy and hit the "checkout" button. Of course, Amazon wouldn't ship items ahead of time in the absence of clear demand for the product. To assess that demand, reports the Wall Street Journal, factors like a customer's previous orders, product searches, wish lists, returns and shopping cart data would all be taken into account. Shoppers who linger over an item with their mouse cursor may also attract Amazon's attention. The anticipatory shipping is the latest development from Amazon that feels straight out of the future. In December, CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled Amazon Prime Air on "60 Minutes," a fleet of delivery drones that could be available within 4 to 5 years.

#379: Consumer Confidence Shaken by Retail Hackers (But, I Still Love Target)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

#378: The American Health Care Paradox Book Discussion

While more of an academic discussion of the importance of controlling health care spending, this Book TV segment is well worth watching since health care is and will be an important focus in personal financial planning. This program does a good job of analyzing the strengths and challenges of America's approach to health care compared to the best practices of other nations in a respectful way. Health care is the fastest growing segment of GDP and I think we are all well served by being more informed about new ways to approach health care spending in order to maximize cost/benefit in both quantitative and qualitative terms.

#377: Tootsie Roll Guards Corporate Information

Many publicly traded companies court industry analysts and the public through disclosure over and above the minimum required by the SEC and GAAP. If Nancy Giles' reporting is accurate, that's not the case with Tootsie Roll. More importantly, I always thought they were chocolate!

#376: Income Inequality - A Good Opinion Piece from Business Week

Click here to read this short opinion piece on a hot potato topic in economic news.

#375: JCrew's approach to going global

Interesting article from Business Week regarding JCrew's upscale expansion to global markets. Click here to read.