Friday Links: Survivors and Statistics

On November 13, 2009

Friday Links: Survivors and Statistics

Not much happy news in today's link round up.

Survivor bias distorts business advice and research, writes Jason Cohen at Building 43 (hat tips to Tim Berry and Steve King.)

Small business' woes may not be reflected fully in official statistics like GDP, writes Justin Fox at Time's Curious Capitalist blog, suggesting reports of imminent recovery may be exaggerated.

Credit unions in Canada are winning over small business customers from big banks, according to Monica Gutschi in DJ Newswires.

Another attempt to extend credit card protections to small business cards stalls, and the NY Times' Robb Mandelbaum looks at why.

And some of those numbers about small business job creation look deceptively optimistic. Scott Shane breaks it down in BW.

Got brighter news? Let us know on Twitter.


On November 13, 2009

Sequenom Insider Accused of $366K Stock Sale Before Data Corruption Revealed

Steven Owings, the former vp commercial development at Sequenom (SQNM), sold 22,598 shares for a total of $365,967, on March 24, 2009, a month before the company revealed that all its data for its T21/SEQureDx Down Syndrome test was corrupted by "employee mishandling," according to a lawsuit filed in California federal court.


On November 13, 2009

More Stuff For You.

Earlier today, I talked with a publisher who offers free audio and ebook downloads with purchases of hardcover copies of the book. This mirrors the music industry where vinyl collectors receive free downloads with purchase of the record. Interesting move on that publisher’s part. Then this afternoon, I read about musicians partnering with corporations [...]


On November 13, 2009

WPP Awaits Ruling in CMD Case; Is There a Pattern Here?

WPP (WPPGY) is awaiting a ruling in a case in which it is suing the former chief of a medical ad agency it acquired in 2004, Current Medical Directions. The case appears to be part of a pattern for WPP: Martin Sorrell's holding company acquires a stake in a smaller agency and then sues the agency's management.


On November 13, 2009

Free Shipping Day May Bring You a Sales Boost

December 17th is National Free Shipping Day in the U.S. That means that on that day, consumers all over the country are going to be looking for great deals with free shipping options.

While, if you can swing it, free shipping is always an attractive offering to customers, it would probably be a good idea to at least try it out on that day for a potential boost in business.

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On November 13, 2009

Chart of the Week: the Poverty “Dead Zone”

If you are a single parent in Virginia, you are probably going to take home a little less than $40,000 per year. But oddly, it doesn't matter whether you've made $20,000 or $40,000 from actually working. That's according to an analysis of the "working poors'" implicit marginal tax rate from the Mises Institute.


On November 13, 2009

Best Buy Spins Its Wheels in the Digital Movie Download Game

Best Buy is jumping into the digital movie download game, but getting between entrenched gladiators Netflix and Blockbuster would be a waste of time -- and a waste of resources. The first problem here is, like Blockbuster, Best Buy is trying to graft a millennial model onto its 20th-century business. As shown by the closing of its closest rival, Circuit City, brick-and-mortar general interest tech stores are dying fast. Blockbuster closed thousands of stores earlier this year - and it, unlike Best Buy, is actually known for movies. The second issue is online competition from streaming sites, official media portals and content aggregators. The Netflix audience has remained steady since Blockbuster Online arrived two years ago, namely because it had...


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