In all likelihood, you’ve never heard of Altria Group, Inc., but you’re probably familiar with their former name: Philip Morris Inc. The mega-corporation changed their name in 2003, probably realizing that, in the public mind, the name was permanently stained with Big Tobacco associations: it evokes images of dirty lobbying deals, unethical advertising, suppressed scientific studies, and the 443,000 deaths tobacco causes each year.
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Great art can be a worthwhile investment, quite apart from its beauty. The lure of easy money has led many artists to attempt to ape their betters, gaining large fortunes from their imitations of the masters and their works. As the means possessed… Read more
There’s no end to the skullduggery that businesses will get involved in with the aim of making a quick buck, or trying to keep up with their competitors. Of course, their fellow companies aren’t beyond their schemes, either. There’s a war… Read more
Image: Alex E. Proimos/Flickr What makes you stop trusting a company? Was talking to their customer service people akin to having a conversation with a brick wall? Do your bills more closely resemble Pandora’s Box than something you can… Read more
They say that the only constants in life are death and taxes. Yet while attempts to evade the Grim Reaper have so far proven to be ultimately unsuccessful, this hasn’t stopped people trying to get out of their debt to the government. There are a… Read more
From left-handed undies to the Pontiac Aztek, some products invoke only one question: What were they thinking? The company screwups below aren’t just limited to WTF-caliber product ideas. These companies let rats infest their premises, made a… Read more
Image: cdedbdme/Flickr If you’ve ever been on hold for two hours trying to resolve a mistake you didn’t make in the first place, then been sent to a different department, then never received the money a company owed you, then you’re one of many… Read more
From the Industrial Revolution onwards, people have toiled for too little money in cramped conditions, often under abusive conditions. The phenomenon has expanded worldwide and products made in sweatshops have expanded from mere clothes to all… Read more
You make the laws. You control the military, police force, trade policies, tax rates, and most facets of everyday life in the country you rule. Being a politician is certainly a power trip. But for many politicians, power isn’t enough. They go… Read more
When you think about anonymous threats to your business, you probably haven’t thought about a dispersed online collective taking down your web presence in the name of Internet justice–or just for the the lulz. That is, you haven’t thought of… Read more
Image: r.f.m II, Flickr All too often, money and ethics have an inverse relationship. For every thirty people making an honest buck, there seems to be someone whose regard for greenbacks far outweighs the morality aspects of making them. Here… Read more
Image: Alex E. Proimos/Flickr By now, most companies have learned that engaging with their customers and responding quickly to problems are the right thing to do, given that bad social media could basically destroy their brands in 2 hours flat…. Read more
Image by Brad Templeton, via Coyote Blog I want to like trains. I like riding them, both here and abroad. You can get work done while sitting on the train; you don’t have to worry about traffic jams or bad driver behavior, let alone parking…. Read more
This February’s movie sales were dismal. Box Office Mojo has more: In February, movie theaters racked up nearly $660 million in sales, dipping close to 13 percent from February 2010′s $755 million haul. It was the lowest-grossing February… Read more
Chrysler is recalling about 250,000 2010 minivans and crossovers. While driving, the ignition can move from the “run” position to “accessory,” causing the car to stall, according to the National Highway Safety Administration. The Chrysler Town &… Read more
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