Monday, November 14, 2016

Herbalife, Pyramid Schemes and John Oliver's Take

Multilevel marketing, or for some people, pyramid schemes, have been in the news recently. Tune in for a lively critique of this business model.


Mergent Tutorial

Here's a tutorial about using our database Mergent. It's a great way to do advanced company financials research.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Vemma Drink Biz Model Controversy

From Rolling Stone:
"Vemma is the latest mutation of an American invention. Multilevel marketing began in the middle of the past century with one company, a predecessor of Amway. The idea was simple: Instead of just selling a product, you could recruit people to sell it, too. Then, when they made a sale, you both shared in the profit. Recruiting soon became a lot more profitable than merely selling, a shift in incentives that produced a first in American consumerism: Suddenly the pitch was more important than the product. In some cases it wasn't necessary to even have a product. For some 50 years, lawmakers, consumer advocates and lobbying groups have argued over whether this unique setup constitutes a legitimate business or something more sinister, like an illegal pyramid scheme"