Transparency is, and has always been, a hot topic in political and business circles.

Run a news search on "transparency" and reams of recent articles turn up. The most notable brand to made the headlines for transparency? Groupon.

Now, Corporate Responsibility Magazine has released its annual "Black List" of the large companies who with the worst transparency and corporate citizenship.

Surveyed companies are selected from the large-cap Russell 1000 companies list. The Black List's rankings are based on an audit of seven categories from publicly-available data. And it's not pretty.Continue reading...

The latest slick tech gadget is the iDeduction, which allows large corporations to avoid paying their share of taxes. Apple is beta-testing the new application now, apparently.

Over the weekend, flash mob protests popped up in Apple stores across the nation to shed light on what is being called Apple's attempt to shirk its tax responsibility to Americans. Long free of the political spotlight, it's no surprise Apple is now feeling more activist heat as the brand has recently ramped up its own political activity and lobbying efforts.Continue reading...

Acer sees stock tumble after questionable financial audit.

Amazon rolls out Groupon rival, Amazon Local.

American Airlines and Orbitz forced to play nice.

Android assails Nokia in Europe.

Anthony Weiner's Twitter scandal continues.

Asos bottom line dinged by warehouse move.

Audi sued for allegedly using Eminem's Chrysler ad music.

Borders sees bidder emerge also with Michigan roots.Continue reading...

While airlines may seem to be cutting back on services and charging for everything from baggage to pillows, there's one little item that remains a hold-over from days gone by — the swag bag.

For decades, airlines have handed out small bags with elite branded amenities to their first class travelers in an effort to treat them deferentially, in much the same way celebrities are showered with gifts when they attend awards shows and other exclusive events.

The subtle difference today, however, is the fact that some airlines are looking to the practice as a new way to generate revenue — by selling the bags to economy-class passengers, and splitting the proceeds with the brands providing the goodie bags.

Peddling first-class travel kits to those seated behind the curtain in economy is a growth industry, it seems.Continue reading...

Apple reportedly cuts licensing deal with EMI and moves closer to cloud-based music service, as iPad sales impact HP and Dell.

AT&T presses case for T-Mobile merger.

CBS brings Ashton Kutcher and his Two and a Half Men co-stars at advertisers' fall upfront.

Citigroup awards CEO Vikram Pandit with big retention package.

Coca-Cola launches 2012 Olympics promotion a year early.

Delta cuts capacity to Europe with Air France as airline’s executives recount complex merger with Northwest.

Disney reportedly seeks to develop TV series about SEALS team that killed Osama bin Laden.

Facebook gets new scrutiny over kids in social ads.

Gap CEO undertakes urgent revamp of the brand.Continue reading...

AIG stock offering fetches far less than expected.

Apple and Google tell US Senate hearing they don't track users.

Apollo Global Management agrees to buy CKX, owner of the American Idol franchise.

Chrysler global sales advance 20% with gains outside US.

Delsey uses humor to promote light luggage.

Delta and United Airlines levy fuel fees surcharge.

Disney CEO Bob Iger claims NFL lockout woudn't hurt ESPN.Continue reading...

With over half a billion users and a billionaire founder who was TIME magazine's Person of the Year, Facebook has been flying high. This month, the social network is flying high, quite literally.

In a promotion through Gogo Inflight Internet, which offers inflight connectivity in the continental U.S., Facebook will be available free in February on the Wi-Fi networks AirTran, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, United, US Airways, and Virgin America. Other services provided can range in price from $4.95 to as much as $12.95.

Gogo has been pushing its service via partnered promotions lately to encourage more air travelers to take advantage of Wi-Fi. But don't forget in-flight netiquette!Continue reading...

Egypt's defiant president Mubarak sacks cabinet as US threatens to cut off aid. Delta and other global carriers have suspended flights, while web, mobile and SMS services continue to block residents from the world.

Bill Clinton unites PepsiCo and Coca-Cola heads at Davos, where Pepsi's Indra Nooyi explained why Russia is key to her strategy.

BMW to bring back four-cylinder engines to US.

Chevron profit jumped 72% in the fourth quarter.

Daimler pays 125th anniversary bonus to all 260,000 employees.

Facebook's value tops Amazon, trails only Google on the web.Continue reading...