Wal-Mart has been accused of bribing Mexican officials so that it could open stores South of the Border, but don’t think it is alone on this one. From the looks of it, business schools might want to add Bribery 101 as an elective.

Fortune reports that Deere, Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Qualcom, Las Vegas Sands, Koch Industries, and plenty of others “are also under investigation for violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.” Just this week, two big companies got caught when the SEC charged a former Morgan Stanley exec “with bribing an official of a state-owned Chinese company in order to win business for the investment firm.” Plus, News Corp. gave the word that it’s being investigated for bribery as part of its whole phone-hacking fiasco.

Indeed, according to Fortune, “at least 81 public companies under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Department of Justice for running afoul of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes bribery in foreign countries punishable in the U.S.”Continue reading...

Looking to get fancy with your site’s URL? It’ll cost you $185,000 to do it. 

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit group that oversees the Internet’s address system, currently has 22 generic endings, such as .com, .edu, and .org. But it will open the doors to applications on Jan. 12 to let sites buy up whatever tags they’d like at a price of $185,000 per URL. (Earlier this week, ICANN opened up .xxx web addresses to all of you in the adult-entertainment industry who have been waiting so patiently.)

Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports, though, that the program “is failing to win over U.S. brand owners.”Continue reading...

This 1966 commercial was one of the first for Horatio Magellan Crunch, aka Cap’n Crunch, who it turns out will not be retiring. According to Quaker Oats, rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated, leading one to ask — was it an effective marketing stunt?Continue reading...

from Flikr M.I.C Gadget

Liu Chuanzhi, the founder and chairman of Lenovo, says his company—China's leading PC-maker, with 30% of the market—has been "lucky" that Apple hasn't been focused on China.

Or in his own words: “We are lucky that Steve Jobs has such a bad temper and doesn’t care about China. If Apple were to spend the same effort on the Chinese consumer as we do, we would be in trouble.”

That's all about to change, as Liu's remarks to the Financial Times were made on the eve of Apple opening its second store in China. Apple's gleaming new standalone retail outlet opens in Shanghai on Saturday just a stone's throw from the city's famed Oriental Pearl Tower in the Pudong business district. It joins Apple's first China store, located in Beijing's Sanlitun district.Continue reading...

Hewlett-Packard confirmed rumors that it will acquire Palm for about $1 billion, and plans to "invest heavily in product development." The sale should be good news for mobile computing and Palm investor Bono. In personal branding news, Bruce Willis taped a spot (above) for his upcoming cologne launching in (Cologne?) Germany while David Letterman is launching his own music label. Also garnering buzz today:Continue reading...

For legions of Sex and the City fans, life in the Big Apple is synonymous with Apple. With news that Sex and the City 2 will feature Hewlett-Packard products, it may come as something of a shock to see Carrie Bradshaw without a Macbook. Carrie, it's like, we don't even know you anymore.

The New York Times reports on a product placement deal that threatens one of Apple's most iconic and lucrative brand-building product placements: "The agreement, for undisclosed terms, will include appearances by Hewlett-Packard PCs and notebook computers in scenes in Sex and the City 2 along with a sweepstakes and promotions like screenings and events in stores, all sponsored by Hewlett-Packard."

Adding insult to injury, SATC's Sarah Jessica Parker will appear as herself in HP's TV commercials, print ads, outdoor ads and online ads—at least not in character as Carrie Bradshaw.Continue reading...

Victoria Beckham and Eva Longoria are promoting the LG Fashion Touch.

Major League Baseball signs All-Star Game sponsors. [NY Times]

Lane Bryant has its panties in a bunch after networks pull a new lingerie ad. [Adweek]

Neiman-Marcus dips its toes into discount retail. [Mediapost]

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, wants to extend her brand to include a show. [Reuters]

Chrysler lost $4 billion since emerging from bankruptcy protection. [NY Times]Continue reading...

Europe moves to relax flight restrictions as volcanic ash eruptions appear to subside, and stranded travelers turn to social media. [WSJ | Bloomberg | BBC | USA Today]

As expected, Toyota will pay a $16.4 million fine to U.S. safety regulators. It's also recalling the Lexus GX 460 SUV. [BBC | Marketwatch]

After nearly two years of red ink, Citigroup posted $4.4 billion in profit in the first quarter. [NY Times]

Coca-Cola launches a multi-million dollar global campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [BrandRepublic]

Tesco staffs up for the UK launch of Best Buy. [Guardian]

P&G's new Bounty paper towel campaign targets schools. [Brandweek]Continue reading...