While competitors' pods are available on grocery-store shelves, the company says it won't budge from its direct-to-consumer model, selling coffee capsules online, in its boutiques and over the phone.

WSJ: Boss Talk: Nestl??'s Nespresso Sets Sights on U.S., China for Its Growth

The opprobrium heaped upon a mediator can be a good barometer of the pressure he is applying to one or both sides in a conflict, or of the parties' readiness to budge from long-entrenched positions.

ECONOMIST: The disturbing niceness of George Mitchell

While the Fed keeps the yield on overnight loans at 0% and investors price ten-year Treasury bonds as if prices will barely budge over the coming decade, inflation is lurking in many corners of the economy--like shipping, which accounts for 7% of gross domestic product.

FORBES: Magazine Article