Pfizer is pulling its long-running advertising campaign using the artificial heart pioneer Robert Jarvik as a spokesman for its cholesterol drug Lipitor. The campaign has come under scrutiny from a congressional committee that is examining consumer drug advertising and has asked whether the ads misrepresented Jarvik and his credentials. Although he has a medical degree, Jarvik is not a cardiologist and is not licensed to practice medicine. One television ad depicts Jarvik as an accomplished rower gliding across a mountain lake, but the ad uses a body double for the doctor, who apparently does not row. The House Energy …

Visa's plans for a record-setting initial public offering of stock is likely to speed up its efforts to make cash and checks obsolete. The offering might be valued at almost $19 billion. It is also likely to produce a windfall for banks, many of which are struggling to overcome the global credit crunch. Visa, which essentially operates as a cooperative, is owned by 13,000 financial institutions. Consumers are clearly moving away from cash and checks in favor of electronic payments. That is particularly the case for debit cards, now growing at a double-digit annual percentage rate. More than half …

Carmakers are offering buyers with good credit low financing rates, rebates, lease deals and other incentives on a wider range of models than usual as they scramble to stem a sales decline that made 2007 their worst year in a decade. The average amount that carmakers spent on incentives in January increased to $2,418 per vehicle sold from $2,234 a year earlier, according to Edmunds.com. Most of the in-your-face offers are coming from the Big Three U.S. automakers. But popular foreign makers such as Honda, Toyota, Nissan and BMW--which rarely provide big incentives--are joining the party, even though their …

There are lots of ways to demonstrate customer service. Trader Joe's excels at one of the basics: delivering unique products at reasonable prices. The chain, which has 280 stores in 23 states, has from its earliest days tried to bring unusual goods to a clientele ranging from gourmands to starving artists. By limiting its stock to specialty products at low prices, Trader Joe's sells twice as much per square foot than other supermarkets. It racked up an impressive $6.5 billion in sales last year. The strategy was born of desperation. In 1967, Joseph Coulombe's chain of convenience …

Cleantech Group, a small Michigan company that links inventors of sustainable technologies with investors, will use its network of scientists and industry experts to assess ideas and business plans submitted to its Web site, and pass along the most promising to Wal-Mart within about six weeks. The payoff for successful ideas could be enormous--a fat contract with the world's largest retailer. Wal-Mart has added solar panels to some of its stores, upgraded long-haul trucks for better fuel efficiency and sold 100 million compact fluorescent light bulbs. But these changes are just the beginning, according to Rand Waddoups, Wal-Mart's …

At the end of one of the most successful five-year streaks in its history, McDonald's is trying to give itself a second identity: coffee giant. The bold move--which aims to make the burger giant a beverage destination and a rival to Starbucks and other coffee chains--is one of McDonald's riskiest product launches ever. The franchisee system is squarely behind the coffee rollout, but some worry about the financial commitment as they fret about rising food and labor costs. Franchisees must invest tens of thousands in their restaurants to add a special beverage section to the kitchen. Managers and counter …