Bonus Chapter A: Business Law - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Beware of Phony IRS Calls This Tax Season

January 30, 2018

Yesterday, the filing period officially opened for the 2018 tax season, an annual event that many Americans dread. Along with the standard pain that comes with writing checks to Uncle Sam, people also get stressed by worrying whether or not they calculated their tax bill correctly. Matters can become even worse for these anxious earners if they receive a phone call from the Internal Revenue Service regarding back taxes they never knew about.

But while these calls are certainly intimidating, Continue reading →

Regulation, Security, Crime, Taxes, IRS, Ethics

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 17: Accounting, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter D: Personal Finance

A Contact Lens Startup Faces Trouble from Fake Prescriptions

December 19, 2017

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In recent years, a number of startups have quickly grown into powerhouse operations by selling certain products directly to customers. From the eyewear seller Warby Parker to the razor maker Harry’s, these companies have disrupted traditional industries by cutting out unnecessary middlemen from their supply chains. They’ve also inspired startups like Hubble, a subscription-based service that sells contact lenses. For just $1 per day or $30 per month, customers receive a supply of Acuvue Moist daily disposable contacts, one of Continue reading →

Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Regulation, Startups, Product Distribution, Eyewear, Marketing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How the End of Net Neutrality Could Change the Internet

December 15, 2017

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Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal its set of net neutrality rules. These regulations prevented internet service providers from blocking traffic or charging users for certain online services or types of content. With the FCC’s rules struck down, though, the Internet will no longer be regulated by the government like a utility. The video below looks at how this decision could have sweeping repercussions for both businesses and individual users.

Questions:

In what ways could the end Continue reading →

Regulation, Legal, Product Distribution, Ethics, FCC, Net Neutrality

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Waging a Water Balloon Fight over a Patent

December 7, 2017

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A few summers ago, inventor Josh Malone found himself spending hours every week filling up water balloons for his eight children to throw at one another. Convinced that there had to be a more efficient way to build up a water balloon arsenal, he used his mechanical engineering expertise to develop a product called Bunch O Balloons. This device allowed him to fill dozens of balloons at one time and became an immediate hit with his family. After filing for Continue reading →

Product Development, Legal, Ethics, Toys, Entrepreneurship, Patents

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Cities Offer Huge Incentives to Amazon for New HQ

November 30, 2017

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Although many retailers enjoyed a sales boost during Thanksgiving Weekend, no other company can rival Amazon’s stellar start to the holiday season. The e-commerce outlet brought in 45 percent of all online purchases on Thanksgiving along with nearly 55 percent of Black Friday’s total Internet transactions. Plus, Amazon announced that Cyber Monday was the company’s biggest sales day ever, boasting that customers had purchased “hundreds of millions of products” throughout the weekend.

Along with putting Amazon’s huge influence with customers Continue reading →

Legal, Black Friday, E-commerce, Cyber Monday, Facility Location, Retail, Ethics, Regulation, Amazon

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

U.K. Court Rules Uber Must Classify Drivers as Workers

November 17, 2017

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Since Uber’s founding in 2009, the ride-hailing service has relied on tens of thousands of drivers that it considers to be independent contractors. Although this policy has been controversial from the start, executives claim it is a vital component of the company’s historic growth rate. After all, the money that Uber saves from paying employment benefits allows it to charge lower fares. That explanation simply isn’t good enough for many critics, however, who claim the company is depriving drivers of Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Product Development, Labor Relations, Regulation, Transportation, Startups, Uber, Legal, U.K.

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Apple Keeps Billions of Dollars Hidden in Offshore Accounts

November 10, 2017

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Even before the release of the Paradise Papers this week, Apple has faced plenty of criticism over the years for exploiting foreign loopholes to avoid paying taxes. The most prominent example of this occurred in 2013 during a Congressional inquiry of CEO Tim Cook. A Senate committee brought in the executive for questioning after they discovered Apple had hidden billions in taxable income through a series of “ghost companies” in Ireland. Cook admitted nothing, however, telling legislators, “We don’t depend Continue reading →

Regulation, Apple, Tax Avoidance, Global, Paradise Papers, Ethics

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] What Are the Paradise Papers?

November 9, 2017

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This week a group of investigative journalists released an enormous cache of leaked documents called the Paradise Papers. Like last year’s Panama Papers incident, these records detail the offshore financial activities of some of the world’s richest people and companies. But while 2016’s leak focused mainly on the tax avoidance strategies of foreign entities, the Paradise Papers are full of names that will be familiar to Americans. The video below provides a quick overview of this complex story. Tomorrow, we’ll Continue reading →

Regulation, Legal, Global, Ethics, Offshoring, Tax Avoidance, Panama Papers, Paradise Papers

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter D: Personal Finance, Videos

Congress Eliminates Law that Lets Consumers Sue Banks

October 31, 2017

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In the past year we’ve featured a few stories about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and how it aims to keep consumers safe from predatory business practices. From collecting consumer complaints to limiting the power of payday lenders, the CFPB was formed to put regular people on somewhat equal footing with big companies. Still, not everyone sees the relatively new government agency this way. Opponents claim the CFPB has too much power to regulate businesses, thus harming both companies Continue reading →

Finance, Regulation, Legal, CFPB, Ethics, Banking

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Lawsuits Accuse LuLaRoe of Running a Pyramid Scheme

October 27, 2017

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Since its founding in 2012, the women’s apparel seller LuLaRoe has grown into a powerful brand despite never stocking its clothes in stores. Instead, the company directly sells items to a team of independent consultants who find customers on their own. These representatives can eventually receive bonuses if they find new consultants to recruit, thus expanding the number of LuLaRoe sellers as well as customers. If you ask executives at the company, this direct selling strategy fits the mold Continue reading →

Legal, Ethics, Product Distribution, Multi-Level Marketing, LuLaRoe, Clothing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law