Regulation - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

The FCC’s Big Net Neutrality Decision

March 1, 2015

Over the last few years, net neutrality has appeared as a subject of debate everywhere from Internet forums to the highest levels of government. As of February 26, 2015 however, the Federal Communications Commission may have ended the discussion once and for all. On that day, the FCC voted to classify Internet providers as public utilities, thus preventing them from extending better service to websites who pay more money. The decision was a victory for the Internet’s many net neutrality Continue reading →

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

Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

China Cracks Down on Knockoffs

February 7, 2015

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As the world’s manufacturing superpower, China is home to thousands of factories producing millions of items each day. Keeping track of all that industrial output is far from easy, though. With little oversight to monitor them, some Chinese factories make knock-off or simply poor quality products, and then sell them to retailers as if they were up to standard.

While pirated items are mainly a headache for the company that gets ripped off, products made cheaply or without regard for Continue reading →

China, Ethics, Global, Knockoff products, Manufacturing, Product Development, Product Distribution, Regulation

Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management

The Bright Future for Cuba’s Skilled Workers

January 29, 2015

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In mid-December 2014 President Obama shocked the world by announcing that the U.S. would reestablish a diplomatic relationship with Cuba. Reversing more than six decades of American foreign policy, the decision is expected to have an enormous impact on Cubans living both on the island and abroad. Diplomats are even discussing lifting the trade embargo that the U.S. imposed in the 1960s in response to Cuba’s hostile Communist regime.

Besides opening up channels for travel and trade, the easing of Continue reading →

Cuba, Education, Global, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Regulation, Training

Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

California’s Far-Reaching Chicken Legislation

January 19, 2015

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At the beginning of 2015 a new California law went into effect requiring chicken farmers to provide more living space for their hens. As of January 1, every egg sold in the state must have been laid by a bird with at least 116 square inches of room in its coop, an increase of 73 percent from the industry standard. Although the legislation is mandatory only for egg producers in California, chicken farmers across the country are quickly adapting to Continue reading →

California, Chicken, Ethics, Food, Product Distribution, Regulation

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

Doing Business with a Proactive Legal Strategy

December 6, 2014

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The sheer size of today’s corporations virtually ensures that companies will have to wrangle with lots of legal red tape. Most top executives spend as little time as possible dealing with law, choosing either to avoid it or grudgingly comply with the restrictions they face. In the former case, a company may try to move some operations into another country to dodge certain taxes, while in the latter executives simply do the bare minimum necessary to make it through the Continue reading →

Copyright, Disney, Legal, Management, Regulation

Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership

[VIDEO] How Does Wall Street Influence the Economy?

December 1, 2014

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Another entry in the We the Economy series, this video delves deep into Wall Street and its role as a financial hub both in the past and the present.

Questions:

What influence does Wall Street have on the U.S. economy?

What major problem does Wall Street suffer from since the financial crisis?

From We the Economy

Economics, Ethics, Finance, Regulation

Videos

Russia Shuts Down Moscow’s McDonald’s

October 15, 2014

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Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been widely condemned by the international community. Besides strongly denouncing the nation’s actions, recent U.N. resolutions hit Vladimir Putin’s government with economic sanctions as well. The Kremlin responded to this punishment by banning the importation of food from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Norway and the European Union. Shortly after news of the ban broke, Russia also announced that it was closing down four McDonald’s locations in Moscow for “sanitary violations.”

For outsiders, the link Continue reading →

Ethics, Food, Global, McDonald’s, Regulation, Russia

Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Oversaturation Leads to Casino Closings

September 30, 2014

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In 1988, just two states allowed casino gambling. Today, New Jersey and Nevada are joined by more than 35 other states that have legalized casinos. Over the years, local governments across the nation promoted gambling as a way to generate additional tax revenue. Plenty of municipalities bought into the idea, leading to a rush of casino construction throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Like so many other industries, business was good until the recession hit in 2008. Since then, not only Continue reading →

Branding, Entertainment, Ethics, Gambling, Oversaturation, Regulation

Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

EU Nations Add Underground Economies to GDP

August 5, 2014

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Even though the U.S. has a gross domestic product (GDP) valued at nearly $17 trillion, that huge figure still doesn’t come close to providing a complete picture of the American economy. Each year billions upon billions of transactions go undocumented, untaxed, and ultimately unrecorded by official GDP statisticians. Whether it’s earning a few bucks by mowing a neighbor’s lawn or by selling drugs, these concealed deals all form what’s known as the underground economy.

Many economists have said that it’s Continue reading →

Ethics, Europe, Finance, Financial Data, GDP, Regulation, Underground Economy

Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Tax Dodging Corporations Cost the U.S. Billions

August 1, 2014

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For decades big companies have done their best to avoid hefty corporate tax rates levied by Uncle Sam. The U.S. government collects 35 percent of a domestically based corporation’s income, a figure based on the entirety of the company’s worldwide revenue. This mighty bite from the bottom line leads many firms to reincorporate their companies in places like the Cayman Islands or Ireland, where the corporate tax rate is just 12.5 percent. While this process of “inversion” is entirely legal, Continue reading →

Cayman Islands, Ethics, Global, Ireland, Regulation, Taxes

Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility