November 2, 2009 at 6:16 pm
The focus on the Obama’s marriage stemming from the New York Times Sunday Magazine cover story is sparking discussion of the role of government in promoting marriage. Law Professor Linda McClain, blogging in Concurring Opinions, says it was the passing of Michelle Triola Marvin, famous for her 1970′s “palimony” suit against actor Lee Marvin, that [...]
November 2, 2009 at 4:23 pm
In a turnaround story for a troubled industry, Ford Motor Company posted a surprising 3rd quarter profit of nearly $1 billion, though it has still lost some $1.3 billion for the year. School of Management Dean Lou Lataif, a former top Ford executive, says adversity has built character in the current generation of Ford’s leaders. “While [...]
October 30, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is still trying to convince Congress to pass legislation to deal with “too big to fail” financial institutions before they get to the point of collapse. Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law and a former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors, says [...]
October 29, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Reflecting the trend toward consolidating functions on hand-helds, Google is offering free GPS navigation system for mobile phones – a potentially big blow to stand-alone GPS makers. Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, head of the School of Management’s IS Department, says it’s logical to extend Google Maps to mobile phones. “Google realizes that it needs killer apps for [...]
October 29, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Congress is moving to give the Federal Trade Commission new powers to oversee and punish violators of FTC regulations aimed at protecting consumers. School of Management Professor Michael Salinger, a former FTC director, says the authority to impose civil penalties will help, but cautions that the ban on “unfair trade practices” in the FTC Act is [...]
October 28, 2009 at 5:03 pm
In an diplomatic bombshell, the New York Times reports that Afghan President Karzai’s brother – long a suspect in that nation’s opium trade – is on the CIA’s payroll and has been for years. Journalism Professor Nick Mills, who came to know the future president in the ’80s when Mills ran BU’s Afghan Media Project, [...]
October 28, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Troubled consumer finance company GMAC reportedly needs more taxpayer bailout money, on top of the $12.5 billion it’s already received. Robert Bench, an ex-deputy Comptroller of the Currency and now senior fellow at the Law school’s Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, says it’s understandable because GMAC concentrated most of its risk on a selected consumer [...]
October 27, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Many technology companies facing timid customers and increasing competition – e.g., Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco, and for the first time Juniper Networks — are ramping up advertising campaigns. Advertising Professor John Verret, a 40-year veteran of the ad business, says they can thank Apple for showing that great messages, widely disseminated, build great markets. “All the tech/Internet [...]
October 27, 2009 at 12:41 pm
According to Reuters.com, Federal investigators are looking into the “smart choices” food labeling program for misleading the public. Director of the Food and Nutrition Center at Sargent College Stacy Zawacki helped to found BU’s Sargent Choice food labeling program and is available for interviews on this topic. She can be reached at szawacki@bu.edu.
October 26, 2009 at 5:11 pm
In an unprecedented move for a major business, HealthSouth Corp. will reimburse activist shareholders for the costs involved with unseating management-backed directors. LawProfessor Elizabeth Nowicki, a former SEC and Wall Street attorney, says the HealthSouth initiative may mark a sea change in how boards respond to shareholders clamoring for accountability. “Now that HealthSouth has voluntarily [...]
