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Intro to Business News is South-Western's service to provide summaries of the latest Business news stories. Review the brief summaries and, for stories of interest, select the full summary. |
| BUSINESS ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBLITY | |
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The idea of balancing one's eco-checkbook by paying others to be extra-green sounds promising. But does it really work? BusinessWeek takes a deeper look at a hot new prospect of the green gold rush: carbon offsets. (Updated May 2007) |
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Given that nearly half of employees admit to having dated a co-worker at some point in their careers, it's misguided to think that Cupid can be kept out of cubicles and conference rooms. However, by establishing some basic guidelines, managers and employees can keep the love god from working overtime. (Updated September 2006) |
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Google's foray into China's lucrative Internet market has involved controversial political considerations, not the least of which is the paid-search leader's decision to censor search results at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party. Some analysts argue that the deal makes business sense, but others say the relationship raises ethical questions, especially coming from a company whose motto is "do no evil." (Updated April 2006) |
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Bono revolutionized pop music in the '80s and '90s, but now the U2 lead singer is using his celebrity status to tackle social issues--and top corporations are singing along with him. (Updated April 2006) |
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Under pressure from trial lawyers and consumer-protection advocates, leaders in the fast-food industry are scrambling to combat the public perception that popular chains like McDonald's and Burger King are dooming children to lives of chronic obesity. In an attempt to appease critics and demonstrate good corporate citizenship, McDonald's has transformed iconic hamburger-clown Ronald McDonald into a skateboarding, hoops-shooting fitness guru for today's youth. (Updated August 2005) |
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Perquisites (perks) are often part of the attraction for certain jobs. But are they owed to employees or should they be considered a as a favor? (Updated June 2004) |
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This article describes the recent trend of offering coffee with a "fair trade certified" label, proof that the company paid a living wage to the growers and this acted in a socially responsible manner. This latest example of politically correct labels begs the question of whether such labels are helpful and wise. (Updated May 2004) |
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Three professionals are asked to answer a question on balancing commerce and responsibility when marketing food to children: Martin Glenn, President, PepsiCo UK, Craig Smith, Associate Professor of marketing and ethics and Associate Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program, London Business School, and Debra Shipley, MP for Stourbridge and a member of the culture, media and sport committee.
(Updated April 2004) |
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This article examines the California Supreme Court's decision regarding Nike's public advertising defense related to the accusations that their contract labor in Asia was underpaid and mistreated. Nike argued that the jobs were highly prized and had above-average wages and did so via letters, pamphlets and press releases. An activist sued Nike stating that its defenses amounted to "false advertising" under California law. The California Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision, ruled against Nike. They stated that Nike's defenses constituted "commercial speech" not entitled to broad constitutional protections. This ruling suggests that companies may have to remain silent in the face of allegations or run the risk of being sued for "fraudulent advertising" (at least in the State of California). The U.S. Supreme Court's "lack of action" on this case has further practical implications for corporations and mounts to what is referred to as a "tax on free speech." (Updated November 2003) |
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Prices of natural gas have been rising in recent months after a decade of low prices. The article argues that lifting environmental restriction against offshore drilling would not stabilize the price of natural gas because the United States accounts for only 3% of the world's natural gas reserves. The authors further point out to some limitation of the laws of supply and demand: Increasing supply by opening the market to imported gas is made difficult because of the challenge of transporting natural gas, while decreasing demand is made difficult due to the inability of consumers to quickly substitute oil for natural gas. (Updated November 2003) |
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This article describes how Ms. Vinson, a senior manager at WorldCom's corporate accounting division, helped falsify at least $3.7 billion in profits. Reminiscent of the Milgram experiments, the article painstakingly shows how, when ordered by superiors, good employees can quickly turn into accomplices for fraud. (Updated November 2003) |
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