France’s ban on full face veils went into effect last Monday. The law does not mention any specific religion or the word veil, but it makes it illegal to hide the face in public spaces. Anyone who wears the Muslim niqab or burqa in public faces fines of €150 ($216) and civil education classes about… Read more »

When Evan Williams decided to walk away from an everyday role at Twitter last October, he easily could have faded into a comfortable life of retirement. Rather than do so, Mr. Williams is working on a new startup company. As his role began to change at Twitter, Williams realized the time was right to move… Read more »

For weeks the battle raged. Democrats and Republicans were locked in a battle over budget cuts that ultimately would determine whether the United States Government would remain open for business. And there was President Barack Obama, stuck in the “middle” of the conflict. Both leaders – Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority… Read more »

Voters in Iceland have once again voted to reject a repayment program negotiated by their government to reimburse the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the Netherlands for losses incurred by their citizens when Iceland’s banking sector collapsed in 2008. The governments of the U.K. and the Netherlands reimbursed their citizens when Iceland’s deposit-insurance program ran out… Read more »

This week Portugal officially became the third euro-zone country to seek a financial bailout from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Preliminary estimates are that Portugal will need a bailout of around €80 billion ($114 billion), though a final determination of the bailout size has yet to be made. The country… Read more »

It seems everyone is obsessed with measurement these days. In fact, you probably started your course by talking about research that informs current management thinking or the importance of quantitative analysis or quality management. The fact is lots of things are measured. If you haven’t already, you will soon be examining individual behavior. The author… Read more »

The author’s recent shopping experience in New York City is chronicled. Suffice it to say, she did not have a positive experience and has advice to offer for improving service to customers. The problems Ms. Barrows encountered speak to the importance of individual behavior in the workplace. QUESTIONS: Why is job satisfaction important? If you… Read more »

Just days after his resignation from Berkshire Hathaway, David Sokol, the former heir apparent to Warren Buffet discussed his plans for the future. Justifying the actions that were reported as the basis for his resignation, Sokol claimed he did nothing wrong. Instead, he contended that the resignation was a move he considered for at least… Read more »

India announced new policies on Thursday governing foreign direct investment (FDI). A foreign firm that entered into a joint venture with an Indian firm prior to 2005 will no longer be required to obtain a no-objection certificate from its partner before establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary in the same field of business in the country. Foreign… Read more »

Investors reacted with great concern after the government of Zimbabwe announced new policies that require foreign-owned firms to surrender to indigenous Zimbabweans majority ownership stakes in local mining companies. The policies were announced as part of the implementation of an indigenization law the country enacted in 2008. Foreign-owned mining companies with a net asset value… Read more »