Two corporate mainstays – one in the United States (Sara Lee) and one in Brazil (JBS) – are considering a deal to join the two companies. The move comes in a frenzy of acquisitions by foreign companies in the United States, with Brazilian companies leading the way. Markets reacted favorably to news of a possible… Read more »

It was a move that was stunning if not for the fact that a former U.S. President held a press conference at the White House than for the fact that the current President excused himself while it happened. Former President Bill Clinton took the podium to talk to reporters about the necessity of compromise on… Read more »

Fannie May is a Midwestern candy icon. Yet even icons sometimes do not work and, when the family-owned confectionary struggled in the early 1990s, it was sold to private investors. A decade later, the company was in bankruptcy (twice) and stores and manufacturing operations closed. The company was purchased by Alpine Confections and sales resumed… Read more »

The recent release of secret government documents on the website WikiLeaks highlights a serious problem of doing business in the Information Age – it is tough to maintain total control of company data when it exists in electronic form. What is more, information that is transmitted via computer networks is subject to interception. Even if… Read more »

The economic recession has been hard on many. While most of the reporting and statistics focus on able-bodied workers that are unemployed, another sector often goes unnoticed. For many laid off during the downturn, getting re-employed means taking jobs with pay and responsibilities much lower than what they previously held. A case study of four… Read more »

The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team is poised to make history by breaking the record for consecutive wins in collegiate basketball (currently 88 held by UCLA). Leading the way is senior Maya Moore, who established a new career scoring mark of 2,355 points when Connecticut beat Sacred Heart. Moore’s total eclipses a record set… Read more »

Amazon, the giant online retailer, routinely experiences a surge in demand for its offerings during the Christmas holiday period. It is difficult to fill temporary holiday positions at its Campbellsville, Kentucky facility. Thus, the company turns to the new migrant workers – able-bodied individuals with recreational vehicles (RV) willing to travel the country in search… Read more »

Throughout his basketball playing career, Corliss Williamson was known as “Big Nasty.” The term described his style of play. He was known as a “bruiser,” a guy that would bump and bang down low. Now as a Division I college coach he is not distancing himself from his playing style. For the 2010-11 season, Coach… Read more »

Nearly every top ten list of most common fears will contain the fear of flying. Yet commercial airplanes are one of the safest forms of travel (far safer than traveling by automobile). Vivid details of airplane crashes are embedded in most people’s memories and so airlines must constantly battle the perception that air travel can… Read more »

China, like many Asian countries, has been known as a source of cheap labor. The newest generation of Chinese workers differ from their parents in that, while they are still willing to work for wages much lower than the average American, they are more aware of what constitutes fair working conditions. Increasingly, the Chinese government,… Read more »