Antitrust Practices Essays (Examples)

Antitrust Practices and Market Power: Google Antitrust Behavior

Economic theory expresses that competition contributes substantially to the efficient operations of markets, and hence to the improvement of a nation's wealth status. Antitrust laws seek to foster competition in the marketplace and to consequently ensure that the welfare of consumers is maximized through the provision of low-priced high-quality products. This the laws do by preventing the emergence of cartels and monopolies, which impede on competition by creating barriers to entry, with the help of which they are able to obtain market power and consequently drive market prices to favor them. Although monopolies may result from either government action or natural reasons, in which case they are referred to as government and natural monopolies respectively, most monopolies are formed through exclusivity contract arrangements, mergers, acquisitions, and collusion. Antitrust laws work at limiting these.

The Costs of Antitrust Behavior

A number of companies…

References

Antitrust Laws. (2014). Antitrust Law Examples: Are they Helpful to the Free Marketplace? Antitrust.org. Retrieved 19 March 2014 from  http://www.antitrustlaws.org/Antitrust-Law-Examples.html 

 http://library.devry.edu 

Marrs, M. (2012). 30 Facts about the Google Antitrust Case. The Word Stream Blog. Retrieved 19 March 2014 from  http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2012/12/06/google-antitrust-case 

Marrs, M. (2012). 30 Facts about the Google Antitrust Case. The Word stream Blog. Retrieved 19 March 2014 from

Antitrust Laws: Apple's Case

Competition is a vital element of any vibrant marketplace. Thanks to competition, both businesses and individuals get to benefit from lower prices, increased product variety, higher-quality commodities, and greater innovation. Antitrust laws are meant to ensure that consumers are protected from unfair business practices and anticompetitive mergers, and that consequently, effective levels of competition are created and sustained in the economy.

Antitrust laws differ from country to country and, at times, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In the U.S., antitrust laws include the Sherman Act of 1890 and the Federal Trade Commission and Clayton Acts, both of 1914 (FTC, 2014). The Sherman Act, whose violation is punishable by criminal law, outlaws any attempts to monopolize a market or restrain trade through rig bids, divide markets, or price fixation (FTC, 2014). The Federal Trade Commission Act, on the other hand, illegalizes any '"unfair methods of competition' and 'unfair…

References

Carmody, T. (2012). DOJ Files Antitrust Suit against Apple and Five Publishers over E-Book Pricing. Wired. Retrieved 1 March 2014 from  http://www.wired.com/2012/04/doj-files-antitrust-suit-against-apple-and-five-publishers/ 

Catan, T., Trachtenberg, J. & Bray, C. (2012). U.S. Alleges E-Book Scheme. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 April 2014 from  http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304444604577337573054615152 

FTC. (2014). The Antitrust Laws. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 1 March 2014 from  http://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/antitrust-laws 

Herther, N. (2013). Apple Gambles on Winning E-Book Antitrust Suit. Information Today. Retrieved 1 April 2014 from  http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/Apple-Gambles-on-Winning-Ebook-Antitrust-Suit-90274.asp

(discuss them and then choose one that would possibly work)

One possible solution for this anti-trust problem, which is currently proposed by authorities, is that Microsoft should allow its competitors to access its information database. In this way, the competition could build new applications that are compatible with the Microsoft operating systems - Windows so would not be affected by the Microsoft strategy to develop an integral and connected line of products. Another solution could be the individual taxation of Microsoft due to its market power. In this case, the taxes that could be as high as 0% from the total profits and would unfairly tax the advantage taken in time by Microsoft. The money for this tax could be otherwise used by Microsoft for development plans, or why not for resolving social aspects - the poverty reduction of third world countries.

Another answer proposed by analysts in this case…

1) Lemos, Robert. CNET News, 2003-06-10. Retrieved on 2007- 02-05

2) Mace, Michael. www.pa.msu.eduarchived from apple.com, February 9, 1995

3) Rebello, Kathy. www.businessweek.comBusiness Week, 1997-06-15. Retrieved on 2007- 02-05

Antitrust

I don't have the proper bibliographical info for the book chapters. I noted the number from the two PDFs of the book where appropriate. You might wish to add the proper info and change the notes to fit.

MAKET CONDITIONS in the U.S.: It would seem highly unlikely that this information alone would be sufficient to bring an antitrust action. Prudent and even gutsy or aggressive business people might well seek such information to generate a competitive advantage with little intention toward manipulating the market (Fried Frank, 2002). Even if it does lean toward some expected restraint of trade (Sherman Act), what is occurring at this point clearly passes the reasonableness test. Talking of such issues is not collusive price fixing and suggests no conscious parallelism, for example, which might indicate that their association is for inappropriate purposes (pg. 468).

DETAILS of INDIVIDUAL SALES: In this instance the burden…

REFERENCES

Bern, R. (1995). A Biblical Model for Analysis of Issues of Law and Public Policy: With illustrative applications to contracts, antitrust, remedies and public policy issues. Regent University Law Review, Vol. 6. 103-196.

Elzinga, F. (n.d.). CASE 9: Collusive Predation: Matsushita v. Zenith (1986). Viewable at www.oup.com/us/pdf/kwoka/0195120159_09.pdf.

Fried Frank (2002). Firm Hit with $1 Billion Antitrust Verdict for Aggressive Marketing Practices. Fried Frank Antitrust and Competition Law Alert. Viewable at www.ffhsj.com/practice_groups/antitrust.htm.

FTC (2007). International Aspects of Antitrust Enforcement. Prepared Remarks of Commissioner Roscoe B. Starek, III. Viewable at  http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/starek/starekda.shtm .

Antitrust Practices and Market Power

The modern business environment is increasingly characterized by the proliferation of emerging monopolies in various industries. One of the industries that have experienced an increase in budding monopolies is Information Technology, particularly with the growth and development of social media and networks. Technology companies have rapidly developed into monopolies because of the connection between attractive business opportunities. The growth of leading technology companies into monopolies has also been fueled by their efforts to gain and maintain market power. However, some of these companies such as Google, AT&T, Standard Oil, Microsoft, and Facebook have been investigated for antitrust behavior.

Similar to Google, Facebook is company whose growth and development is partly attributed to the failure by Microsoft to strangle it like it did to Netscape a decade before. Facebook's business and operations are entirely built on focusing on developing network effects since the firm's value for…

References

European Commission (2014, October 24). Antitrust: Commission Probes Allegations of Antitrust Violations by Google. Retrieved November 13, 2014, from  http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-10-1624_en.htm 

Fox, J. (2013, January). The Web's New Monopolies. Atlantic Monthly, 30-34.

Windrum, P. (n.d.). Back from the Brink: Microsoft and the Strategic Use of Standards in the Browser Wars. Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://arno.unimaas.nl/show.cgi?fid=292

Antitrust Case

Economic general

Antitrust practices and market power: Microsoft

One of the most famous and prolonged cases involving antitrust allegations was that of the suit brought about by the Department of Justice against the Microsoft Corporation. It was alleged that Microsoft's act of 'bundling' specific applications such as its web browser, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player to make them the default setting of its Windows operating system resulted in anticompetitive practices within the software industry. The European Union also waged an antitrust case against Microsoft, and its findings against the company were even more broad and sweeping than in the United States. As a result, in the EU, Microsoft "was not allowed to offer any technological, commercial, or contractual term or inducement to make the bundled version the more attractive, and a monitoring trustee was required to ensure that the unbundled version of Windows works as well as…

References

Economides, N., & Lianos, I. (2009). The elusive antitrust standard on bundling in Europe and in the United States in the aftermath of the Microsoft cases. Antitrust Law Journal, 76(2), 483-567.

Online AntiTrust Issues

Antitrust law is a United States legal code that helps to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competition actions by organizations. The Sherman Act of 1890 was one of the first attempts to restrict large companies who fixed price, output and then manipulated demand to maximize their products. Standard Oil was one of the prime early examples of a company that controlled markets to the point that the government felt was detrimental to the entry of other competitors (Bork, 1993). In our current example, companies like Facebook and Google are being investigated, similar to Microsoft and AT&T, for controlling the Internet search process and/or network effects. This does not stop with Facebook and Google, but moves into many of the giant e-tailers (Amazon, EBay, etc.) that often use predatory or collusive practices to force customers into either advertising on their site, pricing to their scale, or in the…

REFERENCES

Is Microsoft a Monopoly? If so, why does it matter? (2009). Thisnation.com. Retrieved from:

 http://www.thisnation.com/question/027.html 

Monopoly. (January 20, 2005). The Linux Project. Retrieved from:

 http://www.linfo.org/monopoly.html

International Social Science eview, 85(1-2), 62-63.

Halachmi, a. & Bouckaert, G. (1996). Organizational performance and measurement in the public sector. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.

3.

How has congressional agenda setting changed over time?

The agenda of the U.S. Congress has been closely aligned with its role as the legislative branch of the U.S. government. According to Black's Law Dictionary (1991), "The first Congress under the Constitution met on March 4, 1789 in the Federal Hall in New York City" (p. 301). Indeed, the creation of the U.S. Congress coincided with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. In this regard, Black's (1991) adds that, the U.S. Congress was created pursuant to Article I, Section 1, of the Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 providing that "all legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and…

References

Black's law dictionary. (1991). St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Co.

Colker, R. (2007). The mythic 43 million Americans with disabilities. William and Mary Law

Review, 49(1), 1-3.

Vile, J.R. (1994). Constitutional change in the United States: A comparative study of the role of constitutional amendments, judicial interpretations, and legislative and executive actions. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

Additionally, he argued that the best interest of the consumers, as promoted by Gate's organization, was in fact not the core element of new endeavors, as the company had argued, but that whenever a new product or service was being projected, this would be done in order to serve the financial interests of the organization rather than increase customer utility (Kegel, 2006).

In order to better understand why the above mentioned actions were ethical or unethical, it is best to assess them in light of three ethical perspectives. From the standpoint of the utilitarian perspective, the company is able to seek out those actions which maximize its gains, but in doing this, it must remain aware of the needs of others. More specifically, they can work towards their goals as long as these do not impede with the goals of others (Leiss, 1988). From this standpoint, the behavior of Microsoft…

References:

Cooper, C., 1999, Microsoft Antitrust Judgment: Winners and Losers, ZD Net,  http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,2074984,00.htm  last accessed on August 14, 2009

Dale, N.B., Lewis, J., 2004, Computer Science Illuminated, 2nd Edition, Jones & Bartlett Publishers

Hunter, D., 2005, More Microsoft Employees to Get Antitrust Training, HunterStrat, http://www.hunterstrat.com/news/more-microsoft-employees-to-get-antitrust-training / last accessed on August 14, 2009

Kegel, D., 2006, Corporate Ethics, Dan Kegel's Web Hostel,  http://www.kegel.com/corporate_ethics.html  last accessed on August 14, 2009

Unethical Business esearch Practices

What unethical research behavior was involved?

The antitrust case brought by Wal-Mart and other retailers against Visa and MasterCard in the U.S. Eastern District court, was settled in 2003 for $3 billion and primarily involved a dispute concerning the efficient pricing of access to payment information, including security data that confirmed or refuted the transactional identities of cardholders (oberds & Schreft, 2009). In their pleadings, Wal-Mart and other class action litigants argued that third-party providers such as Visa and MasterCard required them to accept both debit and credit cards issued by MasterCard but the interchange fees were higher for debit cards (Ulzheimer, 2012). In sum, the suit filed by Wal-Mart and other large retailers claimed that Visa and MasterCard "required all merchants who accept their credit cards to also accept their signature debit cards [which] constitutes an illegal tie-in in violation of antitrust law" (Peterson, 2002,…

References

An introduction to ISO 27001. (2012). The ISO2700 Directory. Retrieved from http://www.

27000.org/iso-27001.htm.

Azola, M. (2011). The Reconciliation Project: Separation and integration in business ethics research. Journal of Business Ethics, 99, 19 -- 36.

Binning, D. (2012). Top five cloud computing security issues. ComputerWeekly. Retrieved from:

channel management practices that have been developed via thorough research and analysis of the world's leading companies?

Channel management is a process that entails managing the relationship between a vendor and the third parties used by them to get goods and products into client's hands, while making sure that the post-sales services and support are still of high quality. A channel can be either a one- or two-tier relationship. In the one-tier relationship, a vendor is selling products directly to a reseller; in the two-tier relationship, a vendor is selling to the third parties indirectly through a distributor. Effective channel management can help to greatly increase revenue and profit margins for vendors through creating incentives for channel partners to promote or market their own branded services and support; it is also useful to be able to achieve the right overall pricing for the end users[footnoteef:2]. [2:

KPMG. (2011). Leading practices…

References

Chapter 8: Distribution Channels and Supply Chain Management in High-Tech Markets (n.d.).. Retrieved July 14, 2015 from https://ulib.derby.ac.uk/ecdu/CourseRes/dbs/markinno/Mohr_J_2(Chapter8).pdf

Childerhouse, P., & Towill, D.R. (2003). Simplified material flow holds the key to supply chain integration. Omega, 31(1), 17-27.

Choon Tan, K., Lyman, S.B., & Wisner, J.D. (2002). Supply chain management: a strategic perspective. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22(6), 614-631.

Council of Logistics Management (CLM). (2000). What it's all about. Oak Brook, IL: Council of Logistics Management.

After an eleven year investigation against Microsoft claiming it was trying to monopolize the web, the company finally settled with the Justice Department. Even though Microsoft was required to implement changes, the company maintains its dominance and has grown larger while being responsibly and adhering to the antitrust laws.

The Potential U.S. Case Against Google

An antitrust suit was filed against Google this year claiming the search giant is violating the antitrust laws. The Justice department has been looking at Google for some time now. In the fall of 2007, while Google was prepared to commit to a search ad deal with Yahoo, the justice department was planning to file suit if the deal hadn't fallen through with Yahoo.

Google is now becoming everyone's favorite antitrust target, rapidly replacing Microsoft. In February of this year a company called TradeComet.com, which operates a business-focused search service called SourceTool.com, filed an antitrust…

Bibliography

Carr, Nicholas. "Understanding Google." 27 Nov 2007. Rough Type. 1 June 2009 .

Hof, Rob. "Antitrust Suit Filed Against Google." 17 Feb 2009. BusinessWeek. 2 June 2009 .

McCollum, Jordan. "Antitrust Suit Filed Against Google." 19 Feb 2009 . Marketing Pilgrim . 2 June 2009 .

Page, Larry. "Corporate Information." n.d. Google. 1 June 2009 .

U.S. laws

There are a number of different laws that govern fair, balanced and competitive practices. One major category is the antitrust laws. Antitrust laws seeks to create a competitive environment by preventing companies from obtaining the ability to abuse their market positions. Ensuring that each industry and market has a healthy amount of competition has been the work of a series of acts that govern antitrust practices.

The most significant piece of antitrust legislation is the Sherman Act, which was passed in 1890 in order to define antitrust activities. The act was passed in response to monopoly abuses on the part of a number of companies, and the recognition that a successful capitalist economy required at least enough market intervention on the part of government to prevent the formation of unnatural monopolies (FTC, 2014).

There have been subsequent laws that have enhanced the Sherman Act, and refined it, largely…

References

DoJ (2014). Horizontal merger guidelines. U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/guidelines/hmg-2010.html

FTC. (2014). The antitrust laws. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from  http://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/antitrust-laws 

FTC. (2014, 2) Price discrimination: Robinson-Patman violations. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from  http://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/price-discrimination-robinson-patman 

OUSTR. (2014) Anti-dumping Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from  http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/wto-multilateral-affairs/wto-issues/trade-remedies/anti-dumping

Although one cannot make a good case for asserting that any one component in and of itself constitutes a monopolistic practice (see, for example how the operating system's prices have remained low in the following graphs), as part of a greater plan to dominate the market, there certainly is a solid case. Although the penalty for Microsoft as a monopoly is hardly extreme, it will certainly serve as a model to both avoid, and watch out for in the future.

Table retrieved at http://www.gsm.uci.edu/~mckenzie/mantra.pdf

End Notes

Bill Gates, the Economist, 6/13/98

Ralph Nader and James Love, Computerorld, 11/9/98

http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/m/mi/microsoft_antitrust_case.html

Economics Resource Center. "Policy Debate. Is Microsoft a Monopoly? http://www.swlearning.com/economics/policy_debates/microsoft.html

http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/book/msmonopoly.html

Economics Resource Center. "Policy Debate. Is Microsoft a Monopoly? http://www.swlearning.com/economics/policy_debates/microsoft.html

McKenzie, Richard. "Microsoft: The Monopoly Mantra." http://www.gsm.uci.edu/~mckenzie/mantra.pdf

http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/m/mi/microsoft.html#the%20monopoly%20question zdnet. "Microsoft to Reveal indows Code. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-948381.html

orks Cited

Branyencyclopedia.com. "Microsoft Anti-trust Case." 2004. eb site. Retrieved on September 30, 2004 http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/m/mi/microsoft_antitrust_case.html…

Works Cited

Branyencyclopedia.com. "Microsoft Anti-trust Case." 2004. Web site. Retrieved on September 30, 2004 http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/m/mi/microsoft_antitrust_case.html

Branyencyclopedia.com. "The Monopoly Question." 2004. Retrieved on September 30, 2004 http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/m/mi/microsoft.html#the%20monopoly%20question

Economics Resource Center. "Policy Debate. Is Microsoft a Monopoly?" Web page. Retrieved on September 30, 2004  http://www.swlearning.com/economics/policy_debates/microsoft.html 

Liebowitz, Stan. "Microsoft Monopoly and Consumer Harm. 2001. Retrieved on September 30, 2004  http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/book/msmonopoly.html

tension between businesses interests in maximizing profits and the public's interest in receiving complete, truthful, and non-misleading information about products that they purchase.

The dangers against greenwashing are that consumers will have no confidence in the products or services they are buying. This means that they will not purchase specific items. As they feel they are being deceived and cheated through false labeling / misrepresentation. At the same time, there is the possibility that a firm could face penalties from government regulators who feel that they are engaging in false advertising. This will have a negative impact on the image of the organization and their ability to address the needs of customers in the future. ("Six Sins of Greenwashing," 2007)

For an executive; it is advisable to not practice these kinds of policies. The reason why is because it will hurt the brand image of the products they are selling…

References

Clean Air Act Summary. (2013). EPA. Retrieved from:  http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act 

Environmental Protections Rules and Regulations. (2012). Federal Register, 77 (32), 9304 -- 9513.

EPA To Set Modest Pace. (2010). EPA. Retrieved from:  http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/d2f038e9daed78de8525780200568bec!OpenDocument 

New Source Litigation. (2013). Southern Company. Retrieved from:  http://www.southerncompany.com/about-us/suppliers/fuel-services/environmental.cshtml

Monopolies and Trusts:

Appropriate Areas for Government Intervention?

Capitalism is the economic system that has dominated the United States virtually since the day of its independence. A social and economic system based on the recognition of individual rights; capitalism demands that owners' rights to control, enjoy, and dispose of their own property must be respected. In a capitalist system, the purpose of government is to protect individual economic rights, and to make sure that no one individual, or group may employ physical or coercive force upon any other group or individual. The success of capitalism is well evident. The surpluses that this system produces have enabled individuals to experiment; to create new products, and market new ideas. These private surpluses are traded in a free market in direct competition with other buyers and sellers. Such competition is best represented by the efforts of two or more parties acting independently to…

Of course, this is a good thing for customers on short-term, but is negatively affects other companies on the market. This is because smaller competitors and especially those that intend to enter the market addressed by IBM find it at least difficult to provide product prices in accordance with those provided by IBM. These smaller companies do not have the ability of reducing their production or operating costs, which does not allow them to introduce competitive prices on the market. This way, they are clearly disfavored by IBM's position and market power.

In addition to this, in a field like it, it is imperative to make continuous investments into the research and development activity. This requires significant capital amounts from these companies. The investment levels that IBM reaches cannot be reached by many of these companies. This makes it difficult for these companies to keep up with IBM and its…

Reference list:

1. Oates, J. (2009). IBM Faces EU Monopoly Probe. Enterprise. Retrieved November 14, 2010 from  http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2009/01/20/ibm_eu_probe/ .

2. Annual Report (2010). IBM. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from  http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/51143/000104746910001151/a2195966z10-k.htm .

3. Monopoly: A Brief Introduction (2006). Linux Information Project. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from  http://www.linfo.org/monopoly.html .

4. O'Gara, M. (2010). EC Opens Two Antitrust Investigations of IBM. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from http://soa.sys-con.com/node/1478919.

Independent dealers must sign a contract that sets forth the manner in which they will operate their rental centers. Often a small business owner will supplement their income be adding U-Hauls to their market mix. Independent contractors earn a commission on their sales.

Each division of AMERCO has it own president. All of them must report to a Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board and overall President is Edward Shoen, descendent of the original founders of the company. Many members of the Shoen family still control much of the company (Google Finance). Little information is available about the company, aside from their financial statements. Although they have a Board of Directors, the company continues to operate as a family-style operation, with the family members occupying many positions in upper management. The company structure is simple and little is available beyond basic information.

Purchasing Contract Analysis and the UCC…

Works Cited

Ceh v. UHaul International, Inc., 11th district court of appeals, No. 04-10031.

A www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/200410671.pdf. Accessed January 22.

Company News; U-Haul's Parent Seeks Bankruptcy Protection." June 21, 2003. New

York Times.  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800EFDF173BF932A15755C0A9659C8B63 . Accessed January 23, 2007.

Grasso last year, contending that the $139.5 million payout that Mr. Grasso received in the summer of 2003 was exorbitant and in violation of New York's not-for-profit law, which states that executives at not-for-profit organizations, like the exchange, receive "reasonable" compensation. Mr. Spitzer has said he will seek more than $100 million back from Mr. Grasso. In his complaint, Mr. Spitzer cited the Webb report as crucial to his investigation. But until yesterday it remained confidential. The document describes some of the crucial points made in the complaint, among them that the board was misled about the size of Mr. Grasso's bonuses and that $13 million of his $139.5 million payment was vested when in fact it was not (THOMAS and Anderson 2005).

Question

The antitrust authorities should permit Microsoft to merge with Yahoo because it will be more profitable in the end. This is due to the fact that…

References

Eternal Reward: $10,000. retrieved March 7, 2008, at  http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/eternal-reward-10000/ 

2007). CRIMES and CORRUPTION of the NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS. Retrieved March 7, 2008, at  http://mparent7777-2.blogspot.com/2007_01_07_archive.html 

2007). Friends' getting too friendly. Retrieved March 7, 2008, at http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb07/jn.html

Gunderman, Robert and Hammond, John.(2007). Reexamination of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. Retrieved March 7, 2008, at http://www.ipfrontline.com/depts/article.asp?id=14617&deptid=3

alt Disney Company Scenario

Scene: Fiscal Karat (FK), host of TV's Let's Talk Money, is seated at the center of an oak conference table. Let's Talk Money is a weekly PBS talk show that interviews business leaders and often finds government officials to debate certain ideas and programs. Tonight's episode features Mr. Michael McDuck (MM), CEO of alt Disney Company and Mr. Rigid B. Crat (RC), Senior Administrator for the U.S. Treasury's Anti-trust Division.

FK: Good evening and welcome to Let's Talk Money, your weekly adventure into provocative and interesting monetary topics ranging from mild to wild. Tonight, a special treat for the kid in us all -- Michael McDuck, CEO of alt Disney goes head to head with the Administration's Senior Anti-Trust Maven, Rigid B. Crat. elcome gentlemen!

First though, let's take a moment to establish a bit of background. The alt Disney Company is a multinational mass media…

Works Cited

Disney Vows to Investigate Claims of ABuse at Factories. (2005, June). Retrieved from SACOM: http://sacom.hk/archives/66

J&J, Walt Disney, Kraft Foods Top Rankgin. (2010, October 13). Retrieved from Environmental Leader:  http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/10/13/jj-walt-disney-krafts-foods-top-csr-ranking/ 

Hearing: Are Government Contractors Exploiting Workers Overseas? (2011, November 2). Retrieved from Sparky - Keeping You Plugged In:  http://mssparky.com/2011/10/hearing-are-government-contractors-exploiting-workers-overseas/ 

Areeda, P., & Hovenkamp, H. (2011). Fundamentals of Antitrust Law. New York: Kluwer Law.

Microsoft Anti-Trust Case

Microsoft was charged with using its position as an industry leader in computer software to force buyers to buy products that were bundled with Internet Explorer. The claim was considered a breach of anti-trust laws which declared that a company cannot package two products together based on one's popularity or market position with the consumer (U.S. v. Microsoft, 2002-2006). Microsoft has denied such claims that they took an unfair advantage of the market and consumer in order to strengthen an already dominant position in the industry (Hemphill, 2004). Especially in the case of the product coming from a company that has domination over the software industry such as Microsoft.

The Internet Explorer browser was not sold but given as a free product with the purchase of the Operating System by Microsoft. This is done by many companies throughout the industry. However when Microsoft applied this marketing principle,…

References

Brick, R. (2001). U.S. appeals court overturns Microsoft anti-trust ruling . Retrieved June

16, 2011 from http://www. nytimes. com/2001/06/28/business/28WIRE-SOFT. html

Goldman, D. (2010). iPhone anti-trust law goes to class action. Retrieved June 16, 2011

from http://money. cnn. com/2010/07/12/technology/apple_att_lawsuit/index. htm

Private University is selling a share, or something else. At the outset of the Act, "security" is defined as "any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, security-based swap, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate…" and many others are subject to the law. The key is that the security creates a share of income for the holder, whether in the form of debt or equity. Options for later purchase are also included in the definition of security.

The asset in question is a "share" that entitles the bearer to college credits in any school at the future date. A college credit is not a claim to a cash flow, nor it is claim to equity. Therefore, this is not a security. Rather, it is a coupon by which a product can later be acquired. There is no difference between this asset…

Works Cited:

FTC. (2013). The antitrust laws. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved May 2, 2013 from  http://www.ftc.gov/bc/antitrust/antitrust_laws.shtm 

FTC. (2013). Horizontal merger guidelines. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved May 2, 2013 from  http://www.ftc.gov/os/2010/08/100819hmg.pdf 

Securities Act of 1933. Retrieved May 2, 2013 from  http://www.sec.gov/about/laws/sa33.pdf 

Stewart, J. (2011). Antitrust suit is simple calculus. New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2013 from  http://www.nytimes.com /2011/09/10/business/att-and-t-mobile-merger-is-a-textbook-case.html?pagewanted=all

Coca-Cola Company. Specifically it will discuss and analyze the case study, including relevant facts and recommendations regarding the study. Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known and famous brands in the world, and it has been in existence since the late 1800s. This case study indicated that it faced several ethical issues in the last decade that eroded its credibility and created strife inside and outside the company.

Facts

The facts of Coca-Cola are legendary. One writer notes, "Both the Coca-Cola brand and company took an early lead in the soft-drink industry, for the brand achieved national distribution early on and the company has consistently dominated the industry" (Wolburg, 2003). Coca-Cola is one of the world's leading soft drink manufacturers, and they sell their product in at least 200 countries worldwide. They were the leading soft drink company for decades, and their main rival is PepsiCo, who they have been…

References

Author Unknown. The Coca -- Cola Company Struggles with Ethical Crises.

Dubinsky, A.J., Nataraajan, R., & Huang, W. (2004). The influence of moral philosophy on retail salespeople's ethical perceptions. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 38(2), 297+.

Meyer, K.E. (2004). Perspectives on multinational enterprises in emerging economies. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(4), 259+.

Wolburg, J.M. (2003). Double-cola and antitrust issues: Staying alive in the soft drink wars. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 37(2), 340+.

Sports have graduated in the last half of the twentieth century from hobbies or pastimes into the pure, unadulterated pursuit of profit. In short, shorts have become a commodity to be exploited as far as the market will allow. The history of American sports has seen this process play out in a stepwise fashion; every several years developments come about that enable the enterprise to expand and increase profits. The latest changes in business that have allowed sports to enlarge have been globalization and communications technologies. Clearly, these two go hand in hand to some extent. Still, both have contributed to the acceleration of the commodification of sports; they have aided its degeneration from a pastime, into the form we see today.

If you were to ask the average American what they thought was wrong with professional sports today they would likely tell you that the amount of money athletes…

Works Cited:

1. Calhoun, K., & Gorman, J. (1994). The Name of the Game. New York, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

2. Cosell, H., & Whitfield, S. (1991). What's Wrong with Sports. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster.

3. Dallas Morning News. "Steroids Readily Available." Dallas Morning News, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005.

4. Kahn, Lawrence M. (2000). "The Sports Business as a Labor Market Laboratory." The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 14, No. 3, 75-94.

Microsoft is a company that was found to be in violation of antitrust laws by both the U.S. Justice Department and the European Commissions. The reason behind such a finding, is that Microsoft acted in a manner that was found to be overly aggressive in regards to its operating systems and software. As the Weil and McMillan article wrote that it was "alleged that Microsoft harmed Netscape's browser business through anticompetitive practices related to the Windows operating system" (Weil, McMillan, 2003) while the United States vs. Microsoft article went even further by stating "critics contend that Microsoft used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies including refusal to deal and lying, put unreasonable restrictions in the use of its software and used misrepresentative marketing tactics" (United States, 2002, 2006).

It is this author's belief that it does not matter if a company is 'capitalistic' or not, most companies would not have…

References

Aguilar, J.; Prato, F.; Bravo, C.; Rivas, F.; (2009) A multi-agent system for the management of abnormal situations in an artificially gas-lifted well, Applied Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 23, Issue 5, pp. 406 -- 426

United States v. Microsoft, (2002, 2006) Retrieved from  http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/ms_index.html 

Weil, N., & McMillan, R. (2003, May 29). AOL, Microsoft settle Netscape suit. PCWorld. Retrieved from  http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110930,00.asp

Corporate Mergers and the Public Good

The United States of America, during the last years of the Nineteenth Century, witnessed a rash of corporate mergers. The Industrial Revolution had taken firm hold, and the nation was changing rapidly. Millions of Americans who had once been independent farmers or tradesmen now found themselves in the position of what some termed "wage slaves." At the mercy of their corporate employers, they worked long hours at low pay, and often under appalling conditions. The reasons for the merger mania of this period are many and complex, as are its effects upon the population as a whole. In breaking down the traditional vocational environment, the gigantic new conglomerates also transformed the entire social landscape. ork was no longer a family business shared by all generations. Communities no longer clung together for mutual protection and aid. Suddenly, the citizen of this new world was out…

Works Cited

Applebaum, Herbert. The American Work Ethic and the Changing WorkForce: An Historical Perspective. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.

Aronowitz, Stanley. False Promises: The Shaping of American Working Class Consciousness. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.

Atack, Jeremy. (1985). "Industrial Structure and the Emergence of the Modern Industrial Corporation" Explorations in Economic History 22, 48.

Champlin, Dell P., and Janet T. Knoedler. "Corporations, Workers and the Public Interest." Journal of Economic Issues 37.2 (2003): 305+.

Business Law (predators

Businesses often engage in predatory practices to deter their competitors from entering their market niches or send their competitors out of business. Certain business ventures usually reduce their prices to destroy their rivals or worse still discourage new entry into the market. This happens regardless of the existence of the Sherman Act that was enacted to prohibit this predatory practice. The Sherman Act has largely been considered vague because of its inability to reign in firms that engage in predatory pricing vice (Areeda & Turner, 1975). Business ventures that engage in predatory pricing tend to draw a very vague line between legitimately competitive prices and prices that are utterly predatory. Businesses that engage in predatory pricing normally price their products below appropriate measure of cost with an intention of driving their financially weaker competitors out of business and establishing monopoly power. Courts have failed to address the…

References List

Areeda, P. & Turner, D.F. (1975). Predatory Pricing and Related Practices under Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Harvard Law Review, 88(4), 697-733.

Bowdler, J. (2005). Jeopardizing Hispanic Homeownership: Predatory Practices in the Homebuying Market. National Council of La Raza, 15, 1-20.

Oster, C.V. & Strong, J.S. (2001). Predatory Practices in the U.S. Airline Industry. Retrieved May 27, 2013 from  http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/17000/17600/17602/PB2001102478.pdf

Otherwise, employers need no specific reason or excuse to terminate at will employment "at will." Even at will employees probably have legal recourse if fired for refusing to obey a law, but in this case, the "urging" did not have legal authority, so the issue is moot.

3. The Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton prohibit such "tying" arrangements where the entity maintains extensive control of product supply. Federal antitrust laws are administrated by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission 4. The Equal Protection Clause (applied to the states through the Due Process Clause) prohibit such a firing of employees based on their religious affiliation or their specific religious practices. But refusal to comply with perfectly legal directives of the employer is not religious discrimination; it is dismissal for cause.

Business Law

During the consumer movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Congress enacted a substantial amount of legislation to protect "the good of the people." There is only one problem with consumer protection laws -- they are slow to react and even harder to enforce. As a result of this situation, corporations are allowed to profit at the expense of consumers' health. The resistance comes in a number of stages. The first is denial of the problem, wherein the corporations argue that there is not enough evidence to link their products with the negative outcomes that are being reported. Then there is the lobbying that causes politicians to defer action until a later date, or ignore the call to action altogether. Too often, when statutes are enacted, corporations fight them to the end, resulting in flawed legislation that either has loopholes, require interpretation from the judicial branch or is difficult…

References:

Bray, G., Nielsen, S. & Popkin, B. (2004). Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol. 79 (4) 537-543.

Goldberg, C. & Zimmerman, R. (2011). What's making us fat? Researchers put food additives on suspect list. Common Health. Retrieved April 11, 2012 from  http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/08/food-additives-obesity 

Hellmich, N. (2009). Rising obesity will cost U.S. health care $344 billion a year. USA Today. Retrieved April 11, 2012 from  http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-11-17-future-obesity-costs_N.htm 

Miller, R. & Jentz, G. (2010). Business law today: 9th edition. South-Western/Cengage Learning.

Fault: An Alternative to the Current Tort-Based System in England and Wales

The United Kingdom

statistics regarding claims

THE NATIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM

OBSTACLES TO DUE PROCESS

THE CASE FOR REFORM

THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

THE RISING COST OF LITIGATION

LORD WOOLF'S REFORMS

MORE COST CONTROLS

THE UNITED STATES

PAUL'S PULLOUT

THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY

TORT REFORM IN AMERICA

FLEEING PHYSICIANS

STATISTICS FOR ERROR, INJURY AND DEATH

THE CALL FOR REFORM IN 2003: A FAMILIAR REFRAIN

THE UNITED STATES SITUATION, IN SUMMARY

NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDIES

THE SWEDISH SCHEME

COMPARISON: WHICH SYSTEM IS BETTER?

FIRST: UNDERLYING DIFFERENCES

TALKING TORT: AMERICAN PECULIARITIES

AMERICANS CONSIDER NO-FAULT

BRITAIN CONSIDERS NO-FAULT

CONCLUSION

Works Cited

Appendix A THE UNITED KINGDOM

INTRODUCTION

At issue is the economic effectiveness of tort law in the common law legal system of England and Wales, as applied to medical and clinical negligence and malpractice cases. In response to economic concerns and a continual…

Change

This study analyzes outsourcing trends in the next decade. The study assesses this by focusing on the past and current trends, problems and issues in outsourcing via semi-structured interviews. Major trends and processes will be revealed and assessed for their relevancy, depth and breadth.

Companies belonging to most industries are very much considered to be the units that are vertically integrated, or so-called usual industrial firms (Stigler, 1951), where activities in all links in value chain have been internally conducted. For example, gasoline of its own is delivered by 7-Eleven and it is also used to make ice and candy, also it had cows for producing milk which it previously used to sell (Gottfredson et al., 2005). At present, it is not delivering gasoline and ice or candy is not being made by it neither does it posses any cows. Contrarily, IBM used to make the computers containing their…

References

Adams, R.J., 2002. Retail pro-tability and sweatshops: a global dilemma. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 9, 147-153.

Alexander, C., 1964. Notes on the Synthesis of Form. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

Alexander, M., Young, D., 1996b. Outsourcing: where is the value? Long-Range Planning 29 (5), 728-730.

Ashkenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T., Kerr, S., 1995. The Boundaryless Organization. Breaking the Chains of Organizational Structure. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco.

Non-Profit and for-Profit Ethical and Liability Issues

This paper examines the ethical and liability issues that non-profit corporations and for-profit businesses face, and compares them.

Non-Profit Corporations and For-Profit Business: Comparison of the Ethical and Liability Issues that are Faced by Both There have been a lot of scandals lately regarding large for-profit businesses. These scandals stem from both ethical and legal issues. Many of these scandals have resulted in lawsuits and even criminal proceedings against those who have been involved with them. The true extent of corporate liability is just beginning to be seen in our society. We are watching the large corporations of this country ever more closely now, in order to make sure that they are acting in an ethical manner. The corporations, for their part, are being extra careful in their actions and words, fully aware of the liability that they are under should anything they…

Accession no.:70437218).

WHEN MANAGED CARE FAILS TO CARE:[METRO Edition] (Jan 8, 2000).

Roanoke Times & World News p. A9 Roanoke Retrieved October 6, 2003, from ProQuest database. (Accession no.:47787202).

This strategy was successful for some time but when WorldCom tried to acquire MCI (a company with two times more revenues than WorldCom), the binge of acquisitions was ended due to objections from antitrust and other stakeholders.

WorldCom's strategy was to display revenues and profits in extremely positive basket; for which the company had to make false misstatements in their accounting records. I think, it was the social and ethical responsibility of WorldCom to avoid misinterpretations in their financial statements and to show clear picture of the company to its stakeholders.

This strategy resulted in expansion of WorldCom through acquisitions and the expansion became so huge that the management of WorldCom was unable to handle the business. The debt of the company touched $41billion with $11billion of accounting frauds and misinterpretations. These all were the fruits of strategies implemented by Ebber just to display a very sound and positive picture…

References

Besser, T. And Miller, N. (2008). Is the good corporation dead? Journal of Socio-Economics, 30 (3). 221-241.

Crawford, K. (2005). Ex-WorldCom CEO Ebbers guilty: Faces up to 85 years in prison after being convicted on all nine counts in accounting fraud. Retrieved on May 7, 2011, from http://monev.cnn.eom/2005/03/l5/news/newsmakers/ebbers/index.htm?cnn=yes

Sidak, J.G. (2003). The failure of good intentions: The WorldCom fraud and the collapse of American telecommunications after deregulation. Yale Journal on Regulation, 20(2), 207-267.

Intellectual Capital

The author of this report is asked to answer a series of questions relating to intellectual capital (IC), both in general and in relation to Apple Corporation. The first question asks whether the organizational structure of Apple considers intellectual capital an asset. The second question asks how have ethical policies and practices affected the organization's intellectual capital and its value. The third question asks what strengths and weaknesses exist in structure and ethics. The fourth item asks the author to offer recommendations relating to increasing the value of the organization's intellectual capital based on structure and ethics (Apple, 2013).

Questions Answered

As for the first question, Apple's intellectual capital is absolutely an asset. Their structure and especially their brand names and patents are the core (pardon the pun) of Apple's strength and resilience. Their innovation and brand presence allow them to sell MP3 players for far high price…

References

Apple. (2013, September 2). Apple. Apple. Retrieved September 2, 2013, from  http://www.apple.com/ 

Bouys, G. (2009, April 11). Peasants, pitchforks and AIG | NJ.com. Blogs - NJ.com.

Retrieved September 2, 2013, from  http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2009/04/peasants_pitchforks_and_aig.html 

Kanter, J. (2013, March 6). Europe Fines Microsoft $732 Million Over Antitrust Law

Com industry crash after the boom

This is a paper examining some of the factors that caused the dot-com crash

Many believe the root cause of the dot-com crash was over valuation of stock prices relative to the actual underlying value of the companies themselves. Stocks of Internet companies traded at Price-Earning ratios of higher then 30, buoyed by a speculative bubble. When reality set in for investors many realized that the companies that they were so heavily invested in were little more then money sucking black holes with no upside potential in the near or long-term future. This triggered mass self-offs of not only Internet related stocks but soon impacted the market value of many companies associated with computer, network or telecommunications industries.

This paper will show in fact that over valuation was more a symptom of the speculative boom and was only one of the multifaceted factors that…

Bibliography

Baldwin Carliss Y. Clark Kim B. "Modularity After the Crash" working paper Managing the Modular Age: Architectures, Networks And Organizations,

Brick Michael, "Pets.com Closing Up Shop" TheStreet.com/NYTimes.com November 11, 2000 (www.nytimes.com) March 27, 2003

Buckman Rebecca, "Who Caused the Dot-Com Crash?" The Wall Street Journal, Monday, March 5, 2000 p. 42

Cassidy John Dot.con: "The Greatest Story Ever Sold" 2002 HarperCollins

Role of Labor Unions in Industrial Relations

In their definition, labor unions have always been known as organizations that have always aimed at getting their members both financial and non-financial benefits. The role of labor unions is however bigger than that and they have been known to aid in helping employers improve the productivity and discipline of their workers. Labor unions respond to issues differently. This is explained by the differences in industrial relations contexts and also policies of different states as well as strategies of the various employers around the country.

Employees come together to form a labor union to achieve a common goal. Labor unions have several goals. Some of the goals include agitating for higher retirement benefits as well as other benefits for its members. They also seek to increase the number of workers assigned for specific job tasks. They ensure that employees work under good and…

Bibliography

Baglioni, G. And C. Crouch (eds.) (1990) European Industrial Relations. The Challenge of Flexibility (London: Sage).

Barrow, C. (2013). Industrial Relations Law. New York: Routledge.

Blanpain, R. (2007). Decentralizing Industrial Relations and the Role of Labor Unions and Employee Representatives. New York: Kluwer Law International.

Blanpain, R., & Baker, J. (2010).Comparative Labor Law and Industrial Relations in Industrialized Market Economies. New York: Kluwer Law International.

Contracts, Contract Law, And Society

Contract Law

Contracts are legally-binding agreements between two or more self-regulating parties for the purpose of furthering their commercial goals (Eisenberg, 1994). The elements of contracts, together with the laws that provide protections for the parties involved, are theoretically straightforward and appeal to common sense principles, but in practice the forging of contracts and their enforcement can at times be complex. The theories and principles that underlie contract law also remain somewhat controversial and refractory to unequivocal definitions (Schwartz & Scott, 2003). To gain a better understanding of why contracts are so important to society this essay will review the essential element of contracts and the theories supporting their use, from a social, economic, and legal perspective.

Elements of a Contract

The four basic elements of a contract are: (1) mutual assent, (2) consideration, (3) capacity, and (4) legality (Legal Information Institute, 2010). Mutual assent…

References

Contractors State License Board. (2012). What should I look for in a contract and binding agreements? California Department of Consumer Affairs. Retrieved from:  http://www.cslb.ca.gov/consumers/hireacontractor/contractsandbindingagreements.asp .

Eisenberg, M.A. (1994). Expression rules in contract law and problems of offer and acceptance. California Law Review, 82(5), 1127-1180.

"Legal Elements of a Contract." (n.d.). Kansas State University. Retrieved from  http://www.hfrr.k-state.edu/doc3109.ashx .

Legal Information Institute. (2002). U.C.C. -- Article 2 -- Sales (2002). Retrieved from:  http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2 .

Plus-size should not be neglected.

The colors palette should include a large number of colors, in order to satisfy as many customers as possible. An analysis on the most attractive swimwear models should be performed, in order to cover this segment.

Pricing Strategy

Bikinis should be priced between 28 and 60 pounds, swimsuits should be priced between 28 and 90 pounds, cover ups should be priced between 30 and 100 pounds, and flip flops should be priced between 15 and 40 pounds.

The prices are rather high in comparison with competitors' prices.

Distribution Strategy

The products will be distributed in each John Lewis outlet. Also, the products can be viewed and purchased online. The company should ensure discounts for online purchases.

Promotional Strategy

The company should develop and implement an aggressive advertising campaign, especially in fashion magazines that the targeted customers read. In addition to this, the collection must be…

Reference list:

1. Our history (2010). John Lewis Partnership. Retrieved May 17, 2010 from  http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/Display.aspx?MasterId=22a9dc47-a9bc-4f02-9d00-23e120f885c9&NavigationId=747 .

2. Market Analysis (2002). Deutsche Bank. Retrieved May 17, 2010 from  http://tutor2u.net/business/marketing/market_analysis_marketshare_intro.asp .

3. John Lewis (2008). John Lewis Partnership. Retrieved May 17, 2010 from  http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/Display.aspx?MasterId=46fbb5f1-b7fd-4244-aace-0ba4b624c2ca&NavigationId=0 .

Principals of Marketing

Throughout history a wide variety of products have been introduced, which are having a tremendous impact on the way everyone is living their daily lives. One such example of this can be seen by looking no further than the I Pod. As this small device, began to redefine the way that everyone listens to music.

Part of reason for this, is because the digital music jukebox provides a wide selection of songs that can be listened to in format that is user friendly. At the same time, it is taking the idea of selling various songs individually to increase the overall bottom line of the company. This is significant, because it is showing how marketers were able to create a one of a kind product that can be used to generate a new way that everyone could listen to music.

At the heart of their basic strategy,…

Bibliography

I Pod and I Tunes Timeline. (2011). Apple. Retrieved from:  http://www.apple.com/ pr/products/ipodhistory/

New Napster. (2003). Wired. Retrieved from:  http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2003/10/60729 

Power Players. (2005). Billboard, 22- 35.

Burgleman, R. (2004). Strategic Management of Technology. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Microsoft's strategies relating to leadership. First, an overview of the company will be provided, followed by a discussion of the company's leadership strategies. These strategies will be assessed as to their effectiveness, and compared to leading theories of effective management.

An Overview of Microsoft

Today, Microsoft is one of the world's largest businesses, and the world's largest and most influential software company (Wired News). The company's products have an extensive impact on both the personal and business world, and are seen in almost every office in North America.

Financially, Microsoft is a giant. Its founder, Bill Gates, was the richest man in the world in 2003, with a staggering estimated personal wealth of $40.7 billion dollars. He has been rated the richest man in the world for seven of the past eight years, and was ranked number two in 1997 (Wikipedia).

Microsoft's product range is varied, but focuses almost exclusively…

Forbes Magazine entitled, "In the Pill Box" discusses Walgreen's Drugstore and the challenge that it faces from Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM). The article begins by informing the reader of the astronomical growth of the Walgreen's company. The author explains that the company's stock has risen by 3,000% in the past 20 years and that the store plans to have over 7,000 stores by 2010. (Lambert) The article also asserts that the same-store sales increased by 9% in fiscal 2003. (Lambert)

The author contends that although the company is extremely success, there is a threat on the horizon. This threat comes in the form of Pharmacy Benefit Managers who show health organizations and employers how to make prescriptions drugs more cost effective. The article explains that PBM's often encourage these organizations to persuade patients to get long-term prescriptions through the mail instead of going to a pharmacy. Mail order pharmaceuticals are…

At the other end of the debate there are consumers who like to order their prescriptions through the mail. Some consumers do this even if it is not mandated by their insurance providers. In many cases consumers just find it more convenient to order prescriptions through the mail. In any case, the PBM's and the drugstores will continue to quarrel over which method is less expensive.

In my own opinion, it seems that Walgreen's should not have the right or ability to blacklist customers because of the decisions that are made by their healthcare providers. In many cases people are in dire need of receiving their medication and may not have time to ride around to different pharmacies just to get a prescription fulfilled. It is apparent to me that all Walgreen's is concerned with is its bottom line and they are willing to sacrifice the health of customers just to prove a point to PBM's. The fact of the matter is that consumers have a right to purchase prescriptions in any way that they see fit. Some people prefer going to a traditional pharmacists, while other prefer for the prescriptions to be brought to their homes. Walgreen's has to be careful not to ignore the needs and desires of consumers in the quest for greater profits.

Lambert, Emily. 2004. "In The Pill Box." Forbes Magazine

, 93 F. 3d 1358 (CA7 1996) for its statement that "monopsony pricing is analytically the same as monopoly...pricing and is so treated by the law." ased on this determination that the two concepts are analytically similar, the Court thus concludes that therefore "similar legal standards should apply to claims of monopolization and to claims of monopsonization." Reasoning that predatory-pricing is fundamentally an act of monopolization and that predatory-bidding is fundamentally an act of monopsonization, and that both claims involve the deliberate use of unilateral pricing measures for anticompetitive purposes, the Court finds that the logically same legal standard should therefore govern actions brought on both.

ased on this reasoning, the Court concludes that "the general theoretical similarities of monopoly and monopsony combined with the theoretical and practical similarities of predatory pricing and predatory bidding convince us that our two-pronged rooke Group test should apply to predatory-bidding claims." Accordingly, under…

Bibliography

Bolton, Patrick, et. al. (2000): Predatory Pricing: Strategic Theory and Legal Policy. 88 Geo.L.J. 22239.

Brooke Group Ltd. v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 509 U.S. 209 (1993).

Hovencamp, Herbert. (1994): Federal Antitrust Law Policy: The Law of Competition and Its Practice. Minneapolis: West Group Publishing.

Khan v. State Oil Company, 53 F.3d 1358 (CA7 1996).

A favorite target for conspiracists today as well as in the past, a group of European intellectuals created the Order of the Illuminati in May 1776, in Bavaria, Germany, under the leadership of Adam Weishaupt (Atkins, 2002). In this regard, Stewart (2002) reports that, "The 'great' conspiracy organized in the last half of the eighteenth century through the efforts of a number of secret societies that were striving for a 'new order' of civilization to be governed by a small group of 'all-powerful rulers.' The most important of these societies, and the one to which all subsequent conspiracies could be traced, is the Illuminati founded in Bavaria on May 1, 1776 by Adam Weishaupt" (p. 424). According to Atkins, it was Weishaupt's fundamental and overriding goal to form a secret organization of elite members of Europe's leading citizens who could then strive to achieve the Enlightenment version of revolutionary social…

References

American Psychological Association. (2002). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Anderson, J. (1981, 1723). The charges of a Free-Mason extracted from the ancient records of lodges beyond the sea, and of those in England, Scotland, and Ireland, for the use of the lodges in London: To be read at the making of new brethren, or when the master shall order it. Reprinted in The Radical Enlightenment: Pantheists, Freemasons, and Republicans, by M.C. Jacob, 279-285. London and Boston: Allen & Unwin in Harland-

Jacobs at p. 237.

There have been several arguments with reference to the social impact of the Intellectual Property, and it has been observed that the Intellectual property law has been responsible for the promotion of the competitive forces in such a manner that 'antitrust law does not address, and may do so based on evidence that would be insufficient in an antitrust context' (Brinson, 1994). It is indeed a difficult practice related to the 'forced sharing to attain optimal competition' (Brinson, 1994), and it appear to be unwarranted 'in most antitrust contexts, and it is clear indication of the absent clear proof of market harm' (Thomas, 2006), although it is expected to 'constitute improved and comprehensive Intellectual Property policy, even in the presence of ambiguous evidence' (Brinson, 1994). The anti-trust law and the intellectual property law is expected to minimize the cost of three different things, which include, false positives, as per which…

References

Inigo Igartua Arregui. Refusals to Deal Involving Intellectual Property Rights. Law and Policy in International Business. Volume: 34. Issue: 4. 2003. Georgetown University Law Center.

J. Dianne Brinson, Mark F. Radcliffe. Intellectual Property Law Primer for Multimedia Developers. 1994. Law and Policy in International Business. Volume: 23.

Keith Eugene Maskus. Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy. Harvard University Press. 2003. pp. 176.

James B. Kobak. Intellectual Property Misuse: Licensing and Litigation. American Bar Association Publication. 2000. pp. 87.

Business and Society: The Microsoft Case

"Microsoft" is one of the most well-known and highly diversified computer software manufacturing organizations of the world, founded in 1975 by Bill Gates. Only after five years of its foundation, this company earned $8 million and this success has continued to date. It is still run by its founder and its success story continues, which has made it one of the most famous organization of the world.

Microsoft was the first company that introduced the first user friendly and affordable operating system for personal computers. It manufactures several products today including; windows family of operating systems for personal computers & servers, applications softwares that run on the windows family of operating systems, and the most famous and successful MS-Office Suite, which consists of ord, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and Access.

These applications are not only used by students and professionals but also by users…

Works Cited

Areeda, Phillip and Louis Kaplow. Antitrust Analysis, Aspen Law & Business, 1997.

Economides, Nicholas. United States v. Microsoft: A Failure of Antitrust in the New Economy, UWLA Law Review,

at  http://www.stern.nyu.edu/networks/UWLA.pdf . 2001

Economides, Nicholas. The Microsoft Antitrust Case, A Case Study For MBA Students. Stern School of Business:

One of these is Chapter 2 of Title 15, ubchapter 1, ection 45. This ection regulates unfair methods of commerce and competition. These methods are declared as unlawful under the act. The ection specifically relates to national and local practices, as opposed to foreign trade, and therefore applies to our proposed partnership. "Unfair" practices are defined as those practices that are likely to cause some injury to other businesses within the United tates, or involving material conduct within the United tates. When businesses engage in unfair or deceptive acts of commerce, they are obliged by law to provide remedies to all injured parties, whether foreign or domestic.

The herman Act of 1890 and all its amendments should also be carefully scrutinized and implemented in our partnership ventures. This Act is the basis upon which most antitrust American laws are built. Generally, businesses are prohibited from creating unfair competition in terms…

Sources

American Antitrust Institute. (2007). Codes: Federal Antitrust Statutes & Regulations. http://www.antitrustinstitute.org/Antitrust_Resources/Antitrust_STATUTES/index.ashx

Legal Information Institute (2008). U.S. Code collection: Section 45. Unfair methods of competition unlawful; prevention by Commission.  http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/45.html 

Title 15 (2001): Section 18a: Monopolies and Combinations in Restraint of Trade.  http://www.ftc.gov/bc/docs/statute.pdf

Long-Term amifications of the Ma Bell Breakup

The old Ma Bell was far from perfect, but she deserved her good name. -- Tom Nolle, 2003

Given its prospects, the new Ma Bell looks an awful lot like the old Ma Bell. And that's not a good thing. -- Shannon M. Heim, 2005

The dichotomy of views exemplified by the epigraph above is reflective of the love-hate relationship that Americans have always had with their telephone service provider. Following the breakup of AT&T, or "Ma Bell" in 1982, one of the few legal monopolies in the United States, seven so-called smaller regional "Baby Bells" long-distance providers were created, four of which remain in operation today. After almost a century in operation, the breakup of Ma Bell was followed by a wave of deregulation and competition that profoundly affected the telecommunications industry in both short- as well as long-term ways. To determine…

References

Boudreaux, G. & Sloboda, B. (2000). "Broadband: A Primer on Telecommunications

Technology." Management Quarterly, 41(3), 2.

Chandler, J.W. & Cortada, J.W. (2000). A Nation Transformed by Information: How

Information Has Shaped the United States from Colonial Times to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press.

Healthcare: Clinical Integration

Item Page

What is clinical integration

History of clinical integration

Goals of clinical integration

Importance of clinical integration

Health reform

New payment models

IT advancement

Barriers to clinical integration

Legal barriers

Lack of practitioner alignment

Lack of interoperability

How to achieve success in clinical integration

Incentive alignment

Knowledge alignment

Behavioral alignment

The future of health care systems

Physician acquisitions vs. clinical integration

HIEs -- solution to clinical integration?

Policy makers are beginning to appreciate the fact that only systemic change can effectively change, for the better, the manner of health care delivery in the U.S.; and that anything less would only alter the system's edges - with little or no substantial effect on cost-control, innovation-promotion, effectiveness of reward incentive schemes, coordination and coverage (AHA, 2010). Clinical integration has been found to be crucial to the change needed for the achievement of the aforementioned goals (AHA, 2010). Despite…

References

AHA. Clinical Integration -- the Key to Real Reform. Trend Watch. Retrieved from [HIDDEN]

Athena Health. (2014). History of the Clinical Integration Model. Athena Health. Retrieved from https://www.athenahealth.com/knowledge-hub/clinical-integration/clinical-integration-model.php

eHealth Initiative. (2012). The Rise of the Private Health Information Exchange and Changing Role of Public Exchanges. eHealth Initiative. Retrieved from [HIDDEN]

Fridsma, D. (2013). Interoperability Vs Health Information Exchange: Setting the Record Straight. Health IT Buzz. Retrieved from  http://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/meaningful-use/interoperability-health-information-exchange-setting-record-straight/

Response is expected to be multi-faceted and brutal.

Technological change represents another key threat. As new technologies emerge and the end needs of users shift, the existing industry paradigm can shift quickly and decisively. For example, if the personal computer were to become outmoded in the next ten years, AMD's capture of the market leading manufacturers would be worthless. This is entirely possible, given the pace of change. AMD must always be on top of change in the industry, or risk being left behind.

Lastly, there is the risk of talent defection. AMD relies on top talent to develop its technology, to market the products, and to fight the legal battles. If their supply of talent were to be compromised, either by Intel or by startups, AMD would find it increasingly difficult to compete. They must ensure that their human resources systems are sufficient to attract and retain the top…

Works Cited:

MSN Moneycentral: AMD. (2009). Retrieved October 30, 2009 from  http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt.aspx?Symbol=AMD&lstStatement=Balance&stmtView=Ann 

Porter, M., adapted. (1985). The value chain. NetMBA. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from  http://www.netmba.com/strategy/value-chain/ 

No author. (2007). SWOT analysis. QuickMBA. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/SWOT/

Gupalo, D. (2007). AMD launches "puma" mobile platform. X-Drivers.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from  http://www.x-drivers.com/news/hardware/164.html

It is too early to gauge the results of this initiative, although early results of 1 million downloads in two weeks are positive (Kharif, 2009).

Another competitor is Internet radio. This industry is fragmented, with hundreds if not thousands of operators. It has many of the same content advantages of satellite radio, including the ability to offer a wide range of formats. It is at a content disadvantage, however, because few if any Internet radio stations can afford the high-end talent that satellite radio has established. However, their cost structures are much lower as well, meaning that they can offer their product for free. As of 2006, an estimated 30 million Americans listened to Internet radio each week (Prince, 2006). The industry is at a disadvantage, however, in terms of its ability to measure its listenership. This in turn makes it difficult for Internet radio providers to compete for advertising…

Works Cited:

AFP. (2008). Sirius, XM Merger Completed, Creating U.S. Satellite Radio Giant. AFP. Retrieved August 6, 2009 from http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gWpqqvwgW00Q9TWlFXCqFL7ccIxw

Holmes, Robert. (2008). Sirius XM Expects Slower Subscriber Growth. TheStreet.com. Retrieved August 6, 2009 from  http://www.thestreet.com/story/10446392/sirius-xm-expects-slower-subscriber-growth.html 

Moritz, Scott. (2008). Howard Stern may have a Sirius Dilemma. Fortune. Retrieved August 6, 2009 from  http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/26/technology/moritz_sirius.fortune/index.htm 

Guttenberg, Steve & Moskovciak, Matthew. (2005). Satellite Radio. CNet. Retrieved August 6, 2009 from  http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6466_7-5068442-1.html

Business - Management

External Environment Analysis

Southwest Airlines is the nation's low fair, high customer satisfaction airline. It mainly serves short haul cities, offering single class air transportation, which aims for the business commuter as well as leisure travelers. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) classifies Southwest Airlines as Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation - 481111 (North American Industry Classification System, 2011).

When conducting an external analysis it is important to look at Porter's five forces to determine the competitive strength and therefore magnetism of a market. Porter's five forces comprise five forces from horizontal competition and vertical competition. These forces are: threat of substitute products, the threat of established rivals, and the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers and the bargaining power of customers (Porter's Five Forces a Model for Industry Analysis, 2010).

The first threat is that of the threat of new entrants into the…

References

Del Vecchio, John. (2000). Analyzing Industries. Retrieved from  http://www.fool.com/research/2000/features000309.htm 

How Economic Factors Affect the Aviation Industry. (2011). Retreived from  http://www.myefficientplanet.com/74865/how-economic-factors-affect-the-aviation-industry/ 

North American Industry Classification System. (2011). Retreived from  http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/ 

PEST Analysis. (2010). Retrieved from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/pest/

Finance-dominated proponents also maintain that boom economic periods generate a more varied divergence of valuations that fuel merger activity (Medlen 2007). In this regard, Medlen concludes that, "Taken collectively, these understandings may explain some of the merger activity in booms, but they involve certain asymmetries that undercut their explanatory power. High stock valuations allow stock to be utilized as currency and collateral for takeovers; yet stock booms also make targets expensive" (p. 202). Moreover, despite the commonly held perception that mergers are a "quick and dirty" way to grow a business and achieve organizational goals, there remains a lack of convincing empirical evidence in support of this perception (Medlen 2007). As Medlen points out, an "anomalous fact about mergers concerns the lack of evidence that mergers are profitable. This fact begs the question: why then are mergers carried out with such frequency and with such large levels of capitalization?" (p.…

References

Ahern, K.A. & Weston, J.F. (2007). 'M&as: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.' Journal

of Applied Finance, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 5-7.

Babbie, E. (1990). Survey Research Methods (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

Publishing Company.

Marketing Communication Process

Google Inc.

Google Inc. is an U.S. based multinational public corporation that operates primarily in the internet search function, cloud computing, as well as a range of different advertising solutions. The company is large and extremely multifaceted. Google develops a large number of services and products that are part of a larger suite of Google products. These products are offered for free to the end users and Google primarily generates the company's revenue stream from advertising. Although Google sells advertising through AdWords and other platforms, it must also promote itself with a marketing communication strategy.

Google has grown from modest roots to become one of the most admired companies in the world today. The company's official mission statement is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." However, the company is also known for something of an unofficial slogan which is "Don't be…

References

Davis, B. (2014, January 27). 12 inspiring marketing campaigns from Google. Retrieved from Econsultancy:  https://econsultancy.com/blog/64204-12-inspiring-marketing-campaigns-from-google/ 

Liedtke, M., & Tessler, J. (2011, July 24). Google Confirms FTC Antitrust Investigation. Retrieved from Huffington Post Tech:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/24/google-confirms-ftc-antitrust-investigation_n_883951.html 

Nudd, T. (2014, December 17). 14 Brilliant Outdoor Ads That Rocked the Real World in 2014 Beautiful, subversive, playful and magical. Retrieved from Adweek:  http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/14-brilliant-outdoor-ads-rocked-real-world-2014-161999 

Orey, M. (2009, April 28). Google's PR Campaign. Retrieved from Bloomberg Business:  http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2009-04-28/googles-pr-campaign

Realistically this compliance and assistance should be sought and used before, during and after negotiations with other health care organizations with which this organization might merge or enter a joint venture. Furthermore, the proposed contract itself should be passed by the FTC's Office of the General Counsel or its designee for approval before final ratification of the contract.

3. Conclusion

In order to merge and operate in a joint venture acceptable to the FTC, the organization must be mindful of Title 15 of the U.S. Code, specifically Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18, Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1, 2, and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. In addition, due to the FTC's recent special interest in the mergers/joint ventures of health care organizations, particularly but not solely in connection with price fixing, the organization should assume that…

Works Cited

Cornell University Law School. (n.d.). Legal Information Institute - 15 U.S.C. Section 1. Retrieved on March 19, 2013 from www.law.cornell.edu Web site:  

. Research Design Rationale

1. Question format: In order to allow the research study to become embedded in the field of economics, the research question will use an applied question format. The purpose of the study is to develop a predictive method regarding player choices in the Prisoner's dilemma. It will explore the association of risk and cooperation or defection in the Prisoner's

Dilemma.

2. Research design: The research will use a deductive approach where the theory will be presented and tested through the methodology. The research will use quantitative research methods, which are suited for research where the information can be reduced to a numerical format. This is the case in the proposed study as both risk tolerance and the decisions made in the Prisoner's Dilemma can be reduced to numerical data and standard statistical methods applied.

III. Data/Information from Previous research

A. Literature Review

The literature review for…

Bibliography (Preliminary)

Agarwal, J. & Feils, D. (2007). Political Risk and the Internationalization of Firms: an Empirical

Study of Canadian-based Export and Fdi Firms. Canadian Journal of Administrative

Sciences. 24 (3): 165+. Questia Database.

Ansell, C. & Gash, a. (2008). Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. 18 (4): 543+. Questia Database.

They have a strong balance sheet that enables them to acquire capital easily and cheaply, but they are shifting their staff to physician ratio from 6.11 to 7.5, indicating that their administrative cost structure is going to increase dramatically as a result of their current expansion strategy. Whether or not this represents a weakness that can be exploited by MCMPC remains to be seen, but it may materialize as a weakness in the future. There is the threat, however, that given the declining morale at MCMPC some of the clinic's physicians may defect to Innovative in order to advance their careers and improve the professionalism of their working environment.

The external environment provides a number of challenges for MCMPC. The unfortunate reality is that the company is ill-equipped to address many of these challenges. They have proven unable to build the key resources in specialists and referrals, and they have…