Business Commons^™

Does Persistence Explain Esg Disclosure Decisions?, Garret A. Mcbrayer

Marketing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Advocates of an increased focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives have argued that increased ESG disclosure is a necessary first step. Given the limited regulatory requirements on ESG disclosure, manager preferences serve as a primary determinant of ESG transparency. Using data on ESG disclosure from Bloomberg, I examine the extent to which disclosure persistence on the behalf of firm management, as proxied by managerial tenure, affects firms’ ESG disclosure strategies. Overall, I find that ESG disclosure quality and ESG disclosure variability are reduced as management tenure increases. Further, I find that the replacement of a firm’s CEO interrupts …

Digital Self-Ownership: A Publicity-Rights Framework For Determining Employee Social Media Rights, Susan Park, Patricia Sánchez Abril

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Imagine an upandcoming company hires you as one of its first employees. Passionate about your employer, you put in long hours doing everything from marketing to accounting to event planning. You are also proud of your employer's product, so you begin to publicize it to your friends through your social network accounts. (In fact, the company's founder is also one of your Facebook friends.) You tell your friends about the product launch, invite them to marketing events, and eventually blog about your industry, amassing a significant social media following while creating buzz about your employer. But one day, during layoffs …

Transforming The Legal Studies Classroom: Clickers And Engagement, Susan Park J.D., Denise Farag J.D.

Susan Park

Teaching is not just delivering lectures but anything we might do that helps and encourages students to learn.¹

Envision your typical business law or legal environment of business classroom, filled with students. As class begins, most students are alert and attentive to the instructor. However, after class is under way, some students have diverted their attention elsewhere. A few are looking intently at their laptop screens, which contain material that may (or may not) be related to business law. Others are looking at their phones. While many are still listening to the instructor, a few might be whispering to …

Employee Internet Privacy: A Proposed Act That Balances Legitimate Employer Rights And Employee Privacy, Susan Park

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

When Justin Basset interviewed for a job in New York City in 2012, he expected to respond to questions one is typically asked in a job interview. However, his interview took a modern technological twist when the interviewer opened her computer and attempted to look at Mr. Basset’s Facebook profile on her computer. Unable to see the details of his profile because he had taken advantage of Facebook’s privacy options to limit public viewing, she asked for his login information to access his account. He declined and withdrew his application.¹ In 2010, Robert Collins, a Maryland Department of Public …

Legal And Ethical Challenges Of Corporate Social Networking, Gundars Kaupins, Susan Park J.D.

Susan Park

Many corporations have embraced online social networking to supplement their marketing programs and communications with employees, customers, vendors, and others. Corporations also use social networking to discover inappropriate employee behavior, encourage productivity, recruit individuals, and investigate job applicants and current employees.

Legal And Ethical Implications Of Corporate Social Networks, Gundars Kaupins, Susan Park

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Corporate social networking sites provide employees and employers with considerable opportunity to share information and become friends. Unfortunately, American laws do not directly address social networking site usage. The National Labor Relations Act, civil rights laws, and various common law doctrines such as employment at-will and defamation provide the pattern for future social networking laws. Ethical considerations such as productivity, security, goodwill, privacy, accuracy, and discipline fairness also affect future laws. Corporate policies on corporate social networking should balance the employer‘s and employee‘s interests. Existing laws and ethical issues associated with social networking should impact social networking policies related to …

Legal And Ethical Issues Associated With Employee Use Of Social Networks, Gundars Kaupins, Susan Park

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can help employees enhance a company’s marketing, recruiting, security, and safety. However, employee’s use of social networking sites and employers’ access of those sites can result in illegal and unethical behavior, such as discrimination and privacy invasions. Companies must gauge whether and how to rely upon employees’ use of personal social networking sites and how much freedom employees should have in using networks inside and outside of the companies. This research summarizes the latest legal and ethical issues regarding employee use of social networks and provides recommended corporate policies.

Legal And Ethical Implications Of Employee Location Monitoring, Gundars Kaupins, Robert Minch

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Location technologies allow employers to monitor the location of employees. The technologies range from global positioning systems able to determine outdoor locations worldwide to sensor networks able to determine locations within buildings. Few international laws and no American laws directly address location monitoring. International privacy laws, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the USA Patriot Act and other laws involving Internet and e-mail monitoring might provide the pattern for future location monitoring legislation. Ethical considerations such as privacy, accuracy, inconsistency, security, and reputation also may affect future legislation. In writing corporate policies governing location monitoring, the employer’s business interests may outweigh …