Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons^™

Homelessness And Business: Perception, Affect And Opportunity, Asatur Nor-Ashkarian

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between business owners and individuals experiencing homelessness within urban commercial districts in the United States, arguing that the dynamic is shaped primarily by spatial concentration, uneven power structures, economic pressure, and public framing rather than simple conflict between competing interests. Drawing on stakeholder analysis, business perception surveys, a mixed-methods study, and an original content analysis of 50 news articles spanning 23 states, this thesis identifies a consistent pattern: business owners broadly perceive homeless presence as negatively impacting safety, cleanliness, and consumer behavior. Local news media reinforces those perceptions through predominantly negative framing of homeless individuals. …

Ethical Issues Of The Advancement Of Artificial Intelligence, Primo G. Moreno

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

Artificial intelligence has rapidly become integrated into our modern society, allowing for new streamlined methods to reign supreme. These methods raise concerns about control, privacy, and the shifting boundaries between human and machine decision-making. This paper examines how AI has developed, how it is currently being used, and the ethical dilemmas that arise as societies integrate it into systems such as healthcare, law enforcement, and businesses. Through the expansion of historical, technical, and philosophical perspectives, this paper argues that society must prioritize having set guidelines and systems for monitoring newly created AI systems. Without them, the implementation of AI models …

Maximizing Online Intersession Enrollment Through Targeted Course Offerings, Heather S. Mcmillan, Charles D. Mcallister

Journal of the North American Management Society

Abstract

Online winter intersession courses have become an increasingly important strategy for universities seeking to support accelerated student progression while generating incremental tuition revenue. This study examines ten years of winter intersession enrollment data from a public, master’s-level comprehensive university in the Midwestern United States to identify course characteristics associated with higher student enrollment. Using 12,520 individual enrollment records, the analysis focuses on course type (general education versus major requirement), course classification (lower level, upper level, blended undergraduate/graduate, and graduate), and course discipline. A series of ANOVAs and Bonferroni post-hoc tests reveal significant differences in enrollment across these dimensions, with …

The Practical Adoption And Application Of Blockchain Technology Within The Beverage Industry, Alexander Adams Jr

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Abstract

The beverage industry is facing heightened scrutiny as the demand for transparency and accountability reaches new heights. In the age of information technology, companies must prioritize enhanced traceability to ensure product safety, comply with government regulations, maintain customer trust, and protect brand integrity. This thesis explores the potential of blockchain technology as a solution to these challenges, focusing on its ability to decentralize data, improve traceability, and expedite response times during safety recalls. The research provides an overview of the evolution of food safety regulations, beginning with the first establishment by Upland Sinclair, and examines current traceability practices and …

The Hidden Scams In Business & Finance, Jake Patten, Carter Harrell, Claude Auguste, Sheldon Jerome Downing Ii

ENGL 1102 Showcase

For our research papers, we chose to look into different kinds of scams lurking in the business world, and how they can affect businesses and society as a whole. There are hundreds of different scams at any given time, but we decided to focus on lesser-known scams that the majority of people don't even think about. These scams include rigged casinos, charity fraud, business email compromise, and embezzlement within smaller businesses.

We chose this topic in an attempt to bring more attention to the criminal side of the business world that people otherwise see as harmless. Especially with the recent …

To Innovate Or Integrate: A Story Of Mergers And Acquisitions In The Video Game Industry, Charlie Geis, Dustin Rabin

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Expanding Mfw: Delaware Law Should Offer A Business Judgment Rule Safe Harbor For All Conflicted Controller Transactions, Alex Lindsey

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

While courts usually defer to a board’s business decisions under the business judgment rule, courts will apply a much less deferential standard of review due to loyalty concerns if a conflicted controller is involved in a business decision such as a merger. However, in Kahn v. M & F Worldwide (“MFW”) when a squeeze out merger was challenged by a minority stockholder, the Delaware Supreme Court reviewed the transaction under the deferential business judgment rule standard because the Court found that the structure of the transaction neutralized the controller loyalty concerns. Building on this reasoning, the Court developed a checklist …

Loophole Entrepreneurship, Brian M. Sirman

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

All entrepreneurs seek favorable legal or regulatory treatment for their businesses. Sometimes this leads an entrepreneur to build a business within a gap in the law—a loophole. In so doing, these “loophole entrepreneurs” may avoid steep regulatory compliance costs that otherwise would beset (or perhaps prohibit) their businesses, thereby gaining advantages over competitors. Despite these benefits, loophole entrepreneurship is fraught with risks. Loopholes, by nature, are fragile, and their contours are often uncertain. Moreover, the stigma of “exploiting a loophole” (which connotes unfairness or deception) can provoke ill will among competitors, policymakers, and the public.

The ranks of loophole entrepreneurs …

Finchain: Adaptation Of Blockchain Technology In Finance And Business - An Ethical Analysis Of Applications, Challenges, Issues And Solutions, Naresh Kshetri, Keith Miller, Gaurango Banerjee, Bikesh Raj Upreti

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Blockchain Technology is a distributed database technology that has emerged as a ground-breaking technology with several possible solutions to critical applications, say from supply chain management, agribusiness, marketing to healthcare industry including internet of medical things. Although it started as a digital coin (popularly known as bitcoin), it is slowly influencing business, marketing policy and society. We have presented an in-depth study and ethical analysis of how blockchain is applied over the economic and financial sector including banks, credit unions and other retail giants. During our research, we have also investigated how blockchain technology can affect financial institutions around the …

The Growth Drivers And Inhibitors Of The B Corp Movement, Jason Plant

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Barriers For Small Businesses To Adopt Sustainable Practices In The Sioux Falls Area, Meredith King

Honors Thesis

Sustainability is a broad concept that encompasses environmental, social, and economic factors to meet current and future needs. Many individuals and large businesses are becoming conscious of the effects they have on the planet and the people around them. However, despite the financial benefits and positive publicity of environmentalism, many businesses are not adopting sustainable practices. This study interviewed local business owners to answer the question “What are the main reasons that small businesses in the Sioux Falls area of South Dakota do or do not adopt sustainable practices that benefit the environment and the community?” Five business owners were …

R. Edward Freeman, Kirsten E. Martin, And Bishan L. Parmar, The Power Of And: Responsible Business Without Trade-Offs, Andrew B. Gustafson

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

This book tells a story about business which runs counter to the simple notions that the purpose of business is simply to make as much money as possible. While it is not a business-ethics book per se, it is a book which certainly makes an argument that socially responsible businesses often do well, and it provides a wide range of practical contemporary examples of businesses who do just that.

This book promotes the idea that businesses can frequently find win-win choices which both make profit and achieve other worthwhile ends at the same time. The authors argue that a focus …

Bus 201: Legal Environment For Business Oer Curation, Erica L. Schiller, Matt Ruen

Curated OER Collections

This OER curation is an annotated bibliography of prospective OER for the GVSU course BUS 201: Legal Environment for Business.

Where The Rainbow Ends: The Hidden Humanitarian Crisis For Members Of The Lgbtqia+ Community In International Business, John R. Krendel

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Before pursuing an international career, members of the LGBTQIA+ community must be aware of the hardship that may be exacerbated by living and working abroad. This study addresses the trends in laws, including employment and anti-discrimination laws, that provide and restrict certain rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ community in eight countries. These nations, both progressive and discriminatory, include the United States, England, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan, China, the Philippines and Kazakhstan. Eight LGBTQIA+ business professionals spoke on their experiences living and working in each of these countries and provided advice to members of the community wishing to pursue an international …

Corporate America Gives Back: Exploring The Best Practices And Implemented Programs That Help Combat Food Insecurity In America, Emily Uvaney

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

As businesses of all types become more self-aware and responsive to consumers’ interests, they are quickly adapting their business models to include pillars of philanthropy. Philanthropic qualities are especially important in regards to the CPG industry (consumer packaged goods) since they often produce food products. Many consumers and analysts believe that CPGs have a moral obligation to cater to people with various types of dietary needs, restrictions, and preferences while also helping customers meet their nutritional minimums. Companies can aid consumers in a plethora of ways. Beneficial programs can include initiatives like fundraising, food drives, internal employee assistance programs, and …

Monopolies, Monopsonies, And Everything In-Between: The Gradual Unwinding Of Nearly A Century Of Antitrust Activity, Chase Faulkner

Senior Theses

Changes in the interpretation of antitrust law since the Reagan administration have created a simultaneous increase in mergers/acquisitions and a decrease in antitrust action. This trend started with Ronald Reagan in an effort to bolster a stagnant United States economy, yet in spite of the revolution the global economy has undergone in the last few decades, this trend is still perpetuated today. While this has helped the United States economy abroad, it has come at a cost domestically. A number of industries have become dominated by a single firm (or a group) through a variety of anticompetitive practices, and their …

Navigating The Impact Of Covid-19 On Small Commercial Businesses And Insurance Companies, And A Call To Action For Future Communicable Disease Outbreaks, Natalie Peña

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

The short-term and long-term effects of Covid-19 have caused many small commercial businesses to face financial hardships, loss of employees, and even closures for entities that were already experiencing low profit margins. Distraught with their businesses suffering, owners turned to their primary insurance companies to receive compensation through their business interruption policies. However, most insureds were upset when they discovered that their insurance plans did not include communicable diseases and pandemics as a covered peril. This led to many small businesses battling these issues in the courts and fighting for insurance companies to provide financial assistance to them during this …

Small Fishes, Sharp Hooks: Obstacles To Economic Freedom Affecting Micro Small, And Medium Enterprises (Msmes) In Southeast Asian Countries, Blaise Kent Calpito, Jocef Fernand Ocampo, Chyna Tomas, Mary June Valenzuela, Rens Adrian T. Calub, Mitzie Irene P. Conchada, Arlene B. Inocencio, Alellie B. Sobreviñas, Marites Tiongco

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Obstacles to economic freedom such as trade obstacles, finance obstacles, taxes, and corruption affect the ability of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to maximize firm performance. This policy brief is based on the observations made regarding the relationship of these obstacles to economic freedom in Southeast Asian countries Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. This will take into account the recent economic environment of each country.

Generational Differences & The Millennial Impact On Business, Micah Wittschen

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Business is the backbone of the United States of America. Often called The American Dream, citizens grow up with the idea that the possibilities are endless living in the land of opportunity. This dream also comes with the desire for a family, thus a good job is needed for financial support. It is often believed and proven that those that work hard can yield financial returns and benefit socially.

Generational differences trickle down to every aspect of life including the different trends and impacts each cohort has on business. Each generation has a different view of work and behaves differently …

The Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown And Distributive Justice: Why Courts Should Refocus The Fifth Amendment Takings Analysis, Timothy M. Harris

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic and the ensuing shutdown of private businesses—to promote the public’ s health and safety— demonstrated the wide reach of state and local governments’ police power. Many businesses closed and many went bankrupt as various government programs failed to keep their enterprises afloat.

These businesses were shut down to further the national interest in stemming a global pandemic. This is an archetypal example of regulating for the public health—preventing a direct threat that sickened hundreds of thousands of Americans. But some businesses were disproportionately hit while others flourished. Many who bore the brunt of these regulations sued, …

Bioscience: How One Industry Won The Pandemic And Will Change Us All, Sonya Swink

Capstones

A video and print capstone about the next great generation of biological sciences as a private industry since 2020. It encompasses the pandemic as the boost the industry needed, discussion of science’s bad reputation and the potential benefits, especially for new workspaces and real estate investors. Colorado is a focus as a burgeoning market. The news value of this story as a primer is how this will be both a beneficial industry and one that must be held to account if it becomes too monopolistic. Comparisons are from the viewpoint that bioscience is like the next Silicon Valley, but statements …

Revisiting The Purpose Of Business, Joseph Bamber, Andy Borchers

Faculty Publications

While it is easy to see the ways that business has gone global today, it is less easy to see how scriptural ideas for holistic business are currently put in practice. We have outlined themes related to business found in Scripture and used them to create a holistic scorecard for businesses. We also compare recent views on the purpose of business and some businesses that follow these models using the scorecard. We include the classic 1970 essay by Milton Friedman (“The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits”) and continue through John Elkington (Cannibals with Forks), Mackey & …

Values Create Values, Chase M. Geertsen

Marriott Student Review

The days of companies focusing solely on maximizing shareholder value are over. In today's world, profitable companies create value by meeting the needs of their stakeholders.

The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act: The Double-Edged Sword Of U.S. Foreign Investment Regulations, J. Russell Blakey

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

No abstract provided.

Negating Amy Gutmann: Deliberative Democracy, Business Influence, And Segmentation Strategies In Education, Brian Ford

Democracy & Education

The task of creating a public will is daunting in any political system, but a democracy dedicated to the principles of participation and public deliberation faces specific challenges, including overcoming organized opposition that may not accept democratic tenets. In the sphere of education (and social reproduction more generally), business-influenced movements to reform public education question many of the established goals and norms of democratic education and thus may be the vanguard of such opposition. In order to interpret and explore these movements, this article enlists Amy Gutmann's work as a heuristic device. In so doing, it looks at the task …

Business For A Prosperous And Flourishing World, Chris Laszlo, David Cooperrider

The International Journal of Ethical Leadership

No abstract provided.

How Actresses Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer And Reese Witherspoon Are Fighting Pay Disparity One Project At A Time, Abbey M. White

Capstones

While working on Steven Spielberg's 2005 miniseries "Into the West," Indigenous-Latina actress Tonantzin Carmelo achieved pay parity with her white male co-stars thanks to a contract clause called "favored nations. Now 15 years later, and in the height of Hollywood's gender parity movement, Hollywood actresses are strategically using the very same clause to chip away at the pay gap. This 7000-word narrative feature explains the historical use of this clause, identifies how actresses are leveraging its power to achieve pay parity on their projects and answers why it's not a one-size-fits-all fix for Hollywood pay inequity.

http://abbeymwhite.com/capstone/how-actresses-like-jennifer-aniston-jessica-chastain-and-lupita-nyongo-are-fighting-pay-disparity-one-project-at-a-time/

Where Reality Meets Fantasy, Kendall Rankin

Senior Honors Projects

“Fantasy and reality often overlap,” was once said by Walt Disney. In my story, Where Reality Meets Fantasy, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Gelatoni, from DisneySea, dive into the world of employment law and how it affects the Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney loved storytelling and it is demonstrated in his movies and parks. With his company’s emphasis on safety, courtesy, show and efficiency, Disney wanted not only his guests but also his cast members to enjoy being at the Happiest Place on Earth. With laws like the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the Civil Rights …

Retention, Matthew Molinaro

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Employee retention in the 21th century reflects how companies keep their employees motivated and well prepared for the challenges in the workplace. In this paper, I apply the concepts of motivation and how employers keep their employees. I also emphasize the costly effects of a employee leaving the organization, both as a dollar and emotional standpoint.

Navigating Sino-American Business Relationships, Ryan Stenquist

Marriott Student Review

Relationships between American and Chinese companies have never been more important or profitable as they are now. With linguistic, moral, governmental, and legal systems developed entirely independent of each other for thousands of years, these relationships also prove the most difficult and complex to navigate. This article explores mistakes foreigners often make while doing business in China, the current environment and culture of joint ventures with native Chinese, and how to succeed in the challenging yet rewarding economy now opening up to the world.