Wednesday, January 8

BUSINESS

Entrepreneurial Energy Companies Can Innovate With The Help Of Regulators Clearing The Way
No Comments
BUSINESS

Entrepreneurial Energy Companies Can Innovate With The Help Of Regulators Clearing The Way

How regulatory policies are implemented can make a huge difference for entrepreneurs in clean technology. In a study, we found that giving state-level regulators more discretion in approving hydropower facilities in the United States led to faster adoption of this clean energy source. Distributed power generation, such as this fuel cell installation, requires new ventures to work with energy regulators. Business Wire, CC BY We reviewed regulatory approvals of entrepreneurial hydroelectric power facilities from 1978 to 2014 and found that, on average, when regulators had a relatively high level of discretion, entrepreneurs received a license 22.5% sooner. We calculated hydropower ventures that use innovative run-of-the-river, pumped storage and marine technologies can generate up to US$7,7...
Read More
Uber And Lyft Drivers Are ‘Contractors’ California Voters Decide As Gig Workers Continue Search For A Livable Wage
No Comments
BUSINESS

Uber And Lyft Drivers Are ‘Contractors’ California Voters Decide As Gig Workers Continue Search For A Livable Wage

Uber, TaskRabbit and other ride-hailing and delivery service companies in California can keep classifying their workers as independent contractors rather than employees after California voters approved a measure known as Proposition 22, according to the state’s still-unofficial tally. The fundamental question of whether Uber drivers and similar workers should be considered employees or contractors has been debated and litigated for years now. The issue is often framed, however inaccurately, as a tradeoff between the flexibility that comes with being independent against the higher incomes and benefits that employees tend to get. Uber and other supporters of Proposition 22 have argued the measure would provide both flexibility and some employeelike benefits, such as a guaranteed minimum wa...
Read More
Generous Unemployment Benefits Job Policies Create More Happiness For Everyone
No Comments
BUSINESS, IN OTHER NEWS

Generous Unemployment Benefits Job Policies Create More Happiness For Everyone

Losing one’s job undoubtedly makes someone less happy, a feeling tens of millions of people around the world are experiencing right now. Even as the labor market recovers, as we saw in the latest U.S. employment report on Nov. 6, the number of people who have been without a job for more than 26 weeks continues to increase. Governments have implemented a wide variety of labor market policies to address the pandemic’s impact, from beefing up funding of existing unemployment policies to supplemental income programs like the US$600 checks that the U.S. sent out during part of the pandemic. While these policies are intended to alleviate the economic pain of losing one’s job, we, as happiness researchers, are more interested in how they might affect people’s well-being during the pandemic. Br...
Read More
Hospitals And The Pitfalls Of Seeking Donations From Their Rich Patients
No Comments
BUSINESS

Hospitals And The Pitfalls Of Seeking Donations From Their Rich Patients

Most Americans find a number of common hospital fundraising practices ethically unacceptable, according to a new study published in July. Examples of these sometimes troubling approaches included providing people who have a track record of making large donations with concierge services such as nicer rooms or doctor’s cellphone numbers, screening patients to identify those who are wealthy enough to give lots of money to charity and getting doctors directly involved with fundraising efforts that involve their current or former patients. Which conversations about hospital donations are unethical? CDC via Unsplash We found that 85% of the people who took our survey agreed that patients feel good when they donate to the hospitals where they received their medical care. Yet 83% said they felt ...
Read More
Should Apple Be In The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Crosshairs Along With Google
No Comments
BUSINESS

Should Apple Be In The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Crosshairs Along With Google

Google’s payments to Apple to promote its search engine in iPhones, iPads and Mac computers are at the center of the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant. The suit alleges this creates a “continuous and self-reinforcing cycle of monopolization” by limiting which search engines consumers can use. But as someone who studies platform markets, competition and industry structure, I believe the agreement seems more like a damning indictment of Apple’s own potentially illegal business practices. Why Google needs Apple The Department of Justice alleges that Google pays Apple and other device-makers to set its search engine as the default “on billions of mobile devices and computers worldwide,” thus controlling how users access the internet. It’s true, Google is domin...
Read More
Despite The Coronavirus Job Losses Immigrants Are Still Sending Lots Of Money Home – For Now
No Comments
BUSINESS, IN OTHER NEWS

Despite The Coronavirus Job Losses Immigrants Are Still Sending Lots Of Money Home – For Now

Banks and aid agencies have been warning of a pandemic-related plunge in the amount of money sent by migrants to family back home who rely on the income. In a typical year, more than 270 million migrants living and working abroad send these cash transfers, known as remittances, to their home countries. Yet so far, despite the lockdowns that have devastated wealthier economies and caused massive unemployment, remittances have generally held up this year. In some cases they’ve even been higher than usual, based on our review of the latest available data and press releases for top remittance recipient countries. Remittances to Mexico, for example, surged 9.4% in the first eight months of the year. Pakistan is also experiencing a record increase, while cash transfers to such countries as Viet...
Read More
Why Do Businesses Want To Operate In China – The Money Is Just Too Good
No Comments
BUSINESS

Why Do Businesses Want To Operate In China – The Money Is Just Too Good

Doing business in China can be a difficult and contentious proposition for companies in many countries. Yet even with charges of intellectual property theft, forced partnerships and tight restrictions on doing business, China continues to attract foreign capital. Why do businesses want to invest in China when there are so many other “business-friendly” countries and financial markets that support foreign investment? The United States has accused China of stealing the intellectual property of American firms, theft that is estimated at US$600 billion annually. As a precondition for doing business in China, American and other firms may be subjected to the forced transfer of their technology. In addition, regulations can require foreign investors to partner and set up a joint venture with a C...
Read More
Despite Trade Wars And COVID-19 Most US Farmers Remain Loyal To Trump
No Comments
BUSINESS, POLITICS

Despite Trade Wars And COVID-19 Most US Farmers Remain Loyal To Trump

U.S. farmers have suffered a lot in the past few years: The trade war with China, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have all resulted in substantial losses for many producers. Farmers overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in 2016 and remain critical to his reelection in many swing states such as Iowa and Minnesota. But given the impact of all that’s happened, will they stick with the president in the November elections? We’ve conducted extensive research on American farmers in recent years through surveys and one-on-one interviews. We’ve also examined the impact of the U.S.-China trade war. While the economic costs have been steep, Trump has found a way to make it up to them: record subsidies. And that’s why we believe most U.S. farmers will stay loyal to Trump. Falling export...
Read More
Hurricane Season Threatens Billions Of Chickens
No Comments
BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENT

Hurricane Season Threatens Billions Of Chickens

Hurricanes can have devastating consequences for both residents and businesses in their path. And one sector that’s particularly exposed is the broiler chicken industry. CC BY-SA Virtually all of the breasts or legs you eat at home or in a restaurant come from broilers, the name given to chickens bred and raised for meat production. Sometimes you’ll hear chickens called fryers, roasters and Cornish game hens, but generally these all refer to broilers harvested at specific ages and weights. The U.S. produced 9.18 billion broilers in 2019, more than any country in the world. It’s also the second-biggest exporter of poultry. Yet over half, or 5.1 billion, are at risk for six months of every year – from June 1 to Nov. 30 – of getting wiped out by a hurricane. Six of the top 10 broiler-produ...
Read More
Sports Teams Sustainability Efforts, Does It Matter To Fans?
No Comments
BUSINESS, IN OTHER NEWS, SPORTS, VIDEO REELS

Sports Teams Sustainability Efforts, Does It Matter To Fans?

While the sport sector’s environmental impact is not fully understood, it has a social platform and reach to influence a significant number of people worldwide to choose more sustainable behaviors. Brian McCullough, associate professor of sport management at Texas A&M University, says that sport organizations should be proactive in becoming more sustainable to increase business performance, deepen connections with fans and attract new ones. Do fans care about sports teams’ sustainability efforts? How are sports being affected by climate change? And how might they be affected in the future? To use a sports analogy, there will be winners and losers as a result of climate change. Certain sports, like outdoor winter sports and even surfing, are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. ...
Read More