The Justice Department reportedly has launched a probe to see if large U.S. telecom companies (AT&T, Verizon) are abusing their recently won market power. For instance, are wireless carriers locking up popular smart-phones by having exclusive agreements with handset makers? School of Law Professor Keith Hylton, an expert on antitrust law, can look at the […]
The Michael Jackson memorial tomorrow at the Staples Center in LA may be the biggest media event surrounding the King of Pop’s passing but it likely won’t be the last. Jackson’s death has sparked a cascade of viewership frenzy on a wide array of media, from newspapers to TV to online to video games. College of Communication […]
Political pundits are all over the map trying to interpret what Sarah Palin meant when she abruptly announced her resignation as Alaska’s governor. GOP presidential race in 2012? Media career? Conservative commentator? College of Communication Associate Dean Tobe Berkovitz, an expert on political communication, can sort through the ongoing debate. Contact Tobe Berkovitz, 617-353-3447, tobetv@bu.edu
Saying the only alternative would be liquidation, a federal judge has okayed the sale of GM’s assets to a new government-run agency, paving the way for the automaker to emerge from bankruptcy. School of Management Dean Louis Lataif, a former Ford executive, can discuss the implications. Contact Louis Lataif, 617-353-2668, lelataif@bu.edu
America has a fixation with discount retail prices, and it’s costing us. College of Communication Professor Ellen Ruppel Shell, who explores the history, science, psychology, economics, and societal implications of low prices in her new book, “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture,” discusses the subject in a TIME magazine Q&A. Contact Ellen Ruppel Shell, 617-353-5973, […]
New Delhi’s high court today decriminalized homosexuality in India’s capital city, a landmark ruling expected to likely spread nationwide. School of Law Professor Robert Volk, an authority on gay-rights law, can compare and contrast the legal situations in India and the United States. Contact Robert Volk, 617-353-3156, rvolk@bu.edu
The upcoming Senate battle over President Obama’s climate-change bill will center on the “cap-and-trade” system to allow trading of pollution permits as emission levels are increasingly tightened. Energy risk-management expert Mark T. Williams, who teaches finance in the School of Management, says not to expect Senate approval until the economy rebounds and there’s a stronger […]
The inspector general probing the SEC’s failure to discover Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme recommends that whistleblowers should be paid a bounty for information about financial fraud. School of Law Professor Tamar Frankel, an authority on securities law, says such rewards would be a two-edged sword and probably limited to outsiders (insiders thereafter couldn’t […]
In a surprise that “flabbergasted” the National Retail Federation, Wal-Mart says it backs President Obama’s plan to force employers to provide health insurance to workers. School of Management Professor Alan Cohen, executive director of the Health Policy Institute, can discuss what the endorsment by the nation’s largest private employer might mean for the healthcare reform […]
The Supreme Court’s term ended with Chief Justice John Roberts having guided the high court rightward with swing-vote Justice Anthony Kennedy a key ally. School of Law Professor Jay Wexler, who once clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, can look back at the term and ahead to the next. Contact Jay Wexler, 617-353-3174, jaywex@bu.edu
