December 16, 2009 at 3:18 pm
After Microsoft agreed to market its rival’s browsers alongside its own Internet Explorer, the European Commission settled its last antitrust issues with the software giant. Law Professor Keith Hylton says the deal makes sense to both Microsoft and the European regulators, but he sees a problem looming.
“This settlement may encourage even more aggressive theories of monopolization against Microsoft and other big firms to be brought before the European Commission. It could be viewed by some rivals as an invitation to bring their business grievances to the EC.”
Contact Keith Hylton, 617-353-8959, knhylton@bu.edu
December 16, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Tip No. 1: Eat Off Grandma's China
Talk about portion distortion. According to research, the surface area of a typical dinner plate has increased by 36% since 1960. Let's face it: The bigger the plate, the more food you are likely to heap on and eat.
Tip: Use Grandma's dinner plates at your supper and smaller plates when you entertain this holiday season. Using a smaller plate can dramatically reduce the calories consumed at that meal. Piling mostly veggies on smaller plates can further reduce calories at your meals yet “fill you up without filling you out”.
December 15, 2009 at 5:08 pm
The George Clooney-led serio-comedy "Up in the Air" led the Golden Globe nominations, but will that translate into Academy Award noms later this season? Hard to tell, says Film & TV Department Chairman Paul Schneider, though he expects considerable overlap.
"‘Invictus’ did not get a picture nomination but Clint Eastwood did – so that is a minor surprise. On the other hand, ‘Precious’ was nominated but the director, Lee Daniels, was not. So, it seems the movie directed itself. This happens occasionally at the Oscars as well and always has people shaking their heads."
Contact Paul Schneider, 617-353-5031, paulsch@bu.edu
December 15, 2009 at 11:48 am
The Science Behind Holiday Weight Gain: Tis the season... We know that the holiday season brings too many parties, too many get-togethers, and too many desserts. However, an interesting article from the National Council on Strength & Fitness identifies a group of compounding physiological factors that explain why the activities of the holidays make it more challenging to maintain your weight.
According to the article, stress can play a factor. Stress can lead to the drive to use food and alcohol as a coping mechanism. Consistently eating excess calories will not only cause excess weight gain but reaching for the alcohol can also can increase the release of the hormone, ghrelin, which can stimulate hunger and eating. In essence, alcohol provides a double whammy effect. The shopping and festive activities can wreck havoc with your sleep patterns. According to the article, getting less than 8 hours of sleep a night can alter the levels of insulin and ghrelin in your body and lead to overeating.
To help you enjoy your holidays without the excess bulge, I will be posting a daily Holiday Party Tip starting tomorrow.
December 14, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Some of Tiger Woods' endorsers are sticking with him, some are bailing out, and others are waiting to see if the firestorm hits them. Advertising Professor Chris Cakebread, who teaches sports marketing, says much will depend on how much the advertisers feel "trust" is significant in their pitching Tiger.
"Tiger was a trustworthy spokesperson for a brand. His public persona never varied. That trust has been broken, and some brands are worried about how that break in trust will influence consumer perception towards their products."
Contact Chris Cakebread, 617-353-3476, ccakebre@bu.edu
December 14, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Poor nations ended their boycott of the global environment talks in Copenhagen on being assured rich countries aren't softening their commitments to cutting greenhouse gases. Professor Adil Najam, director of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, is with a delegation of BU students at the Copenhagen talks. Najam, an author of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, says the ghost of Kyoto hangs over Copenhagen.
"The fact of the matter is that while the U.S. withdrew itself from Kyoto, the countries that did stay in – including the European nations – really did not live up to the spirit of the promises they had made at Kyoto. That has meant that these countries want to run as far away from those commitments as they can, but the developing countries feel cheated and are unlikely to buy into any future promises if the past promises are not honored."
Contact Adil Najam, 617-353-4002, anajam@bu.edu
December 14, 2009 at 10:00 am
Stumped and stressed as to what to get everyone this year? Here is my list of Holiday Gifts Made Deliciously Easy to help make this season less anxious and more fun.
December 11, 2009 at 4:25 pm
The Securities and Exchange Commission is widening its probe of the Bank of American take-over Merrill Lynch to go beyond failing to disclose bonuses paid to Merrill employees to now include failure to disclose ML's mounting losses. Law Professor Elizabeth Nowicki, a former SEC and Wall Street attorney, says it's about time.
The SEC’s expanding probe of Bank of America’s egregious disclosure failures regarding Merrill Lynch is shocking only in that it has taken the SEC so long to expand it. The BofA disclosure problems are so blatant that even an ill-informed law student could identify them."
Contact Elizabeth Nowicki, 617-353-2807, enowicki@bu.edu
December 11, 2009 at 4:01 pm
After years of staying out of each other's way and thriving, Google and Apple now fight over the same start-up acquisitions and develop competing products. School of Management Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, chair of the Information Systems Department, says it embodies the shift under way in how companies compete in the era of convergence shaped by information technologies.
"Managers who fail to see evolving competitive landscape under conditions of convergence will find themselves trapped into rigid business arrangements. This battle should serve as a wake-up call."
Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu
December 11, 2009 at 3:15 pm
England has been joined by France in slapping a supertax on bank bonuses in an effort to push other countries, including the U.S., do so likewise. Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law and former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors, says it's disgaceful the United States didn't lead the way.
"In this country, we should be having a debate about recouping bonuses paid to executives and traders in the years leading up to the financial melt-down. Instead, we condone lavish rewards to the leaders of the very firms that owe their continued existence to taxpayer generosity."
Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu
