June 4, 2009 at 4:19 pm
The SEC will propose that companies disclose, for the first time, how they compensate nonexecutives — not just their top five executives. School of Law Professor Tamar Frankel, author of “Trust and Honesty: America’s Business Culture at a Crossroads,” says this makes sense.
“If the highest rewarded sales focus are on highest dollars, we ought to know because that might signal the level of risk that an organization which sells financial assets might take or distribute to its clients.”
Contact Tamar Frankel, 617-353-3773, tfrankel@bu.edu
June 4, 2009 at 1:23 pm
In becoming the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, New Hampshire's strategy was to extend marriage equality while affirming religious freedom. School of Law Professor Linda McClain, a family law authority, asks:
"Will this message from New Hampshire and other New England states -- that separate is not equal in terms if dignity, respect, and legitimacy -- call into question the civil union solution?"
Contact Linda McClain, 617-358-4635, lmcclain@bu.edu
June 4, 2009 at 10:29 am
The most ambitious lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1992 is set for June 17, when NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) embarks on a year-long exploration -- a key first step toward returning humans to the Moon. Harlan Spence, professor of astronomy is leading a team that will study how the lunar radiation environment will affect human life on the Moon.
Contact Harlan Spence, 617-353-7421, spence@bu.edu
June 4, 2009 at 10:01 am
With major healthcare-reform bills expected to be introduced this month, President Obama is ratcheting up the public heat on Congress to agree on a measure to both expand coverage and cut costs. School of Management Professor Stephen Davidson, author of the upcoming "In Urgent Need of Reform: Saving the U.S. Healthcare System," can put the politics in context.
Contact Stephen Davidson, 617-353-7422, sdavidso@bu.edu
June 4, 2009 at 9:44 am
After revelations of overblown expense accounts by members of Parliment and the resignations of several top cabinet ministers from P.M. Gordon Brown's Labor government, Britain's political system is hurting on election day today. College of Communication Associate Dean Tobe Berkovitz, a political communications expert teaching in BU's London program, can put the English mess into the context of American politics.
Contact Tobe Berkovitz, 617-353-3447, tobetv@bu.edu
June 4, 2009 at 9:38 am
According to a February study, 68% of people in Bulgaria like the taste of fast food too much to give it up, versus only 44% of Americans. For commentary on this study's findings, and America's "love/hate" relationship with fast food, contact Joan Salge Blake at salgeblake@comcast.net or (978) 436-0341 (cell).
June 3, 2009 at 2:40 pm
For Michael Siegel, MD, a long time anti-smoking advocate and professor of social and behavioral sciences, the proposed Food and Drug Administration regulation of cigarettes is really a smoke screen for Big Tobacco. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, he states that the legislation was crafted, in part, by Philip Morris in a deal with health groups, notably the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, as there is no mandate to eliminate nicotine, and limited reduction of toxins and carcinogens in tobacco.
Contact Michael Siegel, (617) 638-5160, mbsiegel@bu.edu
June 3, 2009 at 11:03 am
General Motors is launching a post-bankruptcy advertising campaign targeting network TV, the Web, and Facebook, with the hook: "We're not witnessing the end of the American Car. We're witnessing the rebirth of the American Car." College of Communication Professor Christopher Cakebread, an expert on controversial ads, can discuss GM's gambit.
Contact Christopher Cakebread, 617-353-3476, ccakebre@bu.edu
June 3, 2009 at 10:44 am
Newspapers are in a quandry. Print advertising revenues are dropping but Web ads can't make up the difference, and the industry is reluctant to ask for a bailout from the government it covers. In the latest move, the Sunday Times of London reportedly plans to launch a standalone Website and is considering charging readers for it. College of Communication Dean Tom Fiedler, a Pulitizer-winning former executive editor of the Miami Herald, can discuss the state of the industry.
Contact Tom Fiedler, 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu
June 3, 2009 at 10:02 am
An "industry wide" antitrust probe reportedly is underway by the Justice Department investigating if technology companies are illegally negotiating with each other about the hiring of one another's employees. Targets reportedly include Google, Yahoo, Apple, and Genentech. School of Law Professor Keith Hylton, an antitrust law authority, can comment about the possibilities.
Contact Keith Hylton, 617-353-8959, knhylton@bu.edu
