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New business course seeks to instill professional responsibility
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In simpler times, handshakes sealed business deals. Now, they could help restore a grip on career values that veered off course amid a wave of high-profile scandals that sank Enron, WorldCom and other corporate giants. Handshakes and other people skills, ethics training and social awareness are just a few aspects of a […]
Confidence a key to recent economic initiatives, U. of I. expert says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Restoring confidence in the sputtering U.S. economy is at the heart of recent moves to shore up the nation’s lagging financial and housing markets, a University of Illinois economist says. Anne Villamil says propping up faith in an economy teetering on the brink of recession is as important as more tangible initiatives […]
Limits on futures trading could boost gas prices, expert says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Proposals to reign in wallet-draining gasoline prices by curbing speculation in oil markets would likely increase costs at the pump instead of trimming them, a University of Illinois economist says. Scott Irwin argues congressional efforts to curb trading by speculators is a “misguided witch hunt” that ignores the root of America’s energy […]
Study predicts crop-production costs will jump dramatically in 2009
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Soaring energy prices will yield sharp increases for corn and soybean production next year, cutting into farmers’ profits and stretching already high food costs, according to a new University of Illinois study. Costs to get crops in the ground will jump by about a third in 2009, fueled by fertilizer prices expected […]
U.S. firms a role model for fair hiring standards, study says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – U.S. companies are helping spread fair hiring practices across the world as they set up shop in developing nations, according to a new study of gender and age discrimination co-written by a University of Illinois labor expert. American-based firms tend to follow U.S. hiring laws, even when they do business in countries […]
Personal information in e-mail marketing can backfire, study indicates
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Businesses risk chasing away prospective customers when they send chummy e-mails that bandy around people’s names, hobbies and other personal information to pitch sales, according to a new study of the popular marketing tool. “People bristle at personalization just for the sake of personalization,” said Tiffany Barnett White, a University of Illinois […]
Study: News media bias can net mistakes at the ballot box
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The media slant political news to the left or right to increase ratings and profits, spinning up an information vacuum that can lead to mistakes at the ballot box, a new study by three University of Illinois economists says. Media bias has become increasingly profitable given a polarized electorate in which conservatives […]
Attack on corporate crime has thrown justice out of whack, legal expert says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A legal assault on corporate fraud has turned justice upside down, putting company executives at too much risk while leaving shareholders out in the cold, according to a University of Illinois law professor. Christine Hurt says government crackdowns have made it easier for prosecutors to land criminal convictions than for shareholders to […]
California same-sex marriage ruling will fuel nationwide push, expert says
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – An expected crush of same-sex marriages looming in California will also touch off a new wave of lawsuits seeking to make the long-debated unions legal nationwide, according to a University of Illinois expert on family and constitutional law. “The pressure will continue to build and I think it’s inevitable that the U.S. […]
U. of I. expert to testify about Supreme Court’s impact on consumer debt
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – U.S. Supreme Court rulings are digging into Americans’ pocketbooks, contributing to staggering mortgage and consumer debt that now averages more than $53,000 for every man, woman and child in the nation, according to a University of Illinois legal expert. Law professor Robert Lawless says pro-business rulings by the high court have saddled […]
Flash Index: Illinois economy continues slide
The UI Flash Index – first indicator of the state’s economy each month – continued its downward trend in May, falling to 102.3. The index dropped five-tenths of a point from its reading in April and reached its lowest point since September 2004, when it was at 102.2. The 102.3 Flash Index reading in May […]
Study: Women make management strides when firms downsize, restructure
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Women can make inroads into male-dominated management ranks as companies that downsize restructure their scaled-back workforces, according to new research by a University of Illinois labor expert. John Dencker says the findings are surprising because downsizing whittles the pool of jobs available for both men and women, but also show that firms […]