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When does an idea belong to an employee and when can a company claim incubation rights? Richard Mason, the incoming director of SMU's Maguire Ethics Center and current distinguished professor in MIS at SMU's Cox School of Business, tackles this issue. Using the case of Brown v. DSC Communications, Mason discusses questions including who owns intellectual property and where is the line between ideas created at work and those created on personal time.

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The bottom line is this - life is negotiation." However, research shows that less 50% of people don't negotiate their salary. In a new soon-to-be- published book by Dr. Robin Pinkley of Southern Methodist University and her partner, Gregory Norhtcraft of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the authors help professionals redefine the negotiation playing field. Entitled "Turning Lead to Gold: The Experts Guide to Negotiating Salary & Compensation," this innovative book shows how the professional who fails to successfully negotiate his/her salary shorts themself by literally millions over the life of a career.

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A new paper issued by Resources for the Future looks at a variety of factors that may influence the rate at which state legislators and regulators move toward establishing retail competition among electricity suppliers. Researchers find that legislators are more likely to have considered adopting retail wheeling if consumers have much to gain from lower prices, or prices differ substantially from those in neighboring states.

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Shoppers buy more if they see a supermarket display that advertises a specific purchase quantity number, such as ì3 for $3.00,î or ìLimit 12 cans per person.î By varying the displays in 89 supermarkets in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Iowa, it was discovered that numerical displays increased the sales of some products by over 100%.

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Your employer unjustly accuses you of stealing $50 from the office coffee fund. You are able to prove your innocence, but your employer fires you anyway. Can your boss legally do this? If, like most non-union employees, you do not have a specific ìjust-causeî employment contract, the answer is: Yes. A survey conducted by a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis uncovered that an overwhelming majority of employees erroneously believe they are legally protected against being unjustly or arbitrarily discharged.

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The Clinton Administration is missing a key tool in its efforts to chart a strong energy future, namely a strategy to maintain a viable nuclear energy program.

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Business call center budgets are growing by 12 percent per year, salaries are on the rise, and employee turnover is down, according to a Purdue University study.

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Twenty university-level student teams from around the world (including one each from Russia, Ecuador, Mexico and South Africa) will compete for the $10,000 top prize in the Ninth Annual NASDAQ-SDSU International Student Business Plan Competition hosted by San Diego State University's Entrepreneurial Management Center. The forum provides students with the experience of pitching their business concept to seasoned professionals in a way that mirrors real life. Students gain invaluable input and business contacts they likely would not have made on their own.

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St. John's University (NY) Establishes Financial Services Institute which will prepare men and women for careers in the global financial services sector as well as expand the knowledge and skills of individuals already working in the industry.

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ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and the Ministry of Labour of The Peopleís Republic of China have agreed on a program of joint assessment of boiler and pressure vessel manufacturers.

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A new book released by Resources for the Future (RFF) documents the progress made in controlling pollution in the U.S. over the last two decades but also finds that there are many unaddressed problems and a pressing need for a major overhaul of the regulatory system. The 336-page book, "Pollution Control in the United States: Evaluating the System," is the culmination of a three-year investigation by RFF's J. Clarence (Terry) Davies and Jan Mazurek. It is the most balanced and comprehensive review to date of the successes and failures of U.S. environmental laws.

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Babson faculty delivered customized exxecutive programs to Colonia Insurance, DunkinDonuts, LIMRA, Olsten Health Services, Petroleos de Venezuela, and Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme.

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Even accountants are confused by the burgeoning tax code and its '97 Taxpayer Relief Act. BYU's Fred Streuling, head of a national CPA Tax Simplification Committee, lightheartedly attacks the new law - "It's a slap in the face" - and warns that some of its promised tax breaks are not all they seem.

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Baltimore Gas and Electric to replace steam generators at its two-unit nuclear power plant and continue to seek renewal of operating licenses for an additional 20 years.

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"Run, don't walk, to the patent office" and "go national tomorrow" was the advice from the judges to the winner of the 1998 Burton Morgan Entrepreneurial Competition at Purdue University. They were talking about a school locker for disabled students that was the big winner at the 11th annual competition. Eleven teams presented business and marketing plans along with product prototypes to a panel of judges during the final round of competition Saturday (2/28).

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The MBA in International Marketing and Finance (MBA/IMF) offered by DePaul's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in Chicago combines classroom instruction in international finance and marketing with lengthy business internships at multinational firms around the world. "It's an international marketplace today, and business education must reflect this," said Ashok Batavia, director of the MBA/IMF program.

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A national sporting goods company's pitch to a West Virginia University faculty member may become a hit with youth baseball and softball players-in-training.

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In response to environmental challenges to reduce vehicle weight, the steel industry unveils the UltraLight Steel Auto Body, a four-year, $22 million investment in the future.

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West Virginia University has formed a partnership with the nation's largest supplier of information management software to provide the school's financial and human resources management database system.

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The formula for finding a good lawyer isn't much different from the approaches most consumers use to find a good mechanic, contractor or plumber. Here's some consumer advice on how to spot the legal eagles from the turkeys.

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This monthly electronic broadcast is designed to keep you up-to-date on happenings at the Babson School of Executive Education, a provider of management development programs to clients around the world. Last month the School delivered custom executive programs to Atlantic Data Services, Pitney Bowes, Schwan's Sales Enterprises and Siemens Nixdorf.

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Investors seeking to understand high finance should examine haute couture because finance and fashion styles are often cut from the same cloth, says a Bucknell finance professor.

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Land use is a confusing and volatile issue in the Hoosier state in the '90s.

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On-line resources to assist reporters in covering Steve Hanke, the Johns Hopkins University economist who is advising Indonesian president Suharto on implementing a currency board.

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The corporate practice of managing earnings by carefully timing the sale of investment securities leads analysts to overvalue a company's common stock, says Eric Hirst, an accounting professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Employer market power can be a major force for promoting quality and value of health care for Americans, according to a new report by the federal government's Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR).

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For parents who are saving up to fund their childrenπs college educations, yesterdayπs savings strategies may not be best in light of new tax laws that went into effect this year, according to an expert from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

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Boston College's Carroll School of Management has been awarded a $477,000 grant from the GE Fund "Learning Excellence" program to develop an innovative curriculum plan promoting interdisciplinary approaches to the solution of corporate business problems.

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Surveys show that farmers haven't grabbed hold of the Internet to the extent that the general population has, but many in agriculture expect that to change as the benefits of linking rural farms and businesses electronically becomes more apparent.

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Professional tax preparers have been warned, and consumers would do well to heed the advice: income tax information you find on the World Wide Web is likely to be old, out-of-date, and just plain wrong, according to Alan Sumutka, professor of accounting at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ.

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Robert Vecchio, the Franklin D. Schurz Professor of Management at the University of Notre Dame, has edited a new book on leadership in the workplace. Published by the University of Notre Dame Press, "Leadership: Understanding the Dynamics of Power and Influence in Organizations" is an anthology of key writings by leading scholars in the field.

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Baltimore Orioles third baseman, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Sinai Health System have formed a partnership to establish Cal Ripken, Jr., Sports Acceleration centers, advanced, sports-specific training programs for athletes. Sports Acceleration will develop several centers in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area.

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It began long ago as a special day for lovers. But modern marketing has transformed St. Valentine's Day into a commercial holiday for all to enjoy, according to n assistant professor of marketing at the University of Maine.

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A Virginia Tech researcher estimates that the Department of Defense spends close to $1 billion annually on service members experiencing personal financial management difficulties.

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Business owners of tomorrow are getting their first crack at entrepreneurship through college competitions. Purdue University's annual Burton D. Morgan Entrepreneurial Competition is one of several contests around the country that allow students to test the validity of original business plans and earn cash awards for their efforts.

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Texas now has one of the country's most advanced and professional environments for moving new graduates into the workplace with the grand opening of its new Corporate Interviewing Center February 5.

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Small religious non-profit organizations face serious challenges in raising and managing money for their programs, two studies by DePaul University professors have found. Roadblocks include philanthropy officers who misunderstand the organizations' eligibility for grants and a lack of financial management expertise among religious non-profit managers, according to the studies.

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If you're a small business battling a giant national retailer, having an affiliation with a trade-name franchise may not give a competitive advantage, a new study suggests. The small retailers that survive and prosper in such a competitive environment tend to be independent stores and focus on providing knowledge-intensive service to their customers, according to researchers.

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Small high-tech businesses and entrepreneurs are partnering with Purdue University and other schools across the country to leverage their skills and government seed money into business and educational opportunities and new high-tech jobs.

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The Asian financial crisis provides an opportunity to consider a new international currency system. The current model isnπt working. Countries in Asia which once thought to be financial powerhouses are now in need of huge financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund.

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A Cornell marketing professor says prestige and worldwide attention, not just sales, influence Super Bowl advertising decisions

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When a customer walks in the door of a hotel or restaurant, how employees act may send a louder message than their words. "As far as a customer is concerned, front-line employees in the service industry are the business," says Joseph La Lopa, assistant professor in the Purdue University Department of Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional and Tourism Management. La Lopa has developed a video and workbook for training front-line employees in tourist and hospitality businesses.

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A Virginia Tech researcher estimates that the Department of Defense (DOD) spends close to $1 billion annually on service members experiencing personal financial management difficulties. E. Thomas Garman calculates that the direct costs of assistance programs and indirect costs of lost productivity due to financial stresses costs the DOD between $677 and $957 million each year.

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New idea: Convert closed military bases into "renewal communities"-- tightly regulated small towns giving thousands of Americans on welfare a fresh start in life.

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The World Wide Web is revolutionizing the way corporations recruit from business schools, and Purdue's Krannert Graduate School of Management is ready. The Krannert graduate student placement office Web site offers recruiters on-line access to the resume and e-mail link of every graduate student currently enrolled.

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Institutions are no better at picking future high performing IPO stocks than the average investor, find Meeta Kothare, an assistant professor of finance at the University of Texas at Austin, and Gita Rao, vice president at Colonial Mutual Funds in Boston.

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The April 3-10 National Community Economic Development Institute is designed for people eager to make a valuable contribution in their community by helping it prosper economically. No formal business administration background is required to attend. It is a valuable resource for government and business employees, community-based organizations and volunteers who deal with community outreach.

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In the face of heavy competition from alternative format retailers such as Wal-Mart, traditional grocers seeking survival strategies may employ "efficient assortment" without negatively impacting customers' perceptions as they have long feared.

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A new study soon-to-be published in the Journal of Business Ethics finds that most major corporations that have formal "ethics" programs are only "going through the motions."

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A Purdue University marketing professor says the corporate emphasis on short-term profits is changing consumer purchasing behavior and cutting into long-term profits.