Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers: Are They out of Luck?

Research shows that employees are more apt to report fraud or other wrongdoing in the workplace when they know that whistleblower protection exists, says Northeastern University accounting professor Charles Bame-Aldred. An abstract of the study he helped conduct indicates, in part:

In the presence of protection, the influence of retaliation disappeared, as whistleblowing was perceived equally likely whether retaliation was threatened or not.

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JetBlue puts holidays and flights on eBay

US airline JetBlue is selling more than 300 flights and six holiday packages on internet auction site eBay.

The last-minute budget flights have opening bids set between 5 cents and 10 cents.

The flights are to more than 20 mainly US destinations including New York, Boston and southern California. There are also a handful of "mystery" holiday packages to undisclosed locations.

Harlan Platt, a finance professor at Northeastern University in Boston who follows the airline industry, said the auctions would provide "word-of-mouth" advertising for the discount carrier.

"I think it's a great idea," he said. "In this day and age, people are inundated with ads as they are sitting on airplanes or at airports. A subtle advertisement such as this could be very effective."

He said the auctions would probably produce final bids between 85pc and 90pc of the flight's, or package's, usual price.

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Impact of negative economic news on holiday shopping patterns

I thought you might be interested in Tony Gao’s thoughts on the impact of negative news about the economy on holiday shopping patterns. Tony Gao is a marketing professor and retail expert from the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University:

"If the negative news generally reflects what’s been happening with the economic situations facing the American consumers, then it may influence holiday shopping in several different ways,” Prof Gao states:

1. What's behind the negative news, i.e., the actual worsening of the financial situations for some consumers related to the increasingly tight housing market hurts the buying power of these consumers.

2. The ensuring tightening of banks' credit lending rules has made it harder for all consumers to borrow money to finance their holiday purchases.

3. The rising oil prices, rising food prices, and declining dollars have jointly eroded our buying power, especially for non-necessity purchasing and buying of imported products.

4. The negative news and anticipation for a slow holiday business season actually propel retailers to offer more and larger sales as a way to lure consumers into the store (online or offline). The competition among retailers in offering sales will drive down the profit margin for the retailers but actually benefit the consumers.

5. The general consumer population has been alerted the down turn of the economy and this fact may help lead to a more prudent spending habit. This is where the media itself can influence the holiday purchase behaviors of shoppers.

Two related impacts on holiday shopping are in order:

6. A related series of negative news, that on the recalls of millions of imported toys due to health hazard concerns may also influence how gifts to children are bought and sent during this season. It may encourage more adult consumers to purchase gift cards in lieu of actual toys for their children relatives.

7. The declining dollar again the Euro and in the past year, again the Canadian dollar, helps attract more international shoppers or tourists to US shopping malls or tourist destinations."

Tony’s bio can be seen here: http://cba.neu.edu/faculty/directory_detail.cfm?e=240

Networking for You Non-Networking Types

Networking skills can be vital in landing a job, particularly in a struggling economy. Experts say the most common way people find jobs is through personal referrals, whether through friends, relatives or professional contacts. But reaching out to others can be tough for people who aren't naturally outgoing.

Here are a few steps shy people can take to conquer their fear of networking:

Start with low-hanging fruit. If you are nervous about making the initial contacts, start by "talking to your relatives and friends and begin asking questions about what they do, who they know" and how they can help you, says Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University. Talk to people at your alumni association, community group or even a neighborhood bar: The more nets you cast, the greater your chances of finding someone who can help you -- and the more comfortable you get with the process.

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U.S. restaurants see opportunity as rivals bankrupt

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Opportunity beckons for restaurant survivors in what may be a record year for industry bankruptcies that free up plum U.S. locations and ease competition.

Eateries are going belly up faster than usual, said Ron Paul, president of restaurant consulting firm Technomic. "We are already running slightly ahead of pace. Typically in slow times we have seen at least six per year."

S&A Restaurant Corp, owner of the Bennigan's and Steak & Ale chains, last week filed for Chapter 7 liquidation, shuttering dozens of company-owned restaurants and becoming the fourth large chain to go bankrupt this year.

But those publicly held chains are more the exception than the rule. Unlike retailers, most restaurant operators -- excluding those owned by public equity firms -- do not pile on loads of debt.

Harlan Platt, a professor of finance at Northeastern University, said that while the industry would likely see more small or marginal restaurant chains fail, the demise of Bennigan's and Steak & Ale does not foretell an avalanche of bankruptcies in the restaurant industry.

"I don't think it's a sign that the end is near. I'm surprised they lasted a long as they did," Platt said.

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Market pressure forcing MSFT to reconsider YHOO?

As the agreement between Yahoo and Google has fallen through, many in the media are speculating about what this means for Microsoft and another possible acquisition attempt of Yahoo. I thought you might be interested in some thoughts from Emery Trahan, Ph.D., the Donald J. Harding Professor of Finance at Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration (you can find his bio here: http://cba.neu.edu/faculty/directory_detail.cfm?e=37):

“Carl Ichan, a major Yahoo shareholder, is urging Yahoo to seek the sale of its search business to Microsoft. While Yahoo management may still be reluctant to do a deal with Microsoft, Microsoft and major Yahoo shareholders may be eager. Since the original offer from Microsoft on February 1st until the offer was dropped on May 2nd, Yahoo shares were up consistently close to 50%, while Microsoft was down around 10%, while the NASDAQ composite was up around 3.5%. The market saw clear value to Yahoo shareholders from a merger, and questioned the value to Microsoft. As of November 6th, Microsoft is down almost 36% and Yahoo is down over 27%, while the NASDAQ is down almost 33%,” Dr. Trahan says. “While the broad tech market is down, clearly Microsoft is under pressure to do something and Yahoo shareholders are still feeling burned from the loss of value due to not doing a deal with Microsoft. With Google and Yahoo abandoning their plans for a deal on an advertising pact this week, due largely to regulatory pressure, and Microsoft trying to steal a deal with Verizon from Google, the door may again be open for a Microsoft Yahoo merger, or at least a deal for Yahoo's search business. Obama's recent election win may slow the short-term pressure, as a change in antitrust enforcers early next year may lead to a more accommodating regulatory climate.”