Tar Heel Business

Inside this issue: Big Losses Sustained by the UNC Investment Fund The Rise of National Champions Fed Remains Unchanged on Interest Rates Can the UN Climate Conference Really Lead to Change? German Elections: Implications of the New Coalition Alternative Investments Still Being Hit Hard Despite Violence, Mexican Economy Pushes On Advocating "Health" in Healthcare Reform December-2009 Read More

This is an article written back in April that was released in print, but never posted on the website.  Since executive compensation is still such a hot-button issue, I think it would be good to post it. When AIG came out and announced that it was going to pay $218 million in bonuses to the employees of its financial services division, there was quite an uproar from the public and policymakers alike.  This is the same division that has contributed to the systemic ... Read More

New York City thought that it could improve the health of its citizens when it passed a law in 2008 requiring restaurants such as McDonalds and Wendy's to label the calories in their products.  The thought behind this measure was that many customers were choosing unhealthy options merely because they were uninformed about nutritional information. However, a recent study by New York University conducted in low income areas of New York has challenged this assumption.  In fact, the research shows that the average ... Read More

Conventional political theory holds that the basis of worldly influence, or "soft power", has its foundation in the economic or military force known as "hard power".  As globalization has enabled more and more countries to acquire hard power through bustling economic growth, these nations now want to assert their own beliefs and institutions on the world in the form of soft power. It was not long ago that the U.S. was lecturing countries like China and Indonesia on the necessity of free markets, ... Read More

Hello again everybody, and welcome to a new school year.  A lot of notable things have happened in the business world over summer break, and we will be sure to look back at the most important events in future articles while still being engaged in current events and the future outlook of the economy. The issue I have been most drawn to recently has been the late Cash for Clunkers program.  There has been a lot of media coverage about it, and there ... Read More

China has been making headlines recently in many aspects of global policy.  Whether it has been demanding more IMF voting power or berating the dollar's reserve currency status, China is aggressively asserting itself in an attempt to gain more global clout. Read More

You won't hear me say this much, but Jim Cramer was right with his dispute with Jon Stewart. Here's why. Read More

General Electric has long been considered one of America's most trusted and admired companies.  Thomas Edison, the great American inventor, started General Electric back in 1890 to manufacture and distribute light bulbs.  GE was one of the first 12 companies to be put on the Dow Jones and since then, has expanded at a breathtaking rate.  Thomas Edison's brainchild is now the world's tenth largest company and some divisions in GE are the size of Fortune 30 companies. Read More

Having trouble finding an internship or job this coming summer?  If your answer is yes, you aren't alone. Edwin Koc at The National Association of Colleges and Employers states that "job prospects for the class of 2009 are considerably below those for the previous five graduating classes."  Further sobering, Koc alludes to the inverse relationship between the unemployment rate and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Read More

Despite the crisis and sensational headlines, the rumors about bank nationalization are probably just that: unfounded rumors. Here's why. Read More