Clement Pappas and Company Inc., the operator of a canning company based in Seabrook, New Jersey, has agreed to a merger with the Quebec-based firm, Lassonde Industries. Lassonde will possess a majority of the merged companies. Clement Pappas will be run as a subsidiary of Lassonde, and the Pappas family will own a minority stake in the merged companies.
A few things to keep in mind when naming your new business
When you are dreaming about that new business you want to start, finding the perfect name for the company might be your first step toward actually making it happen. A recent article in Inc. by Dave Smith discusses some things to keep in mind when trying to find the right name for your new business. The article brings together what the author believes are "five characteristics of great company names." Below are a few of those thoughts.
Ownership of "Friday" Song and Video in Dispute
"It's Friday, Friday/Gotta get down on Friday/Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend." So sang Rebecca Black in her viral love it/hate it music video. Now, Rebecca Black and her mother, Georgina Marquez Kelly, have filed a lawsuit against Ark Music Factory, accusing the company of copyright infringement and unlawful exploitation of publicity rights.
New Jersey lottery winner sues state for breach of contract
A Rockaway woman has filed a lawsuit against the state of New Jersey claiming breach of contract in an attempt to secure a $1.58 million tax refund that she says the state is unfairly keeping from her.
Supreme Court says Wal-Mart sex bias class-action lawsuit cannot proceed
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the sex discrimination lawsuit brought by several women on behalf of 1.5 million current and former female employees of Wal-Mart could not proceed as a class action. The decision to dismiss the class-action lawsuit was unanimous. If it would have been allowed to proceed, the lawsuit would have been the largest class action to ever proceed against a private employer. Had the lawsuit gone forward and succeeded, it could have cost Wal-Mart billions of dollars in damages.
Businesses can be held liable for bad behavior of employees
A company that grows beyond fifteen employees must make sure that their sexual harassment policies are in line with federal employment law. Employers must craft anti-harassment policies and make sure all employees understand what sexual harassment is and that it is prohibited. Employees must also know how they can file a complaint and these complaints must be followed up on. An employer should realize that even if they follow the rules, they can still be held liable for their employees' bad behavior.
Groupon now in competition with Foursquare
An interesting article written by Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry for Business Insider discusses some of the ways Groupon is using new business ventures to compete with other similar companies. In particular, Groupon has begun to allow customers to redeem coupons with store loyalty cards. This allows Groupon to compete with larger coupon businesses that work with prominent retailers, as well as with Foursquare. Despite speculations that the two companies might merge, Groupon and Foursquare are now officially competitors.
DOJ antitrust regulators looking into bids for patents by Apple and Google
A recent business move by both Apple and Google toward purchasing a great deal of technology patents has alerted the attention of the Department of Justice. According to a recent article in the International Business Times by James Lee Phillips, the U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating possible antitrust issues with Apple and Google in this potential purchase.
Borders gets bankruptcy extension to reorganize business
The bookstore chain giant, Borders Group Inc, is currently working on reorganizing the company while protected by Chapter 11 bankruptcy status. On Thursday, the company appealed to a bankruptcy judge to be given more time to put together a plan for exiting bankruptcy. Borders' attorneys said that the company was suddenly getting multiple offers to buy some or all of its stores still in operation and wanted more time to negotiate a sale.
