Employers that suspect that employees have been stealing should know the rules governing their investigations–and whether an employee’s confession will stick in court. The Appeals Court of Massachusetts recently reviewed some of the rules for employer investigation of suspected workplace theft.

What happened. Claire Miller, a cashier at a Home Depot store [location not stated] had $1,000 missing from her cash drawer when she finished her shift on February 23, 2003. The next day, two investigators from The Home Depot’s loss prevention group asked her to leave her register and led her to a small room. There, Miller said, one of them loomed over her and the other blocked the door. They refused to allow her to call her husband or a lawyer and told her she could leave the room only after she signed a confession.

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Without Due Diligence, Employers May Be Held Liable for Misconduct

Outsourced and temporary employees have become a major presence in many companies in recent years, and they have their own set of security risks.

“Companies are basically keeping a core staff, and getting rid of the rest of their employees,” said Joseph Musacchio, president and CEO of nextSource Inc., a New York City-based company that provides what it bills as a “one-stop shop” for staffing and related services to companies worldwide, including San Diego. “People want as little in the direct payroll as possible, keeping only what is necessary to run the business.”

In this age of technology, forms of online expression such as MySpace and Facebook have become increasingly popular amidst our generation.

With these new forms of expression, new issues about privacy are being raised; particularly issues over employment. The question is, should employers be able to hire or fire based, at least in part, on the information posted on an employee or potential employee’s profile? Well, let’s examine the issue, shall we?

A person’s profile is a place for self-expression in the virtual world. It’s a place to project a tiny piece of personality using any type of media you’d prefer. Photos, videos, graphics, songs, quotes, and Favorites lists are all there to say, “This right here is me. This is what I like and what I do. This is who I am, and I want you all to see it!” It’s an environment that puts you in complete control of how others view you. You can be anyone you want to be, just like mommy always told you.

When Debbie Bennett prepares to hire a new employee she has to be careful to conduct the appropriate level of reference and security checks without running afoul of human rights and privacy law.

Ms. Bennett, vice-president of human resources and finance at the Ottawa Citizen and the incoming chairwoman of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario, says: “You can’t do a background check willy-nilly.” Rather, she says, there has got to be a “bona fide reason behind it.”

For example, Ms. Bennett says, she would not hire somebody with access to money without checking to see if there were charges for embezzlement or fraud on their record. “I don’t care if it’s a DWI charge unless it’s an obligation of the job.”

20th Century Fox served YouTube with a subpoena Wednesday

20th Century Fox served YouTube with a subpoena Wednesday demanding the Google-owned viral video site disclose the identity of a user who uploaded copies of entire recent episodes of primetime series “24″ and “The Simpsons.”

The subpoena, which first came to light on the blog Google Watch was granted by a judge in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after being filed by the News Corp.-owned studio on Jan. 18. It is not yet known whether YouTube has complied with the request.

In addition, a second, lesser-known video site, LiveDigital, was also served with a similar subpoena.

A Fox spokesman confirmed the subpoena was filed to both YouTube and LiveDigital and served but declined further comment. A spokesman for YouTube declined comment.

The “24″ episodes in question actually appeared on YouTube prior to their primetime Jan. 14 premiere on the Fox broadcast network, which spread four hourlong episodes of the hit drama over two consecutive nights. Fox became aware the episodes were on YouTube on Jan. 8, according to the subpoena.

Businesses that rent, borrow, lease or offer financing on products face risk of non-payment. When a customer does not make payment, the business stands to lose considerable amounts of money. Investing in a professional investigator with repossession experience can be the best way to collect property legally without losing additional money.

The repossession process today really begins with the way companies do business. In today’s business world, many companies sell products and offer financing at the same time or lease and rent products. In all these cases, there is a risk that the customer will simply not honour their contract and will not pay.

When a customer does not pay, the business has a few options. They can write off the loss, they can keep trying to collect on the delinquent account, or they can repossess the item that has not been paid for. Repossession is a legal process that allows a business to legally take over a product in cases where a contract has been broken. No business likes to repossess – it is a costly hassle and still results in some loss of money – but in cases where money cannot be recovered, repossession lets a company recover some of their lost money and assets.
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Few B-school applicants lie on their entry materials. But that doesn’t mean someone isn’t taking a close look

Potential B-school students are advised to learn from the real world of business. That includes the bad episodes as well, such as the incident last year in which RadioShack (RSH) Chief Executive David Edmonson was forced to resign over résumé inaccuracies. And while most B-school applicants are honest in the application process, the prevailing attitude at many admissions offices is a variation of the Reagan-era mantra, “Trust, but verify.”

For many students, that means opening up to a background check, something that’s becoming more common throughout the business world. And while few applicants out-and-out lie on their entry forms, the occasional misstep does get caught. And often, the one who has overseen the catching is Brian Lapidus, vice-president for strategic development at the background screening division of risk-consulting firm Kroll (MMC) in Nashville.

Businesses are becoming more worried about trademarks and with good reason – trademark infringement can undermine entire marketing campaigns and can even drive customers away. Trademark and intellectual property infringement investigations are the best way for companies to protect themselves.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, between 1994 and 2002, the number of instances in which civil remedies were sought in patent, trademark, and copyright infringement cases increased by 20% — to 8,254. Trademark violations are obviously big news. To businesses and companies, infringement can also mean big problems and big losses.

Trademarks are names, logos, symbols, jingles, words, or slogans that companies use to distinguish one service or product from others. Businesses put a lot of effort into creating and registering trademarks that will appeal to customers and create a strong brand image. Trademark violations occur when a business or person inadvertently or intentionally makes use of a logo, name, jingle, or other marketing tool from another business.
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