From the category archives:

Competition

Do More New Lawyers Mean Lower Wages For Lawyers?

by Doug Park January 13, 2010

Do more lawyers mean lower wages for lawyers? The legal blogosphere has been abuzz since Mark Greenbaum argued in the Los Angeles Times that too many new lawyers drives down lawyers’ wages. However, Mr. Greenbaum’s argument is based on misunderstandings of competition in the legal industry.
To summarize, Mr. Greenbaum contends that there are too many [...]

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Pfizer, Alternative Fees, And Competition

by Doug Park December 30, 2009

Companies are increasingly forcing their outside counsel to offer an alternative fee for legal work. Pfizer is the latest example. The pharmaceutical giant recently formed the Pfizer Legal Alliance, a group of nineteen law firms who will provide legal services for the entire year for a flat fee.
Pfizer’s general counsel, Amy Schulman, leads the company’s [...]

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How To Make High Tech Mergers Work

by Doug Park October 4, 2009

Mergers are difficult to make work.  Many large mergers have failed to meet expectations for a variety of reasons. What can companies do to make high tech mergers work?
Jon Schwarz, a member of the Executive Board of SAP with extensive merger and acquisition experience, addressed this question at a recent Wharton Club of Northern California event.
The [...]

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Companies Competing To Be Green

by Doug Park September 27, 2009

Companies are increasingly competing to be green. The news is full of corporate initiatives concerning sustainability and environmental impact. What metrics are companies using to measure greenness, and do they make sense?
Newsweek’s Green Rankings

Newsweek just released its first Green Rankings of the Standard & Poor’s 500. The following factors were used to rank the companies:

an [...]

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Creating Markets For Patents

by Doug Park September 22, 2009

The New York Times recently reported on the emerging patent marketplace. The idea is that a market where patents can be bought and sold would reduce the costs of patent litigation and promote innovation. What are the prospects for success of a patent marketplace?
Patents As Commodities?
For a patent marketplace to operate efficiently, it would certainly [...]

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How Directors Can Link Risk Oversight To Corporate Strategy

by Doug Park September 17, 2009

In 2008, the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) published a white paper recommending that boards pay close attention to the connection between risk oversight and corporate strategy. What is the relationship between risk oversight and corporate strategy, and why does it matter?
Recommendation 1: Mitigate The Risks Of Strategy Implementation
NACD contends that the overarching goal [...]

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Does Diversity On Boards Of Directors Improve Corporate Performance?

by Doug Park September 14, 2009

Panelists at a recent Stanford Law School conference made a case for diversity on corporate boards, citing data, anecdotal evidence, and principle based arguments in support. That raises the ultimate question: Does board diversity affect corporate performance?
The Case For Diversity On Corporate Boards
The Rock Center for Corporate Governance, CalPERS and CalSTRS co-sponsored this event. Since [...]

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Intellectual Property And Open Innovation On The Smart Grid

by Doug Park August 27, 2009

Will the smart grid develop through proprietary intellectual or open innovation? To what extent can both contribute to the smart grid’s growth? The answers to these questions will have a huge influence on how the smart grid works and what it ultimately does for energy efficiency. In this post, I offer a few thoughts on [...]

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Strategic Implications of China’s Draft Regulations On Price Monopolies

by Doug Park August 24, 2009

China’s Anti-Monopoly Law, implemented in August 2008, continues to take shape. The National Development and Reform Commission recently issued draft regulations regarding price monopolies. The proposed regulations apply to monopoly price activities both within and outside China, when the activities outside China affect price competition in the domestic market.
What The Proposed Regulations Cover

The regulations cover [...]

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Implications Of China’s Appeal Of The WTO Ruling

by Doug Park August 17, 2009

After last week’s WTO ruling regarding China’s importation of copyrighted materials, China has announced that it will appeal the decision. What are the implications of the appeal?
Reasons For China’s Appeal

China has given two related responses to the WTO ruling. First, China contends that the importation of copyrighted materials, including music, books, and movies is “completely [...]

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