ANN ARBOR - For the first time since World War II, a disconnect exists between Michigan?s economy and the national economy. For more than five years, Michigan?s economy has lagged behind the national economy; plagued by budget deficits, funding woes and unemployment ? which have all become symptoms of a much larger problem: Michigan is
TRAVERSE CITY - I receive a lot of calls from people and companies who are being threatened with an Anti-Cyber Squatting Consumer Protection Act claim because they registered a domain name identical or similar to a trademark held by someone else. Inevitably, I hear the words ?Network Solutions allowed me to register the domain, so
TRAVERSE CITY ? A non-compete contract is an agreement signed by an employee where he or she agrees that they will not engage in certain employment within a certain geographic area for a certain period of time after they quit or are fired. Likewise, a non-solicitation contract binds the employee not to contact the employer?s
ANN ARBOR ? It?s a typical scenario: two companies cooperate in a joint research and development project which includes an upfront business arrangement concerning the ownership, manufacture and sale of the resulting technology and intellectual property. If the project is successful, it generates unique product ideas, samples and prototypes are exchanged, and programs are developed
ANN ARBOR - Here we are in late October, with just over two months to go until Christmas. Once again we in the tech world will look to see what online shopping trends we can discern. For about the umpteenth time someone will declare that this is the year online shopping ?gets serious.? Of course,
TROY - I have come a long way with PR, from hand delivered press releases to mass e-mails; we have both been changed by technology, writes John Bailey, founder of John Bailey & Associates public relations, in his latest blog entry. In fact, a colleague recently told me that I was ?old school?, but have
DETROIT - Consider this. A terrorist group brings down the entire Pacific Northwest electrical grid. Then they disable telecommunication between the U.S. East and West Coast. Then, they shut down the air traffic control system for New York, grounding all air-traffic into and out of the Northeast while at the same time preventing all credit
TROY - With more than 30 years in the PR field, I have seen a multitude of technology and techniques come and go. With new waves of technology, old tactics are being pushed aside for something flashy, immediate and far reaching. When I started in PR, it was easier to build meaningful relationships with journalists
ANN ARBOR - Every year, the federal government authorizes spending of almost $1 trillion for goods and services that range from purchasing pencils to Apache helicopters. Yet with all this opportunity, many businesses shy away from creating a government affairs strategy to obtain government grants and contracts because they believe that the process is cumbersome
ANN ARBOR - Wi-Fi or wireless networks deliver tremendous benefits. They provide the ability to connect to the Internet almost anywhere at anytime. You can connect in your home, office, or the coffee shop without being tethered to a wall jack, and Wi-Fi is built into most laptop PC?s. Wi-Fi is also easy to set