The Impact of Laws on U.S. Business Environment
Student Name Withheld
Business Administration, University of the People
BUS 3305-01: Business Law and Ethics
Iletha Miller (Instructor)
April 12, 2023
The Impact of Laws on U.S. Business Environment
The legal environment of business plays a crucial role in shaping how companies operate, compete, and innovate. In the United States, laws significantly impact businesses through antitrust regulations, employment laws, and intellectual property rights, protecting consumers, employees, and the overall market (Lau & Johnson, 2011; Teacher, Law, 2013). Understanding the legal environment is essential for businesses to minimize liability exposure and navigate potential regulatory challenges (Lau
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First, simplifying the laws would make them more accessible and easier for businesses to understand and follow (Lau & Johnson, 2011). Second, tailored requirements for small businesses could help reduce the burdens associated with compliance (Fishman, 2019). For example, smaller companies could be granted exemptions from specific regulations or provided additional support to help them adhere to the laws. Lastly, better coordination between federal and state laws is essential to minimize confusion, disparity, and potential conflicts (Lau & Johnson, 2011).
In conclusion, employment laws in the United States serve a crucial purpose in regulating employer-employee relationships, protecting workers, and promoting workplace safety. While these laws have several positive outcomes, they also introduce challenges for businesses regarding increased costs and administrative burdens. Improvements could be made through simplification, tailored requirements for small businesses, and better coordination between federal and state laws. By addressing these issues, a more balanced and effective legal environment can be established, benefiting employees and
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Each of these areas of law plays a crucial role in shaping how businesses operate, compete, and innovate, as well as in protecting consumers, employees, and the overall market (Lau & Johnson, 2011). Nevertheless, striking a balance between regulation and freedom for businesses is essential to promote economic growth and ensure that businesses can adapt to evolving environments (Teacher, 2013).
Antitrust laws protect consumers and ensure fair competition, while employment laws regulate employer-employee relationships and protect workers' rights (Chen, 2022; Fishman, 2019). Intellectual property rights promote innovation and protect inventors, but they must be carefully balanced to encourage follow-on innovation and avoid hindering competition (Wiens & Jackson, 2015). Consequently, the continuous improvement and adaptation of laws in response to changing business environments are
Introduction The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 proved to be the impetus for sweeping change, not just in fire and worker safety, but in labor law and employee rights in general. Prior to the fire, workplace safety was largely focused on the protection of buildings and assets rather than the people who worked in the buildings. The only incentives for greater protections came from reduced insurance premiums, with little or no enforcement on the part of government officials. Following a series of strikes over working conditions, the Triangle fire came at the peak of the fight between companies and laborers. The disaster and resulting loss of life sparked a different kind of fire in the bellies of the public, forcing the government
With the burden of proof shifted, the ICC became far more powerful as leveraging court cases became more favorable to the commission. The Hepburn Act also extended the ICC’s jurisdiction to private car companies, which gave it greater scope in carrying out regulations to promote fair business practice. By setting a precedent as a regulatory commission and empowerment in the courts, the ICC would likely serve as a model for future regulation of industry in
Just earlier this very year, there was a horrible fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where 146 workers perished. Some died from the fire and others from jumping from the windows in order to escape it. Triangle Shirtwaist has brought the plight of these poor workers to the forefront as the public takes notice of the lack of safety measures in place at not just this factory, but many similar workplaces, and demands that something be done to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. I believe one of the first steps to creating a safer workplace is having government regulations in place that prevent the mistreatment of workers and ensure that employees can escape in case of emergency. The regulations themselves should not be just broad, but address the many issues that workers face in order to give the workers the safest and healthiest working environment possible.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was an influential event in American history that caused workers and business owners all of the country to revisit their work-related regulations. Many dangers that occurred as a result of the factory owners’ actions caused the tragedy to be more harmful than necessary. Other preventable mistakes made by the firemen and their equipment added to the tragic nature of this event. America has learned that factories and businesses need safer rules and work environments to protect their employees. Because of this tragic event in the nation’s history, the government passed an abundance of laws to support the safety of workers and their work conditions.
Conflicts between workers and employers are prevalent to this day. From fair wages, to better working conditions, and even to appropriate healthcare, there is always some form of questioning that needs to be addressed. Dating back to the late 1800’s the economy and labor market of the United States underwent massive changes which mainly revolved around people of all different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds becoming wage laborers. Due to these previously unheard-of changes, a conflict between the employees and employers began. Therefore, in order to resolve labor issues, through great difficulty workers created unions and protested against their employers.
This regulation made business more fair and more morally right for the good of the country and the
Before the progressive era, business was left unregulated and free to oppress works and consumers with poor product quality, safety, and low wages and long hours for employees. One reform that contributed to reversing this awful trend came by gradual antitrust and business regulation. The Sherman Anti-Trust act was first passed in 1890, but President Roosevelt became the first President to enforce the law, breaking up so many trusts that he gained the nickname, “Teddy, The trustbuster”. Along with enforcing the business regulations already on the books, many other laws were passed such as the Clayton Antitrust Act which furthered the progress already many. By busting up monopolies and trusts, which has sucked the economy dry leaving much of American Wealth in the hands of a limited number of the nation’s most successful, money flowed back in to the economy and small businesses could once again develop and flourish.
The At-Will-Law allows companies to hire employees base on their merits; then fire them for no reason at all. In addition, employers still have the power to unfairly change the terms of the employment relationship without notice or consequences. They also can decrease wages, benefits terminated, or reduce the paid time off; leaving their employees
The rights of workers had long been ignored by employers because big corporations were more concerned with large profits that lined the pockets of company executives rather than paying their workers better wages to allow them to have a decent quality of life. With the American Federation of Labor advocating for workers’ rights for better pay, safer working conditions, and other benefits in the work environment of the common working class allowed for a better quality of life for employees and their families. There are several rights that the American Federation of Labor strongly advocates for; advocacy for the eight-hour workday, workplace safety regulations, and fostering racial and gender equality in the workplace. Advocacy for the eight-hour workday started in the federal government when the “National House of Representatives adopted an eight-hour law for all employees” (Hillquit 15), “Several states pas[s]ed laws limiting the hours of labor of women and children and those of men in particularly dangerous or unhealthful callings, others adopted laws fixing a minimum wage for certain workmen employed on state or municipal work” (Hillquit 15). Another commonly advocated right is workplace safety, workplace safety includes breaks to prevent from exhaustion and can allow for workers to avoid making small but catastrophic mistakes, primary and secondary emergency exits along with notifying employees of them, and clean work environments which can include air filters, face masks, or other workplace quality improvements.
Despite their long decline over several decades, labor unions increasingly find themselves as the reoccurring subject of controversy in the American public. Examples include topics such as income inequality, benefits, and wages for lower income employees in the fast food industry are of great public interest. Moreover, as the American economy for workers has shifted from one based on manufacturing and the production of hard goods to a service based economy, the labor movement confronts current challenges. As a result, labor unions and business enterprises maintain their disagreement on the proper role of team dynamics and the usefulness of guidelines targeted at the workplace segment. Be that as it may, labor unions members earned above average
All five of these provisions were geared to increase the rights of workers. The first provision was prohibiting management from interfering, restraining, or coercing employees’ rights of protection and mutual aid, freedom of association, collective bargaining for wages, self-organization, to join, form, or assist in labor organizations, engaging in concerted activities regardless of being in a union or not. The second provision is to prohibit employers from interfering or dominating with the administration of a labor organization. The third provision stopped the discrimination against employees who chose to encourage and discourage any acts of support for a labor organization. The fourth provision restricted the discrimination against any employees who have filed charges or testified.
Employers are subject to many laws and regulations, which is why it is critical for the EEOC to enforce them (EEOC,
Many organisation argue that they should move away from the ideology of HSE legislation standards because of it’s many regulation(red-tape) affect the way business is done The Rt Hon Michael Fallon et al., 2013). The reason organisation believes in a more “laissez faire” way of doing things, it that is help drives the market into a more competitive form of business in comparison to the “laissez faire” of trade Kelloway and Cooper,
The legal factor include of the labor laws, consumer laws, safety standards and many more. This factors is significant because the company has to know about what is legal and what is not and follow the legislation that has been set by the government. For instance, Maybank follow the rules by the Malaysian government with setting the security in online banking system. This will keep the customers safe from cybercrime. Consequently, the legal play a main role in the PESTLE