Being a good corporate citizen is an effective way to stand out in the eyes of your customers, employees and investors. But how do you prove your commitment to corporate responsibility to skeptical stakeholders? B Lab, a not-for-profit organization, awards its prestigious “B Corp” certification to businesses that meet its rigorous standards of social and environmental...

If an employee accuses your company of discrimination and takes you to court, the ensuing battle could take years and cost thousands of dollars. When it’s all over, neither side may have much to show for it. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask employees to agree in advance to binding arbitration if such a...

I know, here we go again talking about putting leases on the balance sheet.  The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been talking about changes to the current standard since 2006. We keep hearing “when, not if” in regards to changes to lease accounting.  The delay seems to stem from differences in opinion between FASB...

The IRS rules for substantiating deductions for charitable contributions are strict. The taxpayers in a recent U.S. Tax Court case found this out the hard way when the court denied their deduction of more than $37,000 for numerous noncash items donated to various charities. To add insult to injury, the court assessed a 20 percent accuracy-related...

Employees who make comments and express opinions that irritate, offend or anger their colleagues are a major source of workplace conflict. The same is true of employees who argue with supervisors, using inflammatory or profane language. When employees who express themselves in these ways are told to stop, they often respond: “I have a right to...

No matter what type of business you’re in, sooner or later you’ll probably have to deal with the State Corporation Commission (SCC) or Secretary of State. These offices handle the formalities of setting up and maintaining a business, whether it’s a partnership, corporation, limited liability company or other entity. You or someone you designate must deal...