Annual performance reviews can set stomachs to churning throughout the office, and with good reason. Tensions can run high if employees are put on the defensive by a supervisor who hasn't learned to conduct an evaluation effectively and with finesse.

The huge sums raised by corporate-driven Political Action Committees are legend, but the average voter is unaware of just how effective such contributions can be.

You probably didn't stop to consider that the $2 tip you left the waiter at lunch today involves a complex web of social psychology, personal morality and economics.

A company is unlikely to gain satisfied and loyal customers when they feel they've been duped. Companies that employ stealth marketing — otherwise known as undercover or guerilla marketing — hire shills to pitch products or services to potential but unsuspecting consumers.

When an employee underperforms, supervisors must decide whether to fire that person or wait to see whether performance improves. In the balance are the transition costs of finding a replacement and getting that person up to speed mdash; costs could be saved if the original employee improves.

It has long been the practice of business to employ lobbyists in an attempt to influence policy makers and regulators about such issues as environmental laws, trade policies and government spending programs.

What does it take to get a new venture up and running? Conventional wisdom suggests that the entrepreneurs should hit the pavement in high gear and then keep up the pace. Research shows, however, that speed alone is not a guarantee for success.

The health-care industry is beginning to adopt the principles of sustainable procurement — a "green" approach to purchasing which takes into account the efficient use of nonrenewable resources and the potential for recycling.

The study of "transformational leadership" has dominated leadership literature since the first wave of celebrity CEOs emerged into the limelight in the early 1990s.

In his research, Stuart Gillan, a visiting assistant professor of finance at the W. P. Carey School of Business, writes that some shareholders register their reaction to a company's performance by simply buying or selling stock.