Business & Entrepreneurship

​The CNBC RQ50 ranking is based on the research quotient (RQ), developed by Anne Marie Knott, PhD, professor of strategy at Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School. RQ is a measure of firms’ research and development (R&D) productivity. It captures the expected increase in revenue from a 1 percent increase in R&D.​​​

Olin Business School and the Human Rights Campaign — the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans — will host an LGBT Workplace Inclusion Conference from 8:30 a.m.-noon Thursday, Aug. 14. The conference will take place in Bauer Hall, Room 240.​

The United States has the highest corporate income tax rate in the developed world. As a result, many U.S. companies are turning to tax inversions — reincorporating overseas by getting acquired by a smaller company in a country where the corporate tax rate is lower. Adam Rosenzweig, JD, professor of law and expert on international tax, examines why inversions are becoming so popular.

A bill introduced July 28 in the U.S. House of Representatives would amend the controlled substances act – the federal law that criminalizes marijuana – to exempt plants with an extremely low level of THC, the part of marijuana that makes users high. Following closely on the heels of a call by the New York Times editorial board for the federal government to legalize marijuana, this could mark a turning point of sorts in the campaign for legalization. Gregory P. Magarian, professor of law, sees two reasons for leaving states with some power over the criminal law of marijuana.

The Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, in partnership with 2U Inc., has announced the launch of a new, fully online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) degree. The new degree is designed for non-lawyers seeking to expand their career opportunities by gaining an in-depth understanding of the U.S. legal system. The MLS curriculum will provide students with a solid foundation in legal analysis and the practical applications of the law, furthering their ability to think and communicate critically across a range of industries and professions.

While tight budgets are constraining regulatory spending at many federal agencies, those that garner funding from industry fees are using these revenue streams to fund substantial increases in regulatory programs and staffing, according to an annual report that examines the U.S. budget. The report was released by the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy at Washington University in St. Louis and the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center.

WUSTL and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have announced a joint Executive MBA program aimed at the international executive. The new program is the first of its kind to confer an MBA degree from both an Indian and an American university and will be modeled after WUSTL’s highly ranked Executive MBA in China and the United States.

​​Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case is the corporate equivalent of the road to Damascus, says Elizabeth Sepper, JD, associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “Many more corporations will find religion to opt out of regulation that affects their bottom line,” Sepper says. “Before Hobby Lobby, businesses lost claims to fire pregnant women, refuse to promote non-Christians, discriminate against gays, and pay below the minimum wage. “After Hobby Lobby, they seem likely to succeed.”​

Poor physical health and financial health are driven by the same underlying psychological factors, finds a new study from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Breaking into the competitive auction world isn’t for the fainthearted, but students can take steps to prepare themselves academically.