Free Essay

Laws in the United States

In: Business and Management

Submitted By MomGenes76
Words 718
Pages 3
Laws in the United States
The United States has various laws in place, which are anticipated to foster fair, balanced, and competitive business practices. These laws are placed as control measures to help safeguard fair business practices. With anti-trust laws in place we are then warranted a since of security from unfair and anti-competitive business practices, unreasonable trade, and price discrimination.
As though anything new that is introduced, laws and or regulations when newly introduced can become the product of skepticism. Typically the judgmental ears question the new laws purpose and what influence it will have, even though these new laws may be intended to foster fair and or competitive business practices. Although most of us do not recognize their value, anti-trust laws affect our daily lives in a multiplicity of ways.
In 1890 Congress ordained the Sherman Antitrust Act, a law designed to restore competition and free enterprise by breaking up monopolies. This Act July 2. 1890 states the following:
“This Act outlaws all contracts, combinations, and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain interstate and foreign trade. This includes agreements among competitors to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate customers, which are punishable as criminal felonies.”
The novel purpose for Sherman’s Act was to protect consumers from big business that was exercising immoral means to raise the prices of their product falsely, for example producing too few goods to help meet the consumers needs thereby driving up the products value and price.
The government has throughout the years introduced new laws to help protect both the trade industry and consumers. In 1914 Congress passed two more laws that were developed to strengthen the Sherman Act of 1890: the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The Clayton Antitrust Act is defined as what constituted illegal restraint of trade. The Institute of International Economics states the following, “The act outlawed price discrimination that gave certain buyers an advantage over others; forbade agreements in which manufacturers sell only to dealers who agree not to sell a rival manufacturer's products; and prohibited some types of mergers and other acts that could decrease competition.”
The Federal Trade Commission Act helped establish a government commission aimed at prevention of unfair and anti-competitive business practices. The 2014 published FDIC Compliance Manual states the following, “To prevent business practices that are anticompetitive or deceptive or unfair to consumers; to enhance informed consumer choice and public understanding of the competitive process; and to accomplish this without unduly burdening legitimate business activity (pg. VII–1.2).”
Since these laws have been placed, many more have followed suit. These laws include employer’s discrimination against age, sex, color, religion, child labor laws, as well as independent labor unions that have developed. Each of these laws again put into place to help safeguard the nation.

The US Department of Justice states the following, “Effective antitrust enforcement requires public support. Public ignorance and apathy can weaken antitrust enforcement more than anything else. Whether you are a businessperson or a consumer, if you encounter business behavior that appears to violate the antitrust laws you should contact the enforcement authorities.” Whether you as a consumer are shopping for perishable products such as food goods, or lasting products such as a new family car, the antitrust laws play a strong roll in safeguarding that we have the benefit of competitive prices and high quality services.

Work Cited:
Sherman Antitrust Act. (n.d.). LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/sherman_antitrust_act

Antitrust Laws and You. (n.d.). USDOJ: Antitrust Division. Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://www.justice.gov/atr/about/antitrust-laws.html

Price Fixing, Bid Rigging and Market Allocation Schemes. (n.d.). Price Fixing, Bid Rigging and Market Allocation Schemes. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/guidelines/211578.htm

FDIC Compliance Manual. (2014, January). Federal Trade Commission Act. Retrieved from fdic.gov: Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/compliance/manual/pdf/VII-1.1.pdf

Pitofsky, E. M. (n.d.). Institute for International Economics. Retrieved from http://www.iie.com/publications/chapters_preview/56/7iie1664.pdf
U.S. Department of Justice . (n.d.). Antitrust Enforcement and the Consumer. Retrieved from justice.gov: http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/div_stats/antitrust-enfor-consumer.pdf

Similar Documents

Free Essay

The United States Laws

...The United States government has laws intended to further fair, balanced, anticompetitive business practices called the antitrust laws. These laws are meant to “correct” the inherent contradiction of market economies, which in many key markets, one firm or a few major firms often come to dominate the entire market. Once this happens competition is none. If competition makes people act on their best behavior, then the antitrust laws gives incentives to competitors to do the same rather than abuse their dominance in order to take advantage of their customers. The antitrust laws serve to check the improper acquisition and abuse of market dominance, so I feel that to a certain extent these laws are effective. The United States would have more monopolies then it currently has, if these types of laws were not in place. However, I always thought that these laws were in place to also ensure competition in our economy. The anti-monopoly law, which is really a better way to understand what antitrust is, is a set of political laws to help prevent concentrations of political power. These laws were put in place a while back; I would say from the tea party, in the late 1700’s, all the way up until the Civil War, the U.S. Government did a pretty good job of preventing monopolies in the United States. The Sherman act of 1890 was aimed at collusion among companies to constrain freedom of trade, while the Clayton act of 1914 went further and specifying anti-competitive practices such as bundling...

Words: 619 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Laws in the United States

...Laws were created in the United States for a variance of different reasons. The laws confirm and set regulations for later legislatures to follow. The laws guide citizens and other figures from wrongdoing. Most laws, however, are directed at protecting the citizens under the law. The amendments in the Constitution, however, significantly play a role in protecting the citizens under the United States Constitution. Of the amendments, the 4th amendment grants citizens the rights against “unreasonable searches and seizures” (Schmalleger 2013). However, if this amendment is breached, the exclusionary rule applies, regarding any evidence obtained illegally unusable in trial. The evidence that is obtained illegally may not be used on the accused. The exclusionary rule protects citizens from unlawful searches. For example, if an officer pulled over a citizen for speeding, the police officer has the right to question the driver. The police officer also reserves the right to check for a valid driver’s license and insurance. However, for a routine traffic stop, the officer does not have the right to search through the trunk of the accused without a warrant. The law grants reasonable searches, as opposed to unreasonable searches – searches without a warrant. The exclusionary rule applies to all evidence obtained and related to a case. The Fruit of Poisonous Tree Doctrine denotes that “later evidence that derived from the illegal seizure” may also not be permissible in court (Schmalleger...

Words: 769 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

United States Laws on Gm Foods:

...legal leaders. The first issue is the consumers right to know. In the United States, laws have passed that state the consumer doesn't have the right to know if the food they eat, or the product they use has been modified. The reason for such laws, as stated by the people who support it, is, that when a product is labeled a GMO it will sell less. That seems to be fair, because that is the case in other countries were such a label is mandated. While a products selling potential, and a companies right to make a profit seems to be a good enough reason to pass such a law, a part of me feels, as a consumer that I have the right to know if the medium rare hamburger that I'm biting into was born and raised naturally or in a lab. This science is in its infancy however, and as GMO's become more prevalent, and their technology becomes readily available its legality will continue to be questioned and thus politicians will be forced to bring this issue to the forefront. The consumers right to know, this is pretty straight forward. What do we as consumers have the right to know. The most troubling, or another way to put it is, the area where the most questions are ask is with in the food industry. Much of the food we eat has some form of modified organisms in them. But, as a consumer we, with in this country do not have the right know about them. With health consciences become more prevalent with the the United States of America, people want to know what they are eating. The reason for this...

Words: 747 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Jim Crow Laws In The United States

...The United States of America in a sense is a fairly new and young country compared to many others in the world. Being founded on July 4th, 1776 makes America only 240 years old. After a bumpy start and many conflicts the civil war which end in 1865 things economically started to look way up in America. After the civil war the United States’ economy exploded and kept rising for many years. By 1900 the United States of America had the largest economy in the world, and has continued to be the largest in world till this present day. With this dominance on a global market came this hope and belief for a much brighter future to come, the American Dream. The hope in this country is to leave your children or family with more than you had when you were...

Words: 2265 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Common Law Tradition in the United States

...Commom Common Law Tradition in The United States John Carrillo BUSN 420 – Business Law DeVry University Our legal system in the United States is based on the common law tradition that we inherited from England. A common law system or case law is based on precedent or previous decisions made by the court in similar cases. The idea is that it’s only fair to reach the same decision under similar circumstances. The first effort on creating any type of uniformity in the English Law was about 1100 A.D. In an attempt to solve disputes in remote areas, the king sent judges to different areas of the countryside. The judges kept a journal of all the decisions made. When they came back, the judgments of all cases were compared and a uniform set of laws started to take shape. Deciding cases based on previous judgments is a practice named stare decisis which means “to stand on decided cases”. This precedent system continue to be the root of our legal system. With a rapid and progressive advancement in technology, published precedents are more accessible; which facilitate attorneys to support their cases. There are several interesting aspects of our legal system. Among them, there are the concepts of equitable and legal remedies. A remedy is the relief given to a party to enforce a right or to compensate the violation of a right. A legal remedy consist primarily of monetary compensation. Equitable remedies...

Words: 396 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Importance Of Gun Control Laws In The United States

...Have you ever wonder why criminal are able to get their hands on gun even with so many charges and felony? Even though there is a background check in most gun store people are still able to obtain gun legally as long as they have money. Guns can easily be purchased in united state because united state does not have very strict law on gun. Anyone can get their hands on a gun even if they committed a felony or have a mental health problem due to the lack of government involvement, and background check. Guns are easily being purchased causing many shooting over the year. Research found that “Out of 50 states, 35 do not require that gun owners hold a license, obtain a purchase permit, or register their weapons.” This is a causes a massive problem...

Words: 579 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Massachusetts Immigration Laws: Concern In The United States

...Massachusetts Immigration Laws Currently, immigration is a huge concern in the United States. Because of this, state and federal laws have been put in place to help deal with these issues. Unfortunately, these laws have a tendency to negatively affect those who live in this country. Here is some information to help you learn more about the concerns you may be facing when it comes to immigration. General Immigration Laws Some of the most general immigration laws in Massachusetts revolve around law enforcement and employment. When a person is arrested, their fingerprints are automatically run through a federal database in order to determine their immigration status. When you renew your driver's license, you are also required to prove your citizenship...

Words: 263 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Importance Of Gun Control Laws In The United States

...a survey in which we questioned high school students on their opinions about gun control laws in the United States. Our population of interest was high school students at James E. Taylor High School, since we conducted our survey in hope of learning the opinion of these students. Our survey first began when thirty high school students, selected based on grade level (stratum sampling), were asked the unbiased question: “Do you agree or disagree with gun control laws?” In order to include a bias in our survey, we included a wording bias in our survey by changing the question to obtain a desired response. Therefore, we conducted the survey again by selecting thirty different high school students based on grade level (stratum sampling), and asking them a biased question: “Considering there have been 247 mass shootings from January 2015 to August 2015 cause by gun usage, do you believe that the United States should implement gun laws?”...

Words: 542 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Importance Of Gun Control Laws In The United States

...I am very supportive of gun control laws, there are less deaths and less brutally crimes if there are less firearms in the hands of people. The founding father had no real idea that hundreds of years later people living in huge urban areas like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago would very furious to execute each other over money and medication consistently. Other nations and countries that have stronger firearms laws have less crimes and fewer deaths. In the event that life is the most vital thing, why aren't we accomplishing more in America to protect real life instead of guarding a lifestyle? More weapons mean more dead people. Ponders demonstrate that the more weapons a populace of a nation has, the more brutality and deaths happen from...

Words: 951 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

United States V. Wrw Corporation Business Law 531

...United States v. WRW Corporation 986 F.2d 138 (1983) United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit PECK, Circuit Judge             In 1985, civil penalties totaling $90,350 were assessed against WRW Corporation (WRW), a Kentucky corporation, for serious violations of safety standards under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (the Act) which resulted in the deaths of two miners.  Following the imposition of civil penalties, WRW liquidated its assets and went out of business.             Three individual defendants, who were the sole shareholders, officers, and directors of WRW, were later indicted and convicted for willful violations of mandatory health and safety standards under the Act.  Roger Richardson, Noah Woolum, and William Woolum each served prison sentences and paid criminal fines.  After his release from prison, Roger Richardson filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code.             The United States (the Government) brought this action in May of 1988 against WRW and Roger Richardson, Noah Woolum, and William Woolum to recover the civil penalties previously imposed against WRW.  The district court denied the individual defendants' motion to dismiss and granted summary judgment to the Government piercing the corporate veil under state law and holding the individual defendants liable for the civil penalties assessed against WRW.  For the reasons discussed herein, we affirm.             The district court held that it was appropriate to pierce WRW's...

Words: 1010 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The John Crow Law: Racial Segregation In The United States

...will be no racism and everyone will be equal. Prior to today, African Americans along with other races were discriminated and put to shame because of the color of their skin. Slavery started as early as 1619 where people of color were treated as animals. When the civil war came in 1861, in a population of twelve million, four million were slaves (Contributors, Wikipedia). According to Samantha Siddique, “discriminatory laws barred them from voting and owning property.” One of the laws was the John Crow law, this law “made it legally acceptable to force African Americans to use separate washrooms, entrances, water fountains, schools, and transportation” (Segregation Facts). After all African Americans were treated as non humans throughout history....

Words: 489 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Jim Crow Laws Enforcing Racial Segregation In The United States

...The Jim Crow Laws were local and state laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern States in the United States. Segregation was based on skin color, and based on the idea that “blacks were inferior and subordinate class of beings”. The Jim Crow laws were very strict and did not give freedom to blacks. They segregated whites away from black through all forms of contact with whites. Blacks were discriminated from whites and were only used as slaves. The laws originated from the Southern and border states. Many southern states passed laws to discriminate blacks from whites and made them slaves. The Jim Crow laws originated from a white actor named Thomas Dartmouth Rice. He was a struggling actor that would paint his face black and preform...

Words: 327 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Jim Crow Laws Enforcing Racial Segregation In The United States

...Jim Crow Laws In the years 1870-1950 all colored people had to follow the Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws were laws enforcing racial segregation in the southern United States. The Jim Crow laws consist of different schools, entertainment, freedom of speech, health services, housing, Libraries, marrige, transportation, socialization, and many other things for African Americans to follow. The main separations are schooling,health services, and transportation. For example, Jim Crow laws were created for a “separate but equal” treatment. Colored people had to have their own schools because the white children did not want to go to school with colored kids. And if a white person married a colored person their family would technically disown them. Most African Americans had to have a very bad health condition in order to go to the hospital. Most babies had to be born in houses. Colored people would have to do their job perfectly or they would get fired. Blacks would have to call all whites miss or mister. Even children would have to call whites miss or mister. Even the schools were different....

Words: 603 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Effect of the “Right to Work” Law on Unions and Union Workers in the United States

...Prepared by: Lisa Fell The Effect of the “Right to Work” Law on Unions and Union Workers in the United States Capstone Co-ordinator: Ted Seath Faculty Advisor: Gary Gannon Table of Contents CHAPTER I 1 DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM 1 Background Statement 1 Problem Statement 2 Purpose Statement 3 Limitations of Study 3 Reliability 4 Availability 4 Timeliness 4 Precision Error 4 Researcher Prejudice 5 CHAPTER II 5 LITERATURE REVIEW 5 Selected Review of Literature 5 The Effect of Right-to-Work Laws on Workers and Wages 5 Right-to-Work Laws are Beneficial to Unions and Union Workers 10 Right-to-Work Laws Negatively Affect Unions and Union Workers 16 Free-Riders are the Cause of Union Demise 23 Free-Riders Make Unions More Accountable 26 Results Summary 28 Right-to-Work Laws Weaken Labor Unions 28 Workers Gain Fewer Benefits from Economic Growth under Right-to-Work Laws 28 The Broader Economic Effects of Right-to-Work Laws are Difficult to Separate 29 CHAPTER III 29 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 29 Conclusions 29 Recommendations 30 WORKS CITED 32 CHAPTER I DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM Background Statement The typical factory worker in the late nineteenth century worked ten hours a day, six days a week. Unskilled workers were paid between $1.00 and $1.50 per day. Children were a significant part of the labour force after the Civil War. Workplace accidents were common, and the idea of compensating workers...

Words: 10566 - Pages: 43

Premium Essay

How Can Technology Help Law Enforcement in the United State of America Combat Crime

...How Can Technology Help Law Enforcement in the United State of America Combat Crime Name Institution Organized crime has been a serious concern in the Unites States America for numerous years.  The Mafia group was the first known to be an organized crime gang. The Mafia has been powerful organized crime group existed since the 1970’s. The group was known to be planning on how to hijack the people of the United State of America. Technology can help fight organized crimes and safeguard the United States of America. The United States believes that people planning criminal activities should exist in countries that are not stable or rather be in countries that are always in conflict within the nation. The third world countries are the most affected. The main reason is because the countries lack modern and insufficient lawmakers and law enforcement personnel. These countries are not able to purchase the modern technology to fight organized crimes. The agenda should be able to share the intelligence information among the neighboring countries to allow safety and peace among the neighboring countries. The united states should form a network of anti crime which can spread and affect the country's stability and even the neighboring European States. Through technology, sharing information about group crime and mostly the most wanted groups to make work easier to track the criminal groups New technology helps in doing research.The research technology can help in enhancing...

Words: 3155 - Pages: 13