ARTICLES

12/28/2018· Intellectual Property

Commercially Reasonable Efforts - How an Expert Can Help

By: Peter Crosby

Imagine this scenario: Early stage company Smallco develops an exciting new technology, which it uses to create the prototype of its first product - Brakethroo! A large company in the same field, Bigco, becomes aware of Brakethroo, and realizes that if the product works as hoped, it could be a valuable addition to Bigco's product range. Bigco offers to buy the technology and product from the shareholders of Smallco. The merger and acquisition (M&A) agreement specifies an up-front payment, and one or more payments dependent on achievement of milestones. Bigco agrees to use "commercially reasonable efforts" to achieve the milestones. Smallco and Bigco sign the agreement, the shareholders of Smallco get an immediate payout and look forward to further milestone payments.

3/6/2015· Transportation

Stop Positioning and Crossing Orientation

By: Ned Einstein

Except in rural areas with vast distances between intersections, a bus stop can reasonably be placed in one of three positions:

9/9/2015· Crisis Management

Mass Casualties Related to Major Events Since 1900: Why the Tragedies Are Still Happening

By: Dr. Luiz Hargreaves

In 1903, a fire killed more than 600 people in the Iroquois Theater in Chicago. Most of the victims were children. Among the causes of this tragedy were inadequate emergency exits, insufficient and poorly signposted, overcrowding, lack of fire protection equipment and even suspicion of bribery of persons responsible for overseen the safety conditions of the Theater.

3/7/2012· Plants & Trees

Tree and Landscape Appraisal: Jurisdiction Determines the Appraisal or Valuation Method

By: John Harris

The value of a tree can only be determined if we agree. Any value given, whether by a layperson or a professional, is real when another person involved in the process agrees to that value. The value used in the final decision can also be a different value from the one determined by the experts who worked on it (especially when the experts worked on different sides of a valuation case).

1/10/2019· Engineering

Applications of SolidWorks Flow Simulation Computational Fluid Dynamics Software to the Investigation of Fires

By: John Holecek

NFPA 921 advises the use of a systematic approach to fire investigation that is best embodied by the scientific method. The scientific method includes the steps of collecting data, analyzing that data, developing a hypothesis, and then testing that hypothesis. The final step of this process, testing the hypothesis, can be done either physically or analytically. In some cases, a physical test may be conducted to confirm or falsify some aspect of the hypothesis. However, in many cases creating a physical test may be difficult or even practically impossible. It is these cases, and others, where analytic testing using computer simulations may be helpful to the fire investigator.

9/13/2017· Construction

Post Hurricane Flooding Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

By: Daniel D. Bawden

What is the first thing I should do if my home got flooded? Call your flood insurance company and file a claim, preferably before August 31st, when the flood settlement rates go down. How can I find out if I have flood insurance, and who to call?

3/28/2019· Business Management

Email Can Destroy You - How To Stay Out Of Legal Trouble

By: Peter Crosby

Emails can be dangerous. In the business world, emails can be not only dangerous but also very expensive.

10/16/2017· Automotive - Vehicular

Safety Compromises, Part 2: On-Board Slips and Falls

By: Ned Einstein

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the notion that roughly half of all public transportation-related incidents are the result of a deliberate trade-off of passenger safety for some system or owner's benefit. The most common benefit is the service provider's operating a schedule that is too tight.

6/4/2009· Human Factors

Human Factors Experts: To Err Is Human; To Design Is Divine

By: Robert C. Sugarman, PhD, PE

To err is human; to design is divine. Forensic Human Factors specialists help lawyers analyze the root cause of an accident by determining who erred and why. Human factors applies research from a number of fields to design and evaluate things that people use in work and everyday activities

4/3/2009· Workplace Violence

Workplace Violence: A Legal Perspective

By: Rebecca A. Speer

Workplace violence presents one of the greatest challenges an organization can face. Poised at the intersection of corporate oversight and law enforcements purview, threats and violence that affect the workplace generate a wealth of concerns for management