The Environmental Protection Agency’s Christmas gift came early this year in the form of President Obama’s reelection. His victory paved the way for more stringent industrial environmental policies, and EPA’s eagerness to impose them means it will most likely be a “December to Remember” for the manufacturing industry.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently issued a final rule that contains a non-exhaustive list of evidentiary factors employers could present when asserting one type of defense against claims of disparate impact age discrimination brought under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Significantly, the rule will likely prompt many employers to follow specific practices when they are implementing policies and procedures that could adversely impact older workers and thus maximize their chances of establishing a successful defense to possible ADEA claims.

In a recent survey of 60 executives from several MAPI councils, 40% of respondents said that counterfeit versions of their products are a significant problem. But as one R&D executive told us, "It's hard to put a value on the true cost of counterfeiting, since the degree is only what you are aware of and what you find."