PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public Administration

Public Administration

DefinitionThe right of employers to fire employees for any reason, or for no reason at all. It also gives employees the legal right to quit their jobs at any time for any reason. Despite this legal doctine, employers may not fire employees in a way that discriminates, violates public policy or conflicts with written or implied promises they make concerning the length of employment or grounds for termination.Discussion

In the absence of specific contractual provisions to the contrary, employment for an indefinite period is terminable at will by either party.  This means where a contract of employment is indefinite in duration, the employer has the right to discharge the employee with or without cause. State and federal laws regulate terminations - for example, you can not terminate an employee due to their race, gender, ethnicity, union sympathy, disability and any number of other reasons. If you terminate an employee for an illegal reason, you are liable under these laws even if you are in an at-will state (Ballam, 1995). In addition, even if you are in an at-will state, you still should have a justifiable, non-discriminatory business reason for any discharge. Why? Because if an employee states a claim for an illegal discharge based on one of the many statutes or legal theories available, the employer is normally required to state a legitimate reason for the discharge (Charny, 1991).While it's not illegal to fire someone for no reason in at-will states, it is dumb. Always have a legally defensible reason for any discharge. At-will employment is an effective defense to breach of contract claims from employees who claim they were unlawfully discharged. Typically an unfair discharge does not violate public policy, except in a few state-specific cases (examples of public policy violations include retaliation for refusing to perform an illegal act, seeking workers' compensation and whistle-blowing) (Charny, 1991). At-will employment prevents an employee from claiming they have a right to return to work, even if they were fired for a lawful reason, because the employer contracted with them to follow a specific procedure before firing them. On the basic level, the exporting firm may sill its products to an export/import merchant. This merchant assumes all the risks of product ownership, distribution, and sale. It may purchase the good s in the producer s home country and assume responsibility for exporting the product. The exporting firm may also ship its products to an export/import agent. The export/import agent arranges the sale of the products of foreign intermediaries for a commission or fee. The agent is an independent firm that sells and may perform other marketing functions for the exporter. The exporter retains title to the products during shipment and until they are sold. An exporting firm may also establish its own sales offices in foreign countries. These installations are international extensions of the firm s distribution system. The exporting firm maintains control over sales, and it gains both experience and knowledge of foreign ...