The recent revelation that the owner of an Algerian cargo ship whose crew was held by Somali pirates paid them $2.6m in ransom is yet another indication that the rewards these denizens reap for their illegal, life-threatening work remain a serious stumbling block to ending maritime organized crime, said William H. Watson, president and COO of AdvanFort Company, a maritime security solutions provider.

An unstable economy and the growing volume of global regulations are the biggest business threats, according to a recent poll of in-house legal counsel.

There is a whole series of new regulatory concerns by companies doing business in global markets. Tony Leto, chief executive officer with iTRAC Global, helps us to understand the most critical ones.

As the debate over immigration reform heats up in Congress, The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), an advocacy group for the self-employed and micro-businesses, says its members wants Congress to bring simplification to verifying immigration status of employees.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, says that after a fire at a Bangladesh factory last year killed 112 people it is making its biggest push yet to try to improve conditions at factories that produce its clothing.