New York SBDC Research Network

In 1986, in an effort to control illegal immigration, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). IRCA forbids employers from knowingly hiring individuals who do not have work authorization in the United States. The employment eligibility verification provisions of IRCA are found in Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Individuals who may legally work in the United States are: Citizens of the United States Noncitizen nationals of the United States Lawful Permanent Residents Aliens authorized to work To comply with the employment eligibility verification provisions of the INA an employer must: Verify the identity and employment authorization documents of employees hired after November 6, 1986 Complete and retain a Form I-9 for each employee hired after November 6, 1986 Refrain from discriminating against individuals on the basis of actual or perceived national origin, citizenship or immigration status The anti-discrimination provi

By David Drake of the SoHo Loft Crowdfunding for projects and companies is nothing new. In the online arena, however, it is quite young – in 1997 fans of the UK rock group Marillion ran the first recognized internet crowdfunding campaign, raising $60,000 to underwrite the band’s tour of the US. In the years since, other artists have also reached out to their fan bases and successfully invited supporters to finance their recordings and/or tours. Now, the wider business momentum toward crowdfunding is accelerating intensely and is attracting significant attention because the model disrupts the [finance] supply chain and distribution mechanism our Fortune 1000 companies have built and so vehemently protected for a century. Imagine 200,000 Red Cross blood donors being able to pay $100 each towards the development of the newest leukemia medication? That’s $20 million of funding sourced by the crowd. Can you hear the vested interests – "No, that’s not possible. Won’t happen. Humbu

As you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, check out USA.gov's Thanksgiving page . You'll find cooking and food safety tips, travel resources, volunteer opportunities, and historical information.

WASHINGTON – A new online portal has been launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration to accept nominations for its 2013 National Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year award. The dedicated web portal will make it easier to submit and track submissions of nominees for Small Business Week 2013, and is now actively accepting nominations of noteworthy small businesses. Since 1963, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to our nation’s economy. In 2013, the 50th year celebration will honor the nation’s 27 million small businesses. SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week include the following awards: • National Small Business Person of the Year (chosen from among state award winners from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam) • Phoen

With the holiday season all but here, more small business owners are making Small Business Saturday an integral factor in their holiday sales plans, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB). Some 46% of independent merchants plan to incorporate Small Business Saturday into their holiday strategy, and most of them (67%) say they will offer discounts on November 24, according to the inaugural Small Business Saturday Insights Survey from the NFIB and American Express. Of those small business owners planning to promote Small Business Saturday, 80% expect a year-over-year boost in sales on that day. Read more from Marketing Profs.com

From CBS News Sunday Morning : Chobani, just five years on your grocery shelves, is now the best-selling yogurt brand in America. It's at the forefront of an even bigger culture shift: Greek yogurt, once a small fraction of the market, will top $1 billion in U.S. sales this year. "It's very high in protein, it has less sugar, and companies have made it absolutely delicious," said Cornell dairy specialist Tristan Zuber. "So that appeals to American consumers right now. They want something that's healthier." And it's very healthy for the New York state economy, said Zuber. Upstate New York is now home to all the major Greek brands. For local dairy farmers, you might just call it a cash cow. "New York is definitely becoming the Silicon Valley of yogurt," said Zuber. "There's currently 553 million pounds of yogurt that's manufactured in New York. That's a 140 percent increase since 2008." And the next generat

Much as the Web set off the dot-com boom 15 years ago, apps have inspired a new class of entrepreneurs. These innovators have turned cellphones and tablets into tools for discovering, organizing and controlling the world, spawning a multibillion-dollar industry virtually overnight. The iPhone and iPad have about 700,000 apps. In the latest article of the iEconomy series, David Streitfeld discusses the question of how real, and lasting, the rise in app employment might be, particularly with an economy yielding few good job opportunities. Despite the rumors of hordes of hip programmers starting million-dollar businesses from their kitchen tables, only a small number of developers actually make a living by creating apps, according to surveys and experts. And programming is not a skill that just anyone can learn. While people already employed in tech jobs have added app writing to their résumés, the profession offers few options to most unemployed, underemployed and discouraged workers