The Moral Basis of Global Capitalism: Beyond the Eclectic Theory

Dunning's recent discussions of the morality of global capitalism, as developed from his eclectic theory, are critically reviewed. It is argued that, in highlighting the benefits of globalisation, Dunning has underestimated the extent to which globalisation amplifies the costs of capitalism. The nature of capitalism varies according to the social and religious framework within which economic activity is embedded. An effective framework creates a high-trust form of capitalism based on self-regulation and self-control. This framework aligns private and social interests in cases where the forces of law and competition are weak. Late twentieth-century Western culture is secular and atomistic: it has fostered a low-trust form of capitalism, based on a selfish, individualistic and competitive concept of the entrepreneur. Low-trust capitalism provides entrepreneurs with unrivalled opportunities to manipulate consumer tastes, and frees them from any inhibitions about exercising this power. The globalisation of consumer product markets has reinforced this tendency, by strengthening the incentive to refine manipulative marketing techniques. The increasing reliance on mass media - especially television - for advertising distinguishes modern global capitalism from the international capitalism of the late nineteenth century. Because of these changes, people's wants are satisfied with unprecedented abundance, but their social needs are met much less adequately than before.     

Technological Competitiveness in an International Arena

This article takes a sceptical view of the 'globalisation of technology' literature. We suggest three elements to such technological globalisation. First, there is the geographical extent in terms of the spatial spread and intensity (or 'depth'). Secondly, there are 'sectoral' variations in the degree of technological globalisation. Lastly, there is the issue of the 'temporal' extent of the globalisation of technology-when effectively did it first appear and what is the nature and extent of its subsequent development? With this framework, we find a far from uniform 'globalisation'. Government policy at the national level remains important, we argue, in part because much of what is depicted as globalisation is very clearly inter-national.     

Can Globalisation and Global Localisation Explain Foreign Direct Investment? Japanese Firms in Europe

This paper uses logit regression on the responses of 383 Japanese manufacturing firms located in the member countries of the European Union to investigate the motives for foreign direct investment. Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) data, as published in their 8th Annual Survey (October 1992) classified by industry, were used. The results confirm that decisions leading to FDI cannot be explained by a single factor and, furthermore, different types of FDI are influenced by different combinations of motives.     

中国能源消费与经济增长关系实证研究

采用E-G两步法对1978年～2010年间中国能源消费和经济增长之间的关系进行了协整和Granger检验,结果表明,中国能源消费与经济增长之间存在长期的均衡关系,能源消费在一定程度上促进了中国的经济增长,两者间存在着从能源消费到经济增长的单向因果关系,即能源费的增长可以直接导致国内生产总值的增加,并提出了相关政策建议。     

能源消费对经济增长影响研究-基于河南省1978～2008年时间序列数据的实证分析

运用计量经济学中的回归分析理论,基于河南省1978—2008年时间序列数据对能源消费对经济增长的影响进行实证研究。研究结果表明：河南省能源消费对经济增长的影响是显著的,能源消费增加1个百分点,GDP能增加2．006173个百分点。     

Consequences of deindustrialisation for globalisation: Insights for international business

Literature suggests many countries across the world are facing a growing political backlash against the consequences of deindustrialisation. Intensifying anti-globalisation sentiment associated with this backlash has important implications for international business. In the absence of empirical evidence, it is however unclear to what extent deindustrialisation has contributed to a recent slowdown in the rate of growth of globalisation. Considering the importance of this knowledge, this paper tests predictions in the literature that this slowdown has to some extent been caused by deindustrialisation (declining country shares of manufacturing’s output in gross domestic product). Granger and generalised method of moments findings suggest some support for these predictions. On the basis of the findings, it is argued that compensation should be prioritised for those that stand to lose due to deindustrialisation. Further research is also called for, to explore other ‘root’ causes of current anti-globalisation movements, and to address them, before consequences spill over into a post COVID-19 era of uncertainty for international business.     

中国能源消费因果关系分析

基于协整、误差修正模型与方差分解,分析我国1953年以来的能源消费与经济增长、能源价格、产业结构之间的Granger因果关系。实证结果表明:经济增长不是引起能源消费变化的原因,这可能是由于我国存在着严重的能源浪费造成的;而能源消费是引起经济增长的原因,这验证了我国过去50年高投资、高消耗的粗放式经济增长模式,近几年我国能源消费弹性系数的变化再次反映了这一问题。能源消费与能源价格不存在任何方向的因果关系,方差分解结果再次肯定了能源价格的相对外生性,这预示着政府若要增强能源价格对于能源消费的影响作用,必须放开对能源价格的管制,让市场主导能源价格的形成。产业结构是引起能源消费变化的重要原因,因此从产业结构方面入手调控能源消费将是非常有效的。     

Brands that ‘sell their soul’: offshoring,brand liquidification and the excluded consumer

ABSTRACT

Fuelled by open markets and globalisation, offshoring has become a common business practice for firms in industrialised countries. However, consumer research investigating offshoring in a larger macroeconomic and political context is scant. Using a naturalistic, contextualised approach, the current research investigates how a predominantly working/middle-class consumer segment perceives production offshoring for durable goods. The findings show how consumers can develop a sentiment of being excluded or left behind, even when they do not belong to traditionally disadvantaged segments in society defined by income, gender, education, appearance or sexual preference. Perceived brand liquidification, discussed through the marketplace mythologies of corporate greed and the opportunistic consumer, perceived brand de-contagion and patriotism/nationalism, leads to sentiments of exclusion and a longing for re-solidification. Exploring these relationships helps to understand current consumer sentiment towards offshoring in the larger context of neoliberalism and labour arbitrage.     

Introduction. The Internationalisation of the Innovation Process

The international economics of business and management has focused - both in the academic literature and in corporate and public policy discussions - increasingly on issues of globalisation, innovation and 'competitiveness'. These issues, and in particular their interrelation, are analysed in detail in this Special Issue of the International Journal of the Economics of Business. This opening article aims to set the scene by considering how the rather distinct literatures around the above three topics can best be drawn upon in order to focus on what implications the new global economic environment has for the economics of business and public policy.     

Limits to Knowledge Transfer

Abstract

Discussion of the transfer of market-economic principles and practices into the post-command economies of central and eastern Europe is often couched in terms which assert the undoubted inadequacies of the pre-1989 management practices, but which pay insufficient regard to those practices which reflected an adaptive adjustment to the old ways of doing things and which, when carefully examined, testify to the existence of well-developed skills which could be drawn on in developing managers for effective performance in the new market economy. This paper argues that ignorance of these skills leads to misunderstanding of reactions to the change process, and that this misunderstanding may lead to ineffective change interventions. Some suggestions for practice are outlined in the light of different interpretations of the process and consequences of globalisation.     

长江经济带能源效率、能源消费与经济增长的区域差异--基于沿江11省市的数据分析

长江经济带集中了中国大部分的高技术与高能耗产业,过度依赖能源已成为影响该地区经济可持续发展的重要因素。采用面板数据从时间序列和截面两个维度对长江经济带11省市的能源消费和经济增长的区域差异进行分析,可以克服样本量小的缺点,更好地观察区域差异的动态变化。以人均能源消费量和人均国内生产总值为横纵坐标,构建二维组合矩阵,将长江经济带划分为4个不同的区域：江苏、江西、湖南、湖北、重庆、四川属于经济高增长能源消费高增长区;浙江、安徽、贵州属于经济高增长能源消费低增长区;云南属于经济低增长能源消费高增长区,上海属于经济低增长能源消费低增长区。     

能源强度与经济增长相互制约关系分析

以我国1985-2008年的相关数据为样本,利用动力学系统均衡理论分析能源强度与经济增长的相互制约关系,实证结果表明人均GDP增长率7.5%和能源强度下降率4.2%的规划目标切实可行,但能源强度下降对经济增长的负向作用不容忽视,如果经济增长仍保持更高速增长,则进一步降低能源强度将更为困难;人力资本效率增长依赖于经济增长,加大人力资本投资有助于降低能源强度,但效果不明显,可行的降耗途径在于技术进步。因此,能源强度下降程度应以技术进步相适应,产业结构调整和市场化有利于促进技术进步。     

湖南省能源消费与国民经济增长关系分析

通过采用计量模型,选取相关数据,对湖南省经济增长与能源消费的关系进行实证研究发现,1980-2008年期间,每增加1％的能源消费,湖南省经济增长就增加2．66％,每增加1％的经济增长,湖南省能源消费就增加0．31％,即存在正向协整关系。说明能源消费和经济增长对彼此都有正向的促进作用。同时,经济增长和能源消费之间也存在着单向因果关系——经济增长会扩大对能源消费的需求。从趋势项的系数看,正确认识经济增长和和能源消费之间的关系,解决好经济增长和能源消费之间的矛盾,是目前乃至今后一段时期湖南经济工作的一个重点,也保持湖南经济又好又快发展的一项非常迫切的任务。     

从石油对国民经济的推动作用看我国石油的进出口贸易

国际原油价格一路走高,随着我国经济的高速增长,我国的石油消费量大幅增长,对石油需求的依存度也相应增加。2007年石油进口依存度由2006年的49％进一步提高。据统计,2007年中国经济GDP增长11．4％,而石油向来被喻为“经济血液”,高速增长的经济背后很多产业部门都要靠石油及各种能源拉动运转。本文运用投入产出法实证分析石油对我国其他产业的拉动作用,进而对我国的石油进出口贸易及能源消费提出一些政策建议。