Does Corporate Social Responsibility Really Make a Difference？ An Explorative Analysis for Chinese Companies

Many studies have been performed to assess the impacts of corporate social responsibility （CSR） on the financial performance of companies. There are, however, very few studies that analyze how CSR policies and instruments affect the realization of social and environmental CSR goals, such as the reduction of workplace accidents or CO2 emissions. Therefore, it remains uncertain to what extent CSR really contributes to sustainable development and whether it can serve as an alternative to government regulation to internalize external effects from market operation. The present study provides an explorative empirical analysis that aims to fill this gap. We employ regression analysis on a sample of 109 Chinese companies. The estimation results show that having a code of conduct stimtdates the implementation of other organizational CSR instruments, but CSR implementation only partly affects the realization of CSR goals. Having codes of conduct without implementing CSR does not have a significant impact on societal welfare.     

Economic Causes and Cures of Social Instability in China

China＇s leaders have often expressed concerns about social instability, viewed as a threat both to the political order and to continued rapid growth. Slower growth might, in turn, further undermine social stability. Using survey data, the present paper examines the economic determinants of social instability. Four main determinants are identified.＇past and expected growth of income, income inequality, economic insecurity and misgovernance. The paper then considers possible policies to reduce social instability, examining each of the determinants in turn.     

Market Reaction to Corporate Social Responsibility Announcements： Evidence from China

This study uses an event study methodology to examine how the Chinese market reacts to announcements of involvement in corporate social responsibilitY （CSR） by Southern Weekend （a Chinese newspaper）for Chinese firms from 2008 to 2012. Our results show significant and pcsitive market reactions, supporting the instrumental stakeholder theory. We attribute the positive market response to social capital development and real growth options related to the CSR involvement by the Chinese firms.     

Etiquette on Business Negotiations

With the further deepening of process global trade, many of our businesses have joined the ranks of intem~tional trade. At the same time, the values vary from nations to nations, so does the use of etiquette. There is not an acknowledged standard and it is only a set of established rules which are obeyed by all the people in the nation, therefore, in the international trade, we should pay attention to how to use the international etiquette in all fields, such as politics, economics, culture, military and even trade terms. The business etiquette shows the principle of respecting each other in business acdves. The business etiquette is a role to restrain the negotiators＇ behavior in daily business actives. Treating others politely in negotiatiom uot only shows negotiators ＇ education and quality, but also affects the thoughts and emotious of the other party in some degree. This thesis gives a definition of business etiquette and systematically explains contents, categorizations, features, principles, functions and practices. And it illmtrates greeting etiquette, dining etiquette, symbolizing etiquette, dress code, telephone etiquette and meeting etiquette in detail.     

Are Patenting Activities in U.S. Universities Still Affected by Bayh-Dole Act？

Based on four data sources, the trends of the patent activities of US universities in the last 40 years are quantitatively assessed. It has been found that patenting activities in U.S. universities slowed down greatly after 2000 and remained flat until the period from 2010 to 2012, when activities recover to the level of strength characterizing the period before 2000 and after the enactment of the Bayh-Dole Act. The affects of the （Bayh-Dole） Act on the university patenting activities （UPAs） are specifically analyzed for the time span considered. We found that the impacts of the Act had been remaining strong until the year of 1999 and then greatly diminished. We also identify that economic recessions are the major cause to the flatness of the patenting activities during 2000s. Recently, many concerns on university patent activities have been raised; these concerns are reviewed and recommendations to resolute to these concerns are provided.     

The Relevance of Place-Brand Management in Place-Marketing Strategy

Observers perceive each place through a particular image, not necessarily positive, definable in a distinctive positioning through place-marketing strategies; the relations between the actors of the territory system play an important role, and the place-brand becomes ＂the connector＂ of the relational network in place-marketing management. The aims of this article are to analyze the relations between place identity, place-brand, and place-marketing strategy; to look at case studies of bottom-up strategy as a medium for the long-term empowerment of the place-brand strategy; and to examine the relevance of place-brand positioning and interaction between governance and stakeholders in place-marketing strategy development.     

Brazilian Micro-enterprises＇ An Exploratory Study on Marketing Strategies

This article aims to present the main marketing concepts applied by Brazilian micro-enterprises within a brief contextualization of a marketing plan. The methodology involved qualitative research development applied at the Trianon Fair, traditional event on Sundays on the sidewalks of the AvenidaPaulista in the city of Silo Paulo. Another research was carried out involving non-probabilistic sample with micro-businesses from various segments in the city that were chosen for their accessibility. From the results, product characteristics were elaborated, pricing, and distribution, that compose the application analyses of the marketing tools for micro-businesses and theoretical evolution have stemmed from the bibliographical research as well as field research and observational studies by the authors of the article. The goal is not to exhaust the topic nor to construct a Marketing Plan, but rather to contribute to the discussion, learning, and use of a marketing mix in the segment of micro-enterprises in a more assertive manner. It was concluded that there is no doubt as to the importance of micro-enterprises for any country. His contribution lies mainly in optical innovation and creativity because these companies can test new models of work, management, products, and services. It should be noted that micro-enterprises are greatly responsible for job generation in our country, denoting their prominent social and ecological perspective. More than a transient way of earning money, the reality of micro-enterprises should be considered as a social and economic phenomenon capable of generating regional and, consequently, global growth.     

Economic Cooperation Organization Member Countries＇ Economic Development： The Importance of Assessing Technoparks

Advanced technologies in the world, especially in the last quarter century of rapid change, radical innovation were required to compete in important decisions, triggered by the national network of cooperation structures which is a very significant changes in participates in the regional country or new technology generation and transfer systems to be released; starting from the most basic research on the effect of knowledge production, commercialization, distribution of the total well-being of society is an important dating ＂shining knowledge value chain＂. This important change has become the main formative element of the economies. Recent advances in the knowledge economy and the resulting new strategic theories, knowledge, technology transfer, and increased mobility at the long distances, the concept of regional development is a brand new technological cooperation aims and information focusing on the transformation processes of growth of the economies of developed nations, which is the most important technological innovation in the vision of the economic development advanced plays an important role, evolving processes trigger in all aspects of the right to read most threats and opportunities that might be the best analysis, by passing the appropriate policies for countries in their visions, and entrusted a vital importance. In this context, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Yajikistan, Yurkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in addition to research, technology development and production partner countries＇ and these countries sharing innovation structures with R＆D Center in technoparks and to serve together in the development of the total synergies ＂of the economic cooperation organization＂.     

The Attitude of Developed and Developing Countries Towards the Kyoto Protocol and the Case of Turkey

The problem of global climate change is one of the biggest present-day global problems. This problem, which has become a current issue because of the energy crisis that happened in 1970s, as well as growing awareness of environment, have not only changed the notion of development but also led to a transformation of non-renewable energy resources. Due to rapid population growth, the depletion of the non-renewable energy resources and the raising consciousness about global climate change our comprehension of traditional development has yielded to sustainable development, while energy structure and preferences have also changed from non-renewable energy resources to renewable energy resources. As this changed pattern and problem are global, they have removed the borders among governments, required international cooperation and thus, new international actors have stepped in. In this study, the countries are divided into two parts as developed countries and developing countries. As developed countries; USA and EU countries are selected while China and India are selected as developing countries. Also as a developing country, Turkey＇s energy and climate policies, attitude towards the Kyoto Protocol signed within the scope of United Nations and the positive and the negative effects of the Protocol on the country are investigated. In this sense, it has been observed that the question of whether or not the Protocol contributes to the economy of developing countries correlates with whether or not these countries are on the side of the Protocol and it has also been observed that being on the side of the Protocol is not a threat to Turkey＇s development. If applied correctly, the policies that Turkey will pursue within the scope of the Protocol will help the country to reduce foreign energy dependency and cooperate with other countries. A comparative method is used in this paper.     

Global Cities in Process of World Economy Net-Working and Transnationalization

Cities play a key role in the modem global economy. They became full-fledged （together with states, multinational corporations, and international economic organizations） subjects of international economy relationships; concentrated financial and commodity markets, enormous productive and innovative potential of humanity. The main reasons of transformation of economic importance of cities are their advantages in comparison with State economic systems. Labor and capital in urban economy systems are more mobile and productive; cities are more predisposed to create and commercialize innovations. Moreover, cities are easier to connect with international markets and world trade, which are able to reduce transport costs, to increase own investment attractiveness, and to rapidly form new types of business activities and forms of manufacturing organization. This study analyzes a current system of global cities, an intensity of inter-cities relationships, a potential of global urban system transformations in a future.     

Commitment,Communication, and Leadership Determine the Leader： A Qualitative Analysis of Businessperson Characteristics Practiced by SME and Family Business Directors

This article outlines the details of an empirical study into the perceptions of small and medium-sized enterprise （SME） directors regarding the concepts of communication and commitment to leadership style and the interpretation of these concepts by way of depth interviews. The commitment by SME directors is represented by the themes of emotional commitment, visibility, financial bond, and personality traits. The communication by SME directors is represented by the themes of empathy, type of information, reaction and personality of the communication. The concept of leadership in the SME sector is typically closely associated to the charismatic leadership and the theory of the inclusive leadership （IL） style. The IL is a representation and use of all of the represented leadership styles depends on a situation. This study can be described as an exploratory study, consisting of qualitative in-depth interviews that were conducted with 19 directors of SMEs in the Netherlands and a qualitative matrix method was utilised.     

Possibility of the Implementation of the Principle of Sustainable Development in the Sphere of Coal Processing

High-sulphur coals processing generates a great number of pollutant substances in atmosphere. This study was undertaken to obtain more definite information about the composition of sulphur coal extracts, i.e., on the quality and quantity of dormant Volatile Organic Emissions （VOCs）. Analysis of the liquid products was carried out by different protocols of extraction, adsorption chromatography, and GC/MS identification. It should be pointed out that the basic components of coal extracts are polyaromatic hydrocarbons, sulfur-containing compounds and phenols act as a basic factor of environment pollution with carcinogenic products. The complex treatment of these components will permit not only to obtain some valuable chemical products, but also to improve the ecology in the industrial regions.     

Developmental Constraints Adversely Affecting New Entrants Into the Construction Industry of the Limpopo Province of South Africa

Although political transformation has occurred in South Africa in April 1994, the pace at which economic transformation has occurred has been slow. A review of the literature has shown that economic transformation has been slowed by an acute shortage of technical skills among Black South Africans working in business, government, and industry. A case in point is the construction industry of Limpopo Province of South Africa in which emerging contractors have failed to compete adequately with well-established contractors in the construction industry due to shortage of technical skills, capital, and lack of access to markets. The study is based on a random sample of 104 emerging contractors operating in the Province of Limpopo. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analyses was used in the study in order to identify and quantify key obstacles to growth and development in emerging contractors. Eigen values estimated from factor analysis showed that the viability of emerging contractors in the construction industry of Limpopo Province was significantly influenced by three factors （lack of entrepreneurial skills, lack of capital, and lack of transparency in the award of construction tenders）. Based on results obtained from multilevel analysis, differences among the five districts of Limpopo Province accounted for 13.18% of the total variation in viability. Differences in entrepreneurial skills between viable and non-viable businesses accounted for 33.49% of total variation. Findings of the study show that entrepreneurial skills are no less important than financial capital for ensuring viability in emerging contractors currently operating in Limpopo Province. The study has also found that the fundamental principles of good governance such as transparency and accountability are not adhered to in the administration and award of government tenders, and that this predicament was working to the detriment of emerging contractors in the province.     

Marketing and Territorial Factors： An Integrated Study of the Accommodation Choice in the Island of La Palma

The literature has highlighted the relevance of segmenting the tourism market as a start point for developing the right tourism policy recommendations. The present study examines the rural tourism market on the island of La Palma （Canary Islands） and its relationship with territorial factors. Specifically, it attempts to establish the role played in tourists＇ accommodation location choice by territorial and related factors （for instance, the area of the island, proximity to the beach, hours of sunshine, etc.） compared to other factors. A sample of 316 tourists who holidayed in rural tourism accommodation in La Palma during the period from July to September in 2007 was selected for this purpose. The methodology consisted of a preliminary analysis of the associations between the variables and their modalities, followed by a multiple correspondence analysis （MCA）. The results of the study allow to conclude that the weight of territorial variables in the choice of destination and accommodation location can vary substantially depending on the market segment considered.     

Regional Incentives to Increase the Competitiveness of a Renewable Energy Business Cluster in a Small Island Like Corsica （France）

Renewable energy （RE） has grown to become part of mainstream economics, industry, and energy. The process started in the wake of oil shortages amid the 1970s energy crisis, when the major industrial countries of the world sought out an array of energy security strategies. Diversifying energy import-export trade, restructuring GDP, and increasing and backing home-sourced offers are all basic essential measures that different countries have adopted to different degrees in an effort to reduce dependency on imported oil. The last of these measures counts RE as a vector of local generation. The past decade has seen the RE sector really take off, driven by now well-structured industries starting to mobilize now-mature technologies. This developmental shift towards RE has been framed by different policy measures that nevertheless share the same core rationale climate change. Among the pro-renewables policies adopted by France, the deployment of competitive clusters has proved an effective tool for leveraging the growth of renewables. Business clusters are geographically-concentrated economic structures assuring the often tenuous link between efficient national industrial policy .efforts and regional planning and branding issues. From this perspective, the logic of synergy by connecting global to local issues remains to be created around a new paradigm： regional attractiveness/place branding. In today＇s fast-globalizing world, the much-hyped concept of place branding has become critical for regions in fierce global competition to capture and secure geographically-mobile investment. In this context, promoting and attracting inward investment is a multidimensional challenge where business clusters have a pivotal role to play. Corsica, a small island economy, represents a case-in-point target of analysis through its long-standing plan for the regional and sustainable development of Corsica （French decentralization policy on Corsica under the law dated 22 January 2002） and the CAPENERGIES business cluster a key l     

New Conglomerates and the Ecosystem Advantage

It is the purpose of this paper to explore the emergence of a new form of web-based company and how the new organisational form is able to access multiple-markets and industries by exploiting the benefits of a platform ecosystem business model. Internet-based companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Apple were referred to as the ＂Gang of Four＂ in May, 2011, by Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google. These 21st century companies are leading an internet-based consumer revolution which is having a disruptive impact on a broad range of industries and markets. Using their platform-based ecosystems, the internet-based corporations are able to leverage these core competencies and enter industries that appear unrelated to their core businesses. This has given rise to a new form of conglomerate business model that contrasts with the Western industrial conglomerates of the 1960s and early 1970s. Most of these corporations were broken-up in the early 1980s and the remaining core businesses resorted to focused strategies. The paper also analyses why the new internet-based firms do not follow the positioning school of strategy and seek monopolistic rents--profits arising from market power--by locating in attractive industries. Instead, these firms leverage core competencies and achieve Ricardian economic rents--profits arising from superior resources--through strategies of stretch and leverage. By adopting a core competency tree configuration, a core competency platform is leveraged which allows the internet-based firms to enter multiple markets using asset-light business models. This new form of competitive advantage is based on having a superior ecosystem that uses data as the key resource instead of capital; capital being the main resource underpinns the success of the traditional Western conglomerates of the 1960s and early 1970s.     

Intercultural Competency Development in Conjunction With a Short Term Study Away Experience： Changes in Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this research was to examine whether undergraduate business students who participated in a short term study abroad course and intercultural competence building coursework demonstrated a significant increase in intercultural competence over those who only enrolled in the study abroad course. The 20 participants attended a small liberal arts College in Midwestern United States. The Intercultural Development Inventory （IDI） was administered to the participating students before and after their study away experience. The IDI （v.3） is based on the theoretical framework of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity （DMIS） introduced by Milton Bennett. The DMIS is based on the assumption that intercultural competence can be strengthen through the development of intercultural knowledge and experience with people from other cultures. The IDI has been used in numerous scholarly studies and has demonstrated valid and reliable results. It is a self-administered 50-item series of statements in which participants are asked to rate the level of their agreement with statements that address their relationship to and evaluation of cultural difference. In the model, people progress in a linear developmental fashion through six stages： defense, denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, and adaptation. This study was designed to determine if students who studied away and completed intercultural coursework （prior intercultural knowledge and an intercultural experience） would increase their level of intercultural competency more than those students who just studied away （intercultural experience only） as measured by the change in their IDI scores. The results of this small sample show that intercultural coursework in conjunction with a short term study away experience can have a positive impact on individual intercultural development.     

Measuring the Quality of Life in the Workplace （QLW） Through Job Diagnostic Survey （JDS）： Comparative Study on Two Legal Nature Differentiated Organizations

The article presents a theoretical-empirical reflection about concepts, models, and practices of Quality of Life at Work （QLW） in organizations of different legal nature. The initial proposition of the research suggested that private organizations, that are more susceptible to competitive pressures in the market for resources and the uncertainties regarding the employability tend to have worse indicators of QLW than the public organizations that exhibit greater control over their influx of resources and greater stability in jobs that are offered. The literature review included the concepts and models of QLW as well as the characteristics and application methodology of the Job Diagnostic Survey （JDS）, and your score on Task Motivational Potential （TMP）, as instruments of evaluating the dimensional indicators of QLW in organizations. In methodological terms, we proceeded to a multiple case study comparative, supported by the application of the reduced version of JDS, through its questionnaire that has already been validated in previous studies in two organizations, a private foundation supporting university and a public company of electricity supply, both located in the State of Amazonas-Brazil. The research findings using the JDS instrument indicated failed to detect significant differences between the scores of TMP between the two organizations, nor any robust correlation between their respective legal personalities and environments of institutional performance. Nevertheless, the small differences found suggest a framework of indicators of QLW slightly more favorable to the foundation of university support.     

An Introduction to the Narrative Techniques in the Book of Job

The Book of Job, as one of the most outstanding works of the wisdom literature in the Bible, has also aroused a large number of critics attentson with its dtsunctlve narrative techniques. Through close-reading and criticisim review, the author of this thesis finds that the unique narrative techniques of the Book of Job are manifested in the following three aspects： unique and subde characterization of the characters, ingenious use of focalization and the skillful arrangement of plot stages under the U-shaped narrative pattern.     

General Overview of Central Asian Turk＇ s Art of War and Psychology of War

In Central Asian Turkish culture, Turkish nomadic and hunting strategies in the war hold an important place in the affected areas. Lightweight equipment and horses and horseback archery have gained importance in the battle field; factors such as the independence and freedom of the Turkish military have been a source of their courage. Metehan, Oguz, Kursad and 40 warriors on the battlefield have been found in this direction and their struggle for independence period with the Central Asian countries has played an influential role in determining the boundaries. In this research, it has been tried to mention the structure of the Central Asian Turkish army, the structure of the Turkish army and logic of the war psychology.