A rapid assessment of wildlife tourism risk posed to cetaceans in Asia

Dolphin-watching tourism is growing globally. In developing countries, the typically low environmental awareness of operators and poorly enforced or non-existent regulations exacerbate risks to wildlife. Ecological indicators like behavioural responses are useful to assess wildlife tourism, but obtaining such data is slow and expensive. We modified the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework to rapidly assess the risk of dolphin-watching tourism harming, displacing or causing local extinction to dolphin populations, using human dimension data to complement limited ecological data. We assessed industries at seven dolphin-watching sites in six countries in Asia: Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. All sites have reached or almost reached financial saturation except Cambodia and Malaysia. We find high risk to dolphins at the sites in India and Indonesia and intermediate risk at the site in Cambodia. Pending more ecological data, the risk at Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysian sites might be low. Our analysis also indicates site-specific conservation recommendations for Driver, Pressure and Response. We suggest that the DPSIR framework is useful to assess the risk of a wildlife watching industry, even when the impact is uncertain due to insufficient ecological data.     

Firm productivity and importing: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

This paper investigates various aspects of the relationship between firm productivity and importing for a large sample of Chinese firms between 2002 and 2006 making a distinction between the origin, variety, skill and technology content of imports. Employing a random effects probit model and a propensity score matching with difference‐in‐differences (PSM–DID) approach and treating imports as endogenous in our measure of total factor productivity (TFP) (De Loecker 2007), we test the self‐selection and learning‐by‐doing hypotheses. Our results show evidence of a bi‐directional causal relationship between importing and productivity. Although importing firms tend to be more productive before entering the import market, once they start importing firms experience significant productivity gains for up to two years following entry. We also find evidence of learning effects following the decision to import, which is stronger when import starters source their products from high‐income economies, import a wider variety of products and import products with a higher skill and technology content. A number of robustness checks confirm the learning effects of importing on TFP growth.     

Oil Prices and Monetary Policy in Emerging Markets: Structural Shifts in Causal Linkages

This study tests the causal relationships between oil prices and monetary policy for the emerging markets (Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey). In particular, we explore the role of exchange rates, inflation, and interest rates. First, we utilize the commonly used Toda–Yamamoto causality framework and later augment the model to account for structural shifts—including gradual/smooth shifts. The empirical findings show that (i) accounting for gradual structural shifts matter for the causal linkages between oil prices and the monetary policy variables and (ii) employing a bivariate or multivariate frameworks is not important (with few exceptions) as much as controlling for structural breaks in these causal linkages.     

Sex as Leisure in Later life: A Netnographic Approach

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of the roles of sex as leisure activity in later life and to explore the links between sex and wellbeing at this life stage. Applying a netnographic approach, the study followed a full year of activity in 14 leading English language-based seniors’ online communities. The final dataset of 2,534 sex-related posts was analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. The findings reflect the multiple roles of sex in older adulthood, highlighting its importance, leisurely qualities, and benefits. The community members also discussed various constraints limiting sexual function and expression. Many posters, however, did not treat these constraints as a verdict and reported adopting myriad strategies to maintain sexuality despite limiting constraints. These findings suggest that sexual activities encompass all patterns of leisure in older adulthood and highlight the threats of leisure constraints to wellbeing and the importance of constraint negotiation.     

Multinational Enterprises and Foreign Direct Investment: Introduction

This study uses firm‐level data on a large sample of European manufacturing firms to investigate the links between opening up foreign affiliates and firms’ productivity. The analysis is guided by recent theoretical models of international trade with firm heterogeneity. The paper finds that while only a small share of euro area firms locate affiliates abroad, these firms account for over‐proportionally large shares of output, employment and profits in their home countries. They have higher survival rates and their productivity growth is also higher. The strongest contribution is by productivity growth of existing firms with a multinational status rather than entry into the multinational status. finally, there are performance premia for multinationals with a large number of affiliates abroad relative to those with a small number.     

Blogging: A new play in your marketing game plan

The emergence, proliferation, and ubiquity of the Internet have not only transformed businesses, but also altered the relationship between businesses and the customer. Recent advances in technology have helped to migrate this relationship to an interactive level where technology contributes to brand building by creating and sustaining a long-term relationship with the customer. Media fragmentation and customer indifference to traditional marketing tools are forcing marketers to seek new opportunities so the marketing message not only captures customers’ attention, but also tries to engage them with the company. This paper discusses blogs within the context of creating this new, more enduring relationship with the customer. Blogs are discussed within the framework of Web 2.0, the next generation of the Internet, which is comprised of user-generated content and social computing. The use of blogs by several companies as tools to better engage the customer in the creation, delivery, and dissemination of marketing messages is also demonstrated.     

Exchange Rates and Turkish Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Trade with the EU Countries: Bilateral Trade Data Analysis

This study examines the role of exchange rate on Turkey's fresh fruits and vegetables bilateral trade balance with 14 trading partners in the European Union. Because dynamic effects of exchange rate changes on trade balances have been hypothesized as the J-curve effect, special attention is paid to investigate whether or not the J-curve hypothesis is observable. To this end, we apply the bounds testing cointegration approach to the trade balance model for the period of 1995:q1–2007:q2. Results support evidence of the J-curve effect in 2 cases in the short run. In the long run, the exchange rate has a positive impact on the trade balance in 7 out of 14 cases.     

Reproducing the Firm: Routines,Networks, and Identity

Firm survival or reproduction does not occur as a matter of course. Especially under circumstances in which uncertainty and equivocality prevail is firm reproduction potentially problematic. Uncertainty prevails when there is insufficient or inadequate information to assess a situation, equivocality when the information available is multiinterpretable. Firm routines, social networks in a firm, and an organization’s identity can explain how a firm reproduces. We offer suggestions as to which of these will contribute to firm reproduction under what circumstances.     

The Outsourcing of Research and Development in Global Markets: Evidence from France

The pace of technological change, the increasing need for multidisciplinary competences and the rising costs of innovation have contributed to the global expansion of technological activities, including the international outsourcing of research and development (R&D). This paper shows that firms involved in international outsourcing of R&D are of a particular kind: they are highly outward oriented, more productive and R&D intensive. Furthermore, firms with patents are more intensely involved in this activity. Our results also suggest that the outsourcing of R&D in global markets by French firms is motivated by technology sourcing rather than cost‐saving interests.