Conflict prevention by Bayesian persuasion

Drawing upon the Bayesian persuasion literature, I show that a mediator can provide conflicting parties strategically with information to decrease the ex-ante war probability. In a conflict between two parties with private information about military strength, the mediator generates information about each conflicting party's strength and commits to sharing the obtained information with the respective opponent. The conflicting parties can be convinced not to fight each other. The conflicting parties benefit from mediation, as the ex-ante war probability is reduced. The benefit is taken up by weak conflicting parties. This benefit is larger when war is costlier and when the war probability absent mediation is higher.     

Strategic analysis of providing corporate sustainability open data

How companies report their data is undergoing digitization and sustainable transformation. Sustainability is important; therefore, various stakeholders are interested in sustainability information. Companies provide the required information and strive toward the use of information systems to ensure efficient data processing. A possible approach for information provision is open data. This research introduces the idea of corporate sustainability open data (CSOD) as one new mechanism of companies' sustainability self-reporting. Since CSOD is not yet commonly practiced by companies, a strategic analysis of the situation and its possible consequences is conducted with an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This research provides an overview of companies' sustainable development through open data. Moreover, it identifies drivers, challenges, and reasonable strategies for CSOD adoption. Thus, the research contributes to the establishment of an innovative application of open data in the private sector to support sustainable transformation worldwide.     

Die Beurteilung von Musterversicherungsbedingungen nach Europ?ischem Kartellrecht

Standard policy conditions (??SPCs??) were exempted from the prohibition of restrictive practices until 31 March 2010 by the block exemption regulations for the insurance sector dated 1992 and 2003. The new block exemption regulation for the insurance sector that entered into force on 1 April 2010 did not renew the exemption of SPCs from the prohibition of restrictive practices. As a result, the admissibility of existing as well as of new established and distributed SPCs must be assessed under European Competition law (Art. 101(1), (3) TFEU). Of central importance are the Commission??s new Horizontal Guidelines which cover criteria for the assessment of standard terms, including SPCs. This paper analyzes the criteria under which SPCs are compatible with competition law according to the Horizontal Guidelines.     

Communicating Competency in References: A Qualitative Analysis of the Utilization of References in Mechanical Engineering

ABSTRACT

Purpose: In order to explore the multiplicative interaction between clustering and reach, as well as their effect on members’ knowledge production and patent value, the authors researched university–industry collaboration networks in the emerging interdisciplinary field at a corporate level.

Methodology: The authors based their research on a platform of nano-biopharmaceuticals complex network analysis. Furthermore, they built a network to analyze the influence of small-world properties, as well as the impact of the largest component on the patent value of innovation activities at a corporate level. In this article, the authors conduct an empirical investigation of university–industry patent innovation collaboration in the nano-biopharmaceutical field and propose that their research be considered as new evidence in addition to the previously published literature in this field. Given the pre-existing high skew of patent values in relation to registered patents, they used weighted patent value in the measurement of university–industry innovation performance, rather than simple patent counts.

Results: The results show that small-world structures have a parabolical influence on patent innovation performance at corporate level.

Findings: The findings go beyond previous research results and can contribute to policy formulation and relevant entrepreneurial decisions in the establishment of university–industry collaboration.     

Adoption barriers and resistance to sustainable solutions in the automotive sector

Development of alternative fuels and engines in the automotive sector is a requirement for building a sustainable energy policy. However, private consumers' acceptance of technological alternatives to internal combustion engines is still minimal. This study has two objectives. Based on theoretical and empirical findings, this study examines risk-related adoption barriers and their impact upon innovation resistance to sustainable solutions in the automotive sector. In the next step, a cluster analysis leads to various groups of private drivers with reference to the risk dimensions as perceived by consumers in the context of a possible purchase of an NGV. The paper concludes with research and managerial implications as opportunities to address and overcome risk-related adoption barriers and individual consumer's innovation resistance.     

What is the Value of Luxury? A Cross‐Cultural Consumer Perspective

International luxury businesses are challenged by the identification and satisfaction of the common needs and desires of global market segments. Although luxury goods have become available to a wider range of consumers, the traditional conspicuous consumption model has been transformed into a new experiential luxury sensibility that is marked by a change in the way that consumers define luxury. Based on an empirical study in collaboration with American, European, and Asian researchers, the results provide evidence that consumers in various parts of the world purchase or wish to purchase luxury products for varied reasons but that such consumers generally possess similar values. Regardless of their countries of origin, the basic motivational drivers of luxury consumers are similar among the financial, functional, personal, and social dimensions of luxury value perceptions, although the relative importance of these dimensions varies.