Encouraging innovative environmental actions: what companies and managers must do

Increasingly environmentally proactive firms are interested in finding ways to encourage employees to take environmental actions that will improve the environmental performance of company operations, products and services. Results of an employee survey show that both environmental policies and supportive supervisory behaviors can increase the probability that employees will try environmental initiatives. We describe environmental policies and supervisory behaviors that exist in firms that are committed to sustainable development and employee environmental initiatives. From the survey results, we draw some lessons for managers and organizations that would like to support employee participation in sustainable development activities.     

Economic and Industrial Policy Transformations in Finland

Finland represents a good example of how knowledge can become the driving force in economic transformation. Finland tops various competitiveness rankings and has been listed number one in the OECD’s PISA studies on young people’s learning skills and educational attainment. This paper discusses the role that industrial policy has played in these developments, looking explicitly on recent shifts in policy thinking and implementation. We focus on the emergence of new industrial policies in the early 1990s, the main policy initiatives and measures, and present their broader organizational landscape. We conclude with an assessment of these policies and the future challenges.     

Services supporting female entrepreneurs

There are many public initiatives that fund services which support women entrepreneurship. In order to help them improve, this paper takes a closer look at the characteristics of female entrepreneurs, their motivations, and the difficulties they face in their ventures. Through a literature review and the results of a Delphi study with 25 technicians from an EU-funded support programme, this research concludes that policies for the support of women entrepreneurs should aim at strengthening pull motivators and concentrate in designing programmes specifically tailored to the type of business, focusing on long-term policies rather than short-term initiatives.     

SMEs in services trade — A GATS perspective

Unlike traditional (goods-only) trade agreements, the scope of the General Agreement on Trade in Services extends beyond the treatment of products (services) to cover that of suppliers as well. The trade interests of particular groups of suppliers, including SMEs, can thus be addressed directly under the Agreement. This paper provides an overview of potentially relevant policies and policy disciplines. It also seeks to identify the scope for further initiatives, from fostering compliance with existing transparency obligations to advancing the Agreement’s liberalisation and rule-making mandates from an SME perspective.     

Political and Economic Arguments for Corporate Social Responsibility: Analysis and a Proposition Regarding the CSR Agenda

Different perspectives on corporate social responsibility (CSR) exist, each with their own agenda. Some emphasise management responsibilities towards stakeholders, others argue that companies should actively contribute to social goals, and yet others reject a social responsibility of business beyond legal compliance. In addition, CSR initiatives relate to different issues, such as labour standards and corruption. This article analyses what types of CSR initiatives are supported by political and economic arguments. The distinction between different CSR perspectives and CSR issues on the one hand and between political and economic arguments on the other could help to advance the debate on the justification and welfare impact of CSR. It is argued that ordinary boundary conditions for business behaviour in a market economy provide support for some, but not all, CSR initiatives. This has implications for policy priorities. Building on the analysis, it is proposed that more attention should be paid to the behaviour of large multinational enterprises in their normal business operations and to CSR issues with a potentially large impact on market functioning.     

State intervention and the microcredit market: the role of business development services

We analyze in this paper how various forms of state intervention can impact microfinance institutions’ lending behavior. Using a simple model where entrepreneurs receive individual uncollateralized loans, we show that, not surprisingly, state intervention through the loan guarantee increases the number of entrepreneurs receiving a loan. However, after modeling business development services (BDS) provided by the microfinance institution, we show that the loan guarantee can have a counterproductive effect by reducing the number of entrepreneurs benefiting from such services. We therefore analyze an alternative policy: BDS subsidization. We show that if BDS are efficient enough and are targeted toward less performing borrowers, then—for fixed government expenditures—such subsidies do better in terms of financial inclusion than the loan guarantee. Moreover, we argue that—under similar conditions—BDS subsidization alone does better in terms of financial inclusion than a mix of policies.     

Corporate social responsibility as cultural meaning management: a critique of the marketing of ‘ethical’ bottled water

To date, the primary focus of research in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been on the strategic implications of CSR for corporations and less on an evaluation of CSR from a wider political, economic and social perspective. In this paper, we aim to address this gap by critically engaging with marketing campaigns of so-called ‘ethical’ bottled water. We especially focus on a major CSR strategy of a range of different companies that promise to provide drinking water for (what they name as) ‘poor African people’ by way of Western consumers purchasing bottled water. Following Fairclough's approach, we unfold a three-step critical discourse analysis of the marketing campaigns of 10 such ‘ethical’ brands. Our results show that bottled water companies try to influence consumers' tastes through the management of the cultural meaning of bottled water, producing a more ‘ethical’ and ‘socially responsible’ perception of their products/brands. Theoretically, we base our analysis on McCracken's model of the cultural meaning of consumer goods, which, we argue, offers a critical perspective of the recent emergence of CSR and business ethics initiatives. We discuss how these marketing campaigns can be framed as historical struggles associated with neo-liberal ideology and hegemony. Our analysis demonstrates how such CSR strategies are part of a general process of the reproduction of capitalist modes of accumulation and legitimation through the usage of cultural categories.     

Makeshift markets and grassroots reponsibilization

ABSTRACT

Prior research has yielded insights into how market actors generate permanent, institutionalized structures. Investigate the emergence of a temporary marketplace, characterized by flexible socio-material constellations. We draw on ethnographic data collected within a refugee aid initiative, which assembled during the in 2015–2016, and was a response to the failure of institutional structures. We map out a process through which individuals are collectively moved to respond form social networks, and engage in market-making practices. We identify this process as the emergence of a “makeshift” market, and argue that it is a complementary form of institutional work, constituted by a grassroots process of responsibilization. We contribute to the literature on responsibilization and market dynamics by discussing (1) the emergence and decline of temporary and complementary marketplace structures and (2) mapping out a responsibilization process driven by moral outrage at the experiential level.     

Greening the Danes? Experience with consumption and environment policies

Consumer-oriented environmental policies came high on the political agenda during the 1990s. Internationally, consumers were assigned a key role in environmental policies; also in Denmark, political initiatives were taken to promote sustainable consumer behaviour. In this article, the results of Danish policies related to consumption and environment are assessed by considering first, the environmental impacts of the political measures, and second, whether the policies have succeeded in addressing the dynamics behind increasing consumption. The study combines a theoretical understanding of consumption as an inseparable part of daily practices with empirical analyses of three fields of consumption: housing, transportation, and information and communication technology. It is pointed out that policies to promote sustainable consumption are successful only when technological development, economic structures, and information are all in accordance with each other, and this is the case only when sustainable consumption does not conflict with economic growth. A more fundamental critique thus concerns the failure of Danish consumer-oriented environmental policies to address consumption growth and the rising standards for “normal consumption.”     

Tracing the Effects of WTO Accession on Policy‐making in Sovereign States: Preliminary Lessons from the Recent Experience of Transition Countries

We examine in this paper the effects of WTO Accession on policy‐making and institutional reforms in transition countries. This is done by looking at the experience of those transition countries which are already Members of the WTO and/or which have recently acceded. We start by trying to distinguish between effects of accession negotiations and from those which are the results of autonomous policy initiatives. The areas of domestic policy‐making which are considered in the analysis include market access, governance, government budget, structural reforms, trade and investment arrangements with regional partners and macroeconomic management. We find that no precise blueprint of accession conditions can be ascertained and argue that the WTO played a role, albeit not an exclusive one, in the process of liberalisation. We also find that the costs of WTO Accession are not negligible, but that the benefits of WTO Membership are significant in terms of improved, more predictable, market access and its stability, improved governance and a recourse to better economic policies without significant loss to government revenues.     

From toys to tools: The co-evolution of technological and entrepreneurial developments in the drone industry

There is undoubtedly hype around drones and their applications for private and professional users. Based on a brief overview of the development of the drone industry in recent years, this article examines the co-evolution of drone technology and the entrepreneurial activity linked to it. Our results highlight the industry emergence described as concept validation, including product as well as market growth with different phases of technological meaning change. We argue that further steps are needed to develop drones from nice toys to professional tools—from photography and filming applications to inspection services and large cargo logistics. For innovation managers and entrepreneurs, we describe what triggers the emergence of a technology and attracts the needed actors to unleash its transformative potential. Our research is based on industry reports, news, and market studies as well as interviews with four industry actors.     

Changing patterns of global staffing in the multinational enterprise: Challenges to the conventional expatriate assignment and emerging alternatives

We argue that many MNCs continue to underestimate the complexities involved in global staffing and that organisations and academics must take a more strategic view of staffing arrangements in an international context. We suggest that the context for the management and handling of the international assignment has altered significantly, leading in some quarters to a fundamental reassessment of the contribution of, and prospects for, the international assignment as conventionally understood. We explore a variety of supply side issues, cost issues, demand side issues and career issues as triggers to this reassessment. Alongside the conventional expatriate assignment, we point to the emergence of a portfolio of alternatives to the traditional international assignment including short-term assignments, commuter assignments, international business travel and virtual assignments. In the context of these developments, we argue that a standardised approach to international assignments is untenable and that it is essential to develop HR policies and procedures that reflect differences in the various forms of emerging alternative international assignments and their associated complexities. Here recruitment and selection, training, reward, and occupational health and safety issues and implications are all explored.     

Incommensurate paradigms? Bridging the divide between technocrats and the lay public in health care planning: recent experience from Wales

The pressure on the UK National Health Service (NHS) to increase public involvement in the planning of future services has never been greater. Politicians and others argue that ‘lay wisdom’ has much to contribute, and that such involvement is essential if public confidence in the service is to be maintained. Many managers and clinicians, however, operating within an essentially technocratic paradigm, remain unconvinced. Their views are often reinforced by a lack of experience of methods for public involvement that can meet the many practical difficulties involved. Using Arnstein’s ‘ladder of citizen participation’, this paper describes the principal nuances of these two paradigms, explores the nature of the conflict between them, and assesses the extent to which they are really incommensurate. It then briefly describes some of the key methodological principles emerging from public involvement work in parts of the NHS in Wales, and assesses their potential to bridge the divide between the paradigms.     

中缅边境“地摊银行”现状、成因及对策分析

＂地摊银行＂是人们对中越、中缅边境地区民间货币兑换机构的戏称,是伴随边境地区经贸发展出现的一种特有现象,其产生和发展有自身的特殊背景和客观必然性,对当地经济金融的影响具有两面性。＂地摊银行＂的存在反映出中缅贸易结算机制缺乏政策的有效支持,国内商业银行服务水平较低以及＂地摊银行＂服务的灵活性。应推动中缅双边合作机制,申请在姐告试点开办人民币与缅币兑换业务,鼓励我国商业银行到缅甸靠近瑞丽的边境地区设立分支机构,提高边境商业银行服务水平,促进＂地摊银行＂规范化、合法化。     

Gender diversity issues in the IT industry: How can your sourcing group help?

In the information technology (IT) industry, women constitute only 33% of employees at the entry level and 17% at the leadership level. In this article, we outline the status of women in the workforce and discuss issues that affect their participation, with a specific focus on the IT sector. We claim that U.S. corporations can influence gender diversity in the IT industry by leveraging their relationships with IT suppliers. To this end, we propose the application of Nudge Theory during the strategic sourcing of IT services. We begin our narrative by describing the current state of gender diversity initiatives. Then, we detail gender diversity initiatives in the sourcing process as revealed by a survey on the topic related to IT suppliers. We then briefly define Nudge Theory and provide examples of this theory as applied to an organization’s supplier base. Finally, we present the details of our recommendation, which suggests that sourcing groups should include questions regarding women’s participation in the IT supplier’s workplace during competitive market events. We conclude with a call to action and a call to research.     

The bargaining power,value capture,and export performance of Vietnamese manufacturers in global value chains

This study examines the payoff of various initiatives taken by Vietnamese manufacturers to increase their bargaining power relative to global buyers and capture a larger share of the value generated in global value chains. The study focuses on functional upgrade initiatives (i.e., product development, after-sales services, distribution, and promotion) and negotiation process initiatives (i.e., market intelligence and improvement of negotiation skills). A structural equation modelling method is used to analyse the data collected in 2017 from 354 Vietnamese manufacturers inserted in global value chains. The study finds that all initiatives, except after-sales services, significantly strengthen the manufacturers' bargaining power, which, in turn, enhances their export performance.     

An Exploratory Study of Managers' Perspective of Work‐Life Balance in Nigeria: A Case Analysis of the Nigerian Banking Sector

This study describes an exploratory research of managers' perspective of the concept of work‐life balance (WLB) policies and practices in Nigeria. This is done through in‐depth case studies of 20 banks in the banking sector. The data set is comprised of responses from 102 middle line managers in the Nigerian banking institutions. A review of the extant literature on WLB initiatives in the banking sector revealed that there is a dearth of knowledge on WLB policies and practices in an African context. In an attempt to fill the gap in the literature, this study examines the range and scope of WLB practices, managers' perception of WLB, and the forces helping or constraining to shape the choices of work life balance practices and policies. The findings reveal that there is diversity in terms of how middle‐line managers understand and experience WLB initiatives in Nigeria. Another finding highlights the practice of favoritism in most banks using WLB initiatives. In addition, the study shows that cultural sensitivity affects how WLB is appreciated and utilized. The study suggests some policy implications in the form of support for WLB policies in this context. © 2013 Crown copyright.     

“Living in the fishbowl”. Generating an entrepreneurial culture in a local community in Argentina

This paper traces the main lines of a process of ‘entrepreneurization’ of a local community in Argentina. It highlights how the development of the community in working spaces generated through the interaction between community members and external actors fosters the creation of an entrepreneurial culture and of new communitarian roles and structures. We further argue that the process of entrepreneurization enables to rethink the construct of community, by illustrating how Gemeinschaft-like mutual and tight relationships within the community are constantly mixed up with Gesellschaft-like interactions with external actors and processes of internal segmentation. If the paper shows the importance of central elements of the ‘traditional’ Gemeinschaft for the community to develop an effective entrepreneurial culture, it also suggests that the emergence of working spaces and the community segmentation into specific “sub-worlds” contributes to foster the capacity of community members to take entrepreneurial initiatives so as to participate in the construction of the structures shaping their future lives.