Host market characteristics,FDI, and the FDI – trade relationship

This paper empirically examines how a host nation's market characteristics, particularly its market maturity and role as an export platform, affect the amount of inward FDI it receives and its FDI?–?bilateral trade relationship with the FDI source. For the period 1989?–?1999, using Japanese outward FDI into 85 geographically and developmentally diverse countries, we find a positive and significant relationship between FDI inflows and the host's market maturity levels. However, the FDI?–?trade interaction between the host and the FDI source appears to vary inversely with the host country's market maturity level. In addition, after controlling for the host's market maturity, we find that the nature of the host's ‘export platform’ status also significantly impacts both inward FDI flows and the FDI?–?trade relationship.     

The new value imperative for privately held companies: The why, what, and how of value management strategy

This discussion describes the why, what, and how of managing for value in privately held companies. Public companies continue to manage for value, a trend that is now pushing its way inexorably into privately held companies. First, we discuss the dynamics that are creating a value-management imperative for these companies. Second, we provide a signaling model to assist management of privately held companies in deciding whether to emphasize (a) revenue growth, (b) the spread between return on invested capital and the weighted average cost of capital, (c) reduction in the cost of capital, or (d) some combination of these three. The key-value-driver model provides guidance in addressing questions such as: Do we have the right to grow? Should we improve profit performance before we grow? What is our performance in relation to our cost of capital? We also describe how to acquire the data necessary to use the model. Third, we present some important but under-utilized tools based upon transactions cost and strategic cost management theories to assist executives in managing for value and discuss when to apply these tools within a strategic context.     

The inside scoop: Acceptance and rejection at the journal of international economics

There is little work on the inner workings of journals. What factors seem to affect the ability to publish in a journal? Could simple rules (which are already used by some journals) like the desk rejection of a significant minority of papers, help to streamline the process? At what cost? How well do journals seem to do in choosing papers? What can we say about the extent of type 1 and type 2 errors? Do editors seem to have uniform standards or are some harsher than others? We use data on submissions to the Journal of International Economics to help answer these questions.     

Anglo-Saxification of Swedish business: working paper within the project 'Scandinavian Heritage'

An increasingly globalised world challenges old orders, structures and arrangements. This becomes especially apparent in the ?eld of international business, where mergers, acquisitions and foreign direct investment can trigger job cuts, divestment and the closing-down of traditional industries. For this reason mergers and acquistions are sensitive issues. When two companies from different countries merge, or when a ?rm is purchased by a foreign actor, a new dimension enters into the life of the companies. This is very likely to cause worry and unrest among employees. In such a situation con?icts and clashes may arise and old values and norms may be challenged by the new order. In this paper we examine that issue. A special focus will be given to the con?icts and clashes that can be the consequence of such an encounter between old and new. We shall exemplify this with a case concerning a Swedish company recently bought by an American competitor. The particular aspect of the problem that we are interested in is the in?uence of the new ownership on the ethical values and virtues of the Swedish company. We look speci?cally at the sense in which the changes in the ethical ?eld are expressions of a new Anglo-Saxon shareholder-oriented model, as opposed to a more traditional Scandinavian stakeholder model.     

The new World Trade Organization: Pacemaker for world trade?

The Gatt Uruguay Round was finally brought to a conclusion in April following long-drawn-out negotiations. What changes are contained in the new agreements? How should we rate these changes? How important will the future World Trade Organization (WTO) be?     

中国创始人(Founder)系列物种研究之一:创始人30

如果没有十年前那一场伟大的互联网泡沫,也许中国不会想到要复制一个纳斯达克。如果那场泡沫不是如此迅速而又残酷地破灭,也许后来百度、盛大、携程、如家、分众这样的公司登陆的     

Moral Repair in the Workplace: A Qualitative Investigation and Inductive Model

The topic of moral repair in the aftermath of breaches of trust and harmdoing has grown in importance within the past few years. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study that offers insight into a series of key issues related to offender efforts to repair interpersonal harm in the workplace: (1) What factors motivate offenders to make amends with those they have harmed? (2) In what ways do offenders attempt to make amends? (3) What outcomes emerge from attempts to make amends? Drawing from the findings, we build an inductive model intended to guide future business ethics and management inquiry and research in this area.     

新材料/下一站天堂?

当所有的投资者都在希望能遇到一个好的商业项目时,心里是否总会认为接下来会有更多更好的机会出现昵?事实上,如何在一个机会面前决定自己的行为,是能否成功的关键问题。对于投资机构来说,新材料显然正是他们既爱又捉摸不定的东西。这真的是一个好机会!     

我国与“一带一路”沿线国家贸易合作现状、存在问题和提升策略研究

“一带一路”倡议提出以来,我国与沿线国家贸易合作得到很大改善,但依然存在基础设施比较落后、贸易模式和贸易结构比较单一固化等问题。同时,考虑到当前全球贸易保护主义抬头、国际贸易规则加速重构、全球贸易投资环境日益严峻、全球经济增长动能减弱和中美贸易摩擦影响加剧等,应加强政府间沟通,构建健全的政策制度体系,加快基础设施建设,实现更高水平的互联互通,坚持以重点产业合作带动贸易合作,加快自贸区网络建设,争取早日开始“一带一路”自贸协定谈判,不断提升我国与沿线国家贸易合作水平。     

Social Investing: Mainstream or Backwater?

Social investing, though not yet fully mainstream, has the potential to obtain such status. Questions relating to the future of social investing include the following. (1) What properly falls within the ambit of social investing? Assuming that no single definition of social responsibility is feasible, what then are the limits? (2) What do we need to know about investor psychology concerning social investing? What motivates people to buy socially screened investments and why do they sometimes act inconsistently? (3) How can we improve the measures of social performance? Is it possible to develop GAAP and GAAS equivalents for social reporting? (4) Should social reports by firms be audited? If so, how? (5) What sorts of public policies are necessary to support the social screening of investments?     

The Current Account – Interest Rate Relation as a Nonlinear Phenomenon

The current account?–?interest rate relationship has been extensively investigated, but always assuming that it is linear. In this paper we examine the linearity versus nonlinearity issue with reference to this relationship in 11 OECD countries, and find overwhelming evidence in favour of nonlinearity. After testing alternative nonlinear specifications, we estimate a smooth transition regression model and a nonlinear VAR model. Finally, we provide a study of the innovation response analysis that shows adjustment behaviours of the two variables. The implications of the results are discussed.     

Responsible Leadership in a Stakeholder Society – A Relational Perspective

We understand responsible leadership as a social-relational and ethical phenomenon, which occurs in social processes of interaction. While the prevailing leadership literature has for the most part focussed on the relationship between leaders and followers in the organization and defined followers as subordinates, we show in this article that leadership takes place in interaction with a multitude of followers as stakeholders inside and outside the corporation. Using an ethical lens, we discuss leadership responsibilities in a stakeholder society, thereby following Bass and Steidelmeier’s suggestion to discuss “leadership in the context of contemporary stakeholder theory” (1999: 200). Moreover, from a relational and stakeholder perspective we approach the questions: What is responsible leadership? What makes a responsible leader? What qualities are needed? Finally, we propose a so-called “roles model” of responsible leadership, which gives a gestalt to a responsible leader and describes the different roles he or she takes in leading stakeholders and business in society.     

Corporate Social and Financial Performance Re-Examined: Industry Effects in a Linear Mixed Model Analysis

In this research, we shed new light on the empirical link between corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP) via the application of empirical models and methods new to the CSP?CCFP literature. Applying advanced financial models to a uniquely constructed panel dataset, we demonstrate that a significant overall CSP?CCFP relationship exists and that this relationship is, in part, conditioned on firms?? industry-specific context. To accommodate the estimation of time-invariant industry and industry-interaction effects, we estimate linear mixed models in our test of the CSP?CCFP relationship. Our results show both a significant overall CSP effect as well as significant industry effects between CSP and CFP. In conflict with expectations, the unweighted average effect of CSP on CFP is negative. Our industry analysis, however, shows that in over 17% of the industries in our sample, the effect of CSP on CFP for socially responsible firms is positive. We also examine the multidimensional nature of the CSP construct in an industry context by exploring the CSP dimension?Cindustry nexus and identify dimensions of social performance that are associated with either better or worse financial performance. Our results confirm the existence of disparate CSP dimension?Cindustry effects on CFP, thus our results provide important and actionable information to decision makers considering whether and how to commit corporate resources to social performance.     

Foreign influence and welfare

How do foreign interests influence policy? How are trade policies and the viability of trade agreements affected? What are the welfare implications of such foreign influence? In this paper we develop a model of foreign influence and apply it to the study of optimal tariffs. In a two-country voting model of electoral competition, we allow the incumbent party in each country to take costly actions that probabilistically affect the electoral outcome in the other country. We show that policies end up maximizing a weighted sum of domestic and foreign welfare. Using this formulation we show that foreign influence increases aggregate world welfare when there are no other means of alleviating the externalities that arise from cross-border effects of policies. In contrast, when countries can engage in international agreements, foreign influence can prove harmful as powerful countries may refuse to offer concessions. We also show that power imbalances are particularly detrimental to cooperation when they are positively correlated with economic size.     

The Greening of International Marketing

In the instruction of an international marketing course, what should be taught or elaborated oa regarding the "green" movement? Is this an exclusively American idea that belongs in the discussion of domestic marketing current events? Should a student's sensitivity be raised concerning the environment on an international scale? Or should the topic of "green marketing" be taught as a ethical business issue? In this paper, we attempt to examine the "green marketing" issue and provide a foundation from which it may be addressed in the international domain.     

Transparenz und Forward Guidance: Stimulierung der Volkswirtschaft in der Eurozone?

The author delivers details on whether and how the effectiveness of the ECB’s policies can be improved through more transparency and “forward guidance”. Is publishing the minutes of Council meetings really a good idea? How should we assess the publication of the details of who has voted (and in what way) in the meetings? Is the ECB plagued by deficiencies in transparency, with an eye on the bank’s steadily growing responsibilities? Should the ECB stick to the instrument of “forward guidance” even beyond the crisis period? How predictable and assessable can and must monetary policy be? Can central banks endowed with too much guidance become a source of volatility? The ECB will adopt banking surveillance in the euro area: do particular transparency and accountability obligations result from this? And if yes, how can they be fulfilled? Finally, the author assesses the limits of the transparency and communication of central banks.     

Pet loves, rants, and raves: Commentary on Downey and Ellis's article

Downey and Ellis's article about the acquisition of cats is timely. Across Western nations, the popularity of pet ownership is steadily increasing. Industry figures show that this trend strongly reflects high as well as low involvement household-purchase decisions. Reasons for the upswing are unclear. A cogent explanation is that increases in divorce, separation, and single households mean that more consumers seek companionship and/or a sense of family via pet ownership. Other explanations warrant additional investigation. Do absent parents substitute pets as socialising agents for their children? Are modern parents susceptible to the Paris-Hilton effect? What is the role of pets in the psychological and physical health of the elderly? Do consumers use pets to enact multiple identities and resolve identify conflicts? An important question looms large. Why do business researchers neglect the examination of animals as consumer products and co-producers of leisure activities? Perhaps they(we?) are reluctant to acknowledge “another inconvenient truth”; the role of (wo)man's will to power in the devastating, possibly unethical, treatment of animals. Elizabeth Costello, the fictional animal rights activist in J.M. Coetzee's [Coetzee J.M. Elizabeth Costello. Great Britain: Secker and Warburg; 2003.] book, presents us with a provocative question. By raising billions of animals a year, often in squalid conditions before brutally slaughtering them for their meat and/or skin, are we complicit to a crime of stupefying proportions?     

Parrèsiastic Stakeholders: A Different Approach to Ethical Institutions

Are we really in need of (new) ethical institutions that regulate and control the ethical quality of corporate behavior? The various scandals (Enron, WorldOnline, Ahold) prove that ethical institutions, as well as deontological codes, public social commitments, social annual reports directly linked to financial overviews, are not enough to prevent fraud, corruption or bribery. Does the existence of those institutions partly provoke and legitimize the unbridled and immense power of organizational and CEO-(non-ethical) behavior and window-dressing? Do we need more separate ethical institutions? Is it possible to outsource the competence of an ethical corporate and personal moral responsibility to another, separate institution? Do people and corporations still feel the confrontation with moral dilemmas with the institutionalizing of a part of that responsibility to an anonymous body? And won't this ethical control lead to a further alienation of the micro level personal responsibility to the macro performance of the market and organizations? This article focuses on the counterpart of the institution: tomorrow's stakeholder. The stakeholder of tomorrow (the manager, the CEO, the consumer, the employee, the civil servant...) embodies the complexity of the multi-paradigmatic business ethics debate. Two aspects of tomorrow's stakeholders' presence will be discussed: their moral attitude and emancipative communication.     

The Harm of Symbolic Actions and Green-Washing: Corporate Actions and Communications on Environmental Performance and Their Financial Implications

We examine over 100 top performing Canadian firms in visibly polluting industries as we seek to answer four research questions: What specific environmental issues are firms addressing? How do these issues differ between industries? Are both symbolic and substantive actions financially beneficial? Does green-washing, measured as the difference between symbolic and substantive action, and/or green-highlighting, measured as the combined effect of symbolic and substantive actions, pay? We find that substantive actions of environmental issues (green walk) neither harm nor benefit firms financially, but symbolic actions (green talk) are negatively related to financial performance. We also find that green-washing (discrepancy between green talk and green walk) has a negative effect on financial performance and green-highlighting (concentrated efforts of the talk and walk) has no effect on financial performance. In this article, we provide explanations of our findings and put forth future research directions.     

Online and offline retailing: What we know and directions for future research

The fast-paced growth of e-commerce is rapidly changing consumers’ shopping habits and shaping the future of the retail industry. While online retailing has allowed companies to overcome geographic barriers to selling and helped them achieve operational efficiencies, offline retailers have struggled to compete with online retailers, and many retailers have chosen to operate both online and offline. This paper presents a review of the literature on the interaction between e-commerce and offline retailing, highlighting empirical findings and generalizable insights, and discussing their managerial implications. Our review includes studies published in more than 50 different academic journals spanning various disciplines from the inception of the internet to present. We organize our paper around three main research questions. First, what is the relationship between online and offline retail channels including competition and complementarity between online and offline sellers as well as online and offline channels of an omnichannel retailer? Under this question we also try to understand the impact of e-commerce on market structure and what factors impact the intensity of competition /complementarity. Second, what is the impact of e-commerce on consumer behavior? We specifically investigate how e-commerce has impacted consumer search, its implications for price dispersion, and user generated content. Third, how has e-commerce impacted retailers’ key managerial decisions? The key research questions under this heading include: (i) What is the impact of big data on retailing? (ii) What is the impact of digitization on retailer outcomes? (iii) What is the impact of e-commerce on sales concentration? (iv) What is the impact of e-commerce and platforms on pricing? And (v) How should retailers manage product returns across online and offline channels? Under each section, we also develop detailed recommendations for future research which we hope will inspire continued interest in this domain.