Downsizing and Ethics of Personnel Dismissals — The Case of Finnish Managers

The purpose of our article is to present a qualitative empirical study from the ethical viewpoint. It aims at the theoretical conceptualization concerning the managers' decision-making of personnel dismissals in downsizing organizations. First we present and seek to motivate our research task. The importance of real business ethical issues as a starting point of business ethics research is emphasized. Second the main normative ethical theories and ethical decision-making models are presented. These form the loose framework for describing and interpreting research interviews. After this the empirical findings are set forth. This part suggests that the managers explain the dismissals from different decision-making roles emphasizing different ethical orientation. The roles are called a rational and an independent manager, a marionette and an emotional individual. Our study suggests that the role of empathy in morality reveals an interesting and a necessary research topic for business ethics research.     

The Chinese Way of Communication——the analysis of the business discourse in market place

1Theoretical background and relevant literature Much research work about service encounter has already been done.Great bodies of literatures focus on how to create high quality service encounters by improving the skills of the front-line personnel.Burns(1997)notes how“soft”skills are much more important than“hard”technical skills in the service encounter:emotional demands make salespeople be in a positive,joyful and even playful mood.The“soft”skills,in Burns’s view,tend to be the attit…     

Geopolitical and Security Concerns of the EU’s Enlargement to the East: The Case of Ukraine,Moldova and Georgia

Intereconomics - Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine has significantly changed the geopolitical circumstances on the European continent and is also importantly...     

Exports of China's Machinery and Electrical Products——Interview with Luo Kaifu,President of CMC

In recent years, the export of machinery, electrical products and complete sets of equipment has increased steadily. The export volume was US$22.7 billion in 1993, 16.1% more than in 1992. From January to August 1994, it was US$17.12 billion, a 37.1% increase over the same period in 1993. The ratio of machinery and electrical products increases year by year among China's total export volume. The other day I had     

The Meanings of Food Consumption,Consumer Effects and the Role of “Origin”: The Case of Ethnic Food in Cameroon

This study examines the role of an individual’s belonging to some ethnic groups as it relates to the meanings associated with food consumption as well as the outcome(s) of ethnic food consumption. To achieve this goal, data were collected from 607 individuals, using a survey and structural equations analysis. Findings revealed that ethnic food consumption triggers specific emotions associated with different ethnic origins; there is a significant and positive moderating effect of sense of belonging to the product’s region of origin. Attachment serves as a mediator of the effect of ethnicity on commitment. These findings have several notable implications.     

The Security of Chinese Distribution Industry： Context, Conceptualization and Countermeasure

在我国摆脱资金瓶颈的新时期,外资商业的进入步伐却持续加快,对民族商业的发展构成了新的挑战,从而提出了有关我国流通产业安全方面的争论。从理论逻辑上看,流通业的竞争性并不意味着不需要政府规制;一些地方政府的招商引资政策值得反思;流通产业安全往往是指一种潜在威胁,而不是现实存在。从经验方法上看,流通产业安全的度量指标不能只局限于外资商业在华的总体市场份额,而要充分考虑各类指标的科学含义、外资商业在华分布的地域非均衡性以及外资商业的母国结构等其他微观层面的因素。根据这种逻辑,再结合现实情况,本文提出保障我国流通产业安全的政策思路。     

Global Champions in Waiting ——Prospects and challenges of Chinese Automobile firms M＆A activities on the world stage

In recent years, Chinese companies have accelerated their global activities in line with China＇s ascent as a major economic power. While some Chinesecompanies globalize organically, many others have pursued mergers and acquisitions （M＆A） to accelerate their global presence. High-profile deals such the SAIC＇s 50.6% acquisition of Korea＇s Ssangyong in 2004, Nanjing Auto Group purchased British auto company MG in 2006, and more recent Geely Automobile Holdings acquire＇ Australia＇s Drivetrain Systems Interna- tional, or DSI, the world＇s second largest auto transmission supplier in 2009, have introduced the world to a new generation of Chinese companies with aspirations to be global competitors. Under the circumstance of global financial crisis, as vehicles sales slump and companies burn through cash, many players in automobile industry are confronting cost pressure and tighter access to credit. As a result, many distressed assets are potentially up for sale. This also means opportunities for Chinese automobile players with international expansion to jump onto the global stage.     

What drives the internationalization of Chinese SMEs? The joint effects of international entrepreneurship characteristics,network ties,and firm ownership

The paper first investigates how Chinese small-to-medium enterprises’ (SMEs) network ties at home moderate the relationships between different international entrepreneurship (IE) characteristics and the degree of internationalization of the firm. The paper further explores how the Chinese SMEs’ ownership arrangement might explain the boundary conditions of the proposed moderating effects of network ties on the relationship between IE characteristics and internationalization. Findings of our empirical study generally support the hypotheses derived from our theoretical framework. The paper offers new insights into the internationalization of Chinese SMEs by ascertaining the differential contingent value of business versus political ties in the relationship between IE characteristics and internationalization and explores the bounds of our findings in terms of the ownership arrangement unique to the Chinese context.     

The Leader–Member Exchange Theory in the Chinese Context and the Ethical Challenge of Guanxi

Journal of Business Ethics - The leader–member relationship has been identified as a key determinant of successful working relationships and business outcomes in China. A high-quality...     

The Investment Development Path: Evidence from Poland and Other Countries of the Visegrád Group

This article discusses Polish foreign direct investment against that of the other Central and Eastern European countries belonging to the so-called Visegrád Group. The article is a continuation of this author’s previous work, now revised and taking into account a longer perspective of the analysis, theoretical recommendations modifying and widening the scope of the Investment Development Path model, the results of analytical studies published by other authors as well as the results of two research projects conducted by a Nicolaus Copernicus University team between 2006–2009 and 2010–2013. This article’s fundamental aim is to define the current stage of Poland’s economic development according to the Investment Development Path trajectory. The author concludes that Poland is in its third stage of development according to the Investment Development Path model, although still in an early phase of that stage.     

Retrospect and Prospect of Chinese Exhibition Industry——Exclusive interview with Liang Wen,Vice-President of CIEC, CCPIT

The year 2003 was a harvest year for Chinese exhibition industry. In order to meet the demands of domestic and international readers,our reporter conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Liang Wen,vice-president of China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation(CIEC), at the end of 2003. Vice-President Liang introduced what they achieved in 2003 to the domestic and international readers, especially detailed statements about the project of new exhibition cer, ter and their work in 2004.     

The Relationship of Cognitive Effort,Information Acquisition Preferences and Risk to Simulated Auditor–Client Negotiation Outcomes

The auditor–client relationship is a legally-mandated relationship in which one party, the auditor, is hired and paid by the auditee (client) to inform third party stakeholders as to whether the client firm’s financial statements are presented in conformity with national financial accounting standards. When these statements do not meet the criteria for acceptable financial statements, a negotiation situation may arise in which the auditor is presumed to act in the best interests of shareholders and creditors who have no independent knowledge of the auditor’s findings. The client management may then feel forced to defend its numbers. The result is a negotiation between the auditor and client (e.g., Salterio in Account Financ 52:233–286, 2012; Brown and Wright in Account Horiz 22(1):91–109, 2008). This study examines cognitive factors and risk preference factors that may impact the negotiation both in the setting of each side’s negotiation position and on the outcomes of that negotiation using simulated auditor–client negotiations. Questionnaire and simulated auditor–client negotiations were used to generate the data, with MBA and MS in Accounting students playing the role of client CEOs and auditor partners. We further explore the use of a tool, Structural Equation Modeling, to test the data, in the process highlighting its usefulness in auditor–client negotiation research. We find that the cognitive characteristic of need for cognition is significantly and positively related to achievement of the negotiator’s desired income objectives and reported willingness to argue strongly for his/her position. Actively open-minded thinking, a second cognitive variable studied, was not significantly related to success in the negotiations, nor to a reported willingness to argue strongly for his/her position. Finally, we find that perceived aggressive tactics by the other party to the negotiation had a negative impact on the counterpart negotiator’s success in the negotiation, and satisfaction with it. As expected, risk assessment-related variables were not related to outcomes of interest.     

One country,two systems? The heavy-tailedness of Chinese A- and H- share markets

Chinese A- and H– share markets operate in different institutional environments (emerging/developing v.s. developed) and thus may have different tail risk properties. This paper focuses on the analysis of heavy-tailedness properties of these two markets using recently developed robust inference methods. The equality of tail indices of returns for A and H dual-listed companies cannot be rejected, and some A- and H– share returns may have infinite second moments. Their heavy-tailedness properties did not change significantly with respect to the 2008 financial crisis and the date when the corresponding company starts to be dual-listed.     

The Social Integration of Immigrants and the Role of Policy — A Literature Review

As with economic integration, immigrants’ social integration improves along with their years of residence in destination countries. Policies have some potential to influence the process of social integration.     

The Relationship of Persuasion Knowledge,Identification of Commercial Intent and Persuasion Outcomes in Advergames—the Role of Media Context and Presence

Across two studies, the authors investigate the extent to which children’s persuasion knowledge of an advertising tactic (advergame and TV commercial) and their level of engagement with the medium (presence) influence their identification of commercial content and persuasion outcomes. In line with theoretical predictions of the persuasion knowledge model, results showed that those children who had more knowledge about advertisers’ tactics were more likely to identify brands and commercial content in the advergame and less likely to be influenced. However, a high level of presence in the medium moderated the effect of persuasion knowledge on persuasion outcomes.     

The Construction of Tourist Space by Public Administration and Institutional Communication: The Image of the Brand Andalucía as a Tourist Destination

The public administration in Spain is using service public advertising to promote the brand image of one destination: Andalucía. The purpose of campaigns to promote tourism is: to increase the gross domestic product; to devise, create, and execute law-abiding messages within the public space; and to create and reinforce the values being constructed around a certain location and around its brand as a distinctive sign of that location. In this article the goal is to analyze how the public administration creates the brand image of Andalucía through the campaigns “Andalucía te quiere” (Andalucía loves you) and “Smile! You are in Andalucía.”     

Seizing Opportunities and Keeping Pace with the Times,to Promote Construction of Modern International Metropolis

The successful holding of the 7th Hi-tech Expo embodied the advantages of Beijing as a collecting and distributing center for national scientific and technological theory, information, talents and programs     

Comparing Academic Entrepreneurship in Europe – The Case of Sweden and Ireland

One of the greatest challenges facing European economies is the comparatively limited capacity to convert scientific breakthroughs and technological achievements into industrial and commercial successes. As a result, there is growing awareness of the proactive approach being undertaken by academic institutions, with many adopting a direct entrepreneurial role in collaborating with industry. This paper examines the activities of those academics involved with industry within two small European countries, namely Sweden and Ireland. In particular, it discusses and contrasts the extent to which academic entrepreneurship (i.e. all commercialisation activities outside of the normal university duties of basic research and teaching) has developed. It examines the influence of gender, age, previous entrepreneurial experience, work experience and university environment on the entrepreneurship activities of a sample of academics in both countries. The results demonstrate that there is considerable entrepreneurial experience among academics in both countries, and that this translates into a high degree of involvement in "soft" activities such as consultancy and contract research, but not into organizational creation via technology spin-offs.     

The Coatings Industry—Beautifying,Protecting, and Preserving the Nation’s Assets

Paints and coatings preserve and beautify structures, equipment, and other objects. Although coatings have been used for millennia, the modern coatings industry began in the industrial revolution. The past 30 years have seen a great deal of consolidation in the industry, but there are still a number of niche and regional firms. There are three market segments. In the order of their size, by both value and volume, they are: architectural, original equipment manufacturer, and special purpose. This paper describes the factors determining the market for each, the critical role of coatings in preventing economic loss owing to corrosion, and technological change in the industry.