Fixing the Game? Legitimacy, Morality Policy and Research in Gambling

It is a truism that some industries are controversial either because the processes employed or the resulting products, for instance, can potentially harm the well-being of people. The controversy that surrounds certain industries can sharply polarise public opinion and debate. In this article, we employ legitimacy theory and morality policy to show how one industry sector (the electronic gaming machine sector as part of the wider gambling industry) is subject to this reaction. We suggest that the difficulty in establishing legitimacy surrounding CSR practices in this sector is related to morality policy, whereby ideology and personal values play important roles in dividing opinion. Thus, gambling is often framed as an activity that is morally and ethically problematic. To show how this can manifest, we examine the veracity of two state-funded studies in Australia used in the development of gambling policy and their subsequent adoption in academic research. We highlight methodological, analytical and reporting issues in these studies that normally should be identified by those using such findings. The significance is that when morality policy and conflict surrounding legitimacy are involved, then it can explain why adherence to normative research standards is potentially lowered. Our theoretical posture leads us to further speculate that the adoption and communication of CSR in electronic gambling will be contested by opponents of the industry.     

The characteristics and performance of Japanese FDI in less developed and developed countries

Data on 26,857 Japanese foreign investments in 150 countries and regions over the 1991–1999 period reveal that there are stark differences in the characteristics and performance of Japanese FDI (JFDI) between less developed countries (LDCs) and developed countries (DCs). JFDI in LDCs has been growing more rapidly over the period, and it is concentrated in the Secondary industrial sector, with a lower level of control within a subsidiary, and has been initiated by parent firms with market-seeking and labor-seeking purposes and with relatively weak ownership advantages. In contrast, JFDI in DCs has maintained relatively stable growth over the period, is concentrated in the Tertiary industrial sector, with a higher level of control within a subsidiary, and has been initiated by parent firms with market-seeking and strategic-seeking purposes and with relatively strong ownership advantages. JFDI in LDCs tended to attain a higher financial performance and a lower exit rate, yet with a greater variance, than those in DCs.     

Harmonization of firm CSR policies across national contexts: Evidence from Brazil & Sweden

We empirically investigate differences in CSR policy adoption between Brazil and Sweden. We find that Brazilian firms adopt CSR policies to a greater extent than Swedish firms. These differences suggest that the Swedish institutional context, where the public sector is the dominant player in the social arena, may have unintended consequences on the adoption of CSR policies by the private sector. We also find that with internationalization, a trend towards harmonization in CSR policy adoption between Brazil and Sweden is likely to happen. These results suggest that Swedish firms seek to gain legitimacy through greater CSR policy adoption at the international level.     

Executive integrity,audit opinion,and fraud in Chinese listed firms

We examine the influence of auditors on mitigating corporate fraud in China, which is known to have weak legal enforcement, weak investor protection along with tight control of the media and labour unions. We find that firms with executives that have lower integrity, indicated by a greater degree of earnings manipulation, are associated with higher propensity of regulatory enforcement actions against corporate fraud in the subsequent year. We show that this effect is moderated by the issuance of a modified audit opinion report by the auditors. This finding implies that auditors can serve as external governance mechanism to discourage executives with lower integrity in committing fraud. Our results have policy implications for further strengthening auditor independence in emerging countries like China.     

The Determinants of and Interaction between Entry and Exit in Taiwan's Manufacturing

Based upon substantial high firm turnover rates, various policy incentives, and developed subcontracting-networks, this paper investigates structure and firm-specific factors that determine the entry and exit rate across industries. The interaction between entry and exit rates of the industry is incorporated in the study, namely the "displacement", "replacement" and "instantaneous causal" effects. The regression results indicate that entry and exit rates are determined by different measures of entry or exit barriers but the effects are not fully symmetric. It is also evident that underlying entry or exit sunk- costs introduced the instantaneous movement of entry and exit rates. In addition, the entry of new plants has a moderate effect to facilitate the displacement or market selection process to displace the inefficient producers but no significant replacement effect is found. The policy implication being that the government support encourages entry it also increases the industry failure rates.     

An empirical investigation of the pollution haven effect with strategic environment and trade policy

Using a new dataset on the stringency and enforcement of environmental policy, this study is the first to find robust confirmation of a pollution haven effect in a cross-country context by accounting for strategically determined environment, trade, and intellectual property right (IPR) policies. A simple game theoretic approach to policy determination is described which suggests an identification strategy based on other country characteristics. It is found that for the top 20th percentile of countries in terms of growth in U.S multinational affiliate value added, as much as 8.6% of that growth between 1999 and 2003 can be attributed to declining relative stringency and enforcement of environmental policy. The results are robust to a number of identification tests, weak IV tests, and third country spatial effects. Further, evidence is found that relatively ‘footloose’ industries are more likely to be affected by environmental policy than more traditionally ‘dirty’ industries and enforcement of environmental policies tends to be a more important deterrent than the stringency of the policy set.     

Explanations for continued gender discrimination in South Korean workplaces

This paper investigates potential explanations for the continued gender discrimination in South Korean workplaces despite decades of gender policy reforms and improved education for women. Making use of both primary and secondary data sources, the institutional theory, the voluntary compliance regulatory enforcement strategy and the typology of regulatory noncompliance provide a framework from which four explanations regarding the origin and nature of Korean firm equal opportunity (EO) compliance issues are derived. Identified through data analysis, explanations include a lack of legal enforcement, a weak punishment system, a tacit acceptance of the status quo by women, organizational cultural issues stemming from the traditional Korean mind-set that allow gender discrimination and a general lack of knowledge about EO regulations by many companies. Reforms and paradigm changes addressing these gender policy compliance issues could yield considerable social benefits in reducing the scope and quantity of gender discrimination in Korean workplaces.     

Born with a silver spoon of legitimacy but struggling for identity? The paradox of emerging spin-offs in a new sector

This study examines one paradox of the spinning-off process—on one hand, a spin-off's affiliation with the parent firm provides legitimacy that it can leverage for success; on the other hand, a stronger affiliation with the parent firm makes it difficult for a spin-off to resolve identity ambiguity and develop its novel identity in a new sector. The context of this study is a spin-off created by a reputable manufacturing firm but venturing in the software sector. I highlight challenges faced by the executives in leveraging spin-off's legitimacy at the same time it seeks to move away from the parent for developing a new identity. I find that a combination of the processes of sensegiving by a proactive leadership and applied sensemaking by the members is critical in resolving identity ambiguity. The study further develops propositions that synthesize the findings and contribute to the literatures of identity, legitimacy, and entrepreneurship.     

How do country regulations and business environment impact foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows?

How do multinationals choose which countries to invest in? This study addresses the essential question of the impact of regulatory variables in attracting or deterring foreign direct investment (FDI). We separate regulatory variables based on different stages of a firm’s life-cycle. Using World Bank data for 189 economies, we examine which host country regulatory factors influence inward FDI. We find that countries with stronger contract enforcement and more efficient international trade regulations attract more FDI. The interaction terms suggest that multinational companies are willing to trade-off a country's poorer institutional variable in return for another where the institutional variable is stronger. For example, multinationals are willing to invest in countries with less efficient entry and exit regulations in exchange for stronger contract enforcement. These results also have important implications for government policy reform.     

Portfolio Flows to Emerging Markets: Prospects,Pitfalls and Policy Implications

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the pattern of debt and equity portfolio flows (FPI) to the developing countries in recent years and discusses some policy and operational measures to facilitate greater FPI flows. Our analysis suggests that many countries need to adopt more aggressive measures to attract foreign portfolio investment. The major areas where improvements can facilitate FPI are identified as: political and legal environment, private sector development, improvement in macro-economic management, development of capital markets, strengthening of financial institutions, enforcement of market regulations, improvements in market operations, and effective dissemination of market information.     

Risk management,legitimacy, and the overseas subsidiary performance of emerging market MNEs

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are exposed to substantial risks when operating abroad and effective risk management plays a key role in determining firms’ competitiveness and success in overseas markets. Integrating the notion of home-country government-created advantages with the legitimacy perspective, we look at a concrete manifestation of government-created advantages, the impact of home-country risk-safeguarding mechanisms on Chinese MNEs’ overseas subsidiary performance. Moreover, we examine their effect under the contingency of firms’ legitimacy in host countries. Using survey data, we find that Chinese MNEs’ overseas subsidiary performance is positively associated with the use of home-country risk-safeguarding mechanisms. The strength of this association depends on Chinese firms’ legitimacy in host countries. The low level of legitimacy of these firms with host-country government and business communities can generate a negative spill-over effect that compromises the role of home-country risk-safeguarding mechanisms.     

Discursive power as a source of legitimation in food retail governance

In the food sector, retailers often present themselves as guardians of consumer interests, with superior efficiency and effectiveness in the governance of food, in relation to public actors. Concerns about retail governance institutions, such as private standards or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), mainly emphasise a lack of input legitimacy, that is legitimacy relying on democratic procedures. Less often concerns are raised regarding output legitimacy, that is legitimacy based on the effectiveness of retail governance institutions. Based on concepts of discursive power, this paper explores how retail corporations establish their claim to legitimacy in food governance via concepts of output legitimacy. The paper pursues its aim by performing a critical discourse analysis of retailers' discursive strategies identified here as imperialist, recursive, symbiotic and ironic.     

The Impact of the Recession on Competition Policy: Amending the Economic Constitution?

The strengths of the European competition regime are outlined before identifying challenges presented by the financial crisis. The argument moves from enforcement to systemic threats to the credibility of the economic models on which modern competition policy is based. It then turns from banking failures to the crisis in the European motor industry. It suggests that competition policy comprises an ‘economic constitution’ for the EU which is under threat, but registers the relative complacency of the competition agencies, and argues for a redefinition of policy. The conclusion suggests that the regulatory relationship between the state and the private sector will reflect scepticism about the market and that political changes in the UK and Europe offer radical choices between a reinforced or a marginalised competition policy which the competition policy ‘community’ needs to confront.     

(Not So) Easy Come, (Still) Easy Go? Footloose Multinationals Revisited

The central question of this paper is to test whether multinational firms (MNFs) are more likely to exit the local market than domestic firms. Using firm‐level data for Belgium, we estimate a random effects probit model taking into account the endogeneity of firm size, total factor productivity (TFP) and sunk costs in firm exit. Our results highlight two features of the ‘footloose’ nature of MNFs. First, controlling for firm and sector characteristics, the exit probability of MNFs is larger than that of domestic firms. Second, MNFs have a lower sensitivity to TFP and size than do domestic firms. This means that an improvement in economic performance on the local market will not prevent a multinational from closing its local plant as much as it would for a domestic firm.     

创业网络与新企业绩效:组织合法性的中介作用及其启示

基于整合制度理论与社会网络视角,从政治网络、投资者网络和顾客关系网络三个方面提出并检验组织合法性在创业网络与新企业绩效关系间的中介效应。基于209份新企业数据,通过多元回归方法对研究假设进行检验,结果显示:政治网络、投资者网络、顾客关系网络与组织合法性正相关;政治网络与新企业绩效关系不显著,投资者网络、顾客关系网络与新企业绩效正相关;组织合法性在顾客关系网络与新企业绩效关系间存在部分中介效应,在投资者网络与新企业绩效关系间存在完全中介效应。     

Proactiveness,legitimation via ISO certification and the growth of SMEs in China

According to the literature on entrepreneurial orientation (EO), proactive firms are more likely to achieve first-mover advantage and higher performance. The neoinstitutionalism, however, suggests that enterprises with more legitimacy will acquire more growth opportunities. Usually, the first mover might face more legitimacy obstacles. To date, there has been little research on how proactive firms cope with legitimacy constraints and achieve firm growth. Integrating the legitimacy perspective and the EO literature, this research examines the roles of ISO certification as a strategy for seeking legitimacy of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies, and the relationship between proactiveness and firm performance. In particular, it hypothesizes that ISO certification has a mediating effect on the relationship between proactiveness and firm growth. We test the hypothesis using a sample of 632 firms collected from a nationwide survey on SMEs conducted by the Chinese SME Association. The results reveal that ISO certification partially mediates the relationship between proactiveness and firm growth, suggesting that proactive firms tend to use legitimation via ISO certification to enhance firm growth. Our paper contributes to the literature by shedding light on the important relationship between seeking legitimacy, entrepreneurial orientation and firm growth in SMEs in an emerging economy.     

资源稀缺、技术冲击与风险投资退出时机

通过建立风险投资退出时机选择模型,运用2004~2011年中国风险投资退出的季度数据考察了技术冲击和市场利率等因素变化对风险投资退出时机的影响。研究发现：（1）资源稀缺的程度与风险投资退出时机的选择有着非常紧密的联系;（2）市场利率的变化对风险投资的退出行为的影响具有不对称性：市场利率下降可能会导致风险投资加速退出质量较差的风险企业,同时却更长时间地持有质量较好的风险企业;（3）技术进步会增加风险企业的数量,提高风险投资市场上风险企业的平均质量,加速风险投资退出。     

Smuggling and parallel markets for exports

This article proposes a model of smuggling consistent with the coexistence of firms involved in strictly legal trade with firms involved in smuggling. A framework is presented in which a firm's degree of risk aversion and the level of government enforcement are the determining factors in the decision of the firm to smuggle or not to smuggle. The model demonstrates that smuggling must be welfare enhancing or all smuggling activity will end.

This article also provides a theoretical analysis of the effect enforcement has on smuggling and welfare. Increased enforcement is shown to have a negative effect on welfare. Government enforcement is assumed to have two policy instruments it can use to combat smuggling: (1) the probability of detection and (2) the monetary penalty. The relative effectiveness of government enforcement instruments in deterring smuggling is shown to be dependent on the degree of firm risk aversion.     

Multinational firms and host country market structure: A review of empirical literature

We address the impact of multinationals on host country market structure through reviewing existing empirical literature. Our main conclusion is that the majority of studies focus on samples of manufacturing industries/firms, neglecting the service sector, despite its importance. Future research should be directed to this sector and explore the possibility of bidirectional causality between foreign presence and host country industry concentration. Studies concerning the impact of multinationals on entry, exit and survival of host country firms must use more recent data, investigate the role of vertical linkages and taking into account other control variables that may affect the exit rate. Finally, future work should take into account the mode of foreign firm establishment in the host country.     

‘BAUMOL'S DISEASE’, PRODUCTION EXTERNALITIES AND PRODUCTIVITY EFFECTS OF INTERSECTORAL TRANSFERS

This paper presents a model that introduces in an unbalanced growth framework à la Baumol the hypothesis of an endogenous productivity growth due to a positive externality of the service sector on manufacturing productivity and a learning‐by‐doing process inside both sectors. The model shows that a policy aimed at keeping the ratio between outputs in the two sectors constant in real terms may improve the aggregate productivity performance of the economy, depending on the parameters' values. Then the model derives the dynamics of the intersectoral transfer which is necessary to keep the ratio between outputs constant, and verifies that the amount of the transfer turns out to be always lower than the output of the manufacturing sector, and only asymptotically approaches it.