Bribery and Corruption: the OECD Convention on Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions

This article discusses the effects of the OECD Convention on Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials, which was signed in 1997 and is due to be implemented by the signatory nation-states this year. The Convention represents the expansion of legal measures to combat the bribery of foreign public officials by individuals or corporations, and it has been accompanied by the Organisation of American States' Convention Against Corruption. Previously the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which applied only to United States individuals or corporations, 'stood alone in the world as a legal barrier to transnational bribery' (Low, Bjorklund and Atkinson 1998:245). This article proceeds in stages to evaluate implications of the Convention. Firstly the Convention is placed in the context of the increased focus on transnational business bribery in recent years. Second, the main points of the Convention are outlined. Third, the issues and problems posed by the Convention for business are discussed. Finally some themes regarding enforcement by the relevant authorities are outlined.     

Sino-EU Business Summit:Both Sides Jointly Promote the Mutual Market Integration

Minister Bo Xilai gave his speech with his unique humour: "Cate culture has a long history in China. Our Chinese people always say that 'Please take the dinner while it is hot!'" hinting that the hot discussion in the summit will result in an OK'd fruit.     

Sino-EU Business Summit:Both Sides Jointly Promote the Mutual Market Integration

Minister Bo Xilai gave his speech with his unique humour: “Cate culture has a long history in China. Our Chinese people always say that ‘Please take the dinner while it is hot!‘“ hinting that the hot discussion in the summit will result in an OK‘d fruit.……     

海峡两岸经济周期协动性的现状与趋势

利用中国大陆和台湾地区GDP增长率反映海峡两岸的经济周期波动,针对二者的相关分析表明,1990年以来,海峡两岸经济周期已经呈现一定程度的协动性特征,并且这种协动性具有不断增强的趋势。在经济周期协动性的传导机制方面,直观判断,两岸贸易往来与台商对大陆投资是经济周期波动的重要传导渠道,但世界市场经济景气波动的冲击影响也不容忽视。由于受两岸经济规模和结构的差异、两岸经贸交流的不对称性、大陆对外开放程度较低、以及经济运行规律之外政治干扰和政策限制等因素的影响,两岸经济周期协动性还未完全呈现其应有规模。     

Two Sides of a Coin: Endogenous and Exogenous Effects of Corporate Diversification on Firm Value

We investigate the value effects of two types of corporate diversification – unexpected exogenous diversification and endogenous diversification. Combining Heckman's sample‐selection estimator with a two‐stage least squares estimator and a generalized method of moments instrumental variables estimator to control for both endogeneity and sample‐selection bias, we find that while an unexpected increase in diversification caused by exogenous shocks destroys firm value, an endogenous increase in diversification due to managerial decisions will enhance firm value, indicating a diversification premium from altering organizational structures.     

International Validation of the Corruption Perceptions Index: Implications for Business Ethics and Entrepreneurship Education

International government and corporate corruption is increasingly under siege. Although various groups of researchers have quantified and documented world-wide corruption, apparently no one has validated the measures. This study finds a very strong significant correlation of three measures of corruption with each other, thereby indicating validity. One measure was of Black Market activity, another was of overabundance of regulation or unnecessary restriction of business activity. The third measure was an index based on interview perceptions of corruption (Corruption Perceptions Index or CPI) in that nation. Validity of the three measures was further established by finding a highly significant correlation with real gross domestic product per capita (RGDP/Cap). The CPI had by far the strongest correlation with RGDP/Cap, explaining over three fourths of the variance.Corruption is increasingly argued to be a barrier to development and economic growth. Business students often do not see ethics courses as being as relevant as other value-free disciplines or core courses. The data in this study suggests otherwise. Sustainable economic development appears very dependent on a constant, virtuous cycle that includes corruption fighting, and the maintenance of trust and innovation, all reinforcing each other.     

Corporate Governance and Corruption: Ethical Dilemmas of Asian Business Groups

This study looks at how the corporate governance of family-owned business groups, the most dominant form of private sector organising in Asia, deals with different forms of corruption during the course of common business transactions. As a part of an ethnographic study conducted in 2007 to look at the impact of corporate governance reforms in the Philippines, one of the emergent themes from the study was the presence of significant corruption in the business environment of the country. A total of 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with board members from business groups and senior public sector officials supplemented by document analysis of media articles and other text and participant observation. Using Rose-Ackerman’s typology of petty and grand corruption, results show the dilemmas faced when trying to operate within the precepts of corporate governance whilst dealing with the practical reality of corruption in public sector institutions. The results of the study provide empirical evidence into corruption’s impact on Asian business groups and contribute to knowledge on the links between strong institutions and the efficacy of corporate governance.     

腐败侵蚀与财政支出扭曲

采用1995—2006年中国大陆省级面板数据,实证检验腐败对中国财政支出规模和结构的影响。研究发现:腐败激励了财政支出规模的膨胀,促使支出结构变形;腐败显著地推高了经济建设支出的比重,但降低了社会文教支出的比重。     

营商环境与企业产品质量升级——基于腐败视角的分析

使用世界银行2012年发布的中国1136家制造业企业数据,并综合利用线性概率模型、Probit模型以及Logit模型等多种估计方法,从腐败的视角实证检验营商环境对中国企业产品质量升级的影响。结果表明:腐败显著降低了中国企业的产品质量升级;腐败对中国企业的产品质量升级具有非对称影响,随着腐败程度的增加,对于处在国际质量认证密集度比较高的行业内企业以及规模比较小的企业而言,其受到的负面影响更大;从企业层面看,企业生产率、企业规模、企业使用自己的因特网主页以及国有资本参与到企业的注册资本中等因素,对企业产品质量升级有着显著的促进作用;从行业层面看,人力资本密集度的增加促进了企业的产品质量升级,而资本有形性的提高则具有相反作用;从城市层面看,教育水平的提高显著促进了企业的产品质量升级。     

Revisiting the Bright and Dark Sides of Capital Flows in Business Groups

Prior studies report that the business group structure and the associated intra-group capital flows are prone to conflicts of interest between controlling shareholders and minority investors. Yet business group is a prevalent and stable structure around the globe, particularly where capital markets are underdeveloped. Using data from China, this paper empirically studies the trade-off between the negative and positive roles played by intra-group capital flows and tests the efficiency implications of such trade-off. We find that from the perspective of the whole group, intra-group capital flows are most efficient when the groups are least subject to conflicts of interest between controlling shareholders and minority shareholders and when they face strong external financing constraints.     

海峡两岸保护消费者法律制度比较研究

大陆的《消费者权益保护法》和台湾地区的“消费者保护法”均制定于20世纪90年代,在消费者保护法的立法定位、调整对象、立法技术、具体保护措施和手段等方面都有着通性与共识。由于大陆与台湾在经济发展水平、立法习惯、市场成熟度、法制基础等方面有所不同,故大陆和台湾对消费者法律保护的程度也不同。     

Business Groups and Corporate Responsibility for the Public Good

This paper analyzes the relationship between Business Groups as a distinct way of organizing economic activities and their relation to the public good. We first analyze the phenomenon of Business Groups and discuss some of their core features. Subsequently, the paper moves to analyzing the existing literature on Business Groups and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as the most common label for the topic of this Special Issue. Subsequently, specific peculiarities of Business Groups in the context of CSR and their contribution to the public good are fleshed out. Based on this analysis, the paper delineates some implications for the field of CSR and the wider debate on the nature of the firm. We close with some perspectives for future research.     

University and In-House Management Education of Multinational Business and Bank Employees

A study of the education needs of multinational businesses in Dade County, Florida has been carried out in order to gain insight into the recruiting and training practices of the larger multinational employers'in the area. The conceptual basis for the study is a model of organizational information processing and socialization which identifies eight ways in which organizational decisions can be directed and made. Education contributes differently to each approach to decision making. Consequently, the use that should be made of education programs differs according to the approach used to make decisions in a particular setting. The focus of the discussion is on the contribution which university-based education can make toward fulfilling the education needs of new international business employees. The comparative value of in-house training, conferences, seminars, and undergraduate and graduate degree programs for promoting organization-specific and occupation-specific knowledge and socialization are also considered.     

建立海峡两岸次级自由贸易区的法律问题

世贸组织架构下的自由贸易区在理论上有一般意义上的自由贸易区及次级自由贸易区之分,海峡两岸次级自由贸易区在性质上显然属于后者。目前,建立一般意义上的自由贸易区的法律依据不仅充分而且成熟,建立次级自由贸易区的合法性问题则存在较大争议。但这并不意味着海峡两岸次级自由贸易区完全不可行,可考虑在“先易后难”的原则下,逐步构建海峡两岸次级自由贸易区的法律框架。     

制度约束和文化牵引及其与员工人性特征的关系

企业制度和文化是确保企业实现目标的两种手段。基于人性假设对制度与文化进行了区别,提出制度设计要基于人性的“X理论”假设,对员工的行为进行约束；而文化的功能是提高员工的贡献意愿,进而促使员工主动采取有利于企业目标实现的行为。     

发挥经济上的互补作用促进两岸经济共同发展

随着海峡两岸交流领域的不断扩大,两岸经贸合作的层次不断提高,在各自的经济体系中都占有十分重要的地位,显示出巨大的发展潜力。两岸合作会使双方各自拥有的优势,包括人力资源、产业结构、市场规模及层次、经济体制、国际化程度及管理经验等得到加强和充分发挥。同时,我们还应看到,目前两岸合作还存在着一些问题,如两岸经贸“单向化”程度高、台湾当局的“积极管理”、“三通”迟迟不能实现以及一些具体的利益关系,这些问题都需要在两岸经贸合作与发展过程中予以解决。由于台湾的中小企业在台湾经济发展中起着非常重要的作用,其在两岸经贸合作中也能够发挥独特的作用。     

西门子腐败案与企业内部会计控制体系的重构

<正>案例回顾在多起德国企业商业贿赂丑闻中,西门子腐败案可谓首当其冲。西门子因涉嫌商业欺诈及贿赂正受到多国检察部门联合调查。2006年11月15日,200多名警察突击搜查了西门子办公室及员工住宅等30处