Corporate Social Responsibility Starts at University

The author addresses the question of how to use value-learning processes to integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in organizations as an interesting challenge in (higher) education. Two strategies have been proposed for the issue of CSR: a compliance strategy and a cultural change strategy (Karssing, 2001). This article focuses on the ethical and philosophical presuppositions of these different approaches. The incorporation of CSR in organizations cannot be accomplished by means of a compliance strategy only. Rather, it needs to be supplemented by a strategy aimed at stimulating a transformation process on the corporate culture level. The perspective of change through dialogue is proposed as a means of innovating the curriculum and the primary processes of student education. This organizational change perspective is demonstrated by describing how (ethical) reflective aspects are integrated in the curriculum of the Free University of Amsterdam. An additional case study on organizational value learning is presented to illustrate the thesis that CSR presupposes that university is an adequate context where life-long learning begins.     

Patterns of Entry,Post-Entry Growth and Survival: A Comparison Between Domestic and Foreign Owned Firms

This study compares the patterns of entry, survival and growth of domestic and foreign owned firms. We show that the post-entry behavior of foreign owned firms is quite different from that of their domestic counterparts. Among foreign entrants, we were able to distinguish between those which proceed by creating a new firm and those that acquire an already existing business. Our evidence reveals that the choice of the mode of entry in foreign markets exerts an impact upon the performance of firms that persists long after the moment of entry. As a consequence, our work clearly indicates that there is much to be gained in the understanding ofthe process of entry in foreign markets by studying the behavior of entrants over their first years in these markets.     

The Dynamics of Productivity: A Decompostion Approach Using Distribution Functions

In this paper we use a micro panel data set of Spanish manufacturing firms to measure the contributions of continuing firms and turnover to total factor productivity growth over the period 1990–1997. The paper proposes an approach to the decomposition of productivity growth that is based on the estimation of productivity distributions. We characterize the dynamics of productivity distributions defining counterfactual distributions and using non-parametric methods. The results we obtain indicate that incumbent firms are the main factor contributing to the change in the productivity distribution. Net entry contributes positively to TFP growth. Finally, changes in the relative weights of incumbent, entering and exiting firms produce a counter-cyclical movement of productivity.     

An analysis of U.S. small and medium‐sized manufacturers' international business relationships

Notwithstanding the dominant role of the United States in world trade, little is known about the relationships between smaller indigenous manufacturers and their foreign customers and how these differ from domestic market relationships. Using data from a recent study among 201 U.S. small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), the article reveals that (a) these firms tend to put much more emphasis on the domestic side of their business, while the foreign market receives secondary treatment; (b) the atmosphere governing their relational exchanges differs in the two types of markets, being relatively healthier in domestic business; and (c) their domestic business performance levels, although moderate, are significantly higher than those found in foreign markets. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

FOOD SECURITY IN KWAZULU: RESULTS OF A HOUSEHOLD-BASED PROGRAMMING MODEL

A mathematical programming model of rural KwaZulu, excluding three northern districts, was developed to simulate agricultural production in regions of high and low cropping potential. This model aggregates enterprise levels predicted for four representative households of which two are in the high-potential region and two in the low-potential region. Several economic scenarios are simulated with the model to predict, inter alia, responses to changes in cereal prices, input subsidies, changes in off-farm employment and a rental market for crop land. Long-run food supply response is estimated to be inelastic with respect to changes in product and input prices. Higher food prices harm the majority of rural households. Lower input prices have little impact on household welfare. Conversely, it is predicted that a rental market for arable land could have a large positive impact on crop production and would improve household welfare.     

DO HIGH DISCOUNT RATES DESTROY TROPICAL FORESTS

The short-term viewpoint implicit in high discount rates seems to favour immediate forest exploitation rather than conservation for perpetual benefits. However, the value of logging revenues increases with a lower discount rate, because of the greater weighting given to investible funds. Thus, in several theoretical models, net present value of logging increases as discount rate is lowered. In practice, however, long-term costs of logging may also incur the weighting appropriate to investment funds; reinvestment of logging revenues may not actually take place; and lower discount rates may be appropriate for costs but not revenues. These circumstances favour conservation, the more so at lower discount rates.     

Effects of adjustment of the green drachma to its current exchange rate

Between 1981 and 1988, the drachma has devalued by 62.5% against the ECU. Until mid-1985 any devaluation of the drachma was followed by a corresponding devaluation of the ‘green drachma‘. After that period, the green rate either remained unchanged or changed by a substantially smaller percentage, resulting in farmers' income loss and consumers' gain. The aim of this paper is to investigate the welfare effects on production/producer, consumption/consumer and budgetary flows from and to FEOGA assuming that an adjustment of the green drachma to its current exchange rate was realized. For this purpose partial analysis methodology is employed. The main findings are that, following a simultaneous adjustment of both rates, the gains to producers and in exchange flows more than make up for the corresponding consumers' losses for all products except beef.     

建设和谐深圳是一项社会创新工程

建设和谐深圳是一个观念更新的过程。它要求全社会牢固树立以人为本的发展观,以追求效率、公平和协同,改革、发展和稳定,经济、社会和生态等社会进步的集群目标代替追求单一的发展目标,在继续保持经济的健康快速增长、加快改善人民物质生活的同时,加快政治文明、精神文明和生态文明建设,使经济的健康发展建立在社会、生态健康发展的基础上。在社会营造一种鼓励竞争与倡导合作,支持强者与关怀弱者、追求经济利益和社会总体利益相对均衡的发展氛围,促进社会进步的协同性和安全性,高度关注和努力抑制因社会转型、利益调整、梯度发展和要素流动…