Using Inside Job to Teach Business Ethics

This article recommends the film Inside Job as an effective teaching tool for illustrating the ethical issues that surrounded the global financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent economic downturn. The study discusses issues such as the revolving door, conflicts of interest, fiduciary duty, executive compensation, and financial regulation. The presentation of each ethical issue comprises suggested questions, background information, and guides to specific sections of the film. An overview of the film is provided as well.     

Money donations intentions among Muslim donors: an extended theory of planned behavior model

• The investigation into determinants of money donation intentions while employing an extended theory of planned behavior model is limited to developed country contexts. However, given the challenges facing charitable organizations and scant theoretical evidence from developing world, such an examination can contribute pragmatically. The current study establishes the impact of subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, past behavior, and attitude on respondents' money donation intentions to charities in Pakistan. The respondents (N = 223), a non‐student population living in the city of Gujranwala, completed a survey. The collected data are analyzed by means of a multivariate analysis, which was comprised of regression and correlation. The results reveal a strong support to the extended theory of planned behavior model in establishing the relationship between identified independent and dependent variables in a developing country context of Pakistan. The study contributes to the establishment of a few strategies, which are useful for managers working in charitable organizations to attract and retain donors to support several causes.

Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The “Lisbon Goal” of the EU: Rhetoric or Substance?

This paper explores the relationship between the rhetoric of the Lisbon Goal of the EU and key insights from trade theory and growth theory. It argues that the policy initiative as such is valid, but the paradigm of international competitiveness is potentially misleading. The focus should, instead, be on productivity. Industrial policies, while potentially valid against the backdrop of recent developments in growth theory, are subject to pitfalls in practice. Policies focusing on institutions are more promising. The paper offers a framework for discussing the role of different types of institutions with respect to the Lisbon Goal. This paper goes back to a joint presentation with Mario Nava at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna—40th Anniversary Symposium “A Changing Europe in a Changing World” June 24–25, 2004.     

The WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism: Battlefield or Cooperation? A Commentary on Fritz Breuss

EU–US trade disputes have recently caught much attention, because they have involved lasting non-compliance coupled with WTO-authorized retaliation. A recent paper by Breuss (2004) shows that the outcome in most cases has probably involved economic damage on both sides. Does this testify to a general weakness, or even failure, of the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism? This paper develops a theoretical framework, based on the Bagwell and Staiger (2002) theory of the GATT/WTO, that helps us explain why the DSM might lead to mutually harmful non-compliance cum sanctions. If this happens, we should still not jump to concluding failure of the DSM. Interpreting the DSM as a political cooperation device, the framework allows us to identify conditions under which the outcome is efficient in political economy terms, even though it might involve economic harm on both sides. In addition to a better understanding of the empirical results reported by Breuss (2004), the framework also allows us to identify certain general weaknesses and flaws of the DSM that should be recognized when reviewing the Dispute Settlement Understanding in the Doha round negotiations.     

Will African Agriculture Survive Climate Change?

Measurement of the likely magnitude of the economic impact ofclimate change on African agriculture has been a challenge.Using data from a survey of more than 9,000 farmers across 11African countries, a cross-sectional approach estimates howfarm net revenues are affected by climate change compared withcurrent mean temperature. Revenues fall with warming for drylandcrops (temperature elasticity of –1.9) and livestock (–5.4),whereas revenues rise for irrigated crops (elasticity of 0.5),which are located in relatively cool parts of Africa and arebuffered by irrigation from the effects of warming. At first,warming has little net aggregate effect as the gains for irrigatedcrops offset the losses for dryland crops and livestock. Warming,however, will likely reduce dryland farm income immedia-tely.The final effects will also depend on changes in precipitation,because revenues from all farm types increase with precipitation.Because irrigated farms are less sensitive to climate, wherewater is available, irrigation is a practical adaptation toclimate change in Africa.     

Restrictive immigration policy in Germany: pains and gains foregone?

Many European countries restrict immigration from new EU member countries. The rationale is to avoid adverse wage and employment effects. We quantify these effects for Germany. Following Borjas (in Q J Econ CXVIII(4):1335–1374, 2003), we estimate a structural model of labor demand, based on elasticities of substitution between workers with different experience levels and education. We allow for unemployment which we model in a price-wage-setting framework. Simulating a counterfactual scenario without restrictions for migration from new EU members countries in Germany, we find moderate negative wage and employment effects for incumbent foreigners, but positive effects for natives. Our results indicate that for the native German population as a whole the immigration restrictions are not welfare enhancing.     

The Development of Hybrid East and West Organizations in Malaysia

The current research investigates how successful Chinese business groups in Malaysia integrate Chinese management ideas with selected techniques from the West to form a hybrid model of management. The case research methodology was a rigorous, in-depth analysis of large successful Chinese family organizations in Malaysia. We find that management techniques from different cultures are combined in efficient Malaysian organizations, so East and West cross cultural boundaries around a continuing core of flexibility, networks, and family control. From our findings, entrepreneurs will be able to gain an understanding of how to enhance competitiveness in East Asia in general and Malaysia in particular.     

Impact of New Housing Construction on Racial Patterns

This paper inquires into the racial distribution impact of a projected significant increase in housing starts, under conditions of a federal fair housing law only now beginning to be effective and of an increase in the number of black families in the upper range of minority incomes. It examines the evidence within the broad context of changing urban forms and functions. The impact of new housing construction is analyzed under the headings of minority access to (1) new units and (2) filtered units in mover chains initiated by housing starts. Data are cited to support the conclusion that blacks' access to new units, while sharply increased over previous performance, will not have important effects on racial distribution, especially not increasing blacks as a proportion of suburban populations. Blacks' access to filtered housing, it is concluded, continues to be largely blocked by the dual racial market in real estate, except where such housing functions to extend the ghetto.