Horizontal mergers between multisided platforms: Insights from Cournot competition

This paper discusses the literature on horizontal mergers between multisided platforms and argues that the Cournot model can provide useful insights into the welfare effects of such mergers. To illustrate those insights, we develop a simple model in which two‐sided platforms offer a homogeneous service and compete à la Cournot, and derive the effects of “average‐marginal‐cost‐preserving” mergers on consumers on both sides of the market. We conclude with a discussion of several research avenues that could be explored to understand better the impact of horizontal mergers between multisided platforms.     

The valdez principles: Implications for corporate social responsibility

The Valdez Principles have been formulated to guide and evaluate corporate conduct towards the environment. While at first glance the code appears to impose enormous new responsibilities on firms, a closer analysis indicates that existing regulations and business practices already require businesses to meet many of the environmental goals sought by its proponents. Likely corporate response to the code is examined against this background and with reference to the experience with other voluntary codes of conduct. It would appear that compliance with the code will yield minimal benefits and non-compliance will impose minimum costs for the environmentally-responsible firm.Joao S. Neves is Associate Professor of Management at Trenton State College where he teaches various courses in Management. A graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Neves has numerous publications in academic and trade journals. His interests include corporate social responsibility and he has contributed to many conferences. Rajib N. Sanyal teaches international management and human resource management at Trenton State College in Trenton, New Jersey. He obtained his Ph. D. from Georgia State University-Atlanta. His writings can be found in International Journal of Value-Based Management, Journal of International Business Studies, and Labor Studies Journal, among others.     

Technological Centers as a Negotiated Context to Combine Technological Capabilities

Recent perspectives on a capabilities view of the firm often recognize the need for firms to develop an external organization. From a relational view of the industry, the external organization may include economic and non-economic exchange relationships. The decision to combine both types of relationships and its relevance for the firm can be linked to their role for accessing, generating and diffusing knowledge. More often than not, these decisions are however not unilateral. This paper discusses the potential role that Technological Centers (TC’s), created by the collective initiative of some local firms, can play as part of firms’ external organizations and emphasizes TC’s role in connecting economic and non-economic exchange relationships. It is further suggested that the diverse motives and benefits perceived by firms in relating in and across the TC’s and, in general, the relevance of sharing experiences within these contexts, should be seen in the wider context of firms’ specific and idiosyncratic trajectories.     

Mixed causal–noncausal autoregressions with exogenous regressors

Mixed causal–noncausal autoregressive (MAR) models have been proposed to model time series exhibiting nonlinear dynamics. Possible exogenous regressors are typically substituted into the error term to maintain the MAR structure of the dependent variable. We introduce a representation including these covariates called MARX to study their direct impact. The asymptotic distribution of the MARX parameters is derived for a class of non-Gaussian densities. For a Student likelihood, closed-form standard errors are provided. By simulations, we evaluate the MARX model selection procedure using information criteria. We examine the influence of the exchange rate and industrial production index on commodity prices.     

Concepts perception of strategy and strategic management： University case study

Aiming to reveal the university students＇ understanding in management as for the strategy and strategic management phenomena, this study accomplishes a phenomenographic research to assess the future managers＇ market perception. It was chosen university students in Management of a Portuguese University. We conclude that the strategy definitions obtained are an assembly of the diverse existing concepts. Concerning to strategic management it was perceived an approach with one of the main existing concepts. The findings raise interesting issues with respect to the difficulties felt by new managers in translating their theoretical definitions in real examples in the organizations.     

Green bonds,sustainable development and environmental policy in the European Union carbon market

This study assesses the non-linear effects of green bonds, conventional bonds and energy commodities on the behaviour of the cap-and-trade European Union carbon market (European Union Emissions Trading System [EU-ETS]). By estimating four models, using Markov-switching (MS) econometric methodology, non-linearities are confirmed in dynamic behaviours, observing in the global calculation a positive effect of green bonds (S&P Green and Sol Green) on the carbon market, in regimes of both high and low volatility, whereas conventional bonds (S&P Agg) and energy commodities (DJCI En) contribute to a decrease in the carbon market in regimes of high volatility. The relevance of green bonds is underlined in determining the behaviour of the carbon market, besides observing greater persistence of the low volatility regime. These results allow both investors and fund managers to implement strategies in different volatility or economic activity contexts through a diversified portfolio and green/climate structure.     

Real wages and labor-saving technical change: evidence from a panel of manufacturing industries in mature and labor-surplus economies

Recent theories have provided a persuasive account of a key stylized fact of mature economies: the common long-run trends of average real wages and labor productivity, and the ensuing stationarity of functional distribution. Central to these theories is the notion of directed technical change, which claims that a rise in labor costs sparks the adoption of labor-saving innovations. This paper empirically examines a core prediction of these theories, namely that shocks to functional distribution elicit compensatory adjustments in real product wages and labor productivity. Using two disaggregated data-sets of manufacturing industries (EU-Klems and Unido), I find evidence of cointegration and two-way, long-run Granger causality between these two variables. These findings suggest that directed technical change is indeed key for producing stationarity in functional distribution, and they complement the recent empirical literature on distributive cycles and productivity growth. Preliminary evidence from the Unido data-set also suggests the importance of directed technical change in developing countries. To illuminate the empirical procedure, I present a theoretical model of growth and distribution with directed technical change.     

The indexation of wages and bonds in Brazil

This paper analyses the dynamic relationship between the degrees of indexation of wages and public bonds in Brazil. A simple model is constructed to show that both degrees of indexation are determined simultaneously. We apply cointegration techniques and estimate error-correction representations to assess the temporal causality between them. Our results provide empirical support for the existence of simultaneity in the degrees of indexation in Brazil in the period 1980–93.     

The economy of Portugal and the European Union: From high growth prospects to the debt crisis

This paper documents some of the recent economic history of Portugal, since its accession to the EEC, to the adoption of the Euro and more recently to the financial and economic crisis. In the first part of the paper we show the economic performance of Portugal during the last 25 years till now, from the fast growth of the late 1980s and early 1990s to the current recession. We point out some of the reasons for this trajectory – slow productivity growth, disconnection between productivity and wages, continued external and public deficits – and choose three areas that must be improved in order to reverse the current downward spiral – justice needs to be more effective and faster, education needs to improve its quality and distribution across the population, and the public administration must become more efficient.