International strategy and performance—Clustering strategic types of SMEs

This paper identifies different strategic types of internationalised SMEs, in so doing providing managers and entrepreneurs with a much better understanding of the main strategic options and their relationship with the international performance of firms. We provide a theoretical analysis of strategic orientations and strategic behaviour in international SMEs, followed by an empirical investigation based on a sample of Italian SMEs. The SMEs are grouped into strategic types using cluster analysis, and the link between strategic type and international performance is subsequently analysed using logistic regression. The empirical data suggest that there are four broad strategic types, namely an entrepreneurial/growth-oriented group of firms, a customer-oriented group, a product/inward-oriented cluster, and a further group of firms that lacks strategic orientation. The characteristics of the strategic clusters are discussed, and the regression results show that a clear and proactive strategic orientation and its consistency with business strategy leads to improved international performance. This confirms the positive and highly significant role of strategic types.     

英国选举面面观

英国的民意调查不同寻常地说到了点上--英国陷入了"悬浮议会"的窘状.英国大选已经过去差不多一个星期的时候,当时仍没有实质性的新政府出现.这种情况到底是怎么产生的?先说说英国的"得票多者当选议员"的选举制度.在此种选举方式之下,整个国家被分为650个选区,居民也差不多被这样划分.     

太多青蛙，太多的井

大千世界,无奇不有.在过去数千年时间里,很多事情都发生了变化,但是人的本性却依然如故.在以庄子(公元前360-公元前290)的名字命名的中国古典哲学著作中,我们可以找到青蛙坐井观天的故事.这个故事耳熟能详,以至于由此在汉语中产生了许多4个字组成的成语.但是,很少有人能认真地去领略"坐井观天"这个成语的真正含义.     

Resiliency or Change? The Contemporary Canada—US Border

The developed states of North America have not experienced transnational integration to the same degree as those of the European Union. Indeed, some scholars have argued that North American States and the border functions which define their territorial limits, are essentially unchanged in the face of globalisation, hardening rather than softening, and remaining unabashedly archaic and state-centred. This article suggests that although there has been considerable change in the border functions and geopolitical discourses which mediate transnationalism among the highly developed North American states – namely Canada and the United States – the nature and structure of transnational integration has remained more limited than that of the EU. It argues that the reasons for this more limited international integration agenda lie in the specific geopolitical discourses which sustain cross-border institutions and national identity before and after 11 September 2001 (‘9/11’). The Canadian state, for example, has demonstrated considerable resistance to greater levels of integration with the United States, at the same time that it has became increasingly open to cross-border trade under NAFTA. This resistance is based upon a national-identity discourse that relies upon distancing the Canadian state from its larger neighbours to the south. At the same time, however, the national security discourse which has emerged in the Canada and the United States following from 9/11, has failed to close borders to increasing levels of economic integration, and must accommodate the need for a degree of openness to the heightened levels of cross-border trade under NAFTA. As a result, there has been considerable reorganisation and reorientation of borders within North America. It is simply inaccurate to view the continent as a place where borders have remained unyielding to the broader forces of globalisation. If the role of borders in maintaining security while facilitating trade has resulted in an increased awareness of, and concern with the Canada-US border, the latter is not simply a continuation of ‘old-fashioned state-centred geopolitical concerns’ but is instead a newly-fashionedpost-9/11 response to the ramifications of globalised trade and terrorism.     

何不更加中国化?

如今,每个人都想居住在干净、现代、有好的基础设施以及环境安全的地方。山东近十几年的发展,让每一个山东人都看在眼里。被我称之为“故乡”的济南,也在我居住的这些年中发展迅速。那些过去脏乱差的地方现在都有所改观,到处是新建筑。交通系统也经历了一次彻底的改善,公共汽车焕然一新,变得干净整洁,还装上了空调。     

旅游是把双刃剑

在我的国家苏格兰，旅游是一项支柱产业，也是非常重要的经济来源。尽管有时人们会怀疑这究竟是不是一件好事情。     

Using principal components to produce an economic and social development index: An application to Latin America and the U.S.

This paper presents a principal components methodology for determining the weights for a set of indicators in a composite index of development. The procedure is applied to a 36-variable data set consisting of 1990 data for 19 Latin American countries and corresponding 1960 and 1990 data for the individual U.S. states. This paper compares the results with other well-known indices and uses the combined data set to better understand the level and scope of development in each region and over time. The general results are that the level of development of Latin American countries in 1990 are roughly distributed over the U.S. states in 1960 (though with a larger range), and the structure of development in Latin America is similar to the U.S.     

冷眼观世界杯

我们又一次作为中立的支持者观看世界杯比赛了。那些球员，不管是中国的还是来自我的家乡苏格兰，也许是因为准备不充分，者阮缘去南非了。看到英国队在球场上踢得一片混乱是一件另人沮丧的事（但是某种程度上又是令人满意的）。     

Estimating inequality in the distribution of welfare using demand models

In this paper two demand models with general household equivalence scales (GES) are estimated. These GES are identifiable, since they have the independence of base utility (IB) or equivalence scales exactness (ESE) property. Estimates of household characteristics adjusted income can then be calculated relative to a specific household type. This “individual equivalent income (IEI) is then used to calculate measures of inequality in the distribution of welfare. As more than one model is estimated, the sensitivity of these estimates to model specification changes can be considered. Comparisons are also made to estimates of inequality based on household income. It is found that absolute inequality is sensitive to model specification, but relative inequality is not. This is true using indices of inequality of the Atkinson (1970), Kolm (1976a,b) and Sen (1973) type, or more general measures of inequality based on estimates of Lorenz curve decile ordinates, constructed using methods introduced by Beach and Davidson (1983). Thus, if absolute measures of inequality are required, these results suggest some further research is required to determine a class of models which is less sensitive to model specification error. However, if only relative measures of inequality are needed, then estimates of inequality appear to be very robust to the choice of model specification.     

Corporate social responsibility and bank risk profile: evidence from Europe

This study analyzes the impact of risk profile on sustainability reporting and its quality in European banks. Financial institutions (FI) play a social role in the financial inclusion process and incorporate environmental considerations into credit risk assessment, making corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related issues vital for risk management systems. FI with lower capital risk, higher liquidity risk, higher profitability in banking, and higher sensitivity to market risk tend to issue CSR reports. The findings suggest that FI with lower profitability in banking disclose higher quality CSR financial services sector (FSS)-specific information, whereas FI not submitting CSR reports for external assurance or having their CSR reports assured by certain auditors issue lower quality CSR/FSS-specific information.