The Russian Tax System and Its International Competitiveness

The last several years were very favourable to the development of the Russian economy. While this has partly been the consequence of favourable conditions on the international markets for raw materials, the economic policy of President Vladimir Putin, including the tax reforms initiated at the end of the 1990s, also played a major role. Our authors examine in detail the effects of the tax reforms to date and point out the room for further improvements under Putin’s successor, Medvedev.     

Long-term mortality following injury in working-age adults: a systematic review

Priorities for prevention activities and planning for services depend on comprehensive knowledge of the distribution of the injury-related burden in the community. The aim of this systematic review was to quantify the effect of being injured, compared with not being injured, on long-term mortality in working age adults. Cohort studies were selected that were population-based, measured mortality post-discharge from inpatient treatment, included a non-injured comparison group and related to working-age adults. Data synthesis was in tabular and text form with a meta-analysis not being possible because of the heterogeneity between studies. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies found an overall positive association between injury and increased mortality. While the greatest excess mortality was evident during the initial period post-injury, increased mortality was shown in some studies to persist for up to 40 years after injury. Due to the limited number of injury types studied and heterogeneity between studies, there is insufficient published evidence on which to calculate population estimates of long-term mortality, where injury is a component cause. The review does suggest there is considerable excess mortality following injury that is not accounted for in current methods of quantifying injury burden, and is not used to assess quality and effectiveness of trauma care.     

Simple and Painless? The Limitations of Spillover in Environmental Campaigning

The comfortable perception that global environmental challenges can be met through marginal lifestyle changes no longer bears scrutiny. The cumulative impact of large numbers of individuals making marginal improvements in their environmental impact will be a marginal collective improvement in environmental impact. Yet, we live at a time when we need urgent and ambitious changes. An appeal to environmental imperatives is more likely to lead to spillover into other pro-environmental behaviours than an appeal to financial self-interest or social status.

The preconditions for manufacturing foreign direct investment in the united states: An empirical assessment

This study used a multivariate regression analysis of industry-and firm-specific factors to determine characteristics that lead to manufacturing firms’ foreign direct investment in the United States (FDIUS). Two hundred forty firms were examined (137 investors and 103 noninvestors) from 7 countries in 10 industries during the 1984–1988 period. Firm size and overall profits were positive and significant indicators of FDIUS, but firms’ return on assets was not significant. Three industry-specific variables (prior exports to the United States, industry concentration, and technological intensity) were examined; they were generally positive but insignificant indicators of FDIUS.     

Sequential Mergers and Antitrust Authority’s Decisions in Stackelberg Markets

This paper analyses a sequential merger formation game in a setting where: (i) firms compete à la Stackelberg; (ii) mergers may give rise to endogenous efficiency gains; and (iii) every merger has to be submitted for approval to the Antitrust Authority (AA). Two different types of AA are studied: first, we assume a myopic AA, which accepts or rejects a given merger without considering that this merger may be followed by other mergers; and, second, a forward looking AA, which anticipates the final industry structure a merger will give rise to, if approved. We conclude that these two types of AA adopt similar decisions whenever a merger would not trigger the exit of outsider firms. Their decisions are, however, shown to be very different when evaluating exit-inducing merger proposals.     

Corporate ethical performance: Trends,forecasts and outlooks

Executives, professionals, educators and labour leaders are requesting an update on corporate ethical trends. This article presents an examination of why the interest in corporate ethics is growing both in society and in corporations. An analysis follows of how corporations are responding to this interest, and of how that response might be enhanced through improved second-generation codes of ethical performance. Leonard J. Brooks B. Com., MBA, FCA, is a Professor of Accounting at the Faculty of Management and Erindale Campus of the University of Toronto. Before joining the University, he held the rank of Director of Manpower and Audit Manager at Touche Ross and Co., Chartered Accountants. His most recent monograph is entitled Canadian Corporate Social Performance.     

Anstieg der Altersarmut?

The development of old-age poverty has become an important topic in Germany. Contrary to most studies, a recent report written by the scientifi c advisory council at the German Federal Ministry of Economy asserts that old-age poverty will not become a large socio-political problem in Germany in the future. The authors of this paper warn against downplaying the problem of old-age poverty, and they plead in favour of further reliable research on the issue.