The European Union’s Constitutional Crisis—Causes and Consequences

The rejection of the treaty establishing a European constitution by French and Dutch voters has thrown the EU into a deep crisis. What developments in the EU contributed to these referenda results? What consequences are to be drawn for the continuation of integration and the integration goal, the governance of the EU-25 and the further planned enlargements? What flaws are there in the present draft constitution and how can these be dealt with?     

Der EU-Haushaltskompromiss vor dem Hintergrund der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik

Dem Kompromiss über die EU-Haushaltsplanung für die Jahre 2007 bis 2013 war eine kontroverse Debatte über den Umfang des „Briten-Rabatts“ und die Gemeinsame Agrarpolitik vorausgegangen. Welche Bedeutung hat die Agrarpolitik für die EU? Welche Mitgliedstaaten geh?ren im EU-Haushalt zu den Nettozahlern? Besteht ein Zusammenhang zwischen den Zahlungsstr?men aus dem EU-Haushalt und der Wohlstandsverteilung innerhalb der EU?     

Spieltheoretische Analyse von Konflikt und Kooperation

Mit dem diesj?hrigen Nobelpreis für Wirtschaftswissenschaften wurden die Forscher Robert Aumann und Thomas Schelling für ihre spieltheoretischen Beitr?ge zu Konflikt und Kooperation in (wiederholten) Spielen ausgezeichnet. Inwieweit haben die beiden Forscher die Spieltheorie weiterentwickelt? Auf welche zentralen sozialwissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen lassen sich ihre Erkenntnisse anwenden?     

白羊峪、青山关景区游客消费意向调查与乡村旅游资源开发建议

乡村旅游目前在中国正在成为一种时尚的旅游选择,本文通过对中国唐山白羊峪、青山关两个著名乡村旅游景区游客消费意向的调查与分析,对中国今后乡村旅游资源开发提出建议。     

Business Ethics versus Economic Incentives:<Emphasis Type="Italic">Contemporary Issues and Dilemmas</Emphasis>

Contemporary economic thought presumes that individuals in a society always act according to their self-interest or private economic incentives, while important ethical motivations for action, such as a concern for others and public interest, are largely ignored. This paper is based on my experience of teaching an undergraduate course that highlighted the divergence between economic incentives and ethical motives for action in present-day life and business. Teaching tools such as lectures, case and group discussions were employed to address important ethical dilemmas of individuals and managers in contemporary societies. Readings underscored the evolving relationship of business ethics and economic incentives, and the relevance of ancient ethical principles (e.g., Ethics of Interdependence, and Ethics of Prudence and Self-Development) to present-day business ethics. The course emphasized the imminent need in contemporary societies to reduce the divergence between economic incentives and ethical motives for action, and called for a greater understanding of business ethics today, given the complex ethical concerns that managers confront in the current global environment.     

Die Erwartungen an die neue Bundesregierung

Das Ergebnis der Bundestagswahl ist eine gro?e Koalition zwischen CDU/CSU und SPD. Was erwarten die Arbeitgeber und die Arbeitnehmer von der neuen Bundesregierung? Dr. Dieter Hundt von der Bundesvereinigung der deutschen Arbeitgeberverb?nde und Michael Sommer vom Deutschen Gewerkschaftsbund nehmen Stellung.     

Tensions in local government employment relationships

Abstract

A wide variety of initiatives characterized under the umbrella term of new public management have been introduced over the past two decades to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the public sector. The implications of these initiatives for public sector employment relationships have been the subject of on-going debate. This article contributes to this debate through examining how employees within local authorities are managed in a time of personal crisis with a particular focus on long-term sickness absence in the context of increased management drives for efficiency under the NPM agenda. The findings reveal that for managers in two local authorities that form the focus of this study there is a tension in struggling to achieve a workable balance between the needs of employees and wider operational requirements, resulting in role ambiguity for line managers and detrimental effects for vulnerable public service workers.