Multinational enterprises’ risk mitigation strategies in emerging markets: A political coalition perspective

This paper contributes to the IB literature by investigating MNEs’ risk mitigation strategies in emerging markets. Drawing on institutional perspectives and March’s theoretical concept of forming a ‘political coalition’, we propose that risk mitigation cannot be limited to passive compliance and/or demonstrating good corporate behavior, but should extend to collective efforts by building a political coalition and working with key stakeholders to manage potential risk and obtain favorable outcomes in complex institutional environments. In considering MNEs in contemporary China and India, we offer different types of risk mitigation strategies under various institutional contexts and a framework for future research.     

旅游审美疲劳:表现特征、形成机理与缓解措施

伴随旅游的大众化和日常化发展,不少旅游产品越来越难以满足旅游者不断升级的审美需求,旅游审美疲劳现象日益显露。旅游审美疲劳主要表现为旅游者对旅游活动兴趣减弱以及出现心理排斥等负向情感表达,对游客体验与旅游业的可持续发展造成消极影响。文章首先对国内外相关文献进行梳理,明晰国内外研究现状,并以此为基础解析旅游审美疲劳的概念内涵。其次,概括出旅游审美疲劳具有情绪主导性、群体差异性、身心综合性、动态变化性、情境感染性、条件累积性等6大表现特征,结合旅游审美疲劳的形成机理提出了旅游审美疲劳的缓解对策。最后,明确未来旅游审美疲劳的研究方向,并提出从生活视角转向生命视角构建旅游审美体验的新思路。     

我国刑罚轻缓化的经济分析——兼论罚金刑和自由刑的适用

刑罚轻缓化已经成为刑罚结构改革的总体趋势,通过对刑罚轻缓化的经济分析,我们可以挖掘出刑罚轻缓化背后深层次的原因,那就是＂高概率的惩罚与轻刑化＂的组合是预防和控制犯罪最为经济有效的方式,而轻刑化即我们所谓的刑罚轻缓化。在刑罚轻缓化的背景之下,透视罚金刑与自由刑的适用,我们可以发现罚金刑更符合刑罚轻缓化之意旨,应提升到主刑的地位,未来我国的刑罚结构改革也应以罚金刑为主导,而自由刑只起辅助的作用。     

Analyzing the role of mutual guarantee societies on bank capital requirements for small and medium-sized enterprises

This paper analyzes the impact of the guarantee provided by mutual guarantee societies (MGSs) on the risk premium that banks should charge for small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) loans under the new Basel Capital Accords (Basel II and III). We also examine whether the foreseeable decrease in the theoretical credit risk premium would be compensated by the cost of the MGS guarantee. To do so, we develop a rating system for SMEs that uses a large sample of Spanish firms over the period from 2005 to 2009. We find that the final effect of the guarantee on the SME risk premium depends on the values taken by the credit variables of the MGS (essentially, the probability of default).     

Can tourism be part of the decarbonized global economy? The costs and risks of alternate carbon reduction policy pathways

Global leaders agree on the need to substantially decarbonize the global economy by 2050. This paper compares potential costs associated with different policy pathways to achieve tourism sector emission reduction ambitions (?50% by 2035) and transform the sector to be part of the mid-century decarbonized economy (?70% by 2050). Investment in emissions abatement within the tourism sector, combined with strategic external carbon offsets, was found to be approximately 5% more cost effective over the period 2015–2050 than exclusive reliance on offsetting. The cost to achieve the ?50% target through abatement and strategic offsetting, while significant, represents less than 0.1% of the estimated global tourism economy in 2020 and 3.6% in 2050. Distributed equally among all tourists (international and domestic), the cost of a low-carbon tourism sector is estimated at US$11 per trip, equivalent to many current travel fees or taxes. Exclusive reliance on offsetting would expose the sector to extensive and continued carbon liability costs beyond mid-century and could be perceived as climate inaction, increasing reputational risks and the potential for less efficient regulatory interventions that could hinder sustainable tourism development. Effective tourism sector leadership is needed to develop a strategic tourism policy framework and emission measurement and reporting system.     

How can the EU climate targets be met? A combined analysis of technological and demand-side changes in food and agriculture

To meet the 2 °C climate target, deep cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be required for carbon dioxide from fossil fuels but, most likely, also for methane and nitrous oxide from agriculture and other sources. However, relatively little is known about the GHG mitigation potential in agriculture, in particular with respect to the combined effects of technological advancements and dietary changes. Here, we estimate the extent to which changes in technology and demand can reduce Swedish food-related GHG emissions necessary for meeting EU climate targets. This analysis is based on a detailed representation of the food and agriculture system, using 30 different food items.We find that food-related methane and nitrous oxide emissions can be reduced enough to meet the EU 2050 climate targets. Technologically, agriculture can improve in productivity and through implementation of specific mitigation measures. Under optimistic assumptions, these developments could cut current food-related methane and nitrous oxide emissions by nearly 50%. However, also dietary changes will almost certainly be necessary. Large reductions, by 50% or more, in ruminant meat (beef and mutton) consumption are, most likely, unavoidable if the EU targets are to be met. In contrast, continued high per-capita consumption of pork and poultry meat or dairy products might be accommodated within the climate targets. High dairy consumption, however, is only compatible with the targets if there are substantial advances in technology. Reducing food waste plays a minor role for meeting the climate targets, lowering emissions only by an additional 1–3%.     

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the Workplace Under the ADA in the Wake of Sutton and Its Companions

The terms Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) refer to a neurological impairment that affects the individual's ability to sustain attention and to behave in a calm, rational manner.³Although this disorder has long been considered to be restricted to childhood, recent research has demonstrated that many children carry it over into adult life and take it with them into the workplace. Most U.S. courts have treated AD/HD as a disability covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).⁴However, in the summer of 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court made three decisions that will undoubtedly affect the future status of AD/HD and other impairments under the ADA. This article examines those decisions, how they affect the employment rights of AD/HD-afflicted employees, and the changes they will probably bring to litigation in this area. Because we have many reservations about the court's decisions, we not only voice our criticisms of the decisions, but also offer an alternative approach.     

Futures of Crisis,Futures of Urban Political Theory: Flooding in Asian Coastal Megacities

Coastal megacities across Asia have experienced devastating floods in recent years. Studies project dramatic increases in populations prone to chronic flooding and potential permanent inundation of densely populated urban areas in future decades. The uncertainties presented by future flood risks disrupt prevalent state visions of globalization‐driven prosperity. The emerging reality of a shift in relationship between water and urban settlements has begun driving recalibration of power relations around a range of issues, including longstanding contestations over infrastructure delivery, housing, land rights and political representation. Flood mitigation efforts have played out in debates over displacement and eviction, and distributional concerns about the costs and benefits of these initiatives. This article develops a conceptual framework for assessing the implications of projections of flood risk for urban political theory. The article begins by identifying political contestations that emerge around the varied ways water intersects with urban processes—through dynamics of permeability, flow and drainage, aquifers and pipes, and coastal defense. It then explores how projections of the crisis of flooding have reshaped three contemporary debates in urban politics: those around property rights and the question of ‘informality’; around neoliberalization and financialization; and around the rescaling of the state. Finally, it briefly deploys this framework to examine the case of Jakarta.