Globalization and the Good Corporation: A Need for Proactive Co-existence

Large corporations are coming under intense pressure to act in a socially responsible manner. Corporations have accepted this notion provided that it is exercised voluntarily. It has also been argued that corporations can do well by doing good, and that good ethics is good business. This paper presents an alternative viewpoint by demonstrating that while voluntary socially responsible conduct is desirable, it plays a rather small role in inspiring good corporate conduct. Instead, (a) it is the external economic-competitive conditions that define the parameters and opportunities for good corporate conduct; and (b) the values and traditions of the corporations, and their perceived risk in exploiting those opportunities, that influence the extent of a corporation's socially responsible conduct. The framework presented here analyzes certain market-competitive conditions, which determine the scope and direction of socially responsible corporate conduct, and the instruments available to society to enhance ethical corporate conduct. It suggests that from society's perspective, we should move away from the notion of corporate social responsibility and toward corporate social accountability. Most modern economies operate under conditions of imperfect competition where corporations gain above-normal profits, i.e., market rent, from market imperfections. Therefore, corporations should be held accountable for a more equitable distribution of these above-normal profits with other groups, e.g., customers, employees, etc., who were deprived of their market-based gains because of market imperfections and corporate power. Three approaches are suggested for measuring corporate accountability through corrections. These are: information imbalance, bargaining power imbalance, and, adjudication, remedy and relief imbalance.     

企业中心法则研究

生物中心法则是现代生物学的理论基石,其揭示了生物体内DNA、RNA和蛋白质三类大分子之间信息传递规律及方式。企业由企业DNA、技术、产品构成类似生物中心法则的企业中心法则。企业中心法则中的企业DNA、技术、产品的信息传递方式是一个完全循环的过程。     

Institutional Impediments to Voluntary Ethics Measurement Systems

In this paper, we argue that calls for widespread implementation of ethics measurement systems would be better informed by institutional economic analysis. Specifically, we assert that proponents of such systems must first recognize and understand the institutions that potentially impede such efforts. We identify two potential institutional impediments to measuring ethics and social responsibility. First, we suggest that neoclassical economics, supported by traditional business education and legal precedent, serves to reinforce the notion that shareholders are the primary corporate constituency group. Such an emphasis on the needs of shareholders severely hinders implementation of measurement systems that address the needs of multiple stakeholder groups. Second, we argue that the threat of litigation may constrain corporate managers from measuring and considering ethics and corporate social responsibility matters. In particular, managers may be reluctant to quantify various ethical concerns if the resulting measurements could be used as evidence against the corporation in a lawsuit.     

我国养老基金的投资模式

人口老龄化对养老保险制度提出了严峻的挑战 ,“统账结合”的基金缺口将通过国有股减持来弥补。而出于保值增值的需要 ,具有积累或部分积累性质的养老基金有必要进入资本市场 ,并具备了一定的进入条件。相应地 ,养老基金的投资模式也要进行多样化的投资选择 ,以达到保值增值的目的。     

An Examination of the Structure of Executive Compensation and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Canadian Investigation

We explore the extent to which Boards use executive compensation to incite firms to act in accordance with social and environmental objectives (e.g., Johnson, R. and D. Greening: 1999, Academy of Management Journal 42(5), 564–578 ; Kane, E. J.: 2002, Journal of Banking and Finance 26, 1919–1933.). We examine the association between executive compensation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) for 77 Canadian firms using three key components of executives’ compensation structure: salary, bonus, and stock options. Similar to prior research (McGuire, J., S. Dow and K. Argheyd: 2003, Journal of Business Ethics 45(4), 341–359), we measure three different aspects of CSR, which include Total CSR as well as CSR Strengths and CSR Weaknesses. CSR Strengths and CSR Weaknesses capture the positive and negative aspects of CSR, respectively. We find significant positive relationships between: (1) Salary and CSR Weaknesses, (2) Bonus and CSR Strengths, (3) Stock Options and Total CSR; and (4) Stock Options and CSR Strengths. Our findings suggest the importance of the structure of executive compensation in encouraging socially responsible actions, particularly for larger Canadian firms. This in turn suggests that executive compensation can be an effective tool in aligning executives’ welfare with that of the “common good”, which results in more socially responsible firms (Bebchuk, L., J. Fried and D. Walker: 2002, The University of Chicago Law Review 69, 751–846; Zalewski, D.: 2003, Journal of Economic Issues 37(2), 503–509). In addition, our findings suggest the importance of institutional context in influencing the association between executive compensation and CSR. Further implications for practice and research are discussed.Lois. Mahoney is an Assistant Professor at Eastern Michigan University. Her research is focused in the areas of ethics and accounting information systems. She has published in ethics and accounting journals including Journal of Business Ethics, Business Ethics Quarterly, Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting, Information and Organization. Dr. Mahoney has received several research awards, including Best Paper award at the Seventh Symposium on Ethics Research in Accounting. Dr. Mahoney is also actively involved in the American Accounting Association.Linda Thorn is an Associate Professor at York University in Toronto Ontario. Her research focuses on ethical decision making, the ethics of accountants and accounting students and ethical aspects of accounting information. She has published in ethics and accounting journal including among others, Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, Contemporary Accounting Research, Behavioral Research in Accounting and Audit: A Journal of Practice in Theory.     

试论入世后我国环保机械企业融资与公司治理问题

在对我国环保机械企业发展的现状和加入WTO后面临的困难和机遇进行归纳的基础上 ,从债权治理的角度分析了环保机械企业融资方式选择的利弊 ,同时提出了我国环保机械企业进行企业债券融资的具体措施。     

品牌形象对消费者行为倾向影响的实证研究

本文认为,品牌形象影响并决定着人们的购买和消费行为,独特的品牌形象可以帮助企业确立品牌定位,阻止品牌竞争,改善品牌的市场表现。品牌形象由品牌表现、品牌个性、公司形象三个维度构成,三者不存在层级关系。其中,品牌表现是影响消费者行为倾向的主要因素;品牌个性影响消费者行为倾向,但影响程度较弱;公司形象通过品牌表现和品牌个性间接影响消费者行为倾向,对消费者行为倾向无显著影响。文章提出,企业可以通过三种品牌形象进行品牌定位,即品牌功能属性定位、品牌个性定位、公司形象定位,品牌形象管理即企业进行品牌定位的过程。对于中国企业来讲,品牌个性和公司形象的定位更值得关注。开发独特的品牌形象,建立吸引人的差异化的品牌形象的品牌战略,加强企业品牌形象的推广,是提高顾客忠诚度的根本途径。     

民营上市公司的治理机制及治理效应分析

通过对民营上市公司常用的治理机制及治理效应的分析,我们发现:民营上市公司的各种治理机制无论对净资产收益率还是财务综合绩效,都没有太大的解释力,但对托宾Q值却具有极强的解释能力。即使是就托宾Q值而言,股东会议、独立董事规模、两职设置、高管人员薪酬等内部治理机制也没有发挥显著的作用,内部治理机制中的第一大股东具有特别重要的作用。     

我国企业债券融资问题研究

我国资本市场的一个重要特点是企业债券融资发展速度缓慢,其主要原因在于政府政策和制度的管制以及企业自身产权制度不合理、治理机制不健全。尽快形成以市场机制为主导的企业债券管理制度,加强企业产权制度改革,塑造真正的企业债券市场主体,提高全社会资源配置效率,改善资本市场融资结构,是保证国民经济健康发展的当务之急。