Disclosure and liquidity management: Evidence from regulation fair disclosure

We examine the effect of the firm’s information environment on its liquidity policy by exploiting a natural experiment involving Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD). We find, on average, Regulation FD has a negative impact on firm cash holdings. We also directly evaluate changes in firm disclosure policy and find the negative Regulation FD-cash holdings relation is stronger for firms that increased public disclosure and holds largely for firms that faced lower proprietary costs of public disclosure. Furthermore, we find this negative relation is more pronounced for firms with limited access to the credit market. We capture the medium-term effect of Regulation FD two years before and two years after the implementation. Overall, our results suggest that the change in the amount of information disclosed in response to Regulation FD, an externality effect, affects information asymmetry between firms and outside investors and thus cash holdings.     

Controlling Mobility and Regulation in Urban Space: Muslim Pilgrims to Mecca in Colonial Bombay, 1880–1914

The meanings and practices of space shape how cities are understood and governed. This article argues that space is central to understandings of mobility and practices of regulation in the city. Undertaking an analysis of the regulation of Muslim pilgrims (Hajis) in colonial Bombay (Mumbai) from 1880 to 1914, this article explores urban governance discourses around race, religion and public health at a variety of scales. It investigates the way that Hajis were problematized through these discourses, and targeted as threats to elite power and prosperity in the specific context of Bombay as a global shipping and economic hub. I conclude that elite conceptions of the city shape the governance of problematized bodies in ways which reinforce the meanings and politics of mobility and space. Elite understandings of movement and the city itself shape the practices and targets of urban regulation and control.     

Diffusion of mobile telephony: Analysis of determinants in Cameroon

This paper explores the diffusion of mobile telephone technology in Cameroon by identifying and analyzing the determinants of this diffusion. Studying the diffusion of mobile communications in African countries by integrating them into panels of developing countries is problematic. This approach is likely to mask the intrinsic differences as concerns the diffusion process. This survey shows, through the estimation of an S-shaped growth curve, that the Logistic model best describes the diffusion of mobile phone technology in Cameroon. Income, openness to competition and the use of SMS are key forces driving this diffusion. Forecasts indicate an increase of almost 70% in the demand by 2026 as far as mobile phone use in Cameroon is concerned. This implies not only an improvement in operators' and State's revenues, but also, the need to invest in infrastructures. Our recommendation therefore calls for a greater liberalization of the mobile phone market in Cameroon. In addition, given the complementary relationship between the core and the mobile networks, infrastructural investments are also needed in both sectors.     

Is there a need for platform neutrality regulation in the EU?

Motivated by the policy discussion in the EU whether to impose non-discrimination obligations for dominant online platforms, we analyse whether such regulation is warranted from an economic point of view. Our contribution is threefold. First, across several platform contexts, we identify (i) (paid) prominence of some third parties over others and (ii) the favouring of a platform's integrated services over independent entities as common discriminatory conducts of online platforms. Second, within this scope, we review the economic literature and find that discrimination in the form of paid prominence may often be in the interest of consumers. However, smaller or low-quality content providers are likely to be worse off, which gives rise to concerns regarding dynamic efficiency and long-term variety in those markets. Additional problems may arise if platform operators are vertically integrated with content providers. Third, based on these theoretical insights, we recommend that EU policy makers should not adopt a neutrality regulation for platforms prematurely. Instead, we recommend to impose new proportionate transparency rules for dominant platforms in order to facilitate the identification of actual misconduct and legal enforcement.     

The impact of successful cross-competencies on a career in tourism in Italy: the meeting point between the students’ perceptions and the requirements for professionals

ABSTRACT

The paper aims to understand how the changes occurring in the tourism sector are affecting the labor market in Italy, with a special focus on the relevance of successful cross competences (SCC). It focuses on comparing the relevance of these competencies in the perception of both students preparing to enter the tourism field and tour operators. The two-step study combined qualitative analysis that put forth specific characteristics of the tourism labor market in Italy through interviews with experts, and quantitative analysis that correlated the requirements of the tour operators to the ideas students have of what competencies tour operators entering the field should have. The results evinced differing perceptions of SCC and their relative importance in professional fields. Students manifest to miss awareness of the importance of SCC for their future careers. Furthermore, organizational ability, self-control and self-esteem were perceived by tour operators as the most important competencies to be acquired.     

Regulation and corruption in transitional China

This paper addresses the relationship between institutional change, regulation, and corruption by examining two possible positive effects of government discretion on growth in transitional economies, such as China. Firstly, economic reform depends on the support of those who have economic power. Allowing government departments and officials to divert resources and to be involved in private businesses make them a driving force for reform by giving up some of their power to the market. Secondly, because there existed large amounts of inefficient or out-of-date regulations in transitional economies, certain types of government discretion can actually circumvent inefficient policies and regulations and thus support growth. They enable people to break the status quo when regulations are lagging behind the reform. Although China had many laws and regulations which did not particularly promote growth, positive effects of government discretionary behaviour may have offset the negative effects of these laws and regulations on growth.     

技术标准形成过程中规制的作用机理研究综述

对2010-2017年技术标准规制领域的文献进行了系统汇集、整理、分类和分析。首先，基于规制主体视角，将技术标准形成过程中的规制划分为政府规制（G）、联盟/协会规制（A）和法律规制（L）3条路径；其次，对3条路径的构成维度进行分解；最后，阐述每一维度下各种要素对技术标准形成的作用，以期为该领域的理论研究提供更坚实的基础，并对我国自主技术标准实践提供一定借鉴。     

回应性监管策略对险资举牌的影响——基于万科、南玻、伊利和格力的多案例研究

受我国金融监管政策由松转紧的影响，险资在我国资本市场上呈现出举牌"涨潮"和"退潮"之势。基于回应性监管理论，文章对宝能举牌万科、前海人寿换血南玻、阳光保险举牌伊利和前海人寿突袭格力四个事件进行了多案例分析。研究发现政府监管策略会根据险资举牌动机和行为进行相应调整，当险资投资是单纯性财务投资行为时，监管机构主要以规范行为和能力提升为主，采取被监管主体自我监管和强化型自我监管策略；当险资举牌演变成一种行业性激进式恶意收购行为时，监管机构逐步升级监管强度直至暂停业务、市场禁入等严厉的惩罚措施。随着监管策略呈现从强化型自我监管向命令控制型监管，后又回归至强化型自我监管的转变，险资举牌也会产生不同的结果。当监管处于强化型自我监管阶段，南玻被前海人寿多次举牌，最终丧失控制权；面对宝能系的三次举牌，万科虽然紧急停牌，随后发布资产收购预案，但反收购举措也以失败告终。当监管强度逐渐升级进入命令控制型监管阶段，万科管理层重夺控制权，随着监管趋严的形势逐渐明确、监管层的态度立场和惩罚措施日益清晰，阳光保险未再继续增持伊利股份，伊利保持了控制权；前海人寿突袭格力时，正值保监证监齐发力明确对险资恶意举牌的态度和立场、要进一步强化对资本市场的监管，于是格力最终保住了控制权。当险资举牌行为得到严格限制后，政府再次进入强化型自我监管阶段，只是此次的监管规则在之前强化型自我监管阶段的基础上有了进一步完善。本文提出，监管机构应重视提高监管对象自我监管的主体责任和能力，采取先宽松后强硬的监管措施，并用权威有效的强制措施防范违背基本底线的金融风险，同时要考虑各监管策略之间的互相融合促进转化的动态关系。     

Technological and geographic heterogeneity in broadband markets: The challenge for regulation

When the telecommunications industry was liberalised in Europe and North America in the 1980s and 1990s, it inherited a legacy of monopoly providers whose footprint was national or multi-regional in its character. The regulatory framework, particularly that adopted in EU member states, reflected this pattern of relatively homogeneous deployment achieved, in part, by decades of cross-subsidised pricing and universal service goals. Perhaps because of this legacy, telecommunications regulators have often adopted the presumption that relevant markets are national in character, unless proven otherwise Although geographically-variegated regulatory remedies have been permitted (even in the face of allegedly national relevant markets) and adopted in many member states, many regulators have never done so, and overly cautious thresholds for permitting geographically based forbearance suggest a continued bias towards presuming national markets and remedies. We find that this presumption of uniformity and the tendency to aggregate geographic markets together is not supported by first principles of antitrust analysis, although there may have been strong practical reasons to apply this presumption in the past circumstances of the telecommunications and broadband industries.On the ground, however, there has arguably never been as much heterogeneity across geographies and across technological solutions that provide effective ultra-fast broadband speeds. Both technological (i.e., product market) and geographic heterogeneity are likely to increase with the advent of mobile 5G networks. With their deployment, a cautious regulatory stance towards geographic variation and a cautious regulatory stance towards inter-technology or inter-modal competition may result in regulation that could exceed what is required to ensure effective competition and could instead distort the incentives to enter of facilities-based actors. This may also result in higher-cost and inefficient investment. A more geographically varied and technologically agnostic regulatory framework may satisfy the principle of proportionate and focused regulation—with the possibility that the locus of regulation shifts from the access network to bottleneck facilities such as fibre, ducts and poles.This discussion is especially germane when one considers the highly speculative nature of forecasts and projections about future demand, and the competing claims of proponents of 5G and fibre. While there is some scepticism about the performance of mobile networks, we note that pure mobile and fixed 5G services may have synergies in deployment, and that the idea of competing with residential broadband services is a core strategy of very influential large-scale industry actors. In terms of a future research agenda, regulatory decisions could benefit from much more research into the relationship between domestic and global bandwidth constraints and their influence on development of software and application, as well as much more quantitative research by academics on the drivers of bandwidth demand. The risks associated with promoting investment that results in large-scale wasted resources should also be central to the regulatory agenda.     

How to train supply managers – Necessary and sufficient purchasing skills leading to success

The success of purchasing and supply management (PSM) largely depends on PSM professionals' skills levels. Past research assumed that one universal PSM professional type exists, and they have proposed one-size-fits-all PSM skillsets. However, PSM professionals have different objectives. Based on the data of an extensive survey conducted amongst European PSM professionals (n = 366), this study presents skillsets for seven objectives (reducing costs and improving delivery, quality, sustainability, strategic competitive advantage, supplier satisfaction and innovation). A differentiation is made between “necessary” and “sufficient” conditions for each objective's effectiveness. Within a new PSM-skills taxonomy, a hierarchy of skills is detected as one of the first categories that provide quantitative evidence that soft skills or personal skills are necessary conditions for carrying out hard skills or professional skills. Based on the proposed skillsets, university educators and firm trainers can draft teaching plans that support the intended outcome, while individual PSM professionals may get an orientation on how to develop their skills further.