Credit risk management at retail in Mexico: An econometric improvement in the selection of variables and changes in their characteristics

The early prediction of bad debtors for revolving credits in Mexico is a relevant issue today. The credit behavior econometric model proposed considers the changes in the characteristics of the consolidated accredited and provides better results than those obtained with the methodology utilized by the CNBV on provision matters. The results obtained show that the possibility of replacing the current model, minimizing the expected loss and increasing the ROA per financial institution at a national level by 2.20%, complies with the methodological criteria and the statistical tests in accordance with the Compiled Banking Regulation and Basel II guidelines on credit risk issues.     

Science vs. fear: the Ebola quarantine debate as a case study that reveals how the public perceives risk

This study focuses on newspaper coverage of the Hickox quarantine incident, using it as a case study to examine how the media characterized the spread of disease in an ongoing crisis situation characterized by uncertainty. The study builds on Slovic et al.’s research, who argue that risk perception is comprised of both emotional and analytical aspects. We employed a qualitative approach, first examining articles on Hickox’s story in The New York Times and New York Daily News between October 25 and 31, 2014; and second, readers’ comments in response to these articles. The findings from the newspaper articles show that in their treatment of the quarantine debate, the media did not address the issue of uncertainty, and thus continued the health authorities’ neglect of this issue. Although the media gave expression to various sides of the debate, it emphasized those who objected to the quarantine policy, thus raising the claim that the conflict was between ‘science’ and the public’s ‘irrational fears,’ and that the governors decided on quarantine in response to the public’s panic and fears. From our analysis of readers’ comments, it appears that these claims are unjustified. First, we found that the public did not speak in a single unified voice, but rather, was divided into supporters and opponents of quarantine. Both sides used scientific arguments and resorted to similar terminology, and tended to cite and present studies backing their arguments. As for irrational fears, although quarantine supporters expressed emotions, they indicated mainly concerns, not panic or hysteria.     

多元共治下企业环境绩效影响因素组态及提升路径研究——基于重污染企业的模糊集定性比较（fsQCA）分析

选取2018—2020年195家重污染企业数据为样本,从多元共治视角出发,运用fsQCA方法,探究企业环境绩效影响因素的协同互动关系以及提升路径。研究发现：高环境绩效的路径有7条,前因变量在不同路径中的表现不同,其中高创新能力的存在在各路径中出现最多;一定条件下,因素之间具有替代性,部分因素同时具有互斥性。研究结论有助于深化对企业环境绩效复杂因果机制的认识,也为获取环境绩效的决策方式提供一定借鉴。     

Analyzing the Benin Land Law: An alternative viewpoint of progress

Ekpodessi and Nakamura recently published in Land Use Policy a paper on the 2013 Benin Land Law, the stated objective of which was to evaluate its effectiveness. The 2013 Land Law is mainly limited to reforming land administration bodies and does not alter the underpinnings of existing land law. On the contrary, it reaffirms the focus on private ownership and aims at simplifying and reducing the costs for accessing a land title. A new agency responsible for land administration has been created and just began to deliver titles, but needed policy tools were not yet in place at time of writing. It is thus too early to evaluate the new law’s effectiveness. In any event, this paper questions the assumptions and the content of the Benin Land Law and its ability to positively address land issues. The paper argues that effectiveness cannot be assessed without a conceptual frame of reference and associated methodology for critique. On the basis on the author’s in depth field research on land policy processes in Benin over many years, another viewpoint is offered on key findings in Ekpodessi and Nakamura’s paper.     

Contextual embeddedness of careers: female “nonsurvivors” and their gendered relational context

Our aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the contextual embeddedness of women's careers. To do this, we leverage feminist relational theory (a) to understand the relational context of women's careers in Lebanon, with a particular focus on working‐self and career investments, and (b) to trace the gendered power dynamics of career investments in the relational context of work. Through examining the narratives of 24 Lebanese female “nonsurvivors” (i.e., used to work but are not currently engaged in paid work), our findings paint a complex and nuanced picture of different relational contexts. Represented on a continuum ranging from minimally conducive for women's careers to contexts that are incrementally more conducive, the differences between these contexts are unpacked through drawing attention to the gendered power dynamics shaping women's (dis)connection with their working self, the perceived (mis)alignment of others, and the career investments that they make. Our contribution lies in augmenting our understanding of the contextual embeddedness of women's careers by demonstrating the theoretical and practical utility of bringing a deeper feminist analysis to understand the relational context of work.     

Does short sales deregulation affect qualitative information disclosure?

We examine the impact of short sales deregulation on firms' disclosure of non-financial qualitative information. Our simple analytical model predicts that, after short sales deregulation and when the cost of disclosing proprietary qualitative information to the firm and its executives is sufficiently high, shortable firms respond by disclosing less proprietary and more non-proprietary qualitative information than non-shortable firms. Using a textual analysis of qualitative information about the supply chain, available in the management disclosure and analysis sections of the annual reports of a sample of Chinese firms, and applying a staggered difference-in-differences research design, we find evidence consistent with the model's prediction.     

Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis in consumer research: A systematic literature review

The traditional symmetrical methods may not be sufficient for effectively examining the asymmetries that are evident in the real-world complex consumption context in the form of pandemic, and other technological, sociocultural, environmental, and geo-political factors. As a result, the use of innovative and asymmetrical methods such as fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which draws from the complexity theory could help better predict and explain consumer decisions in the age of disruptions. Through a comprehensive method-based systematic literature review of 129 research articles published in the consumer behavior research literature, this study helps to identify the key trends, leading publication sources and contributors, and the current knowledge structure of consumer research using fsQCA. In doing so, this review also sheds light on the state of diversity within this particular area of research. The findings help identify the key future avenues for utilizing fsQCA within consumer research. This review is a useful resource for practitioners to gain a direct access to key consumer research scholars for identifying the constructs (e.g., antecedents, mediators, moderators, enablers, inhibitors) shaping consumer behaviors to inform strategic decisions.     

Beyond plug and play: The acquisition and meaning of vibrators in heterosexual relationships

This article presents an exploration into women's purchasing of vibrators and how they negotiate the meaning of these sex toys with their partners' preferences and attitudes. Drawing on semi‐structured interviews with 32 female consumers, the study identifies ways in which emotional, transformative and contextual aspects of meaning revolve around choosing, buying and using vibrators in heterosexual relationships. In analysing such experiences, the article points to the potential of vibrators to become imbued with notions of desire, maintenance, privacy and preference. Overall, this research draws attention to salient and nonsalient meanings attached to vibrators that constitute the sex toys' significance beyond simply functional elements. The paper enriches research on consumer behaviour and vibrator use in sexual relationships and proposes an understanding of object relations grounded in the intimate spheres of consumer studies.     

Non-financial strategy disclosure and environmental,social and governance score: Insight from a configurational approach

Evaluating the determinants of environmental, social and governance (ESG) score is significant for topic for academics and regulators and companies. Despite its importance, little attention has been paid to non-financial strategy disclosure and how to communicate non-financial information. However, in the recent years, attention to the topic has considerably increased as demonstrated, in the European context, by the introduction of the non-financial reporting directive in 2014. Therefore, it is important to analyse how the quantity and quality of disclosure influence the ESG score. To explore this relationship, a configurational analysis aimed at 31 Italian listed companies was studied by fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The results showed that there were three path types driving the ESG score and that integrated reporting played a highly significant role in promoting a high ESG score. Specifically, we show the importance of assessing the combinations of quality and quantity disclosures for ESG score through configurational thinking. These results provide a first theoretical basis for the effectiveness of disclosure measurements on ESG score, charting the future direction for environmental management studies.