Globalisation and Consumer Protection in East Asia: is it a zero sum game?

The provision of comprehensive consumer protection legislation is not high on the policy agenda in most developing economies, given what are seen to be more urgent economic and social goals such as encouraging economic growth and the eradication of poverty and illiteracy. Yet large welfare losses can occur as a result of market failure due to the significant information asymmetries that usually exist in developing economies, with buyers being at the mercy of much better informed sellers. It is time to overcome this problem through education, legislation and the creation of appropriate bureaucratic institutions. However, through globalisation the market itself may be able to achieve a greater degree of consumer protection, certainly in the short term, than would otherwise be achieved in the absence of such forces. While globalisation may create problems, it provides an opportunity to solve some consumer protection problems—a benefit from globalisation not previously highlighted. This article suggests that the nations of East Asia seek a regional consensus on developing a culture for consumer protection and on the implementation of consumer protection laws and enforcement procedures.     

Emotional and Motivational Correlates of Leadership Styles: A Comprehensive Framework for Understanding Effective Leaders

It is widely believed that contemporary leaders must possess highly developed interpersonal, motivational, social, and emotional skills. However, empirical evidence documenting the specific role emotional intelligence (EI) and motivational constructs play in leadership is equivocal to date (e.g., Harms & Crede, 2010; Lindebaum & Cartwright, 2010; Walter, Cole, & Humphrey, 2011). The current study examined a proposed working leadership model based on four distinct leadership styles LSs; i.e., servant, transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant) that could be viewed on an autonomy‐sophistication continuum based on readiness and strengths of both leaders and followers. Participants included 535 male and female junior college and high school students at a military academy. Cluster analysis (CA) results revealed four unique LS profiles that capture different combinations of the four LS styles. LS profiles were compared on a range of motivational and EI dimensions. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results revealed support for hypothesized profile differences, including: (a) all three social motivation subscales, (b) both learning and capacity ability beliefs, (c) task but not ego motivational orientation, and (d) three revised EI subscales created when exploratory factor analysis failed to confirm the hypothesized Emotional and Social Competence Inventory factor structure for this cadet sample.