Journal articles on the topic 'Overseas market selection'

PurposeForeign firms entering into the domestic real estate industry and foreign investment control are significant in global hot markets such as Australia. Despite their market impact and policy sensitivity, developer choice is rarely studied. The purpose of this paper is to study domestic and overseas property developers for their motive and preference in response to market growth and market barriers including regulatory constraint.Design/methodology/approachInternational trade theory suggests local and overseas firms can vary significantly for their risk profile when engaging in location-specific development opportunities. Using a comprehensive decision factor system for the residential development process, the authors conducted an experimental survey to collect the prime data to measure stated preference of domestic and overseas developers in the context of the Melbourne residential market.FindingsResults suggest high consistency between the samples of domestic and overseas developers. Possible explanations include vertical integration by innovative contracting, strict regulatory constraint dictates domestic and overseas firms’ preference or sample selection bias. This micro-analysis of developer stated preference highlights their entrepreneurial ability to combine substitution and integration for innovative contractual strategy. This ability to join asset holding and project management enables firm flexibility to mitigate business risk in rapidly globalising capital and factor markets.Practical implicationsThese insights of firm-level decision making contribute to the decision literature of real estate developers and are relevant to the broader literature of industrial economics and international trade. Government may evaluate policy strategies based on the explicit entrepreneur (e.g. developer) preference for their “comparative advantage”.Originality/valueThis paper highlights developer’s ability to jointly consider investment and project management for decision making. It found that other than political cost such as national interest and domestic interest group pressure, domestic and overseas developers in the Melbourne residential market actually think quite alike. It suggests that irrespective of property ownership conditions, market integration occurs in the Melbourne residential sector.

A survey of Australian construction companies is described, aimed at identifying the mainfactors considered when choosing foreign markets for their international activities. Thishighlights the importance of the host country’s economic, political and structural factors,the interplay of company motivations for expansion and the availability of a relevant constructionproject. Other factors influence a company’s approach to overseas operations,but do not significantly affect the choice of country. Also identified is a need to improvegovernment approaches to construction service expansion to other countries, with a focuson specific projects and policy regulations to assist the industry, and to build closer relationsbetween construction companies and financial institutions.

Modern businesses are so inter-twined that a cause in one market affects other markets throughout the Globe. The 2008 subprime crisis is one of such evidences of inter-linkage of global markets. Such type of event motivates many studies to analyse the transmission of volatility from one market to another market. The study aims to analyse the volatility spillover effect between CNX Nifty and exchange rates covering for three different currencies, that is, USD, GBP and yen. GARCH (1,1) and EGARCH (1,1) have been used to identify the spillover effect and asymmetries or leverage effect in the volatility transmission through the estimation of different parameters. The overall findings show that there is spillover between the foreign exchange and the stock market. Among the three exchange rates, the USDR is strongly co-related with the Indian stock market as compared to other rates. Our study will significantly contribute to the existing literature in this context. The findings of the study have greater implications especially for hedgers, arbitrators and other participants in this market. As such type of information regarding transmission of volatility can help them to diversify their overseas risk through an optimal portfolio selection.

Purpose This paper aims to provide a transaction cost analysis (TCA) perspective to exporting firms' selection of foreign markets and the performance consequences of this international market selection (IMS) decision. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that hypothesizes the relationship between transaction cost factors, IMS and export performance. Design/methodology/approach This paper tests the proposed framework with a database of Chinese manufacturing firms using regression models and controlling for possible endogeneity. The endogeneity issue may arise due to IMS being influenced by unobserved industrial/firm attributes. Findings The results show that transaction cost factors are able to explain IMS. Furthermore, firms whose decisions have incorporated transaction cost factors perform significantly better than their rivals. Research limitations/implications Understanding transaction costs helps decision-makers formulate more efficient IMS strategy to achieve superior export performance. Future research on IMS may examine “passive exporting”, i.e. exporting initiated by overseas buyers, consider the role of institutional distance and use other approaches toward cultural distance-based IMS. Originality/value This study adds a new theoretical underpinning for IMS by developing a framework based on TCA, and thus broadens the applications of TCA into IMS. Our empirical results support this extension.

The motivations for the internationalization of firms influence the selection of foreign entry modes. In this article we use John Dunning’s (1993) classification, which distinguishes four primary motives to invest overseas – market seeking, resource seeking, strategic asset seeking and efficiency seeking –, conceptually discussing the impact of the selected foreign entry modes. The methods and strategies of multinational corporations (MNCs) are chosen in a broader framework, where internationalization motivations converge with the exploitation, or exploration, of firm-specific advantages. Our analysis is supported by a set of theoretical propositions. The results demonstrate that MNCs must develop the best possible combination of strategy-structure for their international operations, and yet conceive a casuistic analysis of each individual operation. We have therefore contributed to a better understanding of the selection of foreign market entry modes as a reflection of strategic choices or motivations.

Subject area Mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy. Study level/applicability This case could be applied in several courses: a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) course, to introduce the various motives for firms doing M&A, a strategy course exploring a company's strategy exploration and decision processes, or in a marketing course as an example about emerging and global market interaction. The target audience is primarily final year or Masters' and MBA students. It would also be useful for executive education seminars. Case overview The Case provides learning opportunities about how companies encounter threats due to changing market or fiscal conditions, find ways to address their individual challenges yet achieve mutual benefit, by taking advantage of market-induced opportunities for strategic change, which have been triggered by a combination of situational factors. Expected learning outcomes The case can be used to illustrate and discuss several important aspects of the growth of companies in emerging markets, including: motives for making M&As; strategic options and selection in the emerging industry; and how regional firms can respond to globalization. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

The case considers the problem of the expansion strategy of the Russian Japanese restaurant Dve Palochki (Two Sticks). The focus of the case is the exploration of the regional and international opportunities for the company, particularly the Chinese market. This case is recommended for discussion in study groups in an international business strategy course when considering the following issues: choosing a foreign market entry strategy; internationalization of SME; the marketing and HR policy of a firm that is in the process of initial internationalization. This case is intended for analysis of the decisions a medium-sized enterprise's management has to make regarding its foreign expansion. Students are expected to examine the problems linked to quality management, the development of marketing activities, the adjustment of the brand concept, and the organizational restructuring. The analysis can be carried out with the following aims: to evaluate the business environment of newly internationalizing firms in the Japanese restaurant sector as it exists today in the Russian market; to realize the perspectives and difficulties of working in developing and developed markets for a firm in the process of internationalization; to carry out comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of foreign strategies based on strong marketing and HR policies; to examine the promotion process of the restaurant in Russia and evaluate the options for implementing its principles in new overseas locations.

Characterized as involving ‘Japanese traditionalism elements’, Ryokan-style accommodation includes full food and beverage service, futons and spas (hot springs), and emphasizes local traditional food. Although these Japanese traditional hotels are famous for their excellent service, traditions, and are a unique accommodation experience for overseas visitors, research into the Ryokan market segment remains limited. The aim of the current study is to provide a better understanding of the decision-making of that market segment of travelers from Korea that use Ryokan-style hotels. The data were collected ( N = 328) from Korean visitors to Japan during February and March of 2015. Segmentation of tourists by selection attributes resulted in three clusters: ‘personal service seekers’ (36.9%), ‘physical environment seekers’ (21.1%), and ‘spa & gourmet, systematic service and reputation seekers’ (42.0%). There were statistically significant differences between the three clusters with respect to the characteristics of Korean tourists. The implications of this study are discussed relative to possible future Ryokan marketing strategies and to future research on this accommodation type.

There are opportunities to improve the quality and-market value of wheat grain at all stages of production, storage and transport. An essential pre-requisite is a thorough knowledge of market requirements, both for the coming crop season and well into the future in the case of breeding programs and research planning. Elucidation of the molecular basis of grain quality is an important part of the overall strategy of quality improvement. The outcome expected from such studies will be the identification of key chemical components that can serve as markers for specific aspects of grain quality. The provision of screening tests for these marker compounds then permits intelligent quality testing at harvest, planning of genotype and environment to maximize quality, and selection of suitable genotypes at an early stage of breeding. This review describes the state of our present knowledge of grain quality at the molecular/chemical level (with particular references to dough quality for wheat), and it indicates how this knowledge can be put to practical use in better suiting wheat grain for processing requirements both in Australia and overseas.

<p><em>During training process of LSTM, the prediction accuracy is affected by a variation of factors, including the selection of training samples, the network structure, the optimization algorithm, and the stock market status. This paper tries to conduct a systematic research on several influencing factors of LSTM training in context of time series prediction. The experiment uses Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 constituent stocks from 2006 to 2017 as samples. The influencing factors of the study include indicator sampling, sample length, network structure, optimization method, and data of the bull and bear market, and this experiment compared the effects of PCA, dropout, and L2 regularization on predict accuracy and efficiency. Indice sampling, number of samples, network structure, optimization techniques, and PCA are found to be have their scope of application. Further, dropout and L2 regularization are found positive to improve the accuracy. The experiments cover most of the factors, however have to be compared by data overseas. This paper is of significance for feature and parameter selection in LSTM training process.</em></p>

Subject area International business or International marketing. Study level/applicability The case is recommended for undergraduate and graduate courses in the fields of international business and international marketing. The aim is to show students the problems that a family business in the animation industry faces while growing and internationalizing. Specifically, the case discusses the entry mode selection and market selection challenges faced by an emerging market company in the comic book and animation industry to operate overseas and compete with entertainment giants such as Disney and DC Comics. The case enables the instructor to discuss international market selection theories and evaluate entry modes. For graduate students, the international market selection can be further developed by using more robust concepts such as psychic and cultural distance. Case overview This case examines the trajectory of a pioneering company in the comic book and animation industries, and in the licensing of trademarks in Brazil. Mauricio de Sousa Productions was founded in 1959 and is considered to be one of the most successful cultural producers in the country. According to a leading Brazilian public opinion research agency, 97 per cent of Brazilian children and 96 per cent of their parents are familiar with the Monica and Friends characters. As one of the main players in the publishing market, with 86 per cent of market share, Mauricio de Sousa Productions has a product portfolio that goes beyond Monica and Friends comic strips: the company’s show on the Cartoon Network ranks third in audience viewing in the country and the company has produced animated movies, books, shows and games. However, despite its experience in publishing comic books in several countries, Mauricio de Sousa Productions (MSP)’s worldwide operations have not been as profitable and sustainable as expected. Aiming at expanding its global presence, MSP’s top management decided in 2014 to review the company’s internationalization strategy and operations to enhance the firm’s performance. Expected learning outcomes The case highlights the key factors facing firms when expanding from an emerging markets. Students are expected to discuss and evaluate options, thus developing their knowledge and decision processes related to family-owned business challenges and opportunities, international market selection theories and international market entry mode. Developing strategies to face challenges as those presented by competitors such as Disney should bring opportunities to students to think outside models and weigh risks. Finally, the case gives students opportunity to base their decision processes and evaluations on logistics problems as well as psychic and cultural distances. It also compels the students to appreciate the various challenges involved in exploiting international market with animation content and intellectual properties as a service. Supplementary materials Company presentation to use in the discussion introduction can be found in: www.monicaandfriends.com/content/video.php Subject code CSS 5: International business.

Purpose Drawing on the related insights from the upper echelon perspective, modern cognitive theory and path dependence theory, this paper aims to first integrate top management teams (TMTs) overseas experiences, research and development (R&D) strategic decision-making and innovation performance into a uniform theoretical framework and try to understand TMTs’ overseas experiences accounting for both the direct and indirect mechanisms of the variables involved within the transition economy of China. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts research sample from the listed companies on the Growth Enterprises Market Board (GEMB) of Shenzhen Stock Exchange of China due to their stronger innovation consciousness. The research data are mainly from the WIND database of China, as the data issued in this database must be checked and approved by China’s legal institutions including China Securities Regulatory Commission and its authorized agencies. The samples cover different types of ownership and the vast majority of industries of China, which makes the objects a wide range of coverage and representativeness. In addition, according to suggestions of Podsakoff et al. (2003), the authors design the controlling measures from two aspects of data collection and statistical analysis to reduce the homologous error as much as possible. Findings Empirical results show that innovation performance is positively affected by the centrality overseas functional experience and industrial experience but negatively affected by the heterogeneity of overseas functional experience of TMT. Meanwhile, R&D intensity and modes play partially mediating effect in the relationship between TMTs’ overseas functional experience centrality and industrial experience heterogeneity and innovation performance, but for the relationship between overseas functional experience heterogeneity and innovation performance, R&D intensity leads to fully mediating effect. Originality/value This study contributes toward filling the gaps by elucidating the effect of TMTs’ overseas experiences on the innovation performance, identifying the mediating role of R&D strategic decision-makings in this relationship and empirically examining the acting mechanisms and paths of the variables involved in the Chinese context. In addition, practitioners could use these findings to improve their selection and training processes regarding both the top management members and the designing of the R&D strategies.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of short selling and margin trading on the price discovery and price informativeness of cross-listed firms, using a sample of Chinese firms listed on the China and Hong Kong stock exchanges. Design/methodology/approach – The sample consists of 67 Chinese cross-listed firms on A-share and H-share markets out of which 18 firms are allowed to be sold short/ traded on margin since March 2010. Using pre- and post-event period, the authors compare and contrast various market microstructure variables. The contributions of the home (A-share) and overseas (H-share) markets to the incorporation of new information into prices are calculated following the permanent-transitory approach of Gonzalo and Granger (1995) as well as the adverse selection component of Lin et al. (1995). Findings – The findings indicate that for the group of Chinese cross-listed firms that are not allowed to be sold short or bought on margin, the home (A-share) market contributes more to the price discovery process over time. However, for the group of cross-listed firms that are eligible for short selling and margin trading, the authors observe no significant difference in the contribution of either A- or H-share markets to the price discovery. The contribution of home market for these firms is even lower around the announcement of major events. The authors further find that while the short sale activities appears to be informative, measured by the adverse selection (AS) component of spread, on the whole they have not led the A-share markets to be more informative. Research limitations/implications – The sample of cross-listed Chinese firms that are allowed to be sold short or bought on margin are rather limited. Hence, the results should be read with some caution. Practical implications – The removal of short selling constraints appears to improve the contribution of the respective markets to the process price discovery, in the case for larger cross-listed firms. Originality/value – The authors shed new lights on how the introduction of short selling and margin trading impacts on the price discovery of the Chinese cross-listed firms. A further contribution of the study is the use of high frequency data, while most of the previous studies on the Chinese markets use daily data.

Central and East European (CEE) countries are attractive among emerging markets due to a combination of factors such as economic growth and market potential. Although the CEE countries as a whole have a very high degree of connectivity, each country has different market opportunities and external environment, so agricultural enterprises wanting to enter the CEE market must take into account the diverse and complex resource base of CEE countries. In the light of economic globalization, China and CEE countries face mutual opportunities and challenges, and it is necessary to strengthen agricultural cooperation. The potential of agricultural investment cooperation between China and CEE countries is the basis for multinational enterprises to allocate resources and implement internationalization strategies rationally. The purpose of this paper is to analyze theagricultural cooperation potential between China and CEE countries in the perspective of resource complementarity, with a selection of macro data related to agricultural capacity from 2009–2018. In particular, this study examines the differences and complementarities between China and CEE countries in terms of agricultural resource conditions and product output and trade; by constructing an agricultural cooperation potential evaluation model, the entropy value method is applied to predict and evaluate the potential characteristics of agricultural cooperation between China and CEE countries in 2021–2025. The research results show that the current intermittent and episodic nature of agricultural cooperation between China and CEE countries does not match the high or medium-high level of complementarity between agricultural production factors. Thus, agricultural enterprises can utiliza such considerable cooperation potential based on the resource complementarity to develop internationalization strategies and overseas investment.

Globally, Higher Education Providers are seeking new ways of increasing student recruitment and diversify economic growth. The market in Dubai for higher education is very competitive originating “excess educational supply.” In the case of Dubai, the factors which students consider may vary due to a diverse background of the students and a wide selection of study options. Analyzing and forecasting student choice factors enables a university to take the right strategy, position on the market. Therefore, a university should be able to distinguish itself by focusing on factors which students consider locally, instead of known common aspects which over universities overseas consider for their students. Two surveys were conducted highlighting the decision factors. Secondary research created the foundation for the primary research targeting Dubai-based students. In total, 75 current and 220 potential students participated in the survey, where demographics, factors, and preference of university location were examined. To analyze the data, the mean analysis and MANOVA were used. Also, an integrated marketing communication (IMC) analysis of the brand was conducted. The researchers observed a significant difference between Dubai and the global market. Results reveal that majority of the students consider degree recognition as the most important aspect of their education, followed by career after graduation, academic excellence, and practical approach. There was no direct correlation between the location and a final decision to join. The list of recommendations was created to enhance the IMC practices in the niche market, including conventional and digital marketing, events and PR. One of the limiting factors of this research can be considered the diverse sample of respondents (nationality, curriculum, residency location). This research serves as a foundation for marketing campaigns for Dubai universities and can contribute to the strategic roadmap by focusing on prime factors affecting students’ decision.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the effects of 8Ps of services marketing affect students’ selection of self-financing sub-degree programmes in Hong Kong. The factors that affect students’ selection of self-financing sub-degree programmes have not been studied in higher education market of Hong Kong. This research is to fill the gap by examining the effects of 8Ps (“Product Elements”, “Price and Other User Outlays”, “Place and Time”, “Promotion and Education”, “People”, “Process”, “Physical Environment” and “Productivity and Quality”) on self-financing sub-degree programmes in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach – The research taken was a quantitative survey of students at Community College at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. Findings – The results reveal that “Productivity and Quality” is the most important element of 8Ps of services marketing. Accreditation of programmes seeking recognition in Hong Kong and overseas can increase student enrolment. “Promotion and Education” element is the least important element of 8Ps of services marketing. Self-financed higher education institutions should develop strategies to build relationships with the secondary school teachers and counsellors rather than invest money on advertising. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected from a particular community college in Hong Kong only. Practical implications – Management can increase student recruitment by allocating minimum amount of limited resources to recruit maximum number of students. Originality/value – This research adds knowledge to the marketing of higher education in Hong Kong. The management of self-financing sub-degree programmes can use the findings of this research as a reference to develop their marketing strategies.

The perception that the genetic background of the Australian pig population is limiting for genetic improvement of commercial pigs in Australia is considered in the context of well established theory combined with practical evidence. The diversity of pig breeds used in modern commercial pig-breeding programs is diminished worldwide relative to all the pig breeds available. Australia is no different in this respect. The use of predominantly three main breeds (Large White, Landrace, Duroc) and synthetic lines, with contributions from other minor breeds to form the basis of a cross-breeding system for commercial pig production is well established internationally. The Australian concern of relatively small founder populations is potentially of relevance, from a theoretical perspective, for (1) the prevalence of defects or the presence of desirable alleles, and (2) the loss of genetic variation or increase in inbreeding depression resulting from increased inbreeding in closed nucleus lines, potentially reducing response to selection. However, rates of response achieved in Australian herds are generally commensurate with the performance recording and selection emphasis applied, and do not appear to be unduly restricted. Moreover, favourable alleles present in unrepresented breeds are frequently present in the three major breeds elsewhere, and therefore would be expected to be present within the Australian populations. Wider testing would provide confirmation of this. Comparison of estimates of effective population size of Australian populations with experimental selection lines overseas (e.g. INRA) or other intensely selected species (e.g. Holstein cattle) suggest adequate genetic diversity to achieve ongoing genetic improvement in the Australian pig industry. However, fitness traits should be included in breeding goals. What remains to be seen is whether novel phenotypes or genotypes are required to meet future challenges, which might be imposed by changes in the environment (e.g. climate change, disease) or market needs. Given probable overlap in genetic merit across Australian and foreign populations for unselected attributes, we suggest that sufficient genetic resources are already present in Australian herds to continue commercial progress within existing Australian populations that have adapted to Australian conditions.

Purpose – Auditing may be viewed as an arrangement for reducing inefficiencies arising from the fundamental market conflict between a seller who wants as high a price as possible and a buyer who wants to pay as low a price as possible. In more general terms, sellers prefer policies that boost the stock price in the short run whereas buyers would prefer the price to peak when they are ready to sell some time in the future. By framing audited financial reports within this context, the purpose of this paper is to provide some insights regarding both audit institutions and audit regulation. Design/methodology/approach – This paper relies on conceptual arguments and a simple analytical model. Findings – The basic findings are that a unique definition of audit quality is not compatible with the economics of a market where there are conflicts across traders as well a possibility that some traders hold superior information to others. Even an identification of quality with accuracy fails in this setting of conflict. The inference is that audit quality should be approached from a multi-dimensional perspective rather than a unique measure. Research limitations/implications – While the paper points out difficulties in constructing measures of audit quality extant in the literature, it does not provide any clear empirical suggestions for better measures. Originality/value – The paper brings back into focus issues from information economics that form the bedrock for the study of audited financial statements in equity markets. While the paper is partially a survey and synthesis of some of the latest empirical findings, it describes them within the context of a rational economic market where traders may possess private information. Within such a market, the paper outlines both the conflicts and the benefits inherent to the current institutional arrangements where auditors are paid by incumbent shareholders and overseen by regulators.

The best opportunity for growth is often overseas, even for smaller entrepreneurial firms. However, resource-constrained smaller firms do not have as many available entry strategies as do larger multinational enterprises (MNEs). Smaller firms frequently must ally themselves with partners in order to make international expansion feasible (e.g. employing an export agent, licensing, joint venture, or strategic alliance strategy). The alliance of two distinct parties central to these entry strategies lends itself to a transaction costs economics (TCE) perspective. TCE illuminates the underpinnings of these relationships, in particular, highlighting problems and risks that the respective parties face when entering into the partnership. These problems arise from the threat of opportunism, specifically, adverse selection and moral hazard. The paper develops these problems within the entrepreneur/export agent realm and suggests methods for overcoming these problems.

Subject area Business strategy. Study level/applicability This case study is appropriate for MBA and EMBA courses, especially for courses oriented to emerging markets such as China. It can be used in Business Strategic Management or similar courses, combined with the methodology lectures of Managing Entry Modes and Competitive Strategy. This case study provides material for understanding/studying the development of a large Chinese software enterprise. Case overview As a result of Chinese ITO and BPO market in the face of re-structuring in 2012, Huawei invested in ChinaSoft in May and Vance info merged with HiSoft in August, both of which make ChinaSoft the third largest market-share owner. However, ChinaSoft has a dilemma in its strategic planning for the next three years. If it cannot break through the suppression from the first and the second placed companies, it may lag behind very soon. If it strives for the No. 2 position in market share, is organic growth or M&A strategy the right approach to adopt? Thus, ChinaSoft is now in need of strategic reform and restructuring. The case study analyzes the approaches that Chinese enterprises can adopt in order to sustain overall cost leadership strategies and avoid the related risks in the ITO and BPO industry. Expected learning outcomes This case study intends to encourage students to learn and use methodologies such as Porter's competitive strategy framework; Rugman and Collinson's theory, selecting and managing entry modes; four basic global strategies, by Hill and Jones. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

This study is aimed at suggesting the most economical transportation route by comparing seven different Korea–US intermodal transportation routes for automotive parts exported to Southeastern USA. To keep up with the global competition of parts makers, which are expanding their markets based on advanced technology and enormous capital, Korean automotive parts makers also need to actively advance their markets overseas. From this point of view, selecting an efficient transport route and transportation modes for overseas export is essential. To this end, the most efficient transportation route from the perspective of total logistics cost was selected by adapting the inventory-theoretic model, using information such as the logistics status of a specific company and the logistics freight rates and transit time for the third quarter of 2019. Thus, the scenario analysis was conducted assuming that variables—namely transportation cost per unit, commodity value, inventory cost and additional conditions such as terminal free time—were modified. Through this study, the optimal transportation route was selected by fully considering and predicting the total logistics cost component and the variability of the major factors.

In this paper, we examine a sample of 2000 Spanish industrial firms over the period 2001–2010 to analyse whether the self-selection hypothesis explains the relationship between innovation and the export activity of the company. In addition, we analyse how productivity moderates that relationship. The results indicate that the hypothesis does explain the effect of product and process innovations: Overseas foreign markets select those companies that have previously secured product or process innovations, while investment in research and development (R&D) does not increase the propensity for companies to export. On the other hand, the productivity of the company intensifies this effect. These results are robust in the face of fixed effects, different specifications of export activity and endogeneity, the last of which suggests possible effects of learning by exporting.

Purpose – The Canadian apparel industry has long been challenged by imports from low-wage countries while its exports have declined since their height in 2002. This situation was exacerbated with trade liberalisation, which started in January 2005. Data from Industry Canada and a number of studies, amongst which those of the Apparel Human Resources Council (AHRC), showing the adverse effects of trade liberalisation since the phasing out of the multi-fibre agreement in 2005, the lack of competitive advantage for Canada as an apparel manufacturing nation and the subsequent rapid decline of its apparel industry, pointed to the need for a strategic response from the Canadian apparel industry, particularly from small to medium-sized enterprises. A study conducted for the AHRC of the Federal Government of Canada outlined a number of strategies that Canadian apparel companies could pursue, focusing on elements other than manufacturing in the traditional apparel value chain. These strategies seemed to suggest the implementation of a cluster approach where greater cooperation between suppliers would be required throughout the supply chain with a focus on functional expertise and relationships. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether a cluster strategy is being applied or if indeed it is applicable to Canada’s apparel companies. Design/methodology/approach – A literature search, was undertaken to find the options available for the organisation of SMEs so that: an analytical framework could be created from the various theories and concepts that; would enable the evidence-based selection of an option or options suitable for adoption by Canadian apparel SMEs, to assist them to be more effective than stand-alone enterprises. Data were collected from case studies of Canadian apparel companies, an Experience Survey (conducted through face-to-face interviews with the directors of the AHRC, the Canadian Apparel Federation, Industry Canada, and Canadian retail and apparel supply executives) and from the responses to an online questionnaire sent to Canadian apparel suppliers. The data were subjected to examination using the analytical framework to determine whether the evidence existed on which to base a cluster-based strategic response to competition from overseas apparel suppliers, or whether one of the alternative options might be a more suitable match with the Canadian apparel business environment. Findings – Neither the case studies nor the Experience Survey revealed sufficient evidence of open communication or of cooperation among suppliers in areas that would fortify horizontal clustering amongst apparel SMEs, such as the sharing of labour, market research or supply chain management; similar findings emerged from the online questionnaire sent to Canadian apparel suppliers, which showed little evidence favouring cluster development as a strategic response for the Canadian apparel supply industry. The research also showed that industrialists, experts and government advisors all recognised that, beginning with trade liberalisation in 2005, there had been a transformation of the Canadian apparel industry from a manufacturing to a service industry with the retailers taking much stronger control of the supply chain than before, which, taken together with the lack of open communication or cooperation among apparel suppliers gives rise to conditions which favour collaboration over clustering. Originality/value – The paper provides a firm evidence base upon which to develop a different strategy for Canadian SMEs than the cluster approach that has been proposed to date. The findings reported in this paper show that Canadian apparel industry leaders, government and industry-led support organisations, retailers and suppliers all recognise that the type of open communication or of cooperation among suppliers in areas that would fortify horizontal clustering amongst apparel SMEs, such as the sharing of labour, market research or supply chain management does not occur to a sufficient extent to support the adoption of a cluster strategy by the Canadian apparel sector (although it may be applicable in Quebec). Canadian retailers have now taken the leading role in the supplier/retailer relationship. Any future strategy will need to take account of this repositioning of retailers and be centred upon vertical relationships between individual apparel suppliers and retailers.

The object of this research is to present a theoretical model about the process of management perception of the factors which intervene in the export decision (strategic interest and accessibility to overseas markets). With that aim, the phases which constitute the perception process are identified — the selection of stimuli and interpretation — and the associated bias. Specifically, we identify two: bias by omission and bias by imprecise meaning. The use of different sources of information as well as the influence of the network of relations of the management allows us to investigate thoroughly the filters through which the informative stimuli pass which converge in the decision to export.

The development of mobile applications has mushroomed in local and foreign industries. This provides a tremendous opportunity for developers. For technopreneur developer, the capital to run the business is one of the biggest problems despite the fact that they may have great competence in the field. The fact that the business has big potential market in Indonesia has invited investors from local and overseas to invest as venture capital. However, due to the lack of knowledge on building collaboration with the investors and on understanding the market and investor needs in a long term, the developer finds difficulties to grow its business and to compete with bigger competitors. The research intends to seek the influence in selecting the level of revenue and market segmentation to support the investment decisions in the business of mobile applications, so that the mobile application developer is able to monetize their business to attract investors to invest in the venture capital.

With the rapid change of the social environment, Mainland China has become a new economic market due to the great domestic demand caused by its enormous population and the increasing economic growth rate. Taiwanese businesses have gradually turned to develop in China under the pressure of increasing domestic wages and land costs for expanding factories as well as the enhancement of environmental protection. Mainland China presents the advantages of ample land, low labor costs, monoethnicity, and easy language communication making it an attractive major investment location for Taiwanese high-tech industries. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is applied to measure overseas investment efficiency evaluation of Taiwanese high-tech businesses in China, where the Delphi Method is used for selecting the inputs of the number of employees, R&D expenses, and gross sales in total assets. Sensitivity Analysis is further utilized for acquiring the most efficient unit and individual units with operating efficiency. The research results show that 1.Three high-tech businesses that present constant returns to scale perform optimally with overseas investment efficiency 2.Two high-tech companies with decreasing returns to scale appear that they could improve the overseas investment efficiency by decreasing the scale to enhancing the marginal returns, and 3.Sixteen high-tech enterprises reveal increasing returns to scale, showing that they could expand the scale to enhance the marginal returns and further promote efficiency.

Along with the country largely attracting foreign businesses for the investment, foreign-owned enterprises have gradually stationed in. In consideration of the Media transfer, the establishment of business management systems, and the needs for market expansion for offshore sourcing, numerous expatriates are required for executing company tasks in subsidiary companies from the initial establishment & planning, factory construction, marketing, Media, and general affairs. Various differences in life and social culture would appear cross-culture adjustment problems for expatriates, and lots of factors would affect the work pressure. When expatriates gradually increase, the expense for expatriation is high for enterprises and individuals that the success in expatriation focuses on support for expatriates’ career. In addition to subsidies, there should be the reference principles for selection, training, oversea life, oversea work, and repatriation. Besides, assistance in emergency could release expatriates’ anxiety to enhance the work efficiency. This study therefore intends to discuss the effect of expatriates’ cross-culture adjustment on working pressure and job involvement. The questionnaire survey is used for collecting data, and conclusions and specific suggestions are proposed for the reference of corporate expatriation as well as individual psychological adjustment of expatriates.

Manganese is mostly used in the iron and steel industry and serves as an important metal mineral in the national economy. It is difficult to substantially increase the output of China’s manganese ore because it is of low grade and high impurity content. However, as a large consumer in the world, it is very important to ensure the long-term stable supply of this mineral. Collecting historical data on manganese ore in China over the past 20 years, we identified and evaluated risks during the whole process of production, supply, consumption, reserves, and trade of resources using the Volkswagen and German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (VW-BGR) method by selecting nine indicators: current market equilibrium, market price volatility, Reserve/production ratio, import dependence, import concentration, country risks, country concentration and future supply and demand trend. Furthermore, we assessed its economic importance by calculating the contribution of manganese ore involved in different value chains. It shows the same downward trend both in manganese ore consumption and economic importance, and the future demand of manganese ore will slow down, and the global supply will exceed demand. Based on the comprehensive evaluation of supply and demand trends in the past and future, it was concluded that the current market balance, import dependence and country concentration risks are the main driving factors for the supply risk of manganese ore in China, showing higher supply risk than that of the other factors; the resource and geostrategic risks are moderate, and may significantly reduce the supply risk if effective measures are implemented. As per the aforementioned analysis, to address the risk of supply interruption, this study provides some suggestions and measures, such as strengthening resource reserves and low-grade manganese ore utilization at home, actively exploring foreign markets, exploiting overseas resources, expanding import channels, extending the industrial chain, and adopting equity mergers and acquisitions abroad.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the market reaction to the appointments of chief executive officers (CEOs) in companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The authors focussed on the relationship between the characteristics of a newly appointed CEO and the shareholders’ reactions to the appointment of a CEO. Design/methodology/approach To measure shareholder reaction, the authors apply an event study methodology. The determinants of reaction are identified on the basis of multi-regression analysis. Findings The results reveal a negative market reaction to all CEO appointments, both new appointments and reappointments. Investor reaction is driven more by the financial condition of the company, the company’s market performance and the free float, than by the characteristics of a newly appointed CEO. Neither the origins and generation (age) nor the gender of a CEO influence share prices. The relationship between the educational background of a CEO and shareholders’ reactions is mixed. Furthermore, the appointment of an inexperienced CEO seems to be preferred by investors. Research limitations/implications The study is restricted by certain limitations related to the adopted measures, the single-market research, data gaps and the selection of variables for regression analysis. A further cross-country study including Central and Eastern Europe and/or the transition economies of the Baltic Region is recommended. The relationship between the operating performance of a firm and its internal control mechanisms could be explored. Practical implications The findings might influence the decisions made by company owners and supervisory boards when appointing top executives, and might contribute to a better understanding of how CEO appointments can affect shareholder value creation. The results also provide important guidelines for institutions that oversee the financial system. Originality/value The findings of this study are expected to the findings are expected to contribute to the literature on the empirical analysis of the shareholder wealth effect, on signalling theory, on the phenomenon of information asymmetry and on corporate governance. The study covers a full economic cycle of the capital market, including the financial crisis and financial bubbles, and it fills a gap in the research regarding emerging markets and transition economies in Europe.

In developing countries, infrastructure construction projects are sometimes recognized as mega projects that are important for national development. Such projects are usually implemented as official development assistance (ODA). However, the correlation between the size of ODA and the infrastructure construction project orders gained cannot be completely confirmed. South Korea gives constant aid to developing countries and increases the budget of ODA simultaneously in order to select which country’s construction market to advance. The largest portion of South Korea’s aid continues to be provided to Asian countries. This study analyzes the dynamic relationship between South Korea’s ODA to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) developing countries and the economic fluctuations represented by infrastructure construction projects, gross domestic product (GDP), gross national income (GNI), and foreign direct investment (FDI). The analysis result shows that the scale of ODA is synergistic to the number of infrastructure construction project orders awarded. In other words, as ODA increases, developing countries can continue to construct infrastructure, and South Korean companies can improve their performance in overseas construction projects in cooperation with those countries. The results of this study can be used as basic data for the decision-making of donor countries when selecting a country’s construction market to advance.

Actual importance of research theme: Combating hunger and providing the Earth’s population with sufficient amount of products is considered one of the strategic priorities of human civilization sustainable development by the UN up to 2030. The rapid growth of this planet’s human population in the 21st century, estimated at 7.6. billion people, leads to the global demand for production and foodstuff. Simultaneously, traditional strategies of extensive development conventional in the 20th century and “target” intensification of agriculture do not take expected positive effect nowadays. World economy requires for new strategies of agricultural production, as well as promoting ‘green revolution’ based on the ground of IT technology advances and “Industry 4.0.”. The generalization of world experience concerning development and implementing agricultural production strategies in the 21st century is of greater theoretical and practical importance for all countries which export agricultural production in mass scales, including Ukraine which focuses on the leadership in the world agricultural business. Thus, the urgency of the issue confirms the actual importance of this article. The problem statement. Foodstuff output in world economy is growing slowly and does not meet the increasing demand for food and agricultural products in industry in global scales. Under these conditions the manufacturers of agricultural products like farmers, agro-businesses and agro-holdings, as well as transnational corporation alter and modify agricultural strategies that were conventional in the 20th century. Among the new strategies transition to precision farming and innovational agriculture based on implementing IT technologies takes the leading role. The core and socio-economic consequences of such strategy implementation require further study. Analysis of latest studies and publication. The important contribution to the study of the core and dimensions of agricultural production strategies linked to innovation and investment development as well as to improvement property relations is made by such Ukrainian scholars as P. Makarenko, V. Pilyavskiy [1] and O. Shul’ga [2]. Foreign scientists like Smaller, C., andW. Speller, withH. Mirza, N. Bernasconi-Osterwalder, andG. Dixie [3] paid the specific attention to the study of strategic priorities concerning risks minimization and profit maximization by agro-businesses and TNC within the realization of agricultural contracts at world markets. Overseas researchers KeatingB., HerreroM., CarberryP. [4] emphasized on actual importance of compliance with strategy of foodstuff security in global environment in their studies. However, the issue of developing the strategy of precise agricultural production based on widespread use of innovation and IT technologies, research into socio-economic consequences accompanying their implementation in the 21st century remains poorly studied. Research challenge of general issue. The issue of studies the core and elements of agricultural production development process in world economy is highlighted in world economic literature pretty well. Nevertheless, the study of TNCs and agricultural businesses strategies and strategies concerning transition of TNCs to the development of precise agriculture is really meaningful. Besides, at present time the trends of direct foreign investments as for agricultural lands purchase and priorities analysis of their use by TNCs in developed and developing world countries are uncertain. Socio economic consequences of mass precise agriculture introduction for national economy in countries with agrarian specialization also require detailed researching. Problem statement, objective of research. The objective of research is to highlight the core and define the regularity of formation, as well as emphasize the basic expected socio-economic consequences of precise agriculture development strategy implementing on the grounds of generalization the world experience of agricultural TNC sactivity. To achieve the objective set the article aimed at solution the following tasks: to note the main ‘players’ at the world agricultural market and study the priorities of their economic activity; to study the core and the elements of ‘green revolution’ strategy, as well as strategy of transition to precise agricultural production based on implementing innovations and IT technologies; to define strategic goals of TNCs as for the use of acquiring land ( at the cost of direct foreign investments) on the grounds of generalization developed and developing countries experience; to point out the expected socio-economic consequences of mass implementation of precise agricultural production strategies by TNCs and national agro-businesses for the economy of the countries specialized in agriculture. Method and methodology of the study. While studying the world experience of implementation the precise agricultural production development strategies theoretical and empirical methods of scientific research were employed. Historical and logical methods, abstract and specific methods, methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as causal (cause-and-effect) method were applied in the article to define strategic priorities of agricultural business and agricultural TNC specialization, to point out expected socio-economic consequences of mass transition to precise agricultural production in the countries with agrarian specialization. Synergetic approach, method of expert estimates and casual methods were applied to ground “green revolution” strategy, as well as strategy of TNCs as for transition to precise agriculture based on innovations and IT technologies. The results of study. Agricultural production is presented by farmers, households, state agricultural sector, national agro-businesses and agro-holdings, international TNCs. As a rule, farms are focused on domestic market; they specialize in production of minor parties of manual crop production and horticulture, grow vegetables, fruit and berries, as well as they are engaged in poultry farming, beekeeping, dairy production, stockbreeding in rather small scales. The farmers in developed world countries, particularly EU countries, concentrate on organic production which is of high demand among middle-class representatives. In EU countries farming is traditionally supported by the state, as it bears both economic and social valuable functions, i.e. assists in rural development and creates workplaces in countryside. The main stakeholders at the mass agricultural market in the world are considered large national and international agro-holdings an TNCs specialized in agricultural production and its industrial processing. TNCs shaped the closed loop – from selection to agricultural production, from its processing to its manufacturing. At the cost of large production scales, as well as capital concentration and centralization it is the agricultural TNCs which leads in production and export of foodstuffs at world markets. TNCs ‘ leadership at world agriculture markets is grounded on ‘green revolution’ strategy implementing, which consists of such elements as innovations, bio-selection to produce performance breed, intensive growth in crop productivity, including the one using GMO which makes cropping insensitive to water shortage, high temperatures and droughts. Agrarian TNCs in the 21st century actively implement the strategies of transition to precise agriculture based on the use of innovations and IT technologies. As the world experience confirms, strategies of transition to precise agriculture combine the following innovations: astronaut and aviation technologies, unmanned technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles; mass transition to the use of apparatus to analyze the ground online; spreading of “agro-scouting” innovation technologies as for field information gathering concerning the condition and development of agriculture; implementation intellectual system of managerial decision-making support; introduction of monitoring and control auto-system and implementation of IT-system as for account of agriculture process elements. The development of precise agriculture for national world economies which are agriculture-based offers a lot of benefits, such as: increase in labor productivity in agriculture; the decrease in employment that saves working capital of agro-businesses; industrialization and technical renovation of agrarian sector which promotes the market for IT products, precise machine building; increase in commerce and export potential of the country, mainly, in the sphere of monostructural crop production (grain, corn, soya, raps, oilseeds etc.). Such strategies also provide revitalization of direct foreign investment processes by TNCsconcerning purchasing farmland in the developing countries with their further listing as raw materials supplier for TNCs. The latter shape and control international links of production value added to all kinds of agricultural products. Among the risks which implementation of precise agriculture strategies bear for national developing country’s economy which are agriculture-based the following should be mentioned: risks concerning decrease in farms and decline in production of labor-intensive small-scale agriculture products (vegetables, fruit, honey etc.); risks of jobs recession and, respectively, the number of rural population and others. There are also other risks linked to these processes like risks of growing volumes of ready foodstuffs import, chronic scarcity of state budget and increase in internal debt, enhancing migration processes etc. In case of falling world prices for foodstuffs and worsening global conditions for agriculture products, including agrarian raw materials, in particular, due to another world economic crisis, the abandonment of occasional farmland purchased by TNCs in developing agrarian countries, their further freezing and ceasing the processing for better times should not be excluded. Under such circumstances the risks of famine for countries which could lose the managerial control over own land resources are also a threatening exercise as for implementing such TNC strategy. The field of results application. International economic relations and world economy, development of agriculture competitive strategies in world countries and agrarian TNCs in world economy. Conclusions. Farms, agro-businesses, agro-holdings and agrarian TNCs are the economic centres of mass agriculture production in all world countries. Farms are mainly specialized in labour-intensive small-scale agriculture production like horticulture, gardening, bee-keeping etc. Large agro-businesses and agrarian TNCs choose the strategy of specializing in mass monostructural agriculture production such as crop production (grain, corn, soya beans and industrial crops). In developed world countries TNCs apply the strategy of farmlands multi-purpose use, including the goals aimed at development and processing livestock and crop production; at development of renewable energy and bio-energy. In developed world countries TNCs focus on processing all kinds of agriculture products and foodstuffs production with high value added. Purchasing of farmlands by TNCs in developing countries, in particular, at the cost of direct foreign investment, provides for implementation the strategy of purchased lands engagement, mainly, to develop crop production as a raw basis for their further processing in the native countries for TNCs. The general world trend of agrarian TNCs development is use of innovation technologies, transition to precise agriculture based on IT technologies, aviation and astronautic technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles and other innovations which positively impact labor productivity and mass industrial production profitability, as well as choose transition to monostructural agrarian specialization as a priority, but bear a set of social risks for developing countries’ economies. Transition of Ukrainian agro-businesses and agro-holdings to the strategy of precise agriculture development based on innovations and IT technologies provides Ukraine’s competitiveness at the world agrarian markets. This process should go hand-in-hand with land reform taking into account Ukrainian farming interests. Establishing industrial processing of agriculture raw products and production of ready foodstuffs with high value added should be strategic for Ukraine.

This paper discusses the Xinfang institution of petitions (letters and visits) and explores the ways in which the Chinese Communist Party regime utilizes social control mechanisms to identify, oversee, and suppress socially discontented people with grievances in the post-Mao market reform era. This public-facing institution for managing participation and rightful resistance, which aims to oversee local officials and redress mass grievances, also plays an unexpected role in social control. Unlike the social control exercised by police patrols in police states, Xinfang functions first as a “fire alarm” in this authoritarian regime; then, if necessary, as a selective “police patrol,” collecting information on discontented people with grievances, monitoring them, quelling and even preempting their protests, and referring dangerous petitioners to higher levels of government to prevent disruption in politically critical regions. This argument is supported with a detailed institutional analysis of the nationwide structure of Xinfang and several case studies of Xinfang’s multi-layered response to petitioners to Beijing, during the Falun Gong incidents in 1999 and 2000 in particular. Several complementary case studies on the behavior of local petition mechanisms and statistical evidence are also analyzed.

New Zealand perennial ryegrass germplasm originated largely from seed introduced from the UK during the 1800s. Modern breeding began in the 1930s and soon utilised selections from the best ecotypes as "mother" seed for the seed industry and after numerous reselections this resulted in the release of Grasslands Ruanui 1955. Winter growth was improved by hybridising with Italian ryegrass to produce the "short rotation hybrid" cultivar Grasslands Manawa, released in 1943. Further introgression to perennial ryegrass led to the development of Grasslands Ariki "long rotation hybrid", functionally a perennial, released in 1965. The identification of a valuable ecotype from the Mangere district in Northern New Zealand in the late 1960s had a substantial impact on ryegrass breeding in New Zealand and has subsequently been widely used in all Australasian ryegrass breeding programs. Germplasm from mild oceanic regions of North West Spain, collected in the 1980s, has provided a valuable combination of winter growth with late flowering behaviour. This has been used in many recent breeding programs. Considerable research has gone into endophytes of ryegrass to develop safe and persistent pastures. The lack of chemical diversity within endophytes of New Zealand ecotypes has required considerable sourcing of overseas germplasm for endophyte discovery. In recent years breeders have introgressed a wider range of germplasm, including winter active Mediterranean material, cold tolerant Northern European material, as well as Italian ryegrass and meadow fescue. Tetraploid perennial ryegrass cultivars have been released in the last 20 years, based largely on New Zealand diploid cultivars but also using some European tetraploids. Today a full range of cultivars from early flowering diploids to late flowering tetraploids is available to the farming industry. The use of a wider range of germplasm is discussed in relation to advances in our knowledge of genetic origins of perennial ryegrass. Genetic advances should be achievable from more diverse germplasm by using a combination of traditional breeding techniques and new technologies, such as marker assisted selection. However, lifting overall pasture performance still remains a challenge as ryegrass cultivars are used in mixtures with white clover and any increase in the ryegrass yield is often partially cancelled by decreased clover yields

The development of green supply chains by multinational manufacturers (MNMs) in emerging markets promotes a better corporate reputation and competitive advantage. Selecting viable marketing channels will help reduce risks in overseas markets while positively impacting the green level and the stakeholders. This paper analyzes channel decisions under different scenarios in a game analytical framework and identifies that both exclusive and competitive channels promote the green supply chain, and that the latter leads to a higher green level and benefits the local manufacturer. Whatever profit-seeking or corporate social responsibility- (CSR-) seeking follows, the MNM prefers the competitive channel when the green research and development (R&D) investment coefficient is relatively low and vice versa for the exclusive channel. Moreover, transaction cost undermines the green supply chain, the competitive structure lowers the loss of greenness, and the exclusionary mode raises the MNM’s profits. Another interesting finding is when subsidies are offered by the importing country, the competitive structure is more conducive to the green and the participant’s gains, while the exclusive structure is detrimental to the green and only advantageous for the domestic manufacturer’s benefits. Besides, the revenue-sharing contract results in a higher green level of the supply chain in the channels than before, but the MNM tends to select the exclusive marketing channel with a relatively lower green level due to the profits. Subject to the findings, we propose an improved revenue-sharing contract that achieves the MNM’s competitive retailing option and ensures the emergence of the manufacturers’ win-win solution.

During the last decade the shape of the UK non-nuclear electricity generation industry has changed fundamentally from a stable monopoly providing power primarily from large coal-fired units to a rapidly developing competitive industry with a wide range of plant types. The removal of the restrictions on burning natural gas in power stations and the introduction of flue gas desulphurization on some of the traditional plants has highlighted the reduced cost and lower emissions of gas-powered generation, leading to a major increase in the use of this fuel in more efficient combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant. Outside the United Kingdom, the economics and politics of fuel supply and electricity production may be different, and both traditional plant and new CCGT projects are being constructed in overseas markets by UK utilities, often in partnership arrangements with other companies. In parallel with these developments there is significant new effort expended on the development of combined heat and power (CHP) plant and renewable energy sources, especially wind power. Although relatively small in MW terms, the latter plant type presents significant and particular noise control requirements. On the horizon, new coal plant using coal gasification or fluidized bed technologies may be anticipated. At the same time as these major changes in plant selection are occurring there are simultaneous developments in the methods of environmental noise assessment. In this article the use of noise control within the electricity generation industry is reviewed and the influence of the changing trends in plant and environmental noise assessment are discussed.

Thirty five certified seed lines of 'Grasslands Pitau' white clover produced under OECD rules showed marked variations in growth and morphological characteristics according to their region of origin. Of lines grown in Oamaru district, South Canterbury, 90% were significantly different from a Pitau breeders (pre-basic) line in winter growth scores, leaf size and picric acid scores. 90% of lines grown in Marlborough were similar to a Pitau breeders line. Buried white clover seed counts were 260/m' (2 kg/ha) in Marlborough and 1060/m (7.5 kg/ha) in Oamaru. Plants grown from buried seed collected in Canterbury generally had smaller leaves, less winter growth and lower picric acid scores than Pitau. The additional possibility that natural selection of genotypes occurred because some crops of Pitau have been grown under climates and/or managements to which it is not adapted, is also discussed. Preliminary studies of 43 commercial lines of 15 cultivars from 4 countries grown outside New Zealand indicated that 3540% showed significant differences in winter growth and leaf size between lines of the same cultivar. New Zealand grown commercial lines of Huia obtained overseas showed good uniformity. It appears that there is a world-wide problem of genetic contamination in white clover cultivars. High buried seed loads are a potential long term source of contamination which is being exaggerated by the increasing numbers of cultivars. New Zealand has already moved to implement tighter certification standards than those recommended by OECD. Keywords: Trifolium repens, 'Grasslands Pitau', buried seed, seed certification, OECD, genetic contamination.

O Recrutamento e Seleção (R&S) de Pessoas com Deficiência (PCD’s) é uma tarefa importante da área de Recursos Humanos (RH), exigindo conhecimento, destreza e sensibilidade. Apesar de esforços, é comum as equipes de RH encontrarem dificuldades no processo de contratação de PCD’s, sobretudo relacionado ao preconceito. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo tem por objetivo averiguar a percepção dos profissionais de RH que atuam no processo R&S de PCD’s quanto ao processo de inclusão social destes, assim como ao conhecimento desses profissionais quanto a legislação brasileira vigente, bem como a percepção de profissionais que fiscalizam suas inclusões e apoiadores de PCD’s no mercado de trabalho. Para atender tal objetivo foram realizadas entrevistas a profissionais que atuam com R&S, fiscalizadores, e apoiadores desse da permanência desses profissionais no mercado de trabalho e analisadas à luz da legislação brasileira. Identificou-se que, os profissionais entrevistados estão consideravelmente conscientes da legislação vigente, da importância da inclusão social destes profissionais no mercado de trabalho e parecem estar dispostos a contribuir com esse processo. Recruitment and Selection (R&S) of People with Disabilities (PWD's) is an important Human Resource (HR) task of Human Resource (HR), requiring knowledge, skill and sensitivity. Despite efforts, it is common for HR staff to encounter difficulties in the process of hiring PWDs, mainly due to prejudice. In this context, the present study seeks to ascertain the perception of HR professionals working in the R&D process of PWDs as regards the process of their social inclusion , as well as the knowledge of these professionals regarding current Brazilian legislation, along with the perception of professionals who oversee their inclusion and supporters of PCDs in the labor market. In order to meet this objective, interviews were conducted with professionals working with R&S, inspectors, and supporters of the permanence of these professionals in the labor market and were analyzed in light of Brazilian legislation. It was found that the interviewed professionals are considerably aware of the current legislation, the importance of the social inclusion of these professionals in the labor market, and appear to be willing to contribute to this process.

Purpose – By integrating agency theory with the institution-based view, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether-and if so, how-the likelihood of completion of cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) is influenced by institutional shareholders, in interaction with institutional quality and constraints both at the country and firm levels. Design/methodology/approach – After controlling for endogeneity by the latent instrumental variable (LIV) approach, the authors test the hypotheses using a sample of CBAs undertaken by Chinese listed firms during the period 2002-2012. Findings – The authors find that as institutional shareholders tend to enhance the quality of corporate governance, an overseas acquisition attempt undertaken by acquiring firm with greater institutional ownership is more likely to be completed. This relation is more prominent when the acquisition is exposed to inferior institutional context, such as when the target firm is domiciled in countries with weaker institutional quality, the acquiring firm is state-controlled, or the target is publicly traded in stock markets. Research limitations/implications – An additional focus on the share-price reaction to the announcement or long-term alliance performance of such CBAs may reveal the relative importance of institutional shareholders in CBAs. The potential varying effects between domestic and foreign institutional investors deserve to be tested. Other factors, for instance antitrust laws, could be further studied. Practical implications – The results will better inform and enhance governance and internationalization strategies of Chinese firms that are expected to undertake CBAs activities in areas such as the cooperation with institutional shareholders, the choice of target domiciled location, the reform of ownership structure, and the selection of target’s types in host country. In addition, given a broadly similar pattern of legal evolution between China and many other emerging countries since the 1990s (Peng and Heath, 1996), China’s experience may also provide valuable lessons and insights for firms from other emerging economies when undertaking CBAs activities in their internationalization strategies. Originality/value – This study develops a theoretical link of firm-specific characteristics and country-level factors into an integrated analytical framework by applying agency theory in interaction with institution theory into literature on CBAs. This theoretical framework varies from most of extant studies often using a single theory into their analysis and would thus provide a new analytical train of thought for future studies.

Traceability requirements for market access, food safety and disease control are a key issue in the meat industry. Traceability also offers new opportunities for market-lead product improvement and genetic selection. DNA technology has recently provided a solution to the problem of tracing meat cuts from overseas markets back to the New Zealand processor's carcass record and the farm of origin. The DNA system involves storing a sample of every carcass processed, and using forensic DNA matching to identify the ensuing meat cuts. While the system has solved one aspect of traceability, significant challenges remain to provide cost effective meat traceability for market assurance and product improvement. Keywords: animal welfare, consumers, DNA, market access, traceability

Board of Management of Ram textiles and Garments, Chennai based company decided on competitive efficiency in Textile business and suggested a new site in any one of SE Asian countries. There is need to orient towards socio economic and political aspects in such countries. The textile industry in India is competitive and big ones alone enter into superior quality and brand and also big firms prefer off shore production. Innovative supply chain is important in the industry. It has become a change in Indian textile and clothing and also need change in production method, marketing skills and productivity level to maintain competitiveness in international market. Indian textile and clothing sectors have scope for potential in export market as prices are drawn by international factors and compel exporters to go for strategy of (partial) exports and (partial) domestic sale. Various measures are used. They are cost reduction in raw materials, labour cost power and utility cost. There are opportunities in the industry. E-commerce and world class quality are also possible. Ram textiles, Chennai based textile has to take decision for site selection in overseas (part) production in any one SE Asian destinations. The Management has to weigh the factors like plant location, international orientation, cost economy and culture for their strategy to go overseas (SE Asia). The company got technical report for the need of overseas production and Mr. Ram, the entrepreneur is presently thinking on business development in the long-non as efficient ones alone in the industry grab the opportunity.

Recent studies on the export of processed food in Malaysia have shown obvious increments in the acceptance of its food products in the overseas market. Malaysia consists of a very diverse population which contributes to the wide selection of unique food products produced locally. This opens a window for Malaysia to become a major exporter in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region where it is reported to have a population of over 600 million. Furthermore, with the country’s major population being Muslims, it also provides the opportunity for the country to be positioned as an international-ready domestic market for halal food in the global market. Developments in the agricultural and agro-food processing sector in Malaysia have placed Malaysia among the leading ASEAN countries for the food and beverage industry, but to-date only big key players are able to benefit from these strong value propositions as currently, most business establishments in Malaysia are Small Medium Enterprises (SME) and there is still a huge lack in locally produced agricultural and agro-food processing machinery that could be of great help to the SMEs. To cater to the bulk production for the global market, there is a great need for new machines to be invented so that the cottage industries and SMEs could expand and sustain their business in the long run. Universities and research centres in Malaysia play important roles in the development of these machines that are able to complement the small-medium enterprises especially the cottage industries that are currently producing food and agricultural products in a smaller scale due to the lack of modernization involved. It is also crucial to sustain its position as one of the top countries for the exports of Halal food products. It is hoped that with these inventions, the small-medium enterprises involved in the cottage industry that are producing food products would not only benefit from the inventions but also increase the socio-economy of these business owners.

As the Next Big Thing in consumer electronics is introduced, Australia is once again feeling the tyranny of distance from the world's major markets DVD (Digital Video Disc, recently rechristened 'Digital Versatile Disc') has long been hyped as the next step in the digital revolution of home entertainment. A good decade after the audio CD began to replace LPs as the premier sound carrier medium, it is now video's turn to become digital. DVD, which in many aspects constitutes the next generation of CD technology, has inherited many of its ancestor's features -- the handy and robust physical format of the individual CD-like discs, superior picture and sound quality (especially when compared with VHS tapes) which doesn't degrade with multiple viewings, and the convenience of direct access to particular tracks and sections of the disc, without rewinding. As a second-generation medium, DVD also adds the enhanced gadgetry that was still beyond the CD's technological horizon -- DVDs offer multiple versions of a movie on one disc (e.g., standard and director's cuts, pan-and-scan, letterbox, and 16:9 editions, PG- to R-rated versions, alternative endings), up to eight alternative soundtracks (Dolby Stereo, Dolby Surround, various foreign-language overdubbed versions), a total of 32 sets of optional subtitles, and further interactive control options for the viewer. Such enhancements are partly due to the much-increased storage capacity of the DVD when compared to CDs: in addition to a sevenfold increase in capacity per surface area, DVDs can also double and quadruple that increase by carrying data on both sides of a disc, and by offering two surface layers of information per side. In keeping with the general trend towards an integration of various entertainment and computing technologies, then, DVDs will also gradually replace standard audio CDs (most DVD players can also play audio CDs, making the transition even easier) and CD-ROMs (DVD-ROMs, which are able to read older CD-ROMs, are already on the market). It is the consumer video market, however, where DVD has been expected to make its biggest impact -- and more than a year after its market introduction in the U.S., the signs there are positive. Around 350,000 DVD players have been sold, over 600 DVD titles are now available, video stores are setting up DVD rental sections, and even the major LaserDisc and video Internet mail-order stores like Ken Crane's or Movienow! are offering DVDs. Comparisons with the triumph of CDs over vinyl break down quickly, however, since those two technologies were fundamentally similar read-only media -- by contrast, the technology DVD has set out to supersede, VHS, is also a recording medium (recordable DVDs are still some way into the future; even recordable CDs are only now appearing at affordable prices). DVD, therefore, is targetted more at the growing 'home cinema' market, that is, at consumers who value quality vision and sound over recordability (they are likely to own a hi-fi VCR anyway). The satisfactory, but ultimately limited market LaserDiscs have been able to carve out for themselves in competition with VHS serves as a caution against overestimating the inevitability of success for the DVD campaign. In the course of that campaign, it is now Australia's turn, and the technology's move beyond the borders of such unified, self-contained national markets as North America points out a number of mostly self-inflicted problems which may very well reduce DVD to a digital video dud, for the time being. The availability of DVD hardware is unlikely to present much of an obstacle, but it is software choice which will ultimately determine the acceptance of any new entertainment medium. With Village Roadshow having jumped the gun for the official Australian DVD roll-out that was slated for Easter '98, there were originally only a total of nine titles available in Australia -- mixing the Australian flavour of Shine, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert and an ABC production of the opera La Bohème with an odd assortment of international movies: Dumb & Dumber, The Crow, Wild Rhapsody, Evita, The Mask, and Seven. That merely such a handful of titles are available (the entry of other distributors into the Australian market has not significantly increased the volume) is due to a particular arrangement of the future world market for DVDs into various zones -- these are: 1. North America 2. Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, Japan 3. South East Asia 4. Middle and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea 5. Russia, the remainders of Asia and Africa 6. China On the surface, such a division makes sense for various reasons: movie tastes will differ markedly from region to region, and differences in video standards (the use of PAL or NTSC systems) also mean that DVDs from one region may not play on another region's players. (With the growing market share of dual-system TVs, such technical distinctions are beginning to lose importance, though.) Mainly, however, the regions soon emerge clearly as instruments to counteract the increasing globalisation of trade in entertainment content -- they were demanded by Hollywood's studios, designed specifically so that DVDs of recent movies would not enter a particular region before the movie had run its course in the region's cinemas, and they exist to protect the status quo of video distribution rights which has come under threat from globally operating mail-order video stores. Europeans wanting to buy a copy of Armageddon on DVD, for example, would have to wait until the disc was available in their region, and couldn't simply get the U.S. release that came out after the movie had finished its theatrical run there, months ago. To ensure that they indeed would not order DVDs from another region, technical barriers have been implemented in players and discs: in essence, Australian-made players will only play Australian-made discs, for example -- a DVD that was made for the American 'region one' will simply refuse to play. Only die-hard movie fans, the DVD producers hope, will make the effort to also buy their DVD player in the U.S. (this would force them to buy all their discs there, too -- Australian-made discs wouldn't play). This strange form of inverted protectionism (a protection of the local market from imports, put into place by a transnational consortium), then, is the reason that despite the relative abundance of DVD titles in region one only such few are available in Australia -- none of the overseas ones would play on the local region four machines. The prospects for Australian DVD consumers appear bleak, then: having been included in the wildly heterogeneous 'rest of the Western world' group of region four, Australia seems unlikely to enjoy a great influx of major titles anytime soon -- while the Middle and South American markets within the region are too large to ignore for DVD manufacturers, they are likely to encourage a selection of DVDs that is significantly at variance with Australian movie interests. At the same time, the English-speaking component of the region is simply too small to make any great effort addressing: in the immediate future, the combined markets of Australia and New Zealand are likely to produce a few hundred DVD-equipped households at best. Australia, then, is once again about to feel the tyranny of its distance from the areas with which it feels the greatest cultural affinity, is once again about to be overlooked as a small player amongst the larger markets of North America and Europe, and is this time even technologically restrained from attaching itself to these markets. At least in Australia, then, the industry's decision to counteract the growing trend of market globalisation that has led to consumers' increased use of international mail-order services, particularly with the help of computerised shopping on the Internet's World Wide Web, may come back to haunt it. Should DVD in Australia turn out to be a digital video dud in the next few years, in fact, distributors may want to seriously rethink their positioning of the country in region four, moving it instead to the better-suited, larger-market regions one or two. In any event, the continuing convergence of home entertainment and computer technology also offers some hope for Australian movie fans: the regional division makes much less sense in DVD-ROM drives for computers (which will also play movie DVDs), since the software market is a global one, and so those drives are more likely to offer ways of overriding regional coding -- as the computer becomes the central element in the home entertainment system, then, it may remove the regional barriers which the movie industry has imposed on us. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Axel Bruns. "Digital Video Dud?" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 1.1 (1998). [your date of access] <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9807/dvd.php>. Chicago style: Axel Bruns, "Digital Video Dud?," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 1, no. 1 (1998), <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9807/dvd.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Axel Bruns. (1998) Digital video dud? M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 1(1). <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9807/dvd.php> ([your date of access]).

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – It is widely cited that any firm’s most important asset is its workforce. Little wonder then that businesses see hiring the best talent as a critical factor in achieving success. Such sentiments are echoed at the national level too. Governments increasingly take the view that a highly skilled labor force and economic prosperity go very much hand-in-hand. In an ideal world, countries would have such resources at their disposal. But talent is often in short supply. As any skills gaps obviously have to be addressed, recruiting from overseas has typically become the preferred solution. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Purpose – Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Expansion into international markets has become one of the main growth strategies for many organizations. The blueprint is straightforward enough. Identify untapped potential and exploit the opportunities provided. Build a strong market position and reap lucrative rewards. If only it was that simple. Entering any new territory in the home nation is invariably demanding enough. Factor in the additional challenges inherent in any oversea venture and the difficulty soars to even greater heights. In any market, companies are subject to both technical and institutional demands which increase the complexity of decisions firms have to make. Pressures differ in each environment, so reacting in an appropriate manner is a must. Negotiating these demands effectively can go a considerable way in determining whether organizations ultimately succeed or fail. Practical implications – Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Compared to large organizations, most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lack the resources to compete in overseas markets. The challenges are compounded for those originating in the transitional economies of Central and Eastern Europe, where the business environment remains unpredictable. Such SMEs are reluctant to invest in the breakthrough technologies needed to succeed internationally. Commitment becomes likelier when the background of the firm’s CEO is in output functions like marketing and research and development (R&D). Having experience of the foreign market and personal networks there likewise helps enormously. The knowledge and trust enabled by the CEO’s human and social capital can make the company more confident about investing in technological innovations. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Purpose – Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Globalization continues to have enormous consequences for business. One of the most intriguing thus far is the way that many firms defy humble origins to secure multinational status. Those that started life in an emerging market are a prime example of this transformation. Logic says that it should not really happen. After all, it is usually tough for any foreign company to crack an overseas market. Having to adjust to different regulations, cultural practices and business norms ensures that. There is often discrimination to overcome too. For emerging market multinationals (EMMs), such challenges are magnified to a considerable degree. If that is not enough, these companies are up against firms from advanced nations. That means competition boasting more resources, more knowledge, more international experience and a more recognized brand name. By definition, an EMM is a relatively new kid on the block in all these respects. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Firms operating in overseas markets must exercise care in their advertising campaigns. Lacking awareness of cultural sensitivities risks promotional content being perceived as offensive and trigger condemnation and boycotting of the brand. Relevant proactive and reactive actions then become highly important in order to begin rebuilding the tarnished brand name. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Indonesia's financial market is a potential target, because there are still many Indonesian who in their investment patterns do not reflect the diversity and choice of modern investment instruments. This becomes a "homework" to be completed. The maximum absorption of investment funds from Indonesian society that is still conventional can "excite" the capital market again. Shariah mutual funds have a special appeal compared to other types of mutual funds. Shariah mutual funds are currently not limited to Muslims because the general public, who have seen the benefits of investment based on the selection of sector and company with certain criteria, are more promising and minimize risk. Investment portfolio management works based on the framework for investment management which covers the process of planning, implementation, evaluation and adjustment. In mutual funds, investment managers are responsible for investment activities, which include analysis and selection of investment types, and taking necessary actions for the benefit of investors. If there is a problem in the future and the investor wants to change the form of his investment, then he can do the resale of the Shariah mutual fund shares to the mutual fund company where he invests. The Shariah Supervisory Board oversees the transactions of Mutual Fund issuing companies, because the halal returns / funds obtained through mutual funds depend heavily on investment activities carried out by investment managers. The advantage of investing in Shari'ah mutual funds is that it can be done in retail so that the initial investment can be adjusted to financial capability and its value is small. Other benefits include the relatively higher yield of deposits and tax free, as well as the existence of routine audits and supervision by the Shariah Supervisory Board (DPS). Key words: Syariah Mutual Funds, Portfolio Management, Shariah Supervisory Board