Social credit fears will taint China's Sesame Credit

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Systems ◽  
Ubiquitous System ◽  
The Government

Subject Ant Financial's Sesame Credit rating service. Significance Foreign commentary often confuses Sesame Credit -- a voluntary credit-rating service for users of e-commerce giant Alibaba -- with the social credit systems the government has established to punish illegal and anti-social behaviour. However, the two systems function in different ways, have different objectives and use different data. Impacts Foreign firms in China can benefit from using Sesame Credit to assess trustworthiness and creditworthiness, or for identity brokerage. Far from developing into an ever more all-embracing and ubiquitous system, Sesame Credit’s growth has probably plateaued. Controversies around data privacy and the non-disclosure of Sesame Credit’s algorithms indicate that Chinese users care about these issues.

China's cybersecurity law will constrain foreign firms

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Data Privacy ◽  
Public Consultation ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Legal Basis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
User Data ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Government ◽  
Definition Of

Subject China's forthcoming cybersecurity legislation. Significance Public consultation has just opened on a new draft cybersecurity law. The draft's definition of 'security' includes not only technical elements but also regime survival and social stability. Impacts Operators of 'critical information infrastructure' will have to localise their user data within the territory of China. The law could provide a legal basis for retaliating against efforts to circumvent the Great Firewall. The government will support China's IT sector, considering technological independence necessary for national security. The law will place new obligations on businesses regarding protection of data privacy.

China's social credit system creates risk to business

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Credit System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Behaviour ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
The Social ◽  
Private Citizens ◽  
Foreign Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
Effective Supervision

Significance Foreign media typically present China’s efforts to build the 'social credit' system as an Orwellian nightmare where the state uses information technology to conduct round-the-clock surveillance of individuals, in order to monitor and grade their political behaviour and penalise dissent. Impacts Businesses and businesspeople are the primary targets, not private citizens. Foreign businesses and individuals will be subject to the system, even if they are not priority targets. Businesses and individuals connected to 'unethical' acts will face broad restrictions on their ability to act across the board. The system introduces new penalties for existing offences; it does not introduce new offences. Integrated central databases for information the government has about citizens and corporations should lead to more effective supervision.

The 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Joyce
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the 2016 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and to compare them with those that took place in 2012. It seeks to evaluate the background of the candidates who stood for office in 2016, the policies that they put forward, the results of the contests and the implications of the 2016 experience for future PCC elections. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based around several key themes – the profile of candidates who stood for election, preparations conducted prior to the contests taking place, the election campaign and issues raised during the contests, the results and the profile of elected candidates. The paper is based upon documentary research, making particular use of primary source material. Findings The research establishes that affiliation to a political party became the main route for successful candidates in 2016 and that local issues related to low-level criminality will dominate the future policing agenda. It establishes that although turnout was higher than in 2012, it remains low and that further consideration needs to be devoted to initiatives to address this for future PCC election contests. Research limitations/implications The research focusses on the 2016 elections and identifies a number of key issues that emerged during the campaign affecting the conduct of the contests which have a bearing on future PCC elections. It treats these elections as a bespoke topic and does not seek to place them within the broader context of the development of the office of PCC. Practical implications The research suggests that in order to boost voter participation in future PCC election contests, PCCs need to consider further means to advertise the importance of the role they perform and that the government should play a larger financial role in funding publicity for these elections and consider changing the method of election. Social implications The rationale for introducing PCCs was to empower the public in each police force area. However, issues that include the enhanced importance of political affiliation as a criteria for election in 2016 and the social unrepresentative nature of those who stood for election and those who secured election to this office in these contests coupled with shortcomings related to public awareness of both the role of PCCs and the timing of election contests threaten to undermine this objective. Originality/value The extensive use of primary source material ensures that the subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by an academic perspective.

The gamification of trust: the case of China’s “social credit”

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahy Ramadan
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
Chinese Business ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
New Business

Purpose China is establishing a social credit rating system with the aim to score the trust level of citizens. The scores will be based on an integrated database that includes a vast range of information sources, rating aspects like professional conduct, corruption, type of products bought, peers’ own scores and tax evasion. While this form of gamification is expected to have dire consequences on brands and consumers alike, the literature in that particular area of interest remains non-existent. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework is suggested that highlights early on the risks and implications on brands and companies operating in that particular upcoming landscape. Findings The gamification of trust that the social credit system focuses on presents potential risks on brand and consumer relationships. This in turn will affect brand sustainability vis-à-vis the expected drastic changes in the Chinese business landscape. This study suggests the strategies to follow which will be of high interest to companies, consumers, as well as to the Chinese authorities during and after implementation stage. Originality/value This paper is amongst the first to discuss the potential effects of the Chinese social credit rating system on brands. The conceptual framework fills a sizeable gap in the literature and pioneers the discussion on potential dilemmas brands will be faced with within this new business landscape.

New Romanian coalition will retreat from reform

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Liberal Party ◽  
Social Democrats ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government

Significance This autumn, bitter conflict between the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Save Romania Union (USR) ended a brief period of centre-right rule, after years of domination by the Social Democrats (PSD). Former army chief Nicolae Ciuca heads the government, which the PSD dominates alongside a much-weakened PNL. Impacts The government may struggle to persuade a suspicious populace to back vaccination, given previous PSD reluctance for anti-COVID-19 measures. The pandemic may deter civil society from mobilising against abuses of power to the extent it did during the last PSD government. The government's dilemma will be curbing the justice system's independence without provoking a strong EU reaction.

Accounting for gaming in the time of plague: COVID-19 in Macau

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Noronha ◽  
Jieqi Guan ◽  
Sandy Hou In Sio
Keyword(s):  
Critical Event ◽  
Gaming Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Account ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose While the COVID-19 virus has been spreading worldwide, some studies have related the pandemic with various aspects of accounting and therefore emphasized the importance of accounting research in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on society as a whole. Recent studies have looked into such an impact on various industries such as retail and agriculture. The current study aims at applying a sociological framework, sociology of worth (SOW), to the gaming industry in Macau, the largest operator of state-allowed gambling and entertainment in China, which will allow for its development during the COVID-19 pandemic to be charted. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the theory of SOW as a framework and collects data from various sources, such as the government, gaming operators and the public, to create timelines and SOW frameworks to analyze the impact of the virus on the gaming industry and the society as a whole. Findings Detailed content analysis and the creation of different SOW matrices determined that the notion of a “lonely economy” during a time of a critical event may be ameliorated in the long term through compromises of the different worlds and actors of the SOW. Practical implications Though largely theory-based, this study offers a thorough account of the COVID-19 incident for both the government and the gaming industry to reflect on and to consider new ways to fight against degrowth caused by disasters or crises. Social implications The SOW framework divides society into different worlds of different worths. The current study shows how the worths of the different worlds are congruent during normal periods, and how cracks appear between them when a sudden crisis, such as COVID-19, occurs. The article serves as a social account of how these cracks are formed and how could they be resolved through compromise and reconstruction. Originality/value This study is a first attempt to apply SOW to a controversial industry (gaming) while the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing. It offers a significant contribution to the social accounting literature through its consideration of the combination of unprecedented factors in a well-timed study that pays close attention to analyses and theoretical elaboration.

The empirical reality of project management failures in the construction of social housing projects in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-435
Author(s):  
Christopher Amoah ◽  
Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu ◽  
Tanya van Schalkwyk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Free State ◽  
Project Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Project Deliverables ◽  
The Government ◽  
Project Objectives

Purpose The concept of government reconstruction development programme (RDP) social housing in South Africa was rolled out in 1994 after the African National Congress Government came to power when the apartheid rule was abolished. The main aim of the government was to enhance the lifestyles of the poor in society through the provision of houses that they could not afford in the open market. However, many concerns have been reported about the social housing project in terms of poor project implementation and the delivery of deliverables that do not befit the need of the end-users. This study aims to assess the flaws in the application of project management (PM) principles in the construction of these social houses. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was adopted for the study by making use of closed- and open-ended questionnaires to collect data from 1,893 social housing inhabitants in Bloemfontein, Free State. Descriptive statistics and R programming language software were used to analyse the data collected. Findings The findings reveal that there was a profound failure in the application of PM principles in the construction of the social houses leading to the provision of deliverables that do not meet the needs of the beneficiaries. There are also poor project deliverables and lack of consultations that could have probably been prevented had proper PM systems been put in place by the government throughout the project lifecycle. This lack of proper PM philosophies has generated dissatisfaction among the beneficiaries leading to numerous complaints about the social housing programme. Research limitations/implications The survey was done in only RDP housing communities in Bloemfontein in the Free State Province of South Africa; however, the result may be applicable in other RDP housing programmes. Practical implications The empirical results indicate that the government has been providing houses with disregard to project objectives by not instituting an appropriate PM systems; hence, the main objective of providing befitting houses to the less privileged to enhance their living conditions has woefully failed, as the inhabitants do not see any improvement of their social standings after receiving the houses. This means the government might have wasted resources as a result of ineffective PM throughout the project implementation. Originality/value This study has identified PM flaws in the construction of the RDP houses, which have led to poor project deliverables. This study thus gives recommendations with regard to proper PM strategies for the implementation of the same or similar project in the future to achieve project objectives.

Young adults and homeownership in Jakarta, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rotimi Boluwatife Abidoye ◽  
Gitta Puspitasari ◽  
Riza Sunindijo ◽  
Michael Adabre
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
Lending Institutions

Purpose Homeownership, especially for young adults, is a significant challenge in nearly every country and Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, is not exempted. Its capital city, Jakarta, has the lowest homeownership rate when compared with other cities and if this challenge remains unresolved, it could lead to more social and economic issues in the country. Hence, this study aims to investigate the homeownership of young adults in Jakarta, focussing on young adults’ opinions, perceptions and experiences regarding homeownership opportunities. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from young adults in the study area. The collected data were analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences 24.0 software. Descriptive analysis, Cronbach’s alpha test, Pearson’s correlation test and mean score ranking were adopted to analyse the collected data. Findings The result shows that homeownership is driven by factors that are more functional and realistic (in terms of a place to live, marriage and parenthood) rather than those related to pride or social status representation (as a personal or career accomplishment). Unaffordability and insufficient income were ranked as crucial barriers to homeownership. Increasing the supply of affordable housing, controlling housing prices through government’s intervention and reducing mortgage interests are potential solutions to address this issue. Practical implications The result of this research would be useful to young adults who are the participants of this study, property developers, lending institutions and the government concerning homeownership policy formulation, loan provision, affordable housing supply, etc. Originality/value Specific studies that focussed on the young adults’ homeownership in Jakarta, Indonesia is limited, therefore, this research provides an insight into the issue of young adults’ homeownership in the country. Also, the findings could be applicable in other developing countries that have similar characteristics to Indonesia.

Residential properties with green living concept: what drives consumers to buy?

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-447
Author(s):  
Rames Sivadasan ◽  
Farzana Quoquab ◽  
Jihad Mohammad ◽  
Rohaida Basiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Environmental Responsibility ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Right

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate consumers’ buying intentions (BIs) towards sustainable properties with green living concept (GLC). It also aims to examine the dynamic relationships between environmental advertisements (EAd), green brand positioning (GBP), attitude towards environmental responsibility (ER) and consumers’ sustainable properties BI in the Malaysian context. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via online questionnaire survey, which yielded 143 completed usable responses. Structural equation modelling–partial least squares (Smart PLS, version 3) was used to analyse the data. Findings The findings of this study revealed that EAd and GBP significantly affect consumers’ attitude towards ER, which in turn affects consumers’ BI of the sustainable properties with GLC. Practical implications This study suggests that without inculcating a positive attitude towards the environment among consumers, it becomes a daunting task to drive consumers to purchase sustainable properties in Malaysia. Thus, the marketers should focus on green promotional activities to attract more customers to buy sustainable properties with GLCs. Moreover, it is suggested to target the right market segment to secure more sales. Social implications The findings of this study will enable the government and the social marketers to understand the drivers of buying sustainable properties with GLC, which in turn will contribute to the higher environmental welfare. Originality/value This study is among the pioneers to examine consumers’ sustainable property purchase intention. It provides significant insights for the social marketers and policymakers to understand how to motivate consumers to purchase sustainable properties with GLCs. Moreover, this study has investigated few comparatively new links such as the direct effect of EAd and GBP on attitude towards environmental responsibility and the mediating effect of attitude towards environmental responsibility between environmental stimuli and consumer’s sustainable properties BI.

German shift on austerity would risk 'wrong' lessons

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Euro Area ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Bond Yields ◽  
Trade Surplus ◽  
Fiscal Stimulus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Black Spots ◽  
Angela Merkel ◽  
Deficit Financing ◽  
The Government

Significance Chancellor Angela Merkel faces a rising tide of euro-area members in favour of a policy shift away from austerity and possibly towards more favourable debt deals for euro-area black spots. Adding to the pressure for change, her own voters may prefer a slower pace of debt reduction: German government debt has already been falling as a percentage of GDP -- from over 80% in 2010 to under 77% at the end of 2014 -- and debt is starting to fall in absolute terms as well. The government has delivered enough stabilisation (ie, austerity) and growth to tame the 2009-10 debt surge and maintain its AAA credit rating, but is now over-achieving in terms of its own tough targets because the greater-than-expected fall in debt interest costs is pushing the budget into surplus. Some modest spending adjustments look likely to curb this windfall surplus, yet many will argue that more could be done to re-energise the sluggish economy -- and boost the euro-area. Impacts The plummeting euro will provoke another rise in German exports (already near 50% of GDP) and tensions over Germany's bulging trade surplus. While a fiscal stimulus and/or higher wage payments could address these tensions and raise imports, there is no sign of such action. Germany's critics are gathering support to end austerity, to the point of ignoring the risks of deficit financing and reneging on debts. Ultra-low German bond yields, encouraged by the prospective supply fall, are dragging down euro-area yields, delivering wider benefits.

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