‘Big tech’ faces tighter rules across multiple areas

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Federal Trade Commission ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Technology Firms ◽  
Technology Platforms ◽  
The Us ◽  
Active Regulation ◽  
European Regulations

Subject Regulations for technology firms. Significance Following numerous high-profile public scandals involving ‘big tech’, policies worldwide are slowly shifting from a laissez-faire approach towards active regulation. Impacts Taken together, the regulatory tightening could dampen the profitability of major US tech firms. Public opinion is shifting towards regulation as various privacy and governance failures of technology platforms become apparent. New, untested regulation for uncertain harms can also be dangerous, with unintended side effects for freedom of expression and innovation. Serious action from the US Federal Trade Commission would limit the damage of European regulations for US firms on transatlantic ties. India is emerging as one of the most active regulatory jurisdictions for big tech among developing countries.

Ottawa extends terrorist entity list to neo-fascists

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Us ◽  
White Supremacists ◽  
The Military ◽  
Radical Element

Significance Some MPs called for this action in the wake of the storming of the US Capitol last month, but the move has been considered for some time following concerns about extremism within the military. Impacts The growth of extremism is linked to a growing divide between conservative white rural areas and cosmopolitan cities. Separatist sentiment in the western provinces may develop a newly radical element from links to extremism. The business sector may face some disruption from an increase in protests and demonstrations. Canada’s reputation for welcoming immigrants could be damaged if there are high-profile incidents involving white supremacists.

Linking transformational leadership with employees’ engagement in the creative process

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 837-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tahlil Azim ◽  
Luo Fan ◽  
Md. Aftab Uddin ◽  
Munshi Muhammad Abdul Kader Jilani ◽  
Sumayya Begum
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technology Firms ◽  
Information And Communication

Purpose Given that individual creativity is a critical element to achieving organizational competitiveness, the purpose of this study is to attempt to investigate how transformational leadership (TL) drives employee creative process engagement (CPE) by improving their creative self-efficacy (CSE). Design/methodology/approach Analysis has been performed based on 194 responses from information and communication technology firms using a cross-sectional survey design. The study follows a deductive research approach to test the hypotheses. It uses SmartPLS2 and IBM SPSS 21 for a structural equation model. Findings The investigation finds that TL significantly predicts CPE, and CSE partially mediates the TL–CPE relationship. The result demonstrates that TL shapes an organizational climate conducive to the employees’ CPE by building employees’ self-efficacy. Research limitations/implications The study sample was drawn from a single sector of the Bangladeshi economy. The sampling design represents a limitation, for which the findings cannot be broadly generalized. Replications and augmentations of the study in various industrial areas will help test the robustness and generalizability of the discoveries. Practical implications TL and CPE are desirable organizational outcomes across all cultures. From a practical standpoint, the outcomes demonstrate that TL is linked to CPE and CSE among information and communication technology employees. This study extends the appropriateness of CSE into Asian countries. Notably, it provides additional insight into a contemporary TL model that can unequivocally impact leadership development in the Bangladeshi information and communication technology firms. Managers or chief executive officers in the small and medium enterprises are expected to exhibit TL attributes by designing a supportive organizational climate that will motivate employees to exhibit creative activities. Social implications TL transforms employees’ psychological state to get them to engage in creative processes, benefiting the organizational stakeholders by their unconventional creative behavior. The TL-driven innovative outcome through employees’ CPE contributes to the development of social well-being. Originality/value This paper adds significance to the extant literature regarding the determinants of the mediating impact of CSE on TL and CPE from the viewpoints of information and communication technology firms, particularly from developing countries, such as Bangladesh. It also contributes to reconcile the findings of the previous studies around the globe in both developed and developing countries.

Obama's push on nuclear arms control faces hurdles

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Arms Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nuclear Material ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nuclear Security ◽  
Nuclear Opacity ◽  
Nuclear Arms Control

Subject The US arms control agenda. Significance Despite having less than a year in office, President Barack Obama's administration is sustaining a high-profile arms control agenda in 2016. The administration wants to restore several damaged treaties with Russia, broaden Russia-China-US cooperation on various non-proliferation issues and leave Obama's successor a firm nuclear security architecture. Arms control is a consultative, long-term diplomatic process, and is susceptible to the political imperatives of more immediate regional crises. Impacts Tacit US support of Israeli nuclear opacity will undermine arms control efforts in the Middle East. Post-Obama arms control efforts are likely to focus on the security of nuclear material, rather than strategic arms reductions. Senate retirements will undermine US arms control advocacy in Congress. The United States will retain its nuclear arsenal indefinitely despite criticism from its allies.

Trump highlights pitfalls of election prediction

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Models ◽  
Analytical Quality ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Us ◽  
Election Prediction ◽  
Low Probability ◽  
Winner Take All ◽  
Take All

Subject Elections analysis versus prediction. Significance The nomination of Donald Trump as the Republican Party's candidate for the US presidency raises questions for how analysts ought to respond to unlikely scenarios and how 'analysis' differs in its construction from prediction. His victory raises the question whether the low probability assigned by many observers to his chance of winning was accurate, and he nevertheless won due to the inherent volatility of primary politics, or if it was the result of fundamentally flawed modelling from the outset. Impacts Past elections suggest Republicans will face hurdles in the Midwest and Northeast against Clinton, but Trump argues he has unique appeal. Gauging analytical quality on the basis of a single high-profile event may encourage misleading deference to previously correct analysts. Including uncertainty levels is a key, but often neglected, part of creating sound predictive models. Threshold events, such as a 'winner-take-all' primary or 'first-past-the-post' election, can see minor shifts lead to outsized outcomes.

Global patent system rethink is required ahead

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Patent Protection ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Consumer Welfare ◽  
Patent System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Patent Pools ◽  
Technology Firms ◽  
Diffusion Of Knowledge ◽  
The Us

Subject Outlook for the global patent system. Significance Innovation and the diffusion of new technology contribute to GDP growth and consumer welfare. Intellectual property rights such as patents are designed to promote innovation by rewarding inventors with a right of exclusion that prevents others from making, selling or using their invention for a fixed period of time, unless they pay a licence fee. Patent registration is increasing rapidly both within advanced and emerging countries, as the latter learn about its value. However, there is a conflict between rewarding innovators with monopoly rights and promoting the diffusion of knowledge at low cost. As more products and techniques are protected by patents, there is concern that the system is inhibiting rather than promoting growth. Impacts The US patent system supports innovation, while the EU system is less clearly defined with unitary patent protection. Licensing will need to be easily obtained at reasonable prices with terms conducive to both technological and business model exploration. Governments and supranational authorities will need to ensure that patent pools can operate within sympathetic but fair antitrust regimes. Regulatory authorities will need to ensure that patent pools cannot become tools for collusive activity by leading technology firms. Firms will need to monitor constantly legislation and judgments relating to their industry in countries in which they operate.

Fentanyl market set to spread globally

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Health Services ◽  
New Products ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Developed World

Subject Fentanyl. Significance The synthetic painkiller fentanyl has become central to the US opioid epidemic and is spreading throughout the rest of the developed world and beyond. Highly potent, and easy to produce and hide, it offers strong highs for users, huge profits for dealers, and poses serious challenges for health services and law enforcement. Impacts As governments introduce restrictions on drug ingredients, manufacturers will tweak recipes, developing new products. Developing countries will be slow to tackle fentanyl manufacturing, particularly if the drug is not perceived as a domestic threat. The spread of synthetic opiates is unlikely to hit global heroin demand, which will remain strong.

New laws advance China's 'cyber sovereignty'

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
Data Security ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Information Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Technology Firms ◽  
Flow Of Information

Subject China's efforts to control the flow of information on the internet. Significance Since the Cybersecurity Law took effect in June, China's two largest social media providers have been fined for violating the new law, and two high-profile foreign businesses -- Apple and Cambridge University Press (CUP) -- have been accused of helping the Chinese government censor the internet. Impacts Enforcement of Cybersecurity Law this year will focus more on information control than data security or localisation of data storage. The Cybersecurity Law will put even more pressure on Chinese tech firms to censor their content proactively. The success of Chinese technology firms makes Beijing confident that controlling the flow of information does not prevent innovation.

Partners will struggle to save the Iran nuclear deal

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Dispute Settlement ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Dispute Settlement Mechanism ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Comprehensive Plan ◽  
The Us ◽  
Trade Partner

Significance Trump described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as "defective at its core". Iran's compliance has repeatedly been verified, but the agreement has never operated as intended. Uncertainty over Washington's future commitment reduced economic benefits to Tehran and blocked Iran's reintegration into the global economy. Impacts Except for a few high-profile deals, Europe is eclipsed as an Iranian trade partner by China, which could gain from a JCPOA breakdown. A US or Israeli strike on Iran might target utility infrastructure rather than nuclear facilities, given the environmental risks. If Iran used the dispute settlement mechanism against the US violation, it could risk automatic 'snapback' of multilateral sanctions.

US anti-trafficking push will align with Trump goals

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Undocumented Immigrants ◽  
State Department ◽  
Trafficking In Persons ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White House ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Us ◽  
Reporting Process ◽  
Forced Labour

Subject The 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report. Significance The US State Department released its 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report on June 29 in a high-profile launch that featured Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Senior White House Advisor Ivanka Trump and Ambassador Susan Coppedge, the department’s anti-trafficking office chief. The 2017 reporting process straddled two administrations: the Obama White House compiled the data, but the rankings of individual countries were ultimately decided by the administration of President Donald Trump. Impacts Congress may restrain outreach to Malaysia and Myanmar (both upgraded) over the trafficking of Myanmar’s Rohingya minority. Trump is unlikely to exercise his legal ability as president to grant protection to trafficked undocumented immigrants. Washington may raise the trafficking of North Koreans for forced labour in China if the White House sees little progress on weapons testing.

US prison population will increase under Trump

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Prison Population ◽  
Attorney General ◽  
Department Of Justice ◽  
Private Prisons ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Us ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
Incarcerated Population

Subject Politics of the US criminal justice system. Significance On February 23, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a memorandum issued by his predecessor aimed at phasing out Department of Justice contracts with companies for operating private prisons. Stocks of these companies rose following President Donald Trump's November 2016 election win, and his administration is pursuing policies that will increase the size of the incarcerated population. Impacts Election-driven pressures to cut costs will dissuade officeholders from funding recidivism-reducing education and job programmes. Lack of competition in the private prison sector will undercut market mechanisms for better service delivery at lower cost. Voters are likely to focus on memorable high-profile crimes when establishing policy preferences rather than overall statistical declines. Conservatives are more likely to overestimate crime trends than liberals, which will limit political dividends for pro-reform Republicans. Federal detention of gang members and deportation to their countries of origin could consolidate transnational criminal networks.

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