scholarly journals Sustainable Varieties of Capitalism? The Greening of Steel Work in Brazil and Germany

2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Doering ◽  
Claire Evans ◽  
Dean Stroud
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Varieties Of Capitalism ◽  
Managerial Practices ◽  
Corporate Strategies ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Comparative Capitalisms ◽  
Distribution Of Power

The aim of this article is to investigate the sustainability agenda and its implications for employment and managerial practices within different institutional contexts. The article uses the comparative capitalisms literature and, in particular, the Varieties of Capitalism framework to examine how multinational corporations (MNCs) can exploit different institutional contexts to achieve competitive advantages. We explore one multinational steel company’s i.e. SteelCo.AG varied responses to the emerging constraints of the sustainability agenda in Germany, as an example of a Coordinated Market Economy, and Brazil, as an example of a Hierarchical Market Economy. In particular, we focus on evidence concerning training, environmental practices and policies in the different company sites. We demonstrate how different institutional contexts favour different corporate strategies from an approach that exploits negative institutional complementarities, such as the “low-skill/low-cost trap,” to one that benefits from strong institutional coherence facilitating skills formation and innovation in response to environ-mental legislation. Our analysis argues for the importance of incorporating the green agenda as a marker of difference into the existing VoC framework. This allows for nuanced readings of unstable institutional complementarities in terms of operational, managerial and social innovation in different institutional contexts – with such analyses essential for understanding workers’ experiences of employment and work. Our contribution to the extant literature on the employment relationship, within the context of VoC analysis, therefore offers empirical material on understandings of employment relations within the HME category, as a new type within the VoC framework, through our discussion of a multinational’s activities in Brazil. This also allows us to focus on the way companies and other actors’ impact upon institutional frameworks and the distribution of power between different actors within particular contexts, thereby addressing recent discussions of the stability and homogeneity of institutional arrangements.

Consolidating social innovation

2019 ◽  
pp. 189-216
Author(s):  
Yuri Kazepov ◽  
Tatiana Saruis ◽  
Fabio Colombo
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Consolidation Process ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Distribution Of Power

This chapter addresses the consolidation processes of socially innovative initiatives. In particular, it aims at understanding which are the conditions favouring or constraining their (at least potential) survival and/or development. We consider social innovation as a relational process that is contextually embedded. It raises as a reaction to the inability of existing policies in meeting emerging or existing needs and its potential growth or consolidation may depend (also) on the governance systems’ capacity to identify, accept and share new ideas. It might challenge conventional policy balances, existing stakeholders’ relations and distribution of power and resources. It might also challenge the multi-level institutional arrangements with the aim of expanding and influencing broader contexts. The chapter focuses mainly on the relation and interaction of social innovation with the respective institutional contexts from the perspective of the consolidation of socially innovative initiatives. In particular, it analyses the conditions at the very basis of the consolidation process, trying to identify the main dimensions influencing it. The analyses addresses the conditions according to which they succeed or fail in developing, mainly highlighting the processes through which they try to integrate into mainstream policies and exert their influence on policies fighting poverty and social exclusion

The UK: Less a liberal market economy, more a post-imperial one

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Coates
Keyword(s):  
Market Economy ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Varieties Of Capitalism ◽  
The Us ◽  
Global Understanding ◽  
Comparative Capitalisms ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Distinguishing Features ◽  
Liberal Market Economy

This article adds a new element to the growing critique of the original varieties of capitalism (VoC) distinction between liberal and coordinated market capitalisms by questioning the usefulness of the liberal market economy (LME) category itself. It demonstrates that many of the distinguishing features of the LME category are – in the US and UK cases at least – best explained by those economies’ external global and hegemonic role, rather than by their internal institutional complementarities. Imperialism holds the key to liberalism – a key demonstrated here by a detailed examination of the UK case. The lessons for the study of comparative capitalisms are major: a total setting aside of the LME/CME distinction, and a return to the building of a global understanding of capitalism which is more than the sum of its individual parts. In order to understand LMEs, you need to understand imperialism; and to understand imperialism, you have to engage again with a revitalised Marxism.

The Emergence of Business Groups: Israel and South Korea Compared

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 737-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Maman
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Business Groups ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Economic Organizations ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Korean State

This paper examines the emergence of business groups in Israel and South Korea. The paper questions how, in very different institutional contexts, similar economic organizations emerged. In contrast to the political, cultural and market perspectives, the comparative institutional analysis adopted in this research suggests that one factor alone could not explain the emergence of business groups. In Israel and South Korea, business groups emerged during the 1960s and 1970s, and there are common factors underlying their formation: state-society relations, the roles and beliefs of the elites, and the relative absence of multinational corporations in the economy. To a large extent, the chaebol are the result of an intended creation of the South Korean state, whereas the Israeli business groups are the outcome of state policies in the economic realm. In both countries, the state elite held a developmental ideology, did not rely on market forces for economic development, and had a desire for greater economic and military self-sufficiency. In addition, both states were recipients of large grants and loans from other countries, which made them less dependent on direct foreign investments. As a result, the emerging groups were protected from the intense competition of multinational corporations.

INVITED POLICY ECONOMICS PAPER — ECONOMICS IN ASIA 1995–2020

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
JOERGEN OERSTROEM MOELLER
Keyword(s):  
Market Economy ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Us ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Asian Economy

Over the last 25 years, Asia’s economic rise has been extraordinary. Its share of global gross domestic product (GDP) has risen from 5.8% to 22.9%. 1 The first phase of high economic growth — up to 1995 — saw Asia enter the global supply chain primarily with labor-intensive/low-cost manufacturing. Domestic consumption was a fairly low share of GDP; Asia was manufacturing mainly for consumption in the US and Europe. As such, it was primarily a rule-taker. In the second phase — from 1995 to 2020 — it gradually turned into an economic force joining the US and Europe in shaping the global economy, exercising significant influence upon the value chain, the cycles of the global economy, transport and logistics, the global capital markets and consumption patterns (consumer preferences and tastes). While not yet among the leading rule-makers, it had become difficult for policymakers (public and private) to make decisions without Asia’s consent. To form an opinion of today’s emerging third phase — post 2020 — the intriguing question is whether the Asian countries have adopted what may be termed Anglo-American economic thinking (basically, the primacy of the market). Or whether behind the curtain, the Asian economy works in its own way diverging from the American and British economic schools. Since demographics and sheer economic scale mean that Asia will dominate the global economy in the years to come, the nature of the Asian economy will be of crucial importance for the future global economy. The conclusion of this paper is that “Asia” in many respects differs — and fundamentally so — from market economy principles. How this prospect should be interpreted is also evolving, as circumstances change. Certainly, the repercussions of COVID-19 have not been the same in the US, Europe, East Asia and South Asia — and this may suggest that socio-political structures have a stronger impact on economic outcomes than economic theory teaches, thus calling into question the global validity of market economy principles.

Social Innovation in Public Schools

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabela Silva ◽  
Karmel Nardi Silva ◽  
Karen Schmidt Lotthammer ◽  
Simone Bilessimo ◽  
Juarez Bento Silva
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School System ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
Public Network ◽  
The Public ◽  
Remote Experimentation ◽  
Positive Results

The project “Promoting Digital Inclusion in Public Schools Through Integration of Innovative Low-Cost Technologies in the Teaching of STEM Subjects” has been carried out by the Remote Experimentation Laboratory (RExLab), Federal University of Santa Catarina, since 2008. This project has trained 363 teachers from 6 schools, since it is an initiative of technology integration in the basic education of the Brazilian public-school system. The present study focuses on the benefits of the project in relation to the teachers involved in its scope. The positive results acquired by the project over the years demonstrate that the integration of technologies in education by teachers in the public network is a practice to be encouraged.

Managerial Practices in a High Cost Manufacturing Environment

2018 ◽  
pp. 1749-1768
Author(s):  
Renu Agarwal ◽  
Christopher Bajada ◽  
Paul J. Brown ◽  
Roy Green
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Labour Cost ◽  
Managerial Practices ◽  
Management Capability

This chapter explores the management strategies adopted by manufacturing firms operating in high versus low cost economies and investigates the reasons for differences in the management practice choices. The study reported in this chapter identifies a subset of countries that have either high or low labour costs, with USA, Sweden, and Japan being high, and India, China, and Brazil being low labour cost economies. The high labour cost manufacturing firms are found to have better management practices. In this chapter, the authors find that Australia and New Zealand manufacturing firms face relatively high labour cost but lag behind world best practice in management performance. The chapter concludes by highlighting the need for improvement in management capability for Australian and New Zealand manufacturing firms if they are to experience a reinvigoration of productivity, competitiveness, and long-term growth.

Supra-Industry Technologies in the Mechanism of Financing of Cultural Industries in Russia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-43
Author(s):  
N. Mal'shina
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Culture Industry ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Cultural Industries ◽  
Cultural Industry ◽  
Cultural Services

The main goal of this work is to develop effective forms of financing for cultural industries. Information and methodological elements were formed. ensuring the process of logistics of the cultural services system. As a result, there is an objective need for system monitoring of the database of cultural industry organizations and innovative use of modern information technologies in solving complex economic problems to justify optimal solutions with a variety of alternative options.According to the author's classification of cultural services into passive and active, it is possible to distinguish two ways in the development of basic technologies and in the cultural industry. Mechanisms of innovative interaction of cultural institutions with business and government structures can be divided into several types: project financing (support for certain projects); social innovation and investment (support coincides with certain business strategies); donation interaction with business on a philanthropic basis; investment exchanges for cultural, art and creative projects; service contract (life cycle contract); fundraising for scientific (educational) and cultural services; concessions in the cultural industry; business incubators as a multiplier-accelerator for the culture industry (support for the system of cultural services at an early stage) , etc. The development and application of cross-industry information and communication technologies gives the largest volume of production of cultural services with a low cost, due to the scale of production.

The dilemma of institutional duality and multinational firms 1967-2017

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiebe Humphrey Ahworegba
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Multinational Firms ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Institutional Duality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the dilemma of institutional duality (ID) confronting multinational corporations and to propose a workable solution for this problem. Design/methodology/approach The author has searched the literature using several terms directly related to the dilemma of ID and multinational firms. Findings The findings reveal that to attain “legitimacy”, subsidiaries strive to balance institutional pressures stemming from external environments in the host country and their parent organizations. Understanding institutional theories of multinational corporations enables the subsidiaries to manage external pressures. ID impact varies among subsidiaries, depending on institutional contexts and internal strategies of subsidiaries. Originality/value An “institutional duality incidence model” portraying how dual institutions make “legitimacy” problematic for subsidiaries is proposed. A framework for identifying factors generating ID dilemma and their management approach is also proposed. It is concluded that a multinational corporation that recognizes ID as a central concern is more likely to achieve and maintain a higher level of harmony with its subsidiaries and host countries.

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