The Impacts of FDI Inflows on Carbon Emissions: Economic Development and Regulatory Quality as Moderators

With the accelerated development of the global economy, environmental issues have gradually become prominent, which in turn hinders further high-quality economic development. As one of the important driving factors, cross-border flowing foreign direct investment (FDI) has played a vital role in promoting economic development, but has also caused environmental degradation in most host countries. Utilizing panel data for the G20 economies from 1996 to 2018, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of FDI inflows on carbon emissions, and further explore the influence channels through the moderating effects of economic development and regulatory quality. To produce more robust and accurate results in this study, the approach of the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) is utilized. Meanwhile, this study also specifies the heteroscedasticity and correlated errors due to the large differences and serial correlations among the G20 economies. The results indicate that FDI inflows are positively associated with carbon emissions, as well as both economic development and regulatory quality negatively contribute to the impacts of FDI inflows on carbon emissions. It implies that although FDI inflows tend to increase the emissions of carbon dioxide, they are more likely to mitigate carbon emissions in countries with higher levels of economic development and regulatory quality. Therefore, the findings are informative for policymakers to formulate effective policies to help mitigate carbon emissions and eliminate environmental degradation.

A Way to Europe: New Refugees’ Migration Patterns Revealed

The final destination country for refugees heading to Europe may be a changing one depending on various factors, such as the relocation program at the EU level, their ability to make decisions, geographic factors, finances, available routes, visa options, networks, chance, labor markets, etc., but for many of them their choices are limited. The purpose of this paper is to show how refugees select their destination countries, by looking at similarities across European countries. We aim to explain how country-specific factors may relate to the magnitude of migration flows, employing cluster and network analysis, and connecting meso- and macro-levels. The variables considered in our analysis fall under the four types of factors for host countries described by Van Hear, Bakewell, and Long (2012). Our analysis reveals that host countries in Europe can be grouped into four clusters: (i) Top Destination Economically Performing Countries; (ii) Emergent Destination Countries; (iii) Periphery and Less Economically Performing Countries; and (iv) Outlier Countries.

Uneven regulatory playing field and bank transparency abroad

Motivated by international business research on institutional arbitrage and headquarters–subsidiary relationships, we examine the effect of regulatory distance on multinational banks’ (MNBs) reporting transparency abroad. Using an international sample of foreign subsidiary banks in 46 host countries from 47 home countries, we find that bank transparency declines when the home countries have tighter activity restrictions than the host countries. We bolster the causal inference using difference-in-differences designs that take advantage of banking reforms and cross-border bank acquisitions. We also find that the result is more pronounced when parent banks have lower capital ratios or when host countries have weaker supervisory power, suggesting that parent banks use opaque reporting to conceal risk-taking abroad. Further analysis finds that less transparent subsidiaries are more likely to fail during financial crises. Overall, our findings suggest that regulatory distance creates negative externalities for bank transparency and stability abroad.

Challenges for ethics committees in biomedical research governance: Illustrations from China and Australia

In this paper, the evolution of the ethics committees for health research, their history, membership, and function in China and Australia is described. Investigators in each country compared the history and governance of their ethical systems based on the published evidence rather than personal opinions. Similarly, examples of challenges were selected from the literature. In both countries, the aim was to maximize the social benefits of research and minimize the risk imposed on the participants. Common challenges include maintaining independence, funding and delivering timely ethical reviews of the research projects. These challenges can be difficult where research ethics committees rely on voluntary contributions and lack a strong resource base. They must adapt to the increasingly rapid pace of research as well as the technological sophistication. Population health research can challenge the conventional views of consent and privacy. The principles of the sound ethical review are common in both countries; governance arrangements and operational procedures, however, can differ, reflecting the cultural values and norms of their host countries and in respect of legal environments. By studying the evolution and function of ethics committees in the two countries, we established the differences in the governance and health systems, while similar ethical objectives helped sustain collaborative research.

DISTÂNCIA PSICOLÓGICA NO MARKETING DE PRODUTOS NOSTÁLGICOS PARA COMUNIDADES EM DIÁSPORA: O CASO VENEZUELANO

ABSTRACT With this first systematic review of specific literature about diaspora marketing, it was found that this emerging literature focuses mainly on opportunities related to trade, tourism, and the acculturation between countries with different languages in only one host country. This research contributes toward a greater understanding of diaspora buying behavior using the construal level theory, specifically regarding the purchase of nostalgic products and services, examining the case of Venezuelan diaspora in the broader international context of five host countries: Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Panama Another contribution is the use of e-WOM metrics derived from advertising posts on Instagram. The results show that diaspora consumers in host countries that have higher levels of individualism, less masculinity, and are further geographically from their homeland seek to consume greater amounts of nostalgic products.

Sustainable Study Abroad

The number of business students in higher education pursuing an international experience continues to increase due to a range of opportunities offered by universities. International experiences lead to positive outcomes for students, but there is a misalignment between the countries sending students to the U.S. and the destinations chosen by U.S. students. Host countries selected by students for their international experience are the recipients of economic benefits, but they also are facing environmental and social consequences of over-tourism. As such, a more sustainable approach to the planning and selection of study abroad programs must be taken. This chapter reviews the data and trends for U.S. students studying abroad and international students studying in the U.S. and also looks more closely at the data for one large public university. Stakeholders are identified and the pros and cons of non-traditional study abroad destinations discussed. The chapter concludes by offering suggestions for designing programs in non-traditional study abroad destinations.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTANCE IN THE DIASPORA MARKETING OF NOSTALGIC PRODUCTS: A VENEZUELAN CASE

ABSTRACT With this first systematic review of specific literature about diaspora marketing, it was found that this emerging literature focuses mainly on opportunities related to trade, tourism, and the acculturation between countries with different languages in only one host country. This research contributes toward a greater understanding of diaspora buying behavior using the construal level theory, specifically regarding the purchase of nostalgic products and services, examining the case of Venezuelan diaspora in the broader international context of five host countries: Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Panama Another contribution is the use of e-WOM metrics derived from advertising posts on Instagram. The results show that diaspora consumers in host countries that have higher levels of individualism, less masculinity, and are further geographically from their homeland seek to consume greater amounts of nostalgic products.

Determinants of Staff Localization in Headquarters-Subsidiary-Subsidiary Relationships

This paper investigates how cultural distance, the local experience of a foreign subsidiary, and the intensity of local competition jointly affect the staff localization of MNEs’ subsidiaries. While previous studies on the effects of cultural distance have mainly focused on the gap between home and host countries, we extend the existing “home-host” country perspective to the home-intermediary-host country relationship. This study regards Korea as an intermediary country and utilizes 520 observations from a unique survey conducted by the Export-Import Bank of Korea from 2006 to 2013. The results suggest that the impact of cultural distance on staff localization is a function of local experience and competitive environment in the home-intermediate-host relationship structure. This paper makes a theoretical contribution to our understanding of the behavior of multinational corporations by expanding the cultural distance perspective between the home and host countries explored in previous research to the home-subsidiary-subsidiary structure.