Do Local Newspapers Mitigate the Effects of the Polarized National Rhetoric on COVID-19?

This analysis tests two distinct predictions regarding local newspapers’ coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A public service view of local newspapers predicts that a robust local newspaper sector would mitigate the politicized national partisan rhetoric surrounding COVID-19; reducing the disparity in social-distancing behaviors between predominantly Republican and predominantly Democratic counties by increasing compliance in Republican counties. The alternative hypothesis, informed by a demand-side view of the market pressures local newspapers face, predicts that increased competition between local newspapers will increase the degree to which local newspapers amplify the rhetoric of national officials in line with the partisan composition of their community, further polarizing adherence to social-distancing behaviors across predominantly Republican versus predominantly Democratic counties. The results of this analysis offer strong support for the second hypothesis; but, an additional analysis of vaccination rates offers a more nuanced perspective than a simple public service versus demand-side dichotomy would imply.

Prediction and caution after COVID-19 crisis: The ecological and epidemiological risks of financial speculation

Since the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide, optimistic ecological and economic analyses have arisen. On one hand, the lockdowns that have taken place are pointed out as a means of reducing gas emissions, environmental exploitation, and consequently, factors that reduce the risk of zoonoses. On the other hand, macroeconomic policies that support state intervention in the economy and social benefits are seen as a signal for a more social and eco-friendly organized capitalism. The objective of our article is to call for caution on these predictions, indicating a post-pandemic countertrend according to which the relationship between economy and environment might be even more unstable and conflictual after the pandemic. Here, we discuss the relevance of Karl Marx’s fictitious capital concept as a fundamental key to thinking about financial market pressures on the environment. Hereby, we aim to raise the concern that the financial policies adopted in the course of the crisis have encouraged speculative instruments that lead to the overaccumulation of fictitious capital. This, in turn, requires the increased exploitation and expropriation of the environment in order to realize the overaccumulated rights and claims on future surplus value. Thus, we argue that the risk of environmental destruction will not be reduced as claimed by optimistic assumptions, but on the contrary will increase in the next few years. Such a risk does not dismiss, but rather suggests that new zoonoses may also arise.

Institutionally Speaking, are Global Standards Adoptable in a Given Jurisdiction? A Critical Analysis of the IFRS's Use in Ukraine through the Lens of New Institutional Accounting

This paper examines the consequences of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption in Ukraine through the lens of New Institutional Accounting theory. IFRS adoption's effects on management's reporting incentives, enforcement and institutional complementarities are analysed. I find that adoption at a technical level is not enough to be called "adoption" as profound changes at the institutional level are also required. Adopted IFRS are subjected to the same type of institutional and market pressures that gave rise to the old set of standards and as a result, the practice of financial reporting is unchanged at its core while only new technical rules apply. Hence, jurisdictions should not pursue only technical adoption but should also try their best to align as close as possible all institutional aspects of this issue. The best advice for all jurisdictions with an institutional infrastructure similar to Ukraine's is to strengthen management's reporting incentives and enforcement mechanisms.

Framing Financialization and the State

In the age of financialization, it appears that financial elites dominate both the economy and politics. Indeed, much of the academic literature on the state’s role in propelling financialization argues that states liberated finance precisely due to the political power of finance capital and the influence of pro-finance, neoliberal ideas. This chapter, however, argues that during the 1970s and 1980s, when the most important financial liberalizations were passed, British policymakers were not directly dominated by an ascendant class of financiers. Rather, they found themselves indirectly dominated by the pressures of the global profitability crisis upon Britain’s economic balances with the rest of the world. This chapter theorizes this form of impersonal domination through an interpretation of Marx’s value theory. When the market-dependent agents of capitalist society interact through money-mediated commodity exchange, they unleash a dominating, competitive logic that sets them against one another in a race to raise labour productivity while pushing the economy into crises of falling profitability. Within this system, policymakers must simultaneously respond to the impersonal pressures of world market competition and maintain domestic legitimacy. In order to balance these contradictory imperatives, especially during crises, policymakers employ strategies of depoliticized discipline and palliation—the former seeking to impose competitive discipline on the domestic economy in a politically insulated manner, and the latter seeking to delay competitive market pressures so as to protect governing legitimacy. This chapter argues that the policies of financial liberalization pursued by the British state in this era can be understood through this lens.

Introduction

In this Introduction, I frame the book’s argument around two issues: the project of a Political Commission, which Jean-Claude Juncker and Pierre Moscovici embodied, and political work in international organizations more generally. Political work, I argue, is the practice of trying to carve out a space for political agency in an environment that is heavily constrained by bureaucratic rules, international norms, and intergovernmental power structures. I contrast political work with other logics of action: technocratic expertise, the application of legal norms and institutional rules, market pressures, and diplomacy. Then I explain the effects and social dynamics of international political work.

How can family firms cope with growth? Contribution to accelerationism

PurposeAccelerationist thinking needs an organizational lens to progress. This paper explores how family firms cope with growth pressure.Design/methodology/approachFive case studies of French family multinationals, including semi-directive interviews conducted with senior, middle managers and operational employees showed how these allegedly “human-oriented organizations” have handled growth.FindingsFour organizational change initiatives were undertaken: (1) the transition from a functional structure to a matrix model, (2) the formalization of a corporate value system, (3) the centralization of an information and communication system and (4) the involvement of external consultants. Further analyses suggested an empowerment-control tension. In line with previous critical work on business empowerment practices, these organizational initiatives conceal a control reinforcement. This translates into internalization of repression, among family director, manager, and operational employees, both at headquarters and subsidiaries. Thus, one is misguided if turning to family firms to escape from becoming both subject and driver of control as they are submitted to the same market pressures as others, pressure condemned by accelerationists.Practical implicationsAccelerationism thinking aims at a post-capitalist era and is a fertile ground for collective reflection, which should feedback the family organization with a brighter future. The family firm can only acknowledge this compelling phenomenon and fulfill its role of society stakeholder raised to a higher level.Originality/valueFamily businesses, themselves, roll out their own repressive mechanisms due to the market system. This paper connects two literature studies: family business growth and accelerationism thinking.

A Systematic Literature Review on Sustainability in Family Firms

In this study, we explore the research published from 2015 to 2020 on the importance of family firms (FFs) to sustainability. Our results come from a content analysis of 28 studies on this topic. Further, they deal with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry in Italy and Spain. These studies mainly follow a quantitative approach with data from a survey. This study’s main contribution regards the identification of three sorts of aspects associated to sustainability in FFs which match the three pillars of the triple bottom line approach that supports sustainable business development: social inclusion, economic development, and environmental protection. Our findings show that the family’s religiosity, reputation, and image play relevant roles in the FFs’ adoption of sustainable practices. Moreover, the CEO and their successor’s choices also have consequences for sustainability. These studies demonstrate how the family’s control, its values, and the industry influence the adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. FFs go green by adopting eco-innovation to adapt to the constantly changing environment and market pressures. We acknowledge the limitations of the study. We offer advice to colleagues when developing future futures studies to address the influence of cultural differences between FFs and non-FFs and suggest they perform comparative analyses. This research could lead to further investigation of the effects of other variables that may influence sustainability in the context of FFs.

Graduate-Level Leadership Education

This chapter aims to describe how one of the leading business schools in South East Europe responded to market pressures for training competent leaders by installing novel practices in leadership education at the university level. The purpose of the chapter is twofold: (1) to outline the key steps in the process of a graduate study program development; (2) to present the advantages of adopting a holistic approach in leadership education. The chapter calls for more discussion on curriculum development and emphasizes the importance of sharing experiences in improving the quality of university leadership education.