Whose climate intervention? Solar geoengineering, fractions of capital, and hegemonic strategy

Proposals for slowing climate change by reflecting sunlight back to space, known as solar geoengineering (SG), are gaining traction in climate policy. Given SG’s capacity to slow warming without reducing carbon emissions, prominent criticism suggests that it will enable fossil fueled business-as-usual. This assessment is not without merit, yet the primary funders of SG research do not emanate from fossil capital. We analyze sources of funding for SG research, finding close ties to financial and technological capital as well as a number of billionaire philanthropists. These corporate sectors and associated philanthropies comprise part of “climate capital” – the fraction of the capitalist class aligned with climate action. We argue that SG is being positioned as a tactic for enabling incremental, market-driven decarbonization, explore key institutions advocating this approach in US climate policy, and conclude that SG is poised to serve as a tool for class compromise between fossil and climate capital.

Tecnologia, geração e status ocupacional: um estudo sobre a apropriação das tecnologias da informação e comunicação na Universidade Federal de Viçosa

The article discusses the so-called “digital divide”, related to inequality in ownership, use and benefits extracted from technological resources due to the social stratification that imposes economic, political, social and cultural cleavages. Based on studies of the sociology of technique and Bourdieusian concepts of socialization, technological capital and informational habitus, the objective is to analyze the ownership and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) from the perspective of generation and occupation. Conducting a cross-sectional study, with the application of questionnaires to a sample of 324 students, teachers and technical-administrative servants (active and retired) at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) revealed that generation and occupational status have an effect on tenure, forms/frequencies of use and in the self-perception of technological capabilities, also being associated with factors such as gender, education and income. The results showed that a large number of students, active and retired teachers and active technical-administrative servants carry out multiple online activities, declare long use of ICTs and a more favorable perception of digital skills. Meanwhile, retired technical-administrative servants registered the lowest percentages in online practices, the lowest frequencies of use and a less favorable perception of their skills. Other statistically significant differences were also observed.

Developing Language Operative Capacity in a Subsidiary of a German MNC in China

One of the key challenges of language management in multinational companies is developing corporate language capacities to fulfil business goals. Yet the notion of corporate language capacity remains to be explored and developed in research. To address this gap, this study aims to conceptualise corporate language operative capacity and investigate how it is developed at a German multinational corporation that specialises in providing business software. Participants in this study were six staff members at different levels, namely two vice presidents and four senior managers from different departments. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and document analysis. Qualitative analyses indicated senior management’s conceptualisation of languages as a sophisticated, dynamic and multi-functioning system in support of the company’s global strategy. Developing corporate language operative capacity requires the acquisition, deployment and development of language resources derived from interactions among human capital, social-cultural capital and technological capital. Analyses of the data also identified middle-level management’s role in designing and implementing language-related activities to support the corporate goal of developing corporate language operative capacity

Minute Zero

Learning outcomes The expected learning outcomes are: to clarify the meaning of resilience and its attributes. To explore the influence of the leader on the development of organizational resilience. To identify critical decisions for the recovery of a business after an external event such as the earthquake that took place on September 19th in Mexico City. To point out the stages for the development of organizational resilience, in the short, and long term: anticipation, coping and adaptation. To clarify the actions that could be taken to prepare an organization for an extreme event or respond to a large-scale crisis. Case overview/synopsis The case is framed within the context of the September 19, 2017 earthquake in Mexico City. ProActive Strategies’ offices collapsed, causing some people to lose their lives and others to be injured. The protagonist needed to decide if the organization could survive and recover or needed to be closed after the earthquake. After ProActive Strategies survived and recovered, it was possible to identify the main stages to develop organizational resilience in this organization: anticipation, coping and adaptation. Also, the paper provides empirical evidence about how organizational resilience is anchored in the attributes at individual and community levels that include human, economic, social and political capitals, enhanced by technological capital. Furthermore, the enablers of resilience add external entities and the ecosystem at a macro-level, considering political, social and economic aspects of the context. Complexity academic level The study level and expertise required to address this case is medium. The richness of the discussion from the perspective of the students is related to the possibility to empathize with the protagonist and the different actors involved and to build on previous experience with crisis management to observe the potential risks and courses of action. Moreover, the professor also requires taking a neutral position to balance the requirements from a humanitarian perspective, with the business needs. Subject code Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 6: Human resource management.

Die deutsche Gründerlandschaft im Energiesektor und ressourcenbedingte Voraussetzungen für eine Gründungsfinanzierung eines Energie-Startups

Zusammenfassung Empirische Untersuchungen zur Gründungslandschaft der deutschen Energiewirtschaft sind in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur bisher unterrepräsentiert. Im Zuge einer explorativen Darstellung von deutschen Energie-Startups wird zu Beginn ein Überblick über die Gründungsbereiche, die Gründungsteams sowie die finanzielle Lage von 126 deutschen Energie-Startups gegeben. Mithilfe einer Regressionsanalyse werden im nächsten Schritt die Einflüsse von Humankapital und technologischen Ressourcen auf die Akquise von Finanzierungsmitteln überprüft. Im Rahmen der Auswertung kann ein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen der Anzahl der Gründer, den individuellen Fähigkeiten der Teammitglieder sowie der Anzahl der Patente und Gebrauchsmuster auf die Akquise von Finanzierungsmitteln nachgewiesen werden. Dies legt den Schluss nahe, dass die Kombination der beiden Ressourcen Humankapital und technologisches Kapital den Aufbau von Kompetenz bei der Finanzierungsmittelakquise auf organisationaler Ebene begünstigen und zum Wachstum des Startups beitragen können. Abstract Empirical studies on the start-up landscape of the German energy industry have so far been underrepresented in the scientific literature. In the course of an exploratory presentation of German energy start-ups, an overview of the start-up areas, the founding teams and the financial situation of 126 German energy start-ups is given at the beginning. In the next step, a regression analysis is used to examine the influence of human capital and technological resources on the acquisition of funding. As part of the evaluation, a significant relationship between the number of founders, the individual skills of the team members and the number of patents and utility models on the acquisition of funding can be demonstrated. This suggests that the combination of the two resources human capital and technological capital can facilitate the development of skills in the acquisition of funding at the organizational level and contribute to the growth of the start-up.

ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ТА ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ЗРОСТАННЯ ФУНДАМЕНТАЛЬНОЇ КАПІТАЛІЗАЦІЇ ПРОМИСЛОВИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ УКРАЇНИ

The article presents the results of the evaluation of fundamental capitalization of domestic industrial enterprises as well as the analysis of the key factors in its calculation, suggesting basic pathways to ensure growth of financial and economic outcomes in capital formation. Fundamental capitalization refers to the fundamental amount of capital, and the calculations are performed using the residual operating income concept (ReOI-model). However, despite the increasing dynamics of fundamental capitalization of industrial enterprises, the value added trends during 2010-2018 turned negative which has been underpinned in the first place by low competitiveness of domestic industrial products (directly affecting the spread of sales profitability and product sales volumes which are the key factors that drive value creation. It is argued that the main reason for the above negative trend is weak innovation activity of industrial enterprises in Ukraine. Critical dependence of competitiveness upon the technological level of development of modern enterprises triggers the need to implement a consistent industrial policy in Ukraine based on the concept of neo-industrialization which implies the transition to a new technological mode through boosting technological, managerial and product innovations. The implementation of the neo-industrialization concept in Ukrainian realia can also be carried out by exploring and copying foreign technology and become a major source of economic growth for industrial enterprises as well as a method to reduce the gap with high-tech international companies. The basic premises to entry into the domestic business space of technological capital in the form of foreign direct investment assume the creation of favorable investment environment, the source and guarantor of which should be the government. It is argued that the roots of economic growth of industrial enterprises are embedded directly inside the companies, thus following the principles of "smart organizations" will contribute to gaining the desired performance and the outcomes that ultimately affect the fundamental capitalization of industrial business.

Local Content in Zambia—a Faltering Experience?

At independence in 1964, Zambia inherited an economy driven by copper mining. This has not changed despite post-independence policies to industrialize and diversify the economy. This chapter traces the role of local content in Zambia’s mining sector in supporting industrialization and economic diversification. It assesses productive linkages and manufacturing competitiveness during the import-substitution industrialization and post-1991 liberalization and privatization periods, and the adequacy of the current policy environment. Despite diminished productivity and export competitiveness during import-substitution industrialization, that era was successful in terms of domestic manufacture of mining goods. Privatization and liberalization stymied local content capabilities, retarding industrialization and economic diversification. Post-2000 policies emphasize local content development and export competitiveness. Their success, however, depends on addressing continuing weaknesses in the regulatory environment; human and technological capital; endogenous entrepreneurship; and the macroeconomic environment.