Hallucinogens, alcohol and shifting leadership strategies in the ancient Peruvian Andes

In the pre-Columbian Andes, the use of hallucinogens during the Formative period (900–300 BC) often supported exclusionary political strategies, whereas, during the Late Horizon (AD 1450–1532), Inca leaders emphasised corporate strategies via the mass consumption of alcohol. Using data from Quilcapampa, the authors argue that a shift occurred during the Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000), when beer made from Schinus molle was combined with the hallucinogen Anadenanthera colubrina. The resulting psychotropic experience reinforced the power of the Wari state, and represents an intermediate step between exclusionary and corporate political strategies. This Andean example adds to the global catalogue documenting the close relationship between hallucinogens and social power.

The non-financial reporting practices of Hungarian listed public interest entities considering the 2014/95/EU Directive

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the non-financial reporting (NFR) practices of Hungarian listed public interest entities for 2016–2018 in terms of the required disclosure content based on the 2014/95/EU Directive (ED).Design/methodology/approach The authors apply content analysis methodology on Hungarian firms subject to mandatory reporting under the ED. The target variable in the multivariate model is the reporting quality (Qi) measured by a combined index.Findings The authors find that the ED had a moderate impact on Hungary's reporting quality because the overall disclosure of the sample only increased from low to medium level. The authors found that the value of intangible assets is a determinant of the reporting quality before and after the implementation of the ED. The findings support the effect of coercive isomorphism on Hungarian NFR practices.Research limitations/implications The limitation of the research is the number of firms examined. However, the authors covered the entire (non-bank) community of the Hungarian firms subject to the ED.Practical implications The authors suggest that reporting entities build upon the synergy between intellectual capital disclosure and NFR when elaborating their reporting strategies. The authors recommend the integration of ethical matters into corporate strategies and policies. Policymakers may consider the revision of the Hungarian regulations. The authors suggest academics embrace these topics in teaching.Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the impact of ED in the context of Hungary. The authors contribute to the existing literature by adding the results of the ridge regression model, highlighting the importance of intangible assets.

The Case Experience of Integrating the SDGs into Corporate Strategies for Financial Risk Management Based on Social Responsibility (with the Example of Russian TNCs)

The motivation of this research consists in the following: the traditional commercial approach to financial risk management amid economic crises implies the reduction of corporate social responsibility, based on the assumption that this responsibility raises the financial risk of business. Due to this, the contribution of business to the achievement of the SDGs is not stable and is often negative, since practices of business management contradict the SDGs in crisis periods and hinder their achievement in society and the economy. However, the refusal from corporate social responsibility during a crisis does not guarantee the following increase in the level of business development in the period of stability. A study of the case experience of integrating the SDGs into corporate strategies of the largest Russian companies during the COVID-19 crisis improved the understanding of the contribution of corporate social responsibility to financial risk management of the business. Dynamic modelling showed that, in a crisis period, corporate social responsibility leads to a reduction of the financial risks of business—it is commercially profitable, similarly to the phase of stability, and critically important. Based on this, an alternative (new) approach to financial risk management is developed, which allows raising the effectiveness of this management amid economic crises (including the COVID-19 crisis) through the integration of the SDGs into corporate strategies and the manifestation of high social responsibility during crises.

Insurance as a risk management system in green construction

The study of the problems of the impact of climate change on economic development has become in recent years one of the main directions of economic research. At the same time, along with the development of a global macroeconomic policy in the field of climate and green building, more and more attention is paid to the analysis of corporate strategies to reduce risks and adapt to the consequences of climate change. Without large-scale business investments in green innovative technologies and the introduction of corporate standards for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is impossible to achieve long-term targets for reducing global climate risks.

A Critical Assessment and Enhancement of Metrics for the Management of Scarce Human Resources

The effect of digitalization and its transformative power in all aspects of corporate strategies and organizations are visible everywhere. As leaders try to make sense of the “digital tornado” and prepare, try out, and set courses in new business directions, the authors propose to take a step back and focus on what is still at the core of corporate change – the people of your organization. In this chapter, the authors reflect on the forces and challenges that employees are facing in times of rapid and digitally driven change. They also mirror this, considering structural, sociological, and demographic change in the workforce, especially with regards to younger employees. They provide a set of fundamental metrics that can quantify the human resource strategy of an organization to derive measures which can be controlled via a DMAIC cycle. This contribution is an extended version of and includes an enhanced set of metrics to address challenges of digitalization and agile work environments. Further, approaches to possible solutions and first steps for an implementation in companies are presented.

A Fundação Renova como forma corporativa: Estratégias empresariais e arranjos institucionais no desastre da Samarco/Vale/BHP Billiton no rio Doce, Mariana (MG)

O dia 5 de novembro marcou a vida de comunidades inteiras. O rompimento da barragem de Fundão, operada pela Samarco, uma joint-venture entre Vale e BHP Billiton, causou mortes e danos ao longo dos mais de 600 km percorridos pelo mar de lama no curso do leito do rio Doce, de Mariana ao litoral do Espírito Santo. Para gerenciar a crise e lidar com o processo de reparação as empresas responsáveis pelo desastre, em parceria com alguns órgãos do Estado brasileiro, criaram uma figura aparentemente inédita sob a lógica de uma fundação corporativa, chamada de Fundação Renova. O tratamento institucional dado ao desastre reestruturou relações de poder entre órgãos públicos, judiciário, e entidades da socie­dade civil e movimentos sociais. A partir de observações etnográficas e análise de documentos que ver­sam sobre os acordos e arranjos institucionais vinculados à fundação, neste artigo nos perguntamos so­bre a dita autonomia desta, analisando sua posição no sistema de governança do desastre, assim como elementos de sua criação, estrutura interna e trajetória de alguns de seus conselheiros e diretores. Qual o nível de envolvimento da Renova com as empresas? Como ela se apresenta diante do debate acerca dos processos reparatórios? O que ela pode nos dizer sobre as estratégias corporativas envolvendo con­flitos neoextrativistas? Como as populações atingidas lidam com a Fundação nas arenas de discussão? Através de algumas respostas a essas perguntas, sugerimos aqui que a Fundação Renova pode ser consi­derada como uma forma corporativa que oferece versatilidade às intervenções das mineradoras para ge­renciar a crise. Palavras-chave: neoextrativismo; governança; desastre da Samarco; Fundação Renova. Abstract November 5th marked the life of entire communities. The failure of the Fundão dam, operated by Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton, caused deaths and damages along the 600 km traversed by the sea of mud in the course of the Doce river basin, from Mariana to the coast of Espírito Santo. To manage the crisis and deal with the repair process, the companies responsible for the disaster, in partnership with some agencies of the Brazilian State, created an apparently unprecedented figure under the logic of a corporate foundation presented as autonomous, called the Renova Foundation. The institutional treatment given to the disaster restructured power relations between public agencies, the judiciary, and civil society entities and social movements. Based on ethnographic observations and analysis of documents dealing with institutional agreements linked to the foundation, in this article we ask ourselves about its said autonomy, analyzing its position in the disaster governance system, as well as elements of its creation, internal structure and trajectory of some of its directors. What is Renova's level of involvement with companies? How does it present itself in the face of the debate about reparatory processes? What can it tell us about corporate strategies involving neoextractive conflicts? How do affected populations deal with the Foundation in the discussion arenas? Through some answers to these questions, we suggest here that the Renova Foundation can be considered a corporate form that offers versatility to the interventions of mining companies to manage the crisis. Keywords: neoextrativism; governance; Samarco disaster; Renova Foundation. La Fundación Renova como forma corporativa: Estrategias empresariales y arreglos institucionales del desastre de Samarco/Vale/BHP Billiton en el rio Doce, Mariana (MG) Resumen El 5 de noviembre marcó la vida de comunidades enteras. El colapso del dique Fundão, operado por Sa­marco – una joint venture entre Vale y BHP Billiton –, provocó muertes y daños a lo largo de los más de 600 km que atravesó el mar de lama siguiendo el cauce del río Doce, desde Mariana hasta alcanzar la costa de Espíritu Santo. Para gestionar la crisis y afrontar el proceso de reparación, las empresas respon­sables del desastre, en alianza con algunas agencias del Estado brasileño, crearon una figura aparente­mente inédita bajo la lógica de una fundación corporativa presentada como autónoma, denominada Fun­dación Renova. El tratamiento institucional dado al desastre reestructuró las relaciones de poder entre los organismos públicos, el poder judicial y las entidades de la sociedad civil y movimientos sociales. Con base en observaciones etnográficas y análisis de documentos que tratan de acuerdos y arreglos institu­cionales vinculados a la fundación, en este artículo nos preguntamos sobre su mentada autonomía, ana­lizando su posición en el sistema de gobernanza del desastre, así como aspectos de su creación, estruc­tura interna y trayectoria de algunos de sus directores y funcionarios. ¿Cuál es la relación de la Renova con las empresas? ¿Cómo se presenta en el proceso de reparación? ¿Qué puede decirnos sobre las estra­tegias corporativas desplegadas en conflictos neoextractivistas? ¿Cómo lidian las victimas con la Funda­ción en los foros de discusión? A través de algunas respuestas a estas preguntas, sugerimos aquí que la Fundación Renova puede ser considerada una forma corporativa que ofrece versatilidad a las interven­ciones de las empresas mineras para gestionar la crisis. Palabras clave: neoextractivismo; gobernanza; desastre de Samarco; Fundación Renova.

Terras arrasadas, cenários distópicos: Violência e resistência nos desastres-crimes da mineração no Brasil

Os rompimentos das barragens nas bacias do Rio Doce e do Rio Paraopeba, respectivamente em novem­bro de 2015 e janeiro de 2019, para além das 300 mortes resultantes diretamente das duas catástrofes e da assustadora destruição ecológica por elas produzida, desencadearam a produção de um tecido de re­lações jurídico-econômicas de magnitude colossal orbitando em torno do processo de reparação. Para os argumentos apresentados neste artigo, recorre-se a dois instrumentos de análise: a aproximação meta­fórica às características das expressões artísticas distópicas e ao correlato efeito de estranhamento pro­vocado ao público, buscando a partir deles desenvolver argumentos e análises com o objetivo de desna­turalizar processos e práticas jurídicas e econômicas observadas neste contexto. Da mesma forma, bus­camos entender a relação de forças assimétricas dos atores envolvidos, atendo-nos contrastivamente às estratégias corporativas e às situações de resistência, mobilização e engajamento popular no contexto conflitual da luta por reparação integral. Discutimos de que modo as empresas violadoras constituem estratégias de poder que pressionam a desconstituição de saberes e práticas populares nos territórios atingidos e apresentamos a crítica ao uso da forma da violação do direito, oculta nas práticas de planeja­mento destas empresas. Por fim, são analisadas algumas das possibilidades de organização popular no contexto de uma reparação integral, balizadora das lutas mobilizadas contra a naturalização e a legitima­ção, da distópica violência dos desastres-crimes da mineração no Brasil. Palavras-chave: mineração; desastres-crimes; neoextrativismo; atingidos por barragens; reparação de danos. Abstract The dams bursts in the Doce River and Paraopeba River basins, respectively in November 2015 and January 2019, in addition to the 300 deaths resulting directly from the two catastrophes and the overwhelming ecological destruction they produced, triggered the production of a fabric of legal-economic relations of colossal magnitude orbiting around the reparation process. For the arguments presented in this article, two analysis arguments are used: the metaphorical convergence to the characteristics of dystopian artistic expressions, and the correlated effect of estrangement evoked, seeking to develop further arguments and analyses with the purpose of deconstruct established legal and economic processes and practices observed in this context. Similarly, we seek to understand the asymmetrical power relations of the actors involved, contrasting corporate strategies with situations of resistance, mobilization, and popular engagement in the conflictual context of the struggle for full reparation. We discuss how the violating companies constitute strategies of power that pressure for the deconstitution of popular knowledge and practices in the affected territories, and we present a critique of the use of rights violation hidden in the planning practices of these companies. Finally, some of the possibilities of popular organization in the context of full damage compensation are reviewed, underpinning the struggles mobilized against naturalization and legitimation, of the dystopian violence of the mining disasters-crimes in Brazil. Keywords: mining; disasters crimes; neoextractivism; affected by dams; damage repair. Tierras devastadas, escenarios distópicos: Violencia y resistencia en desastres-crímenes mineros en Brasil Resumen Las fallas de las represas en las cuencas de Río Doce y Río Paraopeba, respectivamente, en noviembre de 2015 y enero de 2019, además de las 300 muertes directamente resultantes de las dos catástrofes y la espantosa destrucción ecológica provocada por ellas, desencadenaron la producción de un tejido de re­laciones jurídico-económicas de colosal magnitud en torno al proceso de reparación. Para los argumentos presentados en este artículo, recurrimos a dos instrumentos de análisis: la aproximación metafórica a las características de las expresiones artísticas distópicas y el relacionado efecto de extrañamiento provo­cado en el público, buscando desarrollar argumentos y análisis con el objetivo de desnaturalizar procesos y practicas jurídicas y económicas observadas en este contexto. Asimismo, buscamos comprender la re­lación de fuerzas asimétricas de los actores involucrados, enfocándonos en estrategias corporativas y situaciones de resistencia, movilización y compromiso popular en el contexto conflictivo de la lucha por la reparación integral. Discutimos cómo las empresas violadoras constituyen estrategias de poder que presionan la desconstitución de saberes y prácticas populares en los territorios afectados y presentamos la crítica al uso de la forma de violación del derecho, escondida en las prácticas de planificación de estas empresas. Finalmente, se analizan algunas de las posibilidades de organización popular en el contexto de la reparación integral, que sustenta las luchas movilizadas contra la naturalización y legitimación, de la violencia distópica de los desastres-crímenes mineros en Brasil. Palabras-clave: minería; desastres-crímenes; neoextractivismo; afectados por represas; reparación de da­ños.

Russian Public Relations in 2020: Peculiar Features of Transformation

The paper presents the current transformations of Russian public relations during the SaRS-COVID-19 pandemic and remote working in 2020. In response to the crisis and uncertainty, companies have adapted and restructured corporate strategies and communications. The increasing demand for communication support of strategies and daily support of corporate activities indicates the growing significance of PR and the implementation of organizational strategies, as well as the demand for the optimization of corporate communication in society. The PR industry in general and professional communication are becoming more and more integrated due to the attraction of knowledge, competencies, specialists from a wide range of related industries: marketing, sociology, management. The current communication situation caused changes in the characteristics of Russian PR in the segment of communication agencies. Despite the traditionally high volume of the agencies marketing services, the growth of crisis and digital communications has turned to be stable, which indicates the demand for more flexible PR formats. Based on an analysis of public relations of the leading local communication agencies in 2020, the authors put forward a hypothesis on the formation of the prerequisites for the transition of Russian public relations to the format of strategic communications.

Investigating the role of national culture on integrated report assurance: international evidence

PurposeDrawing on neo-institutional, stakeholder, social contract and contingency theories, the objective of this study is to examine whether cultural values across countries may influence decisions to assure integrated reports.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, the authors have collected integrated reporting assurance, national culture and firm-specific data from several sources for the years ranging between 2011 and 2016 and have performed pooled and panel logistic regression analyses.FindingsThe authors found that corporations established in countries where the following characteristics prevail have higher tendencies to assure integrated reports: high collectivism among people, low power distance, strong feminine values rather than masculine values, high uncertainty avoidance, pursuance of short-term goals rather than long-term and a low level of indulgence.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is not free from limitations. First, the authors were only able to obtain assurance data for the years between 2011 and 2016 since 2011 was the initial year in which integrated reporting was adopted. Second, culture variables used throughout the study remained the same for each year due to the unavailability of differing data. This was noted in prior studies as well; thus, this is not an exception. Third, the assumption that all companies in a country have the same culture score is inherent in the scoring system of countries (Orij, 2010).Practical implicationsBased on the results, the authors drew implications for organizations, policymakers and assurance service providers. Multinational corporations can benefit from the outcome of this study by considering national cultures in formulating their corporate strategies. Finally, assurance service providers can position themselves in the marketplace by the findings of this study.Originality/valueThis paper aims to enhance the comprehension of corporate reporting practices by companies that operate in different countries, with necessarily varying cultural values. To the best knowledge of the authors, no prior study has yet examined the impact of national culture on the assurance of integrated reports.