The Impact of Intellectual Property Reforms on ASEAN Member Countries

A number of studies have been conducted with regard to the economic impact of intellectual property reform on economic growth. Majority of these studies, particularly works of an empirical nature, have focused on highly industrialized economies, with the findings supporting the conclusion that intellectual property rights (IPRs) have been economically beneficial to industrialized economies. Little research has been conducted on the economic benefit of IPR within developing countries. The current study considers the impact of IPR within ASEAN member countries to determine whether reform activities have been beneficial to IPR activity. The findings are mixed, suggesting that for some categories of IPR, reform activities have been beneficial while in other instances, regulatory reforms have not had a discernable impact. Additionally, the findings also indicate that intellectual property reform, where effective has been most effective in generating additional intellectual property activity, as measured by intellectual property applications, amongst non-residents, rather than amongst domestic registrants. This finding supports the conclusion that reform activities have engendered confidence amongst foreign firms and foreign nationals.

A Comparative Study of the Central Administration Budget Preparation Process in Turkey and Sweden

Sweden was one of the countries among the OECD states yielding maximum budget surplus at the end of 1980s and became one of the countries yielding maximum budget deficits in the first years of the 1990s. The budget deficit almost doubled in five years. During that period, the government decided the most important reason of the budget deficits was the budget process itself and commenced studies to reform the budget process and enhance its consistency and reliability. Basic steps were taken to grant budget surplus for whole public sector, to set an allowance cap for whole public sector and create equivalent budget structure for all municipalities and a series of studies were conducted. In this study, the stage of the budget preparation process in Turkey and Sweden will be reviewed and compared to the budget preparation process in Sweden with the budget preparation process in Turkey.

Building Trust Relationship in Cross-Cultural Collaboration

Internationalization and inter-firm collaboration is a business trend today. Meanwhile, cultural values and managerial practices vary from country to country which makes cross-border management more challenging than the traditional in-house business model. A trusting relationship is essential to business success, yet details of how to build-up and maintain trust are unclear. This paper investigates trust development in cross-border collaboration. The literature review has covered key trust theories and its linkage with culture. To further understand the critical issues in of trust, two in-depth case studies are conducted from the Chinese animation game industry. It is found that in order to achieve long-term business collaboration, companies need to be continuously responsive and adapt their trust models. Based on the case analysis, a general model and a practical model are developed for further testing. Other research topics to further link trust with sustainability are also proposed at the end of the chapter.

The Digital Economy in Vietnam as an Instrument of Global Integration

The existent literature on the economic integration in South East Asia has been predominantly focused on trade agreements and market liberalization (Thanh 2005, Dee 2007). While preferential trade agreements and regional institutional cooperation have been important stepping stones in the catching up process of many economies in the region, we argue that other drivers should be considered for the following years. Looking at the case study of Vietnam we therefore firstly account for its historical process of integration in the regional and global economy by way of the international agreements. This allows us to understand the relative positioning of this country in the world market. We subsequently develop an in-depth analysis of the current drivers for economic integration and internationalization. We argue that Vietnam's potential in the digital economy is distinctive in the Indochina region, and we develop a systematic analysis of the market trends.

The Interaction of Pharmaceutical Regulations in Saudi Arabia With the Presence of FDI

Recent literature on pharmaceutical regulations focuses on the apparently increasing scope for intimate relationships between the regulation framework and FDI opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry. This chapter deals with these interactions within the context of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In 2015, Saudi Arabia was the largest market in the Middle East for drug companies and has one of the most sophisticated healthcare systems in the region. Yet, the Saudi drug regulatory regime have been criticized for having ambiguous procedures from both domestic and foreign companies. In addition, many international agreements have been signed by the Saudi government to encourage and protect foreign direct investment (FDI) in different sectors including the pharmaceutical industry. This research pursued to discover whether the international regulatory regime, based on the theoretical principles of free trade and applied to the international trade relations of KSA, interacts in any manner with the pharmaceutical industry's trends.

Perspectives in Managing State Global Competitiveness

Singapore ranks second after Switzerland in the Global Competitiveness Index 2015/6, placing it ahead of some advanced economies of the Nordic region. Singapore's development model has been studied mostly from an economic perspective in specific socio-political contexts. Part of the Singapore governance strategy in managing its differential (heterochronic) developmental complexity at domestic and international levels is through its national discourses. These national discourses are multileveled and targeted at different spheres of influence. This chapter brings a complementary language in international business perspective with theoretical foundations in biological evolution theory applied to state governance. It uses a four-quadrant Götheborg IV model of visualization, illustrating how Singapore's national discourses act in dialogic complementarity, bolstering state competitiveness. It shows how state development complexity is managed in Singapore's current vision of a Smart Nation, with its ambition of becoming a global first in future living in the global circular economy.

Managerial Competencies Related to Soft Skills

In line with the rapid development of the tourism industry globally, the hotel sector in particular has experienced a period of enormous economic development during the last two decades. Correspondingly, the demand for talented professionals in management roles has increased significantly. Based on this the results of this research effective “soft skills”, also referred to as people or interpersonal skills, are viewed as essential skills to employment in hotel managerial roles by the senior managerial informants working in this industry sector. This paper reviews and investigates the soft skills that are identified as essential for managers in international hotels. This exploratory study adopted a qualitative methodology. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers within hotel groups in six countries. The study focusses on soft skills necessary for managers in the industry and the region from multiple perspectives.

Law and Neuroeconomics of Credit Default and Lender Protection

Recently India and Uruguay signed agreements on investment activities in mining etc. In the context of foreign investments banks play essential roles of participating and facilitating through, inter alia, lending. Hence there is a need for comparison between these countries regarding protection of lenders by the legal systems and confidence of the lenders on the legal systems. This chapter devoted to modelling of the impact of credit-default events on the banking industries and the society. Between the countries this chapter compares the scopes for litigation, negotiation and bribery between lenders and borrowers in the events of loan-default and the comparative speeds of improvement or deterioration of perceived protection of lender out of changes in existing laws, court verdicts and recovery of bad loans in these countries.

At the Convergence of Energy Corridors

Turkey is at the threshold of Eurasia connecting various energy corridors. It has an improving economic volume and is one of the 20 largest economies in the world. Energy and economic development are highly correlated. Turkey is dependent on imported energy. In order to keep up with the economic expansion, the energy requirements of Turkey must be met in a diversified, timely and reliable way. Thus, the aim of this paper is to define the geographic disposition of Turkey at the convergence of energy lines, review its energy situation comprehensively and make critical evaluations on energy and economy related issues, also with using the diamond model developed by Michael E. Porter resting on credible national and international publications and data.

Mastering Intellectual Property in Global Business

This chapter reveals the overview of intellectual property (IP), the perspectives on intellectual property rights (IPRs), the importance of IP in global business, and the importance of IPRs in global business. IP is an asset category involving four distinct types (i.e., copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets). Many industries rely on the adequate enforcement of their copyrights, trademarks, and patents, while consumers utilize IP to ensure they are purchasing the guaranteed products. IPRs promote the confidence and ease of mind that consumers demand and markets rely on. Enforced IPRs ensure products are authentic, and of the high quality that consumers recognize and expect. The chapter argues that IP stimulates innovation and economic growth, as it helps bring in monetary returns, build brand visibility, and enhance business success in the digital age.