In the context of growing public interest in sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has not brought about the expected improvement in terms of sustainable business. Self-regulation has been unable to provide appropriate answers for unsustainable business frameworks, despite empirical proof that sustainable behaviour is entirely in corporate enlightened self-interest. The lack of success of the soft law approach suggests that hard law regulation may be needed after all. This book discusses these options, alongside the issue of shareholder primacy and its externalities in corporate, social, and natural environment. To escape the "prisoner's dilemma" European corporations and their global counterparts have found themselves in, help is needed in the form of EU hard law to advocate sustainability through mandatory rules. This book argues that the necessity of these laws is based on the first-mover's advantage of such corporate law approach towards sustainable development. In the current EU law environment, where codification of corporate law is sought for, forming and defining a general EU policy could not only help corporations embrace this self-enlightened behaviour but could also build the necessary "EU corporate citizenship" atmosphere. Considering the developments in the field of CSR as attempts to mitigate negative externalities resulting from inappropriate shareholder primacy use, the book is centred around a discussion of the shareholder primacy paradigm, its legal position and its (un)suitability for modern global business. Going beyond solely legal analysis, juxtaposing legal principles and argumentation with economic theoretic approaches and, more importantly, real-life examples, this book is accessible to both professionals and academics working within the fields of business, economics, corporate governance and corporate law.

The book examines corporate takeovers

This book examines the role and potential of derivative actions in shareholder protection in public limited companies. Derivative actions have been a focal point of legislators' agendas on shareholder protection, in the past few decades, throughout Europe and beyond. Nevertheless, there remain jurisdictions, such as Greece, which are still devoid of this remedy. Against this backdrop, this book examines whether and how the derivative action may improve shareholder protection, constituting thus a mechanism that justifies legislative attention. It does so in three parts. First, it analyses the desirable role derivative actions assume in protecting shareholder property, monitoring corporate management and mitigating agency costs, alongside their economic implications, introducing the reader to the contemporary international debate on the topic. Having set the desiderata, the second part proceeds with the comparative analysis of Greek, German and UK law - jurisdictions that have recently reformed their provisions on shareholder protection - examining not only the law on derivative actions and their Greek counterpart remedy but also mechanisms of shareholder protection that do, or could, assume functions similar to those of the derivative action. By critically assessing the merits and failures of the respective UK, German and Greek shareholder protection laws, the book then proceeds to offer (in Part III) a model framework of shareholders' derivative litigation for jurisdictions considering reform. Written in an accessible format, it will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in this important aspect of company law and corporate governance.

Very topical. The first book to analyse these conflicts in detail, from a multi-disciplinary perspective

Moral Hazard is a core concept in economics. In a nutshell, moral hazard reflects the reduced incentive to protect against risk where an entity is (or believes it will be) protected from its consequences, whether through an insurance arrangement or an implicit or explicit guarantee system. It is fundamentally driven by information asymmetry, arises in all sectors of the economy, including banking, medical insurance, financial insurance, and governmental support, undermines the stability of our economic systems and has burdened taxpayers in all developed countries, resulting in significant costs to the community. Despite the seriousness and pervasiveness of moral hazard, policymakers and scholars have failed to address this issue. This book fills this gap. It covers 200 years of moral hazard: from its origins in the 19th century to the bailouts announced in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak. The book is divided into three parts. Part I deals with the ethics and other fundamental issues connected to moral hazard. Part II provides historical and empirical evidence on moral hazard in international finance. It examines in turn the role of the export credit industry, the international lender of last resort, and the IMF. Finally, Part III examines specific sectors such as automobile, banking, and the US industry at large. This is the first book to provide an interdisciplinary analysis of moral hazard and explain why addressing this issue has become crucial today. As such, it will attract interest from scholars across different fields, including economists, political scientists and lawyers.

Including contributions from Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and the Middle East, the volume explores the potential uses of, and challenges involved in, applying the organisation of information and knowledge in the various areas of Digital Humanities. The book also includes chapters that focus on machine learning, knowledge graphs, text analysis, text annotations, and network analysis. Other topics covered include: semantic technologies, conceptual schemas, and data augmentation, digital scholarly editing, metadata creation, browsing, visualisation and relevance ranking. The book also provides a starting point for discussions about the impact of information and knowledge organisation and related tools on the methodologies used in the Digital Humanities field. Information and Knowledge Organisation is intended for use by researchers, students and professionals interested in the role information and knowledge organisation plays in the Digital Humanities. It will be essential reading for those working in library and information science, computer science and across the humanities.

This book presents a comprehensive study on intelligent container terminals. Based on the development experience gained to date with container terminals, it analyzes information flows and their interactions with container terminals; illustrates the operation management process from information collection to resource planning and from equipment scheduling to field operation; highlights several dynamic decision-making problems concerning digital operation processes and container terminals; reveals the basis of the discrete logistics system; and discusses the future of intelligent container terminals.

Today Learning Organizations are shaped by collective knowledge and the existence of teams and groups of people that are continuously developing their capacity and ability to create results. Knowledge-based organizations understand the importance of continually learning at all levels and facilitate learning for their members through empowering people, encouraging collaboration, and promoting open dialogue. Organizational management issues have become strategic and fundamental in the collection and sharing of data and information and are recognized as challenging to both public and private organizations around the world. This has created the need to knowledge governance mechanisms to support Knowledge Management practices in organizations.For this governance, the mechanisms and procedures that encompass Knowledge Management, advancing beyond the traditional Corporate Governance (CorpGov) model, have been consolidated into a new governance model described as Knowledge Governance (KGov). Such model considers the processes of the knowledge related to the use, creation, retention, integration and sharing. In order to implement governance, it is essential to develop competencies and establish corporate policies and structures focusing on respect for common interests and collective goals. In this context, mechanisms must be created for the creation, sharing, storage and transfer of knowledge, making changes happen in synergy and adding value to the organization as a whole.The book covers the newly emerging area of knowledge governance and Learning Organizations and expands our understanding of Learning Organizations and their ability to acquire, create and share knowledge while continually examining organizational behavioral issues affecting their productivity.

This is a much-needed work in the financial literature, and it is the first book ever to analyse the use of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) from a theoretical and practical perspective. By the end of 2020, more than 240 SPACs were listed in the US (on NASDAQ or the NYSE), raising a record $83 billion. The SPAC craze has been shaking the US for months, mainly because of its simplicity: a bunch of investors decides to buy shares at a fixed price in a company that initially has no assets. In this way, a SPAC, also known as a "blank check company", is created as an empty shell with lots of money to spend on a corporate shopping spree. Could the trend be here to stay? Are SPACs the new legitimate path to traditional IPO? This book tackles those questions and more. The author provides a thorough analysis of SPACs including their legal framework and how they are used as a risk mitigation tool to structure transactions. The main objectives of the book are focused on finding a working definition for SPACs and theorising on their origins, definition, and evolution; identifying the objectives of financial regulation within the context of the recent financial crisis (2007-2010) and the one that is currently unfolding (Covid-19); and also describing practical examples of SPACs through a comparative study that, for the first time, outlines every major capital market on which SPACs are listed, in order to identify a possible international standard of regulation. The book is relevant to academics as well as policymakers, international financial regulators, corporate finance lawyers as well as to the financial industry tout court.

Since the 1980s, two different paradigms have reshaped industrial societies: the Neoliberal paradigm and a Research and Innovation paradigm. Both have been conceptualized and translated into strong policies with massive economic and social consequences. They provide divergent responses to the environmental transition. The Neoliberal paradigm is based on economic models and geopolitical solutions. The Research and Innovation paradigm's goal is to manage knowledge differently in order to reorient the evolution of society. Since the mid-1990s, a version of the Research and Innovation paradigm has led to the design of large-scale research and innovation policies. This book examines how these policies have evolved and how they can be extended and reformed to respond to present and future environmental constraints. It studies the mutation of the conception, organization and role of science and technology in the evolution of industrial societies and explores the future of these developments. The book offers three unique lines of enquiry. The first is to focus not specifically on economics, sociology, political science or history, but on knowledge creation from an institutional and reflexive point of view. The second is to establish a convergence between the British school of science and technology studies and the research trends opened by the work of Michel Foucault. Both introduced trans-disciplinary and policy-oriented research associating case studies, long-term perspectives and theory. The third is to consider climate change as the overwhelming challenge of our time. The book is an insightful guide for students, scholars and researchers across the humanities and social sciences, including philosophy, political science, law, economics, business and media.

This study investigated the management of intellectual capital (observed as internal capital, external capital, and human capital) as a tool for non-financial organizational performance (observed as effectiveness, efficiency, and reputation). The study used self-administered survey questionnaires to collect data on both the intellectual capital and non-financial organizational performance aspects of the Malaysian public sector which has undergone a radical transformation through New Public Management Reforms. The total number of participants was 1,092 covering the three levels (federal, state, and the local governments) of the government. The results of the survey questionnaire were analyzed using a multivariate Structural Equation Model, and revealed that there is a significant and positive relationship between intellectual capital and performance. Findings provide useful input to policymakers into the review of the relevant intellectual capital resources, and on improving the public sector performance. From a practical perspective, one way of increasing the level of public sector performance is to tie performance to intellectual capital.

Bring your company into the digital era without compromising your core business In The Digital Transformer's Dilemma: How to Energize Your Core Business While Building Disruptive Products and Services, the authors show companies how to go digital while also advancing their core business. The book emphasizes how to strike a difficult balance between establishing a new (digital) business and re-vitalizing - and digitizing - the legacy business. The core of the book is focused on the actual implementation of the digital transformation across both businesses, providing concrete tips, tricks, tools and action plans across six key dimensions: Crafting a flexible organization Using technology as a driver Designing the necessary processes Building transformational leaders "Right-skilling" the workforce of the future Galvanizing cultural change The Digital Transformer's Dilemma is a very visual book, filled with dozens of engaging illustrations that bring the contained concepts to life on the page. Based on 100+ interviews with senior executives at leading companies (such as Nestle, Novartis, Volkswagen, BNP Paribas, BASF and Michelin) and smaller hidden champions, numerous illuminating case studies, and the authors' own experience from working in international management consulting and years of academic experience, the book highlights the fundamental principles required for executives and businesspeople to transform legacy organizations into digitally empowered companies.

The book develops manufacturing concepts and applications beyond physical production and towards a wider manufacturing value chain incorporating external stakeholders that include suppliers of raw materials and parts, customers, collaborating manufacturing companies, manufacturing service providers, and environmental organisations. The focal point of the value chain remains as a manufacturing system and its operations whiles flows of parts/materials and information and services across the supply/value chain tiers are taken into account. The book emphasises on the two innovative paradigms of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS) and the 4th industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) along with their incorporated development. RMS, as a relatively new paradigm, has been introduced to meet the requirements of 'the factories of the future', which is aimed by Industry 4.0, though introducing greater responsiveness and customised flexibility into production systems, in which changes in product volumes and types occur regularly. Manufacturing responsiveness can be achieved by RMS through reconfiguring the production facilities according to changing demands of products and new market conditions. The book addresses challenges of mass-customisation and dynamic changes in the supply-chain environment by focusing on developing new techniques related to integrability, scalability and re-configurability at a system level and manufacturing readiness in terms of financial and technical feasibility of RMS. It demonstrate the expected impacts of an RMS design on operational performance and its supply/value chain in the current/future manufacturing environment facing dynamic changes in the internal/external circumstances. In order to establish a circular economy through the RMS value chain, an integrated data-based reconfiguration link is introduced to incorporate information sharing amongst the value chain stakeholders and facilitate grouping products into families with allocation of the product families to the corresponding system configurations with optimal product-process allocation. Decision support systems such as multi criteria decision making tools are developed and applied for the selection of product families and optimising product-process configuration. The proposed models are illustrated through real case studies in applicable manufacturing firms.

This book investigates the history, development, and current state of anti-corruption agencies in Latin America. In recent decades, specialized anti-corruption agencies have sprung up as countries seek to respond to corruption and to counter administrative and political challenges. However, the characteristics, resources, power, and performance of these agencies reflect the political and economic environment in which they operate. This book draws on a range of case studies from across Latin America, considering both national anti-corruption bodies and agencies created and administered by, or in close coordination with, international organizations. Together, these stories demonstrate the importance of the political will of reformers, the private interests of key actors, the organizational space of other agencies, the position of advocacy groups, and the level of support from the public at large. This book will be a key resource for researchers across political science, corruption studies, development, and Latin American Studies. It will also be a valuable guide for policy makers and professionals in NGOs and international organizations working on anti-corruption advocacy and policy advice.

This book is focused on the management of gas consumers, especially in cases of gas supply disruptions. It addresses natural gas consumers from numerous different fields, including those in the industrial sector, the electric power industry, and public utilities. It highlights various ways gas supply can be affected and demonstrates the approaches that can help recovery from reduced, stopped, and restored gas deliveries. The algorithms involved in transitioning gas consumers from normal to emergency operation, and the algorithm for recovering normal operation after an emergency in the gas supply system is terminated are explored thoroughly. By clearly explaining several approaches, this book will enable specialists to more effectively manage gas-consuming enterprises in emergency situations associated with gas supply disruption

The key competing texts are practitioner-focused 'how to' guides, whilst our book combines rigorous theory with practical insight and examples, with authors from both the academic and business world, making it more adoptable as a student text; Unlike other books on the subject, this has a customer focus and an exploration of how big data can add value to customers as well as organisations; Enables readers to move from "big data" to "big solutions" by demonstrating how to integrate data analytics into specific goals and processes for implementation; Highly successful and well regarded both for students and practitioners

The Routledge Companion to Business History is a definitive work of reference, and authoritative, international source on business history. Compiled by leading scholars in the field, it offers both researchers and students an introduction and overview of current scholarship in this expanding discipline. Drawing on a wealth of international contributions, this volume expands the field and explores how business history interacts theoretically and methodologically with other fields. It charts the origins and development of business history and its global reach from Latin America and Africa, to North America and Europe. With this multi-perspective approach, it illustrates the unique contribution of business history and its relationship with a range of other disciplines, from finance and banking to gender issues in corporations. The Routledge Companion to Business History is a vital source of reference for students and researchers in the fields of business history, corporate governance and business ethics. "This collection is an excellent starting point for understanding the field and finding areas where business history, management theory, and social science can intersect." Canadian Business History Newsletter, January 2019

National oil companies are big business with about 80 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, and they are crucial to the world's energy supplies. They are giants, some of the world's largest companies, measured by market capitalisation, cash flow and investment. Little is known about their modus operandi, how they make decisions about investment and production or about relations with their government-owners. However, it is known that they conduct business with a political mandate, often with multiple long-term objectives, broadly defined and hard to quantify. Unclear mandates give national oil companies leeway to pursue their own distinctive interests, apart from those of the government-owner. As investors, governments are less zealous than private investors. They generally observe multiple objectives, not only return on capital. Therefore, the senior management of national oil companies enjoy more discretionary power and consider longer time horizons than their counterparts in the private sector. The Oil Business and the State explains the practice of state ownership in a capital-intensive industry with high risks and high return, and how these companies act in a market with imperfect competition. This book looks to give readers more insight into the oil industry, into the background of oil exporting countries as well as the economic and political challenges confronting them, including problems of state ownership. The book discusses wider consequences of China replacing the United States as the world's leading oil importer. It will be of interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of international business, management history, corporate governance, political economy and economic development of oil-rich countries.

This book considers what is at stake for professionals whose work increasingly involves communicating in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts, and argues for the need to better understand the crucial role of languages and cultures in the modern workplace. With a focus on the experience of multilingual professionals, the author's position is that such professionals, exemplified by those who have relocated internationally, deploy their unique linguistic, cultural and intercultural repertoires in their work. This book examines the ways in which professionals interpret and manage their experience of working within and across languages and cultures in ways that create affordances for them, their professional practice, and those who depend on their knowledge and expertise. It will be relevant to undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking studies in applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, intercultural education and professional communication in any discipline.

The key competing texts are practitioner-focused 'how to' guides, whilst our book combines rigorous theory with practical insight and examples, with authors from both the academic and business world, making it more adoptable as a student text; Unlike other books on the subject, this has a customer focus and an exploration of how big data can add value to customers as well as organisations; Enables readers to move from "big data" to "big solutions" by demonstrating how to integrate data analytics into specific goals and processes for implementation; Highly successful and well regarded both for students and practitioners

It will be the first comprehensive book on critical reflections on good governance on the market. It will respond to a highly topical and global debate, both in practice and in academia. It will be the most theoretically rigorous book on good governance in sport, which provides various theoretical perspectives and practical implications. It has some of the leading, most respected academics on good governance in general and good governance in sport as contributing specialist authors. It will be accessible to a wide range of students from different countries, programmes and at different levels. It will be relevant to politicians, administrators and policy makers in the sport industry and governments at international, national and local level.

Crossover of Audit and Evaluation Practices brings together academic analysis with insights from practitioners to discuss the potential for collaboration in audit and evaluation practices between three professional disciplines. Clearly written and thoughtfully organized, this volume is structured in three parts to deal with theory, practice issues and how the practices have worked together. * Part One provides definitions of performance audit, internal audit and program evaluation. * Part Two addresses several challenges that professionals face in applying these standards and principles. * Part Three contains examples of organizational collaboration between the practices, how they have worked together and the lessons that were learned from that experience. Specific cases from the Government Accountability Office, and UNESCO, UNDP and Inter-Americas Development Bank illustrate what has worked or not and suggest reasons why. Crossover of Audit and Evaluation Practices offers even the most skilled and experienced professional insight on how to bridge some of the divides. It will help generate a better understanding of the activities and services that are either imposed on them or are freely available and help to stimulate their optimal use.

The healthcare industry is on the cutting edge of voice-user interface (VUI) design and making great progress to improve patient care through developing technologies, literally transforming the voice of the industry. The advantages of VUI extend far beyond simple conveniences for patients or a healthcare employee's saved phone call. VUI has a profound impact on care improvement. Just like a person, a well-designed VUI can use tone of voice, inflection and other elements in conversation to shape behaviors or calm nerves. With VUI, physicians and patients become empowered to make informed decisions about healthcare. The use of voice technology across smart speakers, IoT, clinical and home devices, and wearables for improving the patient experience and clinical outcomes was recently identified as one of most significant emerging technologies in healthcare. Smart speakers are the #1 selling consumer item in the world and major competition is heating up between Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Google Voice Assistant, and a host of other specialty platforms specific to healthcare. From Orbita and Macadamia to voice-enabled robotics from Pillo, Intuitive, Vivify, and RealView Imaging, voice technology is pervasive across the gamut of levels of devices. Voice technology is not just pervasive in smart speakers and smart phones - it is finding its way into wearables, vehicles, homes, and even consumer and clinical medical devices. We even have smart jewelry emerging with health, wellness, and safety features built in. Best of all, this trend spans intergenerational health and wellness that goes beyond clinical care into long term health and wellbeing and the potential for increased patient engagement. In this book, the editors review information from the top thought-leaders in this space and examine real-world case studies of the outcomes and potential of voice technology in healthcare. Topics include a market survey, clinical use cases, home health use cases, health and wellness topics - fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing; next generation fitness facilities; voice and wearables in smart, connected communities; voice technology in social companions/robots; voice technology in the future surgical suites; a roadmap for the future from top technology; standards in voice technology; and the future of voice technology and artificial intelligence.

This book examines tax transparency as part of multinational enterprises' corporate social responsibility (CSR). It considers revelations like the Panama and Paradise Papers that shed light on corporations' tax practices and the growing public dissatisfaction, resulting in legislative projects, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) base erosion and profit shifting. Tax transparency is defined as companies' voluntary disclosure of numerical tax data (e.g. taxes paid by country) and other tax-related information (e.g. tax policies). It is set apart from tax avoidance and tax evasion to clarify the often-blurred concepts. In this book, tax transparency is placed in a historical context and possible drivers and hindering factors to tax transparency are investigated. Tax transparency is discussed in the light of socio-economic theories (stakeholder, legitimacy, institutional theory and reputation risk management), as well as economic theories (agency theory, signalling, proprietary costs) and information overload theory. The book provides examples of tax transparency development of the largest multinational enterprises in five countries (France, Germany, UK, Finland and USA) in six years, 2012-2017, a period featuring increased media coverage of tax matters and legislative movement in the OECD and the European Union. The future of tax transparency is discussed in light of quality characteristics, assurance of information and potential use of artificial intelligence. Companies' managers and tax and CSR specialists benefit from the book by gaining insight into how to design transparent, high-quality tax reporting. Assurance professionals can use information about the quality criteria of tax transparency. Regulators can track historical development and see examples of voluntary tax transparency in companies' reporting. Scholars and students obtain theoretical framework for analysing the tax transparency phenomenon and the ability to distinguish between the concepts of tax transparency, planning, avoidance and evasion.