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The emergence of blockchain creates a new possibility to solve the fraudulent problem of financial supply chain. We construct a game model to verify the strategic choice of the financial supply chain in an uncertain environment. We derive the equilibrium results and investigate the strategic choice of blockchain service for the financial supply chain. We also study the product price, product quantity, financing interest rate, and supply chain risk transmission, respectively. Specifically, when the blockchain is not considered, the financial model of supply chain led by core enterprises depends on firms' reputation. The retail and wholesale prices increase when fraud occurs or consideration payment increases. Besides, the market stability reduces price performance. In the blockchain environment, the strategic choices are divided into two cases: when choosing the core enterprise model and the third-party service model, the third-party service model is the equilibrium strategy; when choosing the third-party service model and the platform model, the platform model is the equilibrium strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Railway Science & Engineering is the property of Journal of Railway Science & Engineering Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Under the new development pattern, in order to better promote the cluster development of Xinjiang cotton and textile & garment industry, enhance its position in the global industrial division of labor and the core of its competitiveness, based on SWOT analysis, the development trend of Xinjiang cotton and textile & garment industry clusters in four aspects; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were analyzed. Aimed at the weaknesses and threats of the clusters, "grasping the two ends, promoting the middle, building a platform and creating ecology" were treated as the main line. The countermeasures and suggestions of speeding up construction of Xinjiang cotton and textile & garment industry clusters high-quality development are put forward from six aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to consider tools for the development of enterprises that are subjects of foreign economic activity (FEA). The consequences of the war against Ukraine create a compelling need for the development of the national Ukrainian economy. Analyzing the foreign experience of different countries in the post-war period indicates that export activities are one of the most reasonable vectors for such development, both at the level of individual enterprises and at the level of the national economy as a whole. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats have been identified for Ukrainian enterprises operating in the field of foreign economic activity. It is shown that the number of threats has increased compared to the pre-war period. Despite the significant number of threats and weaknesses, the analysis shows that Ukrainian enterprises have a "window of opportunities" that can be effectively used. Using dichotomous criteria for the possibility of entering foreign markets and the potential of the domestic market, a matrix of strategic choice has been developed. This matrix is intended for use at the level of individual enterprises. A reasonable strategic choice for the enterprise is determined for each quadrant of this matrix in the general version, and industry-specific recommendations are considered. Based on formulated key questions, necessary development tasks are identified for enterprises as subjects of foreign economic activity. These tasks include strategic goal setting, determination of the competitive advantage used, and development of the enterprise strategy. Necessary management tools are proposed and described for the implementation of each of these tasks. A set of key questions has been developed for the chosen model of enterprise development strategy to determine the content of the elements of such a strategy. The usage of proposed development tools for subjects of foreign economic activity is briefly presented using the example of automotive industry enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Prataculturae Sinica is the property of Acta Prataculturae Sinica Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research Summary: How firms strategically balance legitimacy and distinctiveness has garnered significant attention but reflects inconsistent perspectives. This inconsistency may stem from the inherent complexity of optimal distinctiveness (OD), which are sensitive to both the context and temporality. This article explores dynamic changes in institutional and competitive pressures and how they co‐evolve with different OD strategies. Through an exploratory, multi‐case study, we propose a pressure‐response model to uncover how firms dynamically pursue OD in response to different combinations of pressures. Furthermore, our findings reveal the mechanisms that drive the dynamic interactions between distinctiveness and legitimacy across different OD strategies. In essence, this study contributes to the OD research agenda by providing insights into the evolution of OD strategies, addressing the how and why behind their development. Managerial Summary: Can enterprises effectively balance their needs for legitimacy and distinctiveness by achieving an optimal level of similarity and differentiation from their competitors? This article demonstrates that, in the face of multiple pressures with varying intensities, enterprises continuously adapt their strategic choices to achieve optimal distinctiveness (OD). As institutional and competitive pressures gradually intensify, an enterprise's OD strategies may transition from isomorphic and balancing approaches toward deviation. However, when accumulated inertia hinders the enterprise's ability to respond to emerging pressures, adjustments to the OD strategy may become necessary. Therefore, this study offers entrepreneurs a practical guide on how to dynamically maintain their enterprise's OD by selecting appropriate strategies based on the specific circumstances at hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study how the introduction of a None of the Above (NOTA) option in Indian elections since 2013 has affected voting patterns and election outcomes. First, we examine the relationship between position on the ballot with electoral outcomes by constructing a simple statistic that measures relative performance by position on the ballot or Electronic Voting Machines. Within non-party options, we show that the last option on the EVM ends up being a salient choice, which is an inversion of the usual findings in the literature on order effects, where earlier options are generally preferred. Second, the NOTA option is the salient choice for voters who choose not to vote for a party, and thereby substituting for independent candidates. This share is more than can be explained by ballot position alone. We argue that the existence of a NOTA option is not merely a procedural technicality; instead, voters use NOTA as a strategic option to express their protest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to consider tools for the development of enterprises that are subjects of foreign economic activity (FEA). The consequences of the war against Ukraine create a compelling need for the development of the national Ukrainian economy. Analyzing the foreign experience of different countries in the post-war period indicates that export activities are one of the most reasonable vectors for such development, both at the level of individual enterprises and at the level of the national economy as a whole. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats have been identified for Ukrainian enterprises operating in the field of foreign economic activity. It is shown that the number of threats has increased compared to the pre-war period. Despite the significant number of threats and weaknesses, the analysis shows that Ukrainian enterprises have a "window of opportunities" that can be effectively used. Using dichotomous criteria for the possibility of entering foreign markets and the potential of the domestic market, a matrix of strategic choice has been developed. This matrix is intended for use at the level of individual enterprises. A reasonable strategic choice for the enterprise is determined for each quadrant of this matrix in the general version, and industry-specific recommendations are considered. Based on formulated key questions, necessary development tasks are identified for enterprises as subjects of foreign economic activity. These tasks include strategic goal setting, determination of the competitive advantage used, and development of the enterprise strategy. Necessary management tools are proposed and described for the implementation of each of these tasks. A set of key questions has been developed for the chosen model of enterprise development strategy to determine the content of the elements of such a strategy. The usage of proposed development tools for subjects of foreign economic activity is briefly presented using the example of automotive industry enterprises.

The concentrated living of farmers is an important engine for rural revitalization and a new type of urbanization, thus is of great significance for the construction of a resource-saving society. Due to rapid economic development in China, some farmers have successfully urbanized through rural–urban migration, but still more than 500 million farmers, have not migrated yet. Concentrated residence has long been recognized as the best strategy to help Chinese farmers to achieve local urbanization, and has been paid much attention in the local, regional, national and global scientific community. Although robust models and policies are still lagging behind because of insufficient datasets and models. In this study, empirical model has been used in which concentrated residence cases of farmers in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province of China taken as a case study, and strength (S), weakness (W), opportunities (O) and threats (T) as the criterion layer to identify 16 influencing factors as the index layer. For this study, data was collected during 2021 & 2022 by questioner-based survey from 6 different settlements, and AHP analytic hierarchy model integrated with SWOT was used to built farmers' concentrated residence strategies. The positioning coordinates of this study show the following weightage like S (0.480, 0), W (-0.098, 0), O (0, 0.306), and T (0, −0.116) which clearly mentions that S and O as positive influences, W and T as negative influences, and locates the respective total weights. Therefore, empirical results indicate that SO (growth-oriented) strategy should be emphasized to build robust strategies for concentrated residence of farmers. The findings of this study can provide a benign model for centralized residence for local governments, village collectives, and farmers withdrawing from homestead, and help to promote the sustainable development of society.

Copyright of Transfer: European Review of Labour & Research is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose - This study develops a research framework to examine the role of strategic foresight on organizational success at Jordanian financial services companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. Design/Methodology/Approach - This study targeted the most important Jordanian financial services companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange, (171) questionnaires were retrieved, and responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and SMART PLS & SEMANN method. Finding - The findings indicated that three out of four dimensions of strategic foresight significantly impact organizational success, which are scenario planning, future vision, and environmental scanning. In contrast, the strategic choice did not have any significant impact on organizational success, and this was confirmed by testing the ANN model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing variety of contingent work raises the question of how employers choose between various types of contractual arrangements. The authors review relevant Employment Relations and Strategic HRM literature and distinguish four types of contingent contracts along the dimensions of costs and control. They argue that employers are making choices based on cost and control constraints but are able to reshape these constraints through "institutional toying." Their case study of a German manufacturing plant and R&D center illustrates the mechanisms of institutional toying, which are consistent with the literature on institutional loopholes and exit options. The article develops propositions that explain the diversity of contingent work arrangements and show how toying strategies enlarge the range of options available to employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveThe SWOT-AHP analysis model was applied to make the best strategic choice for grain inspection institutions.MethodsThe strengths （S）， weaknesses （W）， opportunities （O） and threats （T） faced by grain inspection institutions on the basis of SWOT framework was analyzed. The strategic quadrangle was constructed with analytic hierarchy process （AHP）.ResultsBased on the analysis of current situations and problems， this paper points out that the WO strategy may be the best choice， which was to overcome internal weaknesses by taking advantage of opportunities in the external environment.ConclusionThe study provides a new perspective and reference to build a better grain inspection systemsin China.

This article examines the strategic underpinnings of firms' use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practices. The authors argue that a firm's strategic orientation and commitment to ADR shape its adoption of dispute resolution techniques—such as mediation and arbitration. Firms vary in the benefits they seek to gain from adopting ADR practices, and firm-level use is affected by these anticipated benefits. The authors also propose a link between a firm's commitment to the diffusion, access, and their use of ADR, on the one hand, and employee usage on the other. They test their theory using survey data from Fortune 1000 corporations and identify four distinct strategic orientations toward ADR, which in turn help to explain use of ADR within firms. Finally, they also find that a firm's commitment to ADR is also shown to affect the firm's use of mediation and arbitration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper echelon theory sees organizations as a reflection of their managers. According to upper echelon theory, the observable -demographic- and unobservable -psychological- variables of the managers direct the strategic choices and actions of the managers. The main purpose of the study is to reveal the current state of the upperechelon theory literature and the areas that need to be understood and for which adequate studies have not been done yet. In this direction, a literature review on upper-echelon theory was conducted. The studies carried out since 1984, when the theory was introduced- are presented by categorizing them in terms of features such as analysis unit, variables, and research method. It has been observed that the theory has gained momentum with studies dealing with observable variables but on the other hand, unobservable variables are not subject to a sufficient number of studies. At the same time, it has been observed that the use of the quantitative research method is very intense, but qualitative studies aimed at understanding how managerial characteristics affect strategic actions are not frequently conducted. It is thought that the current study will contribute to the researchers in the field in terms of presenting a review of the field and revealing the current situation of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of the U.S.–China rivalry has posed an increasing strategic challenge for Asia’s middle powers, given that great power competition forced them to take sides between Washington and Beijing. While many countries are reluctant to reveal their strategic choices between the two major powers, India, under the Narendra Modi government, has shown a noticeable change in its approach toward the U.S.–China rivalry that requires a fresh evaluation. In this context, this article examines the recent changes in India’s strategic response to the U.S.–China competition. It argues that New Delhi’s changing threat perception of China from a collaboration partner to a security threat, combined with a domestic political change from a multiparty coalition government to a majoritarian government led by the right-wing party, has contributed to some crucial changes in India’s strategic choices. More specifically, new threat perceptions and domestic political changes have led India to lean toward the United States vis-à-vis China on various key geostrategic issues. This paper discusses several such issues to show how a majoritarian government led by Modi has taken a different approach toward the U.S.–China competition than the previous multiparty coalition government. To illustrate, the Modi government strengthened bilateral and multilateral strategic and defense ties with the United States to counter its China challenge. It also stands with the United States over the ongoing U.S.–China trade and technology war. On the other hand, the Modi government terminated the previous government’s constructive engagement policy toward Beijing by bringing new changes in India’s approach toward China, including strategic disengagement, soft confrontation, and economic decupling. This article concludes that India’s new strategy profoundly affects Asia’s geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the factors that have led to the undervaluing of the medical science profession and how a union can take a strategic approach to strengthen the professional identity of its membership to overcome challenges. We draw on interviews with union officials and managers and focus groups with medical scientists in four health services in Victoria, Australia. Drawing on the union strategy literature, we argue that professional identity is related in a recursive way to the attitudinal context and the narrative capabilities of the union. We found that first, many medical scientists believed that medical science was invisible and undervalued contributing to a weak professional identity due to underlying structural and institutional factors. Second, this has been exacerbated by the attitudinal context in which the profession has been subordinated to the other stronger professions of doctors and nurses. Third, we report the union is attempting to strengthen the professional identity of medical scientists through developing union campaigns with a narrative around work intensification and the critical nature of medical science work. Union strategy underpinned by union campaigns seeks to transform medical scientists' attitudinal context by harnessing their sense of associational power through narrative capabilities to strengthen professional identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research aims: This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of implementing management control practices (MPCs) and examine whether MPC is possible and how MPCs as a package "fit” with the strategic choices of Local Community Service Agency (BLUD) public hospitals (PHs) in Indonesia. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study applied mixed-method research with a sequential explanatory strategy. Quantitative data were collected through self-administered questionnaires distributed to 29 top management team members of eight BLUD PHs in East Java and Bali, Indonesia. Meanwhile, qualitative data were generated by conducting a semi-structured interview with four selected top management team members of BLUD PHs. The data were then analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by implementing profile deviation analysis, cluster analysis, ordinal regression analysis, and content analysis. Research findings: Quantitatively, the researchers found a negative correlation, yet insignificant, between the “misfit” of MCPs and strategy and management control effectiveness. Thus, the “fit” hypothesis was not supported. Qualitatively, the researchers revealed that BLUD PHs extensively used MCPs and employed them in various ways, including cultural, administrative, and dominantly cybernetic controls. Finally, it can be concluded that using cybernetic controls as a dominant practice is unsuitable for the strategy chosen by BLUD PHs in Indonesia. Practical and Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study expands upon what has already been explored in the management control literature concerning how MCPs might be configured to align with organizational strategy, especially in the context of public healthcare organizations. Practically, the reformed PHs in Indonesia are expected to understand better the structure and characteristics of the BLUD-based financial management environment. It is essential for organizations, as it helps them figure out exactly how their management control practices and organizational strategies fit together. Research limitation: Due to the low questionnaire and interview participation, mixed-methods research was underutilized in this study.

US hospitals are struggling with how to compete and remain viable in an increasingly turbulent and competitive environment. Using Porter's generic strategies and resource dependence theory, this study examined the relationship between environmental factors and business strategy choice among U.S. hospitals. The study used longitudinal data from 2006 to 2016 of US urban, general acute care hospitals from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, Medicare cost reports, and Area Health Resource File. Multinomial regression was used to analyze the data. and Discussion: Our findings showed four types of hospital strategy: cost-leadership, differentiation, hybrid, and stuck-in-the-middle. A greater number of physicians (county-level) increases the likelihood of pursuing differentiation and hybrid strategy. On the other hand, a higher older adult population (65 years+) increases the likelihood of pursuing a cost-leadership strategy. Similarly, lower competition and higher Medicare Advantage penetration increases the likelihood of pursuing cost-leadership over hybrid strategy. An increase in the unemployment rate decreases the likelihood of pursuing differentiation and cost-leadership strategies versus the hybrid strategy. Finally, hospitals pursuing a differentiation strategy tended to be larger, teaching, and not-for-profit. The results showed the importance of environmental and organizational factors in predicting the strategy choice of hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored how the need for research universities in Ethiopia is justified, practiced, and could be improved using the strategic tactics of the resource dependency perspective. Bahir Dar University (hereafter referred to as BDU) was taken as a case to understand the need for a research university and its practices. Document analysis was used as a source of data. Consequently, an analysis of various institutional and national secondary sources revealed that the existing uncertainties related to critical resources motivated Bahir Dar University to devise a strategic choice of becoming a research university. The uncertainties are justified in terms of economic, political and institutional conditions. Although the university envisioned becoming a research university by 2025, the existing institutional and national conditions seem to be immature to sustain the necessary resources and conditions that a research university requires. As a result, following the higher education differentiation effort, BDU had to revise its vision and extend the possible time its vision could be realized to 2030. It is concluded that the need for BDU to become a research university seems to be challenging and needs much effort to be realized. Hence, institutional re-arrangements following the strategic tactics of the resource dependency perspective need to be devised to realize the strategic choice of becoming a research university.

Using field research data from 11 towns and 11 villages in 4 counties of Shenyang, data building, coding and analysis were conducted through Nvivo 11 to distill the influencing factors of rural e-commerce development in Shenyang into advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and threats. Combined with the SWOT-AHP model, the weights of each influencing factor on rural e-commerce development were obtained by scoring by experts from five aspects, including government, enterprises, farmers, etc. The results show that the weak infrastructure and high cost of express delivery are important factors affecting the development of rural e-commerce, confirming the folk experience of "to get rich, first build roads". At the same time, the awakening of brand awareness and the strengthening of technology services are advantages and opportunities for the development of rural e-commerce. Finally, according to the different combinations of influencing factors, we proposed a breakthrough strategy for rural e-commerce development based on "external help + internal drive", supplemented by "cooperation + demonstration leading" and "industrial upgrading + channel integration". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After some two decades of growing partnership between Seoul and Tehran, South Korea's bilateral relationship with Iran reached a bottom of absolute gloom under the leadership of Moon Jae-in. Most of his presidency coincided with the administration of Donald Trump who followed a relatively contrasting approach toward the North Korean and Iranian nuclear issues. Washington's Pyongyang and Tehran policies were naturally bound to create opportunities as well as troubles for the Moon-led Korean government's dealing with North Korea and Iran. Arguing from a perspective of strategic choice, this study asserts that Moon almost forfeited the ROK's commercial interests in Iran for the sake of advancing his North Korean agenda. As a corollary, the South Korean–Iranian ties sank to an all-time low, culminating in unprecedented diplomatic tensions between the two countries over the issue of Iran's oil incomes frozen in Seoul. The Mideast country's subsequent resort to gunboat diplomacy by seizing a Korean oil tanker in the Persian Gulf did also little to break the gridlock over the dilemma of blocked assets because any satisfactory and lasting solution regarding this intractable trouble largely hinged on resolving the fate of Iran's nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opportunities and challenges flood in at the same time in the general context of the advance of the times and the ever-changing economic situation, especially in the era of sluggish economic recovery since the pandemic. Li Ning, a Chinese brand, stood up to upcoming dares and seized the moment, and has always been one step ahead of competitors. This paper, starting with the general environment faced by Li Ning, dissected progress made by the company in virtue of market segmentation, interpreted the basis for its strategic decision with SWOT analysis method, raised effective and feasible strategic decision-making, and offered the corresponding countermeasures to make up for its deficiencies, thereby availing its growth and enabling it to sustain current position among other local competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the consumer shopping experience and to remain competitive, an increasing number of retailers continue to increase their investment in technology services and actively seek help from technology service providers to transform and upgrade their retail business. Technology service providers deliver new technological solutions for retailers by providing professional retailing technology services (e.g., building omnichannel retailing modes). Considering this context, we seek to understand whether retailers expect to use technology services and service providers' expectations of providing retailing services. In this paper, we build a two-tier supply chain with one upstream technology service provider and one downstream retailer (or two competitive retailers) to analyse the strategic choice of the retailer(s) and the service provider. We find that the retailer(s) can purchase a professional retailing technology from the technology service provider and that the service provider is willing to provide technology to two competing retailers, which can increase market demand and yield higher profits. Furthermore, we find the impact of the technological contribution level, retail competition intensity, the power structure, and the technology marketing effect on decision outcomes is significant. Therefore, retailers should consider the influence of these factors when service providers deliver a retailing technology service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the cannibalization of remanufactured products produced by independent remanufacturers (IRs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can produce remanufactured products themselves to compete with independent remanufacturers (IRs), or they can authorize the IRs to cooperate because of their seller reputation. This paper studies the key factors that influence OEMs' choice of remanufacturing strategies. By establishing three two-stage models and comparing them, the thresholds for OEMs to choose different remanufacturing strategies were obtained. There is also an interesting finding that when the authorization fee is higher than a certain value, even if the remanufactured product poses a competitive threat to the new product, the OEM will help the IR improve their remanufacturing technology to save costs and achieve a win–win situation. With the increase in authorization fees, OEMs' profits will increase first and then decrease, so it is not always better for OEMs to charge higher authorization fees. Whether it is an authorization or a competitive scenario, the improvement in remanufacturing technology by OEMs can increase the output of remanufactured products, which is conducive to environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exporting is the most common mode of entry when firms want to expand their operations via internationalisation. In this study, a comparison of the exporting performance between firms in a developed country, New Zealand, and an emerging country, Indonesia, is undertaken. The study aims to better understand the relationship between firm performance and exporting decisions, and whether performance is a result of the firms' strategic choice or environmental pressure. Exporting firms from both New Zealand and Indonesia were targeted with a self-administered survey, and the companies involved ranged from low to high internationalised industries. Eighty-seven useable questionnaires were received from company owners and export managers, with 52 coming from New Zealand exporters and 35 from Indonesia. Regression analysis was conducted with the focus on two iterations, with the first being a test of the overall model, and the second iteration comparing the model to New Zealand and Indonesia data separately. With respect to the overall model, the study found that strategic choice is the significant factor when being compared to environmental pressure. When comparing differences between Indonesian and New Zealand exporters, the study found that the export performance of Indonesian firms was significantly linked between strategic choice and the age of the firm. The study indicates that as Indonesian firms mature, they improve the flexibility of their management systems to allow better strategic responses to international business opportunities. For New Zealand companies, the situation changes somewhat, with environmental uncertainty and the length of time to internationalise, being negatively associated with export performance. The less uncertainty of the environment and the less experience of the firm in the international market, the higher the export performance of New Zealand firms. With respect to different industries, firms that operate in highly internationalised industries can be pulled by the size and strength of industry networks, such as support from the association representing the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How has the experience of managerial work changed in the digital age? This two-phase (2002–2006, 2015–2019) study addresses this question by examining how middle managers perceive the spatio-temporal boundaries of their work to have shifted. Typically, such managers report change occurring in two directions: (i) the contractual employment boundary becoming stretched as hours completed inside the workplace increase; and (ii) this boundary becoming breached as managers conduct additional work voluntarily from locations outside corporate premises. Although such trends can be explained deterministically – the former stemming from corporate acceptance of consultancy-influenced organizational prescriptions (business process reengineering, lean management, agile management etc.), and the latter from widespread adoption of digital communication innovations (BlackBerry, email, WhatsApp etc.) – we argue that to achieve a more rounded appreciation of such work 'extensification' attention must also be paid to agentic forces of strategic and political choice. Developing this argument, and acknowledging paradox when theorizing spatio-temporal change, we suggest future research on managerial employment must entail documenting not only factors influencing the stretching and breaching of work boundaries, but also – given incipient political regulations and innovative surveillance technologies – others serving to strengthen and protect them, notably those directed at improving work–life balance and physical/psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread discussion and public policy support for workplace wellness programs in the United States, their diffusion has been slow. Using data from the 2017 Workplace Health Administration Survey, this paper explored the importance of establishment characteristics, unionization, and strategic choice in the adoption of workplace health initiatives and employee participation in these programs. An ordinary least squares analysis revealed that unionization (β = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.20–1.97, p < 0.001) and management support (β = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.25–2.10, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of the number of programs adopted by an establishment. In logistic regression analyses of nine workplace wellness programs, it was also found that unionization and management were the strongest predictors of the adoption of these programs. Management support was also correlated with employee participation of in nutrition (OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.23–5.71, p < 0.05) and obesity programs (OR = 3.66, 95% CI = 1.03–12.97, p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the optimal strategic choice of carbon trading and carbon reduction technology investment under the cap-and-trade system. We consider a carbon-dependent production enterprise that trades carbon emission rights or invests in carbon reduction technologies under the regulation of the cap-and-trade system. The enterprise undertakes corporate environmental responsibility (CER) and aims to maximize the comprehensive benefits of both the economy and the environment. Using numerical simulation, we analyze the impacts of the CER coefficient and initial carbon quotas on the comprehensive benefits, optimal emission reduction rate, and production quantity of the enterprise. Our main contribution is studying the low-carbon strategic option for CER production enterprises to maximize the comprehensive benefits by trading carbon emission permits or investing in carbon emission reduction technologies. We found that the carbon emission trading mechanism plays an important role in promoting enterprises to reduce carbon emissions and is a beneficial supplement to the carbon cap policy. Under different initial carbon quotas allocated by the government, the manufacturer strategically chooses to trade carbon emission rights or invest in carbon reduction technologies. CER is a significant factor in encouraging companies to reduce carbon emissions proactively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of COVID-19 has intensified existing global conflicts and profoundly changed the global political, economic, and security landscape since the end of the Cold War. Recently, Russian leaders and think tank experts have given indepth consideration to the international landscape, world order, globalization process, and major-country relations in the “post-pandemic era”. They believe that as the international pattern and world order are being reshaped at an accelerating pace, Russia is facing the greatest strategic opportunity since the Crimean crisis and even the end of the Cold War. In Russia's strategic point of view, under the new circumstances, Russia needs to reshape its foreign policy thinking, consolidate its special responsibility of the permanent members of the Security Council with the unique privileges since the founding of the United Nations, deepen Eurasian integration cooperation, skillfully manage the triangular relationship between Russia, China, and the United States, balanced relations with China by multiple forces, and strive to improve Russian-American relations.

Viticultural regions around the world have faced considerable challenges in the past two decades. This is particularly the case in Australia where climate change, labour shortage and tariff fluctuations are pronounced. This study explores the viticultural industry's financial returns in Australia over time, and in particular focusses upon a case study of a key irrigated viticultural region (the Riverland in South Australia) that faces additional challenges of water scarcity, high irrigation costs, but lower output prices. Using two decades of wine industry tax financial data (n = 13,600+), the study examines small, medium, and large viticultural businesses defined by gross financial turnover in the Riverland. Results find businesses of all sizes have experienced falling net income, and – while smaller farms accounted for this through reducing total expenses – larger farms implemented strategies to increase gross turnover. Through further in-depth interviews with 25 growers in the Riverland, accounting and business strategies are identified to help irrigators to respond to risks. These strategies include product and process diversification, innovative business models, technology, and collaboration that allow businesses to remain financially viable whilst adapting to change. However, the increasing advent of climate change and lower prices means farm exit will probably be an increasing option for many small grape growers in the future. • Viability of viticulture challenged by climate, water and market pressures. • Longitudinal financial (n = 13,600+) and case study (n = 25) data shows falling income. • Smaller farms reduce total expenses, larger strategise to increase turnover. • Technology and collaboration empower growers to remain viable and adapt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-violent movements are rarely confined to the borders of the societies in which they take place. International actors are prone to take a side in the face of such resistance. Yet knowledge is limited on external actors' effects on outcomes of non-violent protests abroad. Thus, we zero in on the strategic logic behind major powers' involvement decisions regarding such movements, and the impact those decisions have on campaign outcomes. We find that major powers tend to undermine non-violent movements when target states are strategically important; we find also an indirect link between major power support for movements and security force defections in target states, thus improving success prospects for the protestors. Our research adds a dyadic international dimension to the question of external support during non-violent resistance movements and expands the current knowledge base regarding the identity and direction of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource integration of coal enterprises is conducive to reducing pollution and carbon emissions, thus alleviating environmental problems such as global warming. Government regulation has a great influence on enterprise behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the strategies of government and coal enterprises in resource integration. Based on the perspective of government regulation, this paper discusses how to guide and restrict coal enterprises to conduct resource integration behavior, and whether the government supervises this behavior. First, through empirical research, government regulations of coal enterprises are given practical policy implications. Second, using evolutionary game and simulation technology, from the perspective of government regulation, we explore the complex behavioral interaction mechanism between the dominant and inferior coal enterprises, the mechanism between the government and coal enterprises, and analyze the impact of key factors on the dynamic evolution process. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of the selected parameters is discussed in details, which provides useful decision-making suggestions for the government and enterprises. In addition, this paper further analyzes the impact of different government policies on coal enterprises' green innovation strategies. Results demonstrate that (1) when the power gap between enterprises is large, the probability of dominant enterprises choosing resource integration converges to 1, while the probability of inferior enterprises converges to 0. Therefore, government regulations are invalid for inferior enterprises; (2) the combination of government regulations can help improve the efficiency of coal enterprises' strategic choices. With the increase in the intensity of government rewards and punishments, the probability of enterprise resource integration evolves from 0 to 1; (3) excessive government regulations make the choice between the government and coal companies tend to swing, because the probability of the two is between 0 and 1. Therefore, excessive government regulations cannot effectively achieve resource integration and government regulation. (4) The government subsidy strategy is less effective than the government's pollution penalty strategy in promoting the green innovation of enterprises. Our research shows that the government should choose different policy combinations and intensities to regulate resource integration according to the market power of coal enterprises, which provides theoretical reference and practical guidance for the government to regulate corporate resource integration behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses two theoretical approaches in the field of Industrial Relations (IR). A brief overview of the origins of the field is presented and two classic theoretical perspectives are discussed: the systemic view and the strategic choice perspective. The discussion elaborates the main points of each approach and, in the end, considers some criticisms and implications for future research. The aim is to reintroduce the IR perspectives through a seminal debate to provide a starting point for scholars in Management and to emphasize the development of theories for employment relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]