Business Conglomerates Research Articles

Time to rethink 'watchdog' journalism in the Pacific

For more than five decades, ‘Watchdog Journalism’ has been taught as the yardstick for a free media. With the so-called ‘mainstream’ media becoming increasingly commercialised—both in a global scale and domestically—and with the media being primarily owned by business conglomerates, the ‘watchdog’ model has created a journalism culture that is too adversarial and creates conflicts rather than helping to solve today’s problems/conflicts. A new paradigm of watchdog journalism is needed where the media is able to hold powerful players to account for facilitating the development/livelihood needs of communities, especially those in the margins of society. This new paradigm of journalism needs to focus on ‘development rights’ rather than ‘human rights’ taking into account many aspects of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs should be looked at in terms of a new definition of human rights where the journalist could play a similar role to that prescribed in ‘watchdog’ journalism theory, but looking for solutions rather conflicts, and include a larger field of stakeholders which need to be made accountable such as governments, big business and particularly conglomerates—even NGOs and faith-based organisations. This watchdog role needs to be applied to trade agreements and other treaties, including those addressing climate change. To develop a new journalism culture to address these issues, media training programmes in the Pacific need to rethink their strategies and examine how to promote independent social media models that are economically and sustainably viable.

Do other firms’ stock price crashes affect corporate investment decisions within the business group: Evidence from Korean Chaebols

This research investigates the nexus between stock price crashes and subsequent investment behavior within business conglomerates, specifically Korean Chaebols. Utilizing an extensive dataset of affiliated firms from 2005 to 2020, we find that stock price crashes in one firm negatively influence the investment activities of its affiliated counterparts within the same Chaebol. The evidence elucidates spillover effects and heightened risk aversion among these firms, particularly in volatile market conditions. These findings underscore the imperative for vigilant risk management and proactive investment strategies to counteract the cascading impact of stock price crashes within Chaebol ecosystems.

Do labor unions enhance corporate social performance? Evidence from Korean financial markets

This study examines the impact of labor unionization on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in South Korean listed companies, particularly in the context of chaebol-affiliated firms. Using a dataset of 2,622 firm-year observations between 2005 and 2009, the study employs regression analyses to explore the relationship between unionization and CSR performance. Key findings indicate a significant negative correlation between labor unionization and CSR engagement, suggesting that unionized firms exhibit less involvement in CSR activities. This association, however, is not significant in chaebol-affiliated firms, where the unique corporate structure and shared resources appear to mitigate the influence of labor unions on CSR. Furthermore, the study reveals a positive link between CSR initiatives and labor productivity in unionized firms, indicating that CSR may enhance employee efficiency. The study highlights the intricate relationships between labor unionization, corporate governance, and CSR, particularly in the context of Korean business conglomerates. It emphasizes the importance of aligning labor interests with CSR commitments and underscores the role of effective corporate governance in promoting CSR activities. The positive impact of CSR on labor productivity underscores its potential in boosting employee performance. AcknowledgmentThis work was supported by the Gachon University research fund of 2023. (GCU-202303770001).

JSW Paints PVT LTD -Marketing Strategy

MUMBAI, MAY 2, 2019: India’s leading business conglomerate, JSW Group has entered the paints business in India with JSW Paints. This is part of the Group’s diversification into consumer facing businesses and a historic first time entry of an Indian conglomerate into the organized paints sector. With the launch of its paints business, JSW Group aims to make a comprehensive offering for consumer homes through steel, cement, furniture and now paints

Science and technology as fundamental rights: an analysis in times of the Covid-19 pandemic

Covid-19 pandemic has put humanity in check, forcing the entire world to implement social distancing and isolation measures, affecting the planet's economy and public health. Big pharma financed, on many occasions, with public money, got involved in a runaway race to get a vaccine that could return the planet to the long-awaited normality, leaving their coffers full in the process. This paper analyzes the consequences of preventing the release of the patent for this vaccine in relation to the human right to use advances in science and technology. Using a qualitative methodology, with a descriptive scope, based on the bibliographical review, the contrast that occurs between the rights of peoples to receive the vaccine against Covid-19, as part of the right to to the use of advances in science and technology as a third generation human right, and the interests of large pharmaceutical companies and private business conglomerates, in the light of Law, ethics and public health, discerning on a controversial issue that has humanity in suspense. Concluded that what is at stake goes beyond economic interests, since those who own and maintain ownership of patents will have an advantage in terms of geopolitics and, incidentally, greater control over biopolitics.

Managing change in the face of a pandemic: the case of Cargills (Ceylon) PLC

Research methodology This case study has been developed based on the primary data obtained through a series of interviews held with the senior management of Cargills, and the secondary data obtained from the company’s corporate website www.cargillsceylon.com/,annual reports and publicly available sources of information such as newspaper articles. Case overview/synopsis This case study focuses on the strategic responses employed by Cargills (Ceylon) PLC – a leading business conglomerate in Sri Lanka – in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The duration of this case study is from January 2020 to September 2021. The case study particularly examines the key business sectors of Cargills (Ceylon) PLC – retail, food manufacturing and quick service restaurants – which elaborate on the change management practices and strategies deployed by the company in each of these sectors during this challenging period. This study is based on the primary data gathered from the interviews held with the Cargills (Ceylon) PLC team, and the secondary data obtained from the corporate website of Cargills (Ceylon) PLC. This case study is most suitable to be taught in academic courses related to strategic change management. Complexity academic level The case is most suited to be discussed with undergraduates (3rd year and 4th year) following business and management studies related disciplines. While the pivotal area around which the case has been developed is strategic change management, covering environmental analysis, strategic analysis and process of change management, the case could also be used in strategic management classes, to discuss environmental analysis, strategic planning approaches and business and corporate level strategies. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

Plantationocene Geographies: Petro-Multinationals, Agribusiness, and the Racial Ecology of the Cold War Mississippi Delta

ABSTRACT: The Cold War Mississippi Delta figured prominently as a hotbed of massive resistance against racial integration and as a civil rights battleground, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. It was also home to an agrochemical regime of plantation production that heavily impacted regional ecosystems. This essay addresses the interplay between white supremacist politics and environmentally destructive forms of large-scale farming, especially the connections between petrochemical manufacturing in Louisiana and plantation agriculture in Mississippi's Delta region. I discuss how a Jim Crow mindset manifested itself in these industries, with toxic repercussions for both society and nature. The petro-multinationals that settled along the Mississippi River were active in various parts of the planet, and the crops grown on Delta neoplantations were sold on world markets, making the activities of these companies distinctly global in character. This essay considers the factories in Louisiana and the largescale farms in the Mississippi Delta as part of a unified agrochemical entity that can be considered a Plantationocene geography: a globalized business conglomerate based on a racialized labor system and an extractive, for-profit logic that was detrimental to local communities and the environment. With the arrival of oil and gas plants in Louisiana and the rise of the neoplantation during the New Deal years, an industrialized and poisonous racial ecology began to develop in the southern Mississippi River Valley wherein water, land, and minerals served as resources for the enrichment of a select few.

A Technical Report of Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) on Oracle Business Conglomerate Feeds Proximate Analysis Lab

Abstract: This report is an overview of the basic knowledge and skills acquired during the SIWES programme at Oracle Business Conglomerate, Makurdi, Nigeria. The experience was quite enhancing as this will highlight the departments attended with their respective activities. The content in this Technical Report includes the introduction of Oracle Business Conglomerate Makurdi (OBCM) brief history, departments in the company and their functions. The training was basically at the department of Quality Assurance (Proximate Analysis Lab) where the knowledge acquired included how to perform analysis of elements in samples such as determination of moisture content, ash content, crude fibre content, lipid content, crude protein and determination of Nitrogen-free extract (Carbohydrate). Initiation of this imparting scheme by the federal government was extremely beneficial as it served as enlightenment into what the labor market is. And as well, the acquiring of basic scientific skills and practices of handling sophisticated industrial and laboratory equipment. The experience was not without challenges; however, it was a great success. Keywords: Proximate Analysis: SIWES: Feed Samples: Crude Protein: Industrial Scheme; Nigeria.

Rethinking Green Supply Chain Management Practices Impact on Company Performance: A Close-Up Insight

Manufacturing organisations have contributed to a poor living environment via unsustainable practices in the production process and the entire service delivery operation. More importantly, the health performance of manufacturing employees may also be affected by unsustainable production practices in the industry. Therefore, the green supply chain management (GSCM) practice has become a topical issue in recent decades due to its significant impact on the ecosystem at large. Via green practices, various performances have been achieved in organisations; meanwhile, the relationships between the practices and performance metrics in most developing countries are unclear, although there have been supposed general submissions. In addition, the study of relationships in a leading business conglomerate in developing nations is rare. Therefore, this paper investigated relationships between GSCM practices and performance metrics in a leading manufacturing organisation in Africa by using a close-up study approach with data collected from 154 respondents. The data were analysed using multiple methods such as factor analysis to consolidate the measured variables; correlation, multiple regression analysis with stepwise estimation, and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to examine the relationships between GSCM practices and performance. The results of these analyses revealed that environmental performance is significantly predicted by the measure of the organisation’s commitment to GSCM vision, while financial performance is significantly impacted by eco-centric consumption and education. This study concludes that inhouse-drafted strategies based on the insight from the study will facilitate the optimisation of GSCM practices.

Leveraging international R&D teams of portfolio entrepreneurs and management controllers to innovate: Implications of algorithmic decision-making

We focus on how international research and development (R&D) teams of portfolio entrepreneurs and their management controllers can help to innovate and sustain entrepreneurial activities. An algorithmic decision-making model is implemented that indicates how such portfolio entrepreneurs build complex business structures and create a context for management accounting controllers’ information that is suggestive of R&D internationalization challenges. A case study is utilized to compare one large and one medium-sized business conglomerate. Open interviews were conducted with portfolio entrepreneurs and their management controllers. We found that the international R&D teams of portfolio entrepreneurs and their management controllers have different mindsets when assessing sustainable innovative approaches for the existing business and for future expansion through acquisitions. Our findings assert the importance of context when understanding the challenges of management controllers dealing with the internationalization of such R&D efforts.

Industrial Policy and Monopoly Capitalism in Nigeria: Lessons from the Dangote Business Conglomerate

ABSTRACTTaking the example of the Dangote business conglomerate, this article investigates why pockets of efficiency have formed in the Nigerian manufacturing sector and why, at the same time, structural transformation has remained limited across the economy as a whole. The authors argue that expansion of markets (in this case domestic) can discipline learning. Yet emerging monopoly capitalism carries within it the seeds of fragile accumulation to the extent that price‐setting power, tax evasion and control over wages undermine the growth of purchasing power. In the context of expanding markets, Dangote's monopoly position and growing profits followed from productive investment, but these profits were not passed down at the same rate into wages. What is more, difficulties in taxing the conglomerate have undercut the resources available to the state for pro‐poor redistribution.

Kingfisher: Ultra Max re-positioning hurdle

Learning outcomes To appraise the product positioning in an emerging market. To recognize and discuss a positioning plan for a new product. To apply, describe the Kapferer brand identity prism along with different competition levels for Kingfisher Ultra Max. To deliberate the marketing mix for improving the sales of Kingfisher Ultra Max. Case overview/synopsis United Breweries Limited (UBL) was part of UB Group, which was a business conglomerate. United Breweries Holdings Limited or UB Group was headquartered at UB City, Bangalore, India. It dealt in many businesses, out of which UBL was one of them. Kingfisher Ultra Max was Kingfisher’s newest addition to the super-premium strong beer segment. It was a larger-based beer with 8% alcohol by volume content and was stronger in terms of alcohol content than Kingfisher Ultra, which was also from the super-premium segment. This brands positioning was such that it targeted the premium segment. The top management was considering a change in positioning for their Ultra Max brand. A research report submitted by a premier business school also recommended a change in positioning. The officials in the meeting are contemplating the two options for the shift in positioning; one is to make the change of positioning across India and the other is to make the change specific to some states. Complexity academic level The case is targeted at students of post-graduation and under-graduation programs in business administration, specializing in marketing management, brand management or marketing strategy. Also, the case study can be included as part of courses related to strategic management and competitive analysis. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Industrial Energy Regulation: The Role of Business Conglomerates in China

This paper characterizes the importance of ownership networks of firms that are subject to a prominent energy regulation in China: the Top 1000 Enterprises Energy-Saving Program. We use data on the activities of regulated and unregulated firms that are part of the same conglomerate to study the overall importance of conglomerates as well as their geographic concentration. Accounting for business networks of regulated firms significantly increases the fraction of output that is affected by the regulation. We also document that most related firms of Top 1000 firms are located in the same province.

Opportunities for the development of a strategic management system for an entrepreneurial conglomerate in modern conditions

The article examines the priorities and opportunities for the development of the strategic management system of an entrepreneurial conglomerate in modern conditions. Principles are proposed that describe the process of interaction between an entrepreneurial conglomerate and the external environment. The key challenges to the competitiveness of entrepreneurial conglomerates in the digital economy are considered. Shows the basic principles that must comply with the strategic management system. The key factors that led to a significant adjustment of the basic system of strategic decision-making in business conglomerates were identified. The priority directions have been substantiated, in accordance with which it is necessary to develop theoretical proposals and practical tools for strategic management in modern conditions. The importance of setting up relations in accordance with the rules of corporate governance is substantiated. It can become an important element of improving the quality of the strategic management system in the context of globalization. The scenarios for the implementation of the strategic management system under the influence of various factors of globalization are concretized.

MacBride report: re-reading in light of threats to the right to communication on digital platforms

With the digital network environments, the possibilities for interaction and participation have expanded significantly, inaugurating a significant and decentralized shift in the production and publication of narratives. The promise of horizontalization reveals the opening of communication channels pari passu to the idealization of a narrative counterpoint in the face of the centralization of traditional media, that is, a harbinger of the promotion of the human right to communication. However, the internet, which is born under the proposal of open architecture, is soon overtaken by business conglomerates. By appropriating digital networks, the proprietary capitalist policy complexifies the scenario, posing us with a question: would we be losing the possibilities of democratizing communication in digital spaces? Therefore, this work problematizes the (im) possibilities of promoting the right to communication on digital platforms. The theoretical discussion revisits the MacBride Report, prepared 40 years ago by UNESCO, which proposes the reduction of commercial influences in the organization of communications, defends national communication policies and ratifies communication as a human right, pointing out its prognoses about the impacts of technology and its setbacks in countries considered underdeveloped, demarcating congruences with theories of communication developed by leading Latin American authors in the debate on the human right to communication: Bordenave (1989), Freire (2005), Peruzzo (2005) and Marques de Melo ( 2008) and theorists of digital sociology, among them, Lupton (2015), Selwyn (2019), Morozov (2018) and Silveira (2019).

Análise temporal da utilização de aves, como sentinelas ambientais no monitoramento de contaminação por agrotóxicos

Com a chegada da globalização de mercados, surgiu um novo modelo econômico denominado agronegócio, que tem como base a representação política mundial, através dos interesses de conglomerados empresariais multinacionais. Como consequência, emergiram novas metodologias de produção agrícola, no qual se torna comum a desestruturação ecológica do meio ambiente, causada pelo uso desordenado de produtos agrotóxicos. A exposição de organismos não-alvos a estes compostos químicos é bastante comum, resultando em inúmeros casos de intoxicação aguda na população silvestre, particularmente em aves, que possuem baixos níveis de enzimas detoxificantes, aumentando sua sensibilidade. O objetivo do trabalho foi realizar uma pesquisa, por meio da abordagem cienciométrica, para verificar e caracterizar o desenvolvimento do conhecimento científico mundial, sobre a contaminação de aves insetívoras por agrotóxicos utilizados na agricultura ao longo de 21anos. Foram encontrados 16 trabalhos, distribuídos em nove países que estudaram 50 espécies de aves enquadradas em quatro categorias de status populacional. Os resultados demostraram que estas tiveram ao menos um órgão/tecido/estrutura (fígado, fezes, bolo estomacal, plasma sanguíneo, tecido muscular, itens alimentares, ovos) contaminado por um dos 21 tipos de compostos químicos encontrados nos artigos analisados. Embora tenha-se constatado a existência de uma lacuna teórica mundial em relação a pesquisas ecotoxicológicas, demonstrando o impacto dos agrotóxicos no meio ambiente, nos estudos analisados em aves insetívoras, demonstraram ser ótimas sentinelas de monitoramento ambiental frente às mudanças que ocorrem nos ecossistemas, decorrentes da produção agrícola, e que pode afetar diretamente as espécies da fauna e da flora.

Unionized employees’ influence on executive compensation: Evidence from Korea

AbstractThis article explores the relationship between executive compensation and employee voice using a panel dataset from Korean firms. It was found that the existence and rate of labour unionization are both negatively associated with executive compensation payment, and that the negative association is progressively stronger for upper percentile executive pay. Labour union existence also has a strong negative correlation with stock option use in executive compensation packages, but unionization rate does not, implying that union existence is more critical in shaping executive compensation structures than the strength of the union. Membership of large family‐owned business conglomerates (chaebol), high financial risk and high employee wages are identified as channels that reinforce the negative influence of labour unions on executive compensation.

A hard-to-untangle business conglomerate: The economic empire of the German labour front

The German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF) with its 25 million members (1942) was by far the largest mass organization in Nazi Germany. With almost 50,000 full-time functionaries at the s...

La definición del icono urbano y global. Estrategias públicoprivadas para la regeneración del museo “Palazzo della Civiltà italiana” - Roma

The role that historically played certain institutions as effective creators of the cultural city presents a new variant with the configuration of important international business conglomerates. These groups, capable of articulating different socio-economic structures, also produce an architectural reality linked to their needs, from a strictly functional horizon or as representative iconic values. The case of the Palazzo de la Civiltà Italiana, projected by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Lapadula and Mario Romano, and started in 1938, is revealing of this contemporary business paradigm. It was conceived as the emblematic museum of the failed Universal Exposition of Rome, 1942 and has been in a continuous process of programmatic redefinition since those years that saw it stand up and that augured a destination for it as Museo della Civiltà. Different cultural approaches have been filling it but in no case with a relevant repercussion neither for its immediate environment nor for the effective construction of the public city. Currently, after the agreement reached in 2013 between the management company of the property and the FENDI house, its exhibition spaces have been reduced significantly, but it has a new program that has regenerated it as a headquarters building program and as a global icon.

Optimizing the equity reassignment process: A novel application for family businesses

PurposeThis paper aims to support the equity reassignment process of large family business conglomerates, which can be complex due to both the nature and number of companies involved and specific owner requirements. Addressing these issues is especially important in the context of family businesses, since a successful reassignment might resolve and prevent family conflicts. Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a model that determines the optimal reassignment in terms of a specific owner's preferences. This model can also handle different types of requirements, including accounting for equity and intra-loan partition between owners and controlling for liquidity, capital structure, and transaction costs. The model also considers risk diversification for each member's fortune by considering the uncertainty involved in the future value of each firm, which can change at any point depending on industry and market conditions. The methodology not only finds the optimal solution in terms of a specific target, but it allows for post-optimal analysis so that owners can obtain important insights in terms of the costs involved in adding each requirement to the model. Findings/ResultsThe model was successfully applied in a real case study. The tool played a primary role in identifying a new equity distribution for a family holding structure composed of 4 members and 26 companies. In the first step, the model derived an optimal solution in terms of the target chosen by the owners, but it did not fully satisfy all members. However, owners were able to come to a decision regarding final reassignment after doing a sensible post-optimal analysis. Originality/valuePrevious research has focused on analyzing the special characteristics of family-run businesses and how they differ with respect to non-family-run businesses in terms of performance, governance, and management, among other things. However, this paper is the first referring to the process of ownership reassignment and to use an optimization model in its methodology. It is also the first study that bridges the gaps between the disciplines of portfolio optimization, corporate finance, and family business.