Incorporation Of Groups Research Articles

Proof of Work with Random Selection (PoWR): An Energy Saving Consensus Algorithm with Proof of Work and the Random Selection Function

Bitcoin, which has been used for 13 years, has a role in transactions and investments as a major cryptocurrency. However, as the number of users increases, Bitcoin faces difficulties, such as scalability for transaction throughput and energy-consumption problems due to the concentration of the mining pool. When Bitcoin first started to come out, it began to develop gradually through the mining of individuals. Nevertheless, as the price of the cryptocurrency gradually climbed, large mining corporation groups entered the mining competition with integrated circuit (IC) chips. Consequently, the substantial increase in power consumption is raising concerns regarding energy expenditure. This paper confirms that the verifiable random selection consensus protocol based on proof of work facilitates a fair and efficient system, enabling the participation of numerous individual miners in the mining competition while counteracting the monopolization of the hash rate by large mining corporations, thereby preserving the decentralization of mining. The protocol demonstrates the potential to mitigate substantial energy consumption. Moreover, it embodies features that create barriers to the adoption of high-energy-consuming application-specific integrated circuit equipment, significantly diminishing the principal factors contributing to extensive power utilization.

Enhancing internal supply chain management in manufacturing through a simulation-based digital twin platform

Digital Twin (DT) technology is profoundly changing the manufacturing landscape and supply chain management with its ability to create real-time digital replicas of physical processes, allowing for enhanced monitoring and optimized decision-making. However, the analysis of scientific literature reveals that further efforts are needed to spread the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, in the specific context of Internal Supply Chains (ISCs). The main aim of this study is to design, develop test and validate a multi-plant Simulation-Based DT production planning platform for ISCs management. A modular architecture is adopted, and the focus is on a Simulation-Based Digital Twin module, which uses an object-oriented structure and enables what-if analyses, involving several scheduling rules and ISC configurations. The proposed solution ensures flexibility and scalability, two crucial features in a constantly evolving market environment. The platform is tested and validated through a case study, involving a corporate group in the Oil & Gas manufacturing sector, which needs to improve the ISC performance, under a Make-To-Order production strategy. The comparison with a baseline scenario, where the platform is not adopted, shows that the proposed approach can significantly reduce the average flow time, the average tardiness, the number of late orders. This study has important practical implications because enables proactive and smart decision-making, aimed at resource optimization and continuous improvement, through predictive analytics and scenario analysis.

BIG DATA, BUSINESS PROCESSES, AND MATHEMATICAL ALGORITHMS FOR MULTI-OBJECTIVE MANAGERIAL DECISION OPTIMIZATION

The use of Big Data and the engineering of business processes are becoming increasingly important for managing the business of companies and large international corporate groups. For more successful outcomes, even for complex interventions such as those of the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), the use of mathematical models to assist management decisions represents a significant lever to optimize time, costs, and planned overall performance. This analytical approach strengthens traditional qualitative techniques like SWOT analysis and finds useful application in the optimal definition of any form of PPP (Public-Private Partnership), such as the recent “Partnership for Innovation” (PPI) included in the new procurement code. The scientific work developed from the systematic analysis of processes proposes a particular multi-objective mathematical model that uses a system of vectors in an m-dimensional reference space.

Effect of Monitoring and Evaluation Practices on the Performance of Education-Funded Projects in Rwanda: A Case of the Building Learning Foundation (BLF) Project in Gasabo District

A large number of Rwandan corporate groups have failed to meet their goals because of ineffective monitoring and assessment. Companies with a strong competitive edge use monitoring and evaluation since it is expensive and demands technological competencies. Some of the issues that have arisen inside the BLF project include a lack of expertise, inadequate managerial abilities, and sloppy monitoring and assessment practices. The general objective of the study was to assess the role of monitoring and evaluation practices on performance of education funded project in Rwanda. A case study of Building learning foundation (BLF) in Rwanda. To identify the effect of monitoring and evaluation budgetary allocation on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District , to determine the effect of monitoring and evaluation risks analysis on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District , to examine the effect of monitoring and evaluation trainings on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District and to identify the effect of M&E accountability on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District. Both the Theory of Change (ToC) and the Realistic Evaluation Theory (RET) were used in this research. There was a total of 184 people considered, and 126 were chosen at random. The researcher utilized a simple random sampling approach to choose a sample from the BLF community. Data were gathered using questionnaires, interviews, and documentation, taking into account the character and organization of the BLF population. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to modify, code, and enter the obtained data. This allowed the researcher to get frequency tables, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The model summary for the regression showed the R value of .861 indicates a strong positive correlation between the predictors and the dependent variable. The R Square value of .742 represents the proportion of variance in the dependent variable that is predictable from the predictors. In this case, approximately 74.2% of the variability in the performance of the BLF project can be explained by the predictors included in the model. the coefficients provide the findings, M&E budgetary allocation has a coefficient of 0.551, indicating that a one-unit increase in budget allocation corresponds to a 0.551 increase in BLF project performance. Similarly, M&E risks analysis, M&E trainings, and M&E accountability show coefficients of 0.285, 0.291, and 0.186 respectively, indicating their respective impacts on BLF project performance. All predictor variables exhibit significant p-values, with M&E budgetary allocation, M&E risks analysis, and M&E trainings demonstrating statistical significance (p = 0.000< 0.05). This emphasizes their crucial roles in influencing positive outcomes in the BLF project. It is evident that when these components are effectively managed, they significantly enhance project performance, validating their importance in the p BLF project performance. The study recommended that Building Learning Foundation in Gasabo District should conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine the optimal budget allocation for monitoring and evaluation activities.

Debt distribution and ESG performance: Evidence from Chinese listed companies

Utilizing consolidated and parent company financial statement data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2008 to 2022, this study empirically examines the impact of group debt distribution on ESG performance. The study reveals that as the proportion of debt financing assumed by the parent company increases, the ESG performance of the corporate group improves. After conducting endogeneity tests and other robustness checks, the research findings remain consistent. Further analysis shows that concentrated liabilities can improve the environmental, social, and governance performance of the group. Cross-sectional analysis demonstrates that the influence of concentrated liabilities on ESG performance is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, during periods of high economic policy uncertainty, non-heavy pollution industry companies, when subsidiaries are geographically dispersed, and when there are more subsidiaries in various industries. This study provides empirical support for the positive externality of internal capital markets and offers valuable insights for ESG practices among listed companies.

Verification of Numerical Models of High Thin-Walled Cold-Formed Steel Purlins.

High thin-walled cold-formed steel purlins of the Z cross section are important elements of large-span steel structures in the construction industry. The present numerical study uses the finite element method to analyse the 300 mm and 350 mm high Z cross sections in-depth. The prepared numerical models are verified and validated at several levels with experiments that have been previously published. Significant agreement between the numerical models and the experimental results regarding Mises stress, proportional strain, failure mode, and force-deformation diagram have been obtained. With the verification, the presented procedure and partial findings can be applied to other similar problems. The results can be used to help research and corporate groups optimise the structural design of cold-formed thin-walled steel structures.

Legal Forms of Members of Corporate Groups

Legal Forms of Members of Corporate Groups

Moderating effects of self-construal on the associations of workload and role ambiguity with psychological distress: A cross-sectional and prospective study in a Japanese workplace

The self-construal of employees is a potential moderating factor in the challenge–hindrance model that may enhance our understanding of the varying effects of challenge and hindrance stressors on psychological health. The present study examined the moderating effect of self-construal on the association of workload and role ambiguity with psychological distress among employees in a Japanese workplace. A baseline survey (October 2020) and a follow-up survey (January 2022) were administered to employees of a manufacturing corporate group in Japan, which obtained 948 and 733 complete responses, respectively. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted using a cross-sectional and a prospective cohort design. The cross-sectional analyses demonstrated the protective effects of independent and interdependent self-construal on the associations between workload and psychological distress; this moderating effect of self-construal diminished in the prospective analyses. By contrast, there were no moderating effects of self-construal on the association between role ambiguity and psychological distress. These findings suggest that self-construal may possibly provide a psychosocial context under which specific challenge and/or hindrance stressors become particularly harmful to employees’ psychological health, thus guiding selective and indicated interventions based on the self-construal.

Debt and taxes: the role of corporate group structure

Abstract I show that the corporate group structure generates tax benefits that create incentives for higher leverage. The tax benefits arise when losses on distressed subsidiaries are tax deductible for a parent firm. Higher tax rates then imply that more of these losses are borne by the government instead of the parent firm, reducing the expected costs of bankruptcy and thereby incentivizing the subsidiaries to take on higher leverage. Using data from a large sample of European multinationals, I show that this tax benefit exists on top of the trade-off theory and debt-shifting effects, and is stronger when deductions of subsidiary losses are more generous.

The extension of vicarious liability in corporate groups

ABSTRACT This article explores the important but unresolved issue of whether one legal entity can be vicariously liable for another legal entity’s tort in a corporate group primarily based on UK law. Prior literature and case law seldom provide detailed discussion on the extended application of vicarious liability in group situations. The article aims to enrich the discussion of corporate tort liability by specifically evaluating whether the relationship between the parent and subsidiary companies could be akin to employment, and by researching whether this relationship is closely connected with the tort, subsequently leading to vicarious liability. The research findings reveal that the enterprise risk theory supports the close connection between the special relationship (the parent and subsidiary companies) and the tort in certain circumstances. However, the essential tests for the relationship requirement (namely, the control, organisation, integration, and entrepreneur tests) are difficult to meet in combination in modern group situations.

Legal Barriers to the Application of the Doctrine of Substantive Consolidation in Bankruptcy Cases

The paper examines the relationship between the principles of property isolation of a legal entity and limited liability with the institution of material consolidation in cases of bankruptcy of corporate groups. The purpose of the paper is to formulate grounds for derogation from the basic principles of corporate law in the bankruptcy of a group of companies, based on the arguments of opponents of the application of the doctrine of material consolidation. The paper concludes that for the Russian legal system, the application of the material consolidation regime is permissible only in exceptional cases. Such include cases when there is an obvious abuse of rights on the part of the debtor, controlling persons and affiliated creditors as well as free movement of assets within the business group, the transit nature of the movement of funds through the accounts of persons included in the corporate group, the complexity of intra-group relations resulting in that it is almost impossible to understand which legal entity owns the assets.

Justifications for minority co-owned groups and their corporate law implications

Abstract Corporate groups with listed subsidiaries are common around the world, despite the risks they pose to minority shareholders. Shaping a firm as a web of formally independent, minority-co-owned legal entities facilitates controllers’ diversion of corporate wealth (tunnelling) via intragroup transactions and other nontransactional techniques. This Article problematizes the conventional view of groups as tunnelling-facilitating infrastructures by arguing that organizing as a group with listed subsidiaries (a minority co-owned group) may create value for all shareholders. Organizing as a minority co-owned group may increase transparency, improve performance thanks to the possibility of using stock options for subsidiaries’ managers, allow for the circumvention of inefficient restrictions to dual-class shares, facilitate cross-border acquisitions, and be a second-best solution in the presence of path dependence issues preventing firms from moving from concentrated to dispersed ownership. If these are the economic rationales for having minority co-owned groups, how should the latter be regulated? In continental Europe special corporate law rules centred on a relaxation of directors’ fiduciary duties within minority co-owned groups, with a view to facilitating intragroup transactions, are increasingly popular among academics and policymakers. These rules, in turn, are bound to blur the separation between the minority co-owned listed entity as an independently managed firm and other members of the corporate group. However, because the rationales for minority co-owned groups presuppose the opposite, namely a clear and transparent separation between the minority co-owned listed entity and the group, our conclusion is that stringent self-dealing rules (or at least no less stringent rules than those established for conflicted transactions other than intragroup transactions) are required for minority co-owned groups to create value for all shareholders rather than merely facilitate tunnelling.

Preparedness for Mandatory CSR Reporting of Multinational Companies: Case of the Czech Republic

The way how multinational corporations integrate CSR activities into their business practices and communicate them to stakeholders can significantly impact their market position and business reputation. This paper evaluates the perceived level of preparedness for non-financial reporting associated with social, environmental, and economic CSR activities in selected multinational corporations operating in the Czech Republic. A questionnaire survey for this research was conducted between September 2021 and January 2022, targeting a specific group of multinational corporations established in EU countries and operating in the Czech Republic. As non-financial reporting is expected to be extended to a considerably large number of companies in the near future, this research has high practical relevance for stakeholders involved in decision-making processes. It is valuable for academics as well as the findings revealed statistically significant differences in the understanding of the degree of preparedness for non-financial reporting on individual CSR activities among the respondents. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-03-013 Full Text: PDF

Drinking as affective labour: A discussion of Australian men working in hospitality and corporate workplaces.

In the public imaginary, drinking is often thought of as a behaviour separate from individuals' formal labour practices, but studies increasingly highlight the complex ways alcohol is entwined with work. Building on recent conceptual developments in the sociological fields of youth, health and work, we illustrate how drinking can be productively understood as 'affective labour', and thus itself a form of work that generates valuable embodied states and atmospheres. To do so, we draw on data from six focus groups with men coworkers from three hospitality workplaces and three corporate workplaces in Victoria. For the corporate groups, work-related drinking was tied to an unravelling of certain professional affects and facilitated harmonious and productive workplace relationships, but also introduced risks ranging from embarrassment to sexual harassment. For hospitality workers, drinking was more deeply enmeshed in workplace relationships and, for one group, drinking on-shift was positively framed as creating an affect and atmosphere that appealed to clientele, despite taking a toll on workers' wellbeing. In both settings not drinking risked limiting one's ability to get on colleagues' affective 'level'. Our data deepens current understandings of how drinking cultures may be woven through occupational settings, produce value for organisations and introduce unique potential for exclusion.

The issue of corporate mandatory standards in production improvement programmes

Purpose: This paper aims to explore and describe how companies manage the level of standardisation of improvement practices in a multisite context. It seeks to explain the managerial strategies applied to change the standardisation level in manufacturing companies with multiple production sites worldwide.Design/methodology/approach: This paper collects data through interviews, observations and company documents from a large multinational producing company and, specifically, from of the largest production sites in the company. The research design resembles a grounded theory approach by being reflexive and open to emerging themes. The standardisation strategy was analysed at a company that strived to increase the standardisation of problem-solving practices within about 20 production sites as part of their corporate lean programme.Findings: Several managerial tools were applied at the corporate level to increase the standardisation level of problem-solving practices, such as developing standards and a company-specific toolbox aligned with an in-house maturity model. In addition, deploying change leaders and global implementation targets enabled audits and progress. However, consequences at the production-site level became minor adaptations of standards, the design of training models as a "roll-out", and a resource-demanding implementation process.Originality/Value: This paper empirically demonstrates strategic tools that corporate management teams apply to influence the company's standardisation level of practices. The study describes the purpose and consequences of the design of the toolbox, maturity model, training model, and implementation targets, which aims to simplify the complex task of managing standardisation in a corporate group. By applying a knowledge-based view, four processes (i.e. adaptation, integration, upskilling, and learning) were identified to improve the management strategies in multisite contexts.

The Diversified Theories and Legal Standards for the Substantive Consolidation of Corporate Groups in Bankruptcy

The Diversified Theories and Legal Standards for the Substantive Consolidation of Corporate Groups in Bankruptcy

Effects of Prolonged Fasting on Cloacal Microbiota of Crotalus durissus with Different Corporal Scores

Aims: This study provides a detailed analysis of the composition and diversity of the bacterial community within the cloacal cavity of Crotalus durissus (Cascavel) under the influence of diet and the corporal score of breeding snakes through metagenomics analysis. For this aim, the study also provides a body condition score protocol for the classification of snakes as thin, normal, and obese. Study Design: The experimental groups were established from snake body conditions such as visibility of ribs, the aspect of the side view, the upper and ventral view, and the aspect of the final portion, of the neck and square bone. Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted at S-Inova Laboratory at Don Bosco Catholic University, between December 2017 and February 2019 (Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil). Methodology: There are 3 groups of score corporations: thin (n=3), normal (n=3), and obese (n=3). The first sample of each animal was obtained 7 days after feeding and the second sample after 50 days of fasting. The metagenomic DNA was extracted from all 18 swab samples through DNeasy® PowerSoil® Kit (Qiagen). Thereafter the samples were submitted to sequencing, performed using the 2 x 250bp paired-end sequencing on a single run of an Illumina HiSeq, followed by the application of bioinformatics tools. Results: The most representative phyllo for all the samples was Proteobacteria (69,4%), followed by Bacteroidetes (19,2%) and Synergists (11,2%). In the group of obese snakes, the phylum Proteobacteria still being the group with the higher relative abundance in the two moments, with a decrease of 9,6%, as well as the phylum Bacteroidetes which decreased by 5,5% in the second moment (after fasting). Differently, the groups of the normal and thin have a decrease of 37,2% and 29,4% respectively of the phylum Proteobacteria and an increase of the relative abundance of 35% and 27,9% of the phylum Bacteroidetes. Before prolonged fasting the groups obtained 213 shared OTUs which reduced to 206 after the prolonged fasting, suggesting that, in general, the treatment influences microbial communities of the groups, which was possible to observe when analyzed and compared individually. The index of Shannon diversity showed that before the fasting, the groups of obese snakes and normal presented a bigger richness of species, differently from the thin group that showed more diversity after 50 days of fasting. The variance analysis showed that the obese snakes presented a bigger proximity to the samples collected before the prolonged fasting. The samples showed greater proximity in PCA analyses and ANOVA when considering the prolonged fasting time than when compared by body score. Conclusion: With this study, it was possible to conclude that prolonged fasting can influence the cloacal microbiota of the snake Crotalus durissus, except in the individuals considered obese.

Corporate Group Decision-making Authority Allocation and Digital Transformation

Corporate Group Decision-making Authority Allocation and Digital Transformation

디지털 전환(Digital Transformation, DX) 시대, 중등 진로 교육을 위한 온라인 콘텐츠 개발 연구

The goal of this study was to develop of online career content for third-year middle school students who utilize the A Company platform, which is used by learners who specialize in corporate education within the S Corporation group. This content, which has been underway since April 2023, investigates the possibility of creating web-based materials for middle school career education. The study explores the value of career education at this point because of the growing importance of online content for career education as a result of digital transformation (DX) and the effects of COVID-19, especially in light of the impending decisions that third-year middle school students will make regarding their high school enrollment and career paths. To develop the online content for third-year middle school students, the study reviewed both the 2015 revised curriculum direction and the 2022 revised direction. The analysis included a review of the themes in the middle school [Career and Occupation] textbooks, extracting key topics and essential learning elements. Based on the findings, lesson plans and content development were carried out. The development process included designing a prototype based on content development strategies and stage-specific learning strategies. The developed prototype underwent quality reviews from academic experts and professionals in the field. As consequently, the study's conclusions included research findings as well as recommendations for developing career education content for young people that take the changing labor market into account.

Regime de grupo corporativo na Colômbia: comparação da responsabilidade subsidiária na Coreia do Sul e no Japão

This paper develops a comparative law exercise between the legal systems of Colombia, South Korea and Japan in relation to the regulation of corporate groups, for which the research object of this paper focuses on the legal problem of whether the current Colombian regulation on subsidiary liability favours the parent companies over the controlled companies in the event of insolvency of the latter. To this end, the concept of business groups, Chaebol and Keiretsu is explored in order to delimit the object of research and determine their main similarities, such as control, the search for common objectives and a hierarchical structure, as well as their differences, such as the cross-shareholding schemes of the Chaebol and Keiretsu, and the influence of family structures in decision-making; Finally, subsidiary liability is addressed, where, based on the regulation of business groups in Colombia, the Chaebols in South Korea and the Keiretsu in Japan, it is observed that Colombian legislation is much more restrictive in terms of business groups than the regulations in South Korea and Japan.