Commercial Goals Research Articles

The Primacy of Commercial Gain over Ideology in Wars and Armed Conflicts

The paper provides a brief analysis of the causes and reasons for military conflicts and wars in the past and present and makes a forecast for the future. By comparing ideological differences and commercial goals, the author concludes that economic priorities are the primary causes of military conflicts and wars. Analyzing historical examples, the author shows that economic priorities have always been the main reasons for unleashing military actions. The main objectives that the aggressor solved by unleashing war were: expansion of the territory of its habitat; plundering of the defeated; transformation of the defeated population into slaves (cheap labor). These priorities, in the author’s opinion, are the main ones in all wars and armed conflicts in history. Similar tasks are currently being solved by the industrial and banking oligarchs of the United States and the United West in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Other goals and objectives of wars and armed conflicts are secondary and can be realized as additional ones. In this regard, the question of the primary and secondary objectives of commercial benefit and ideology is resolved in favor of commercial benefit. In the paper, on the basis of scientific and research works of the author, it is concluded that the current situation in the world is a well thought out and carefully calculated by the financial oligarchs of the United States and the united West, when a commercial project and its realization should bring them substantial profits, and the population of the planet Earth — destruction, grief and suffering.

EXPORT AND IMPORT MANAGEMENT OF ENGINEERING ENTERPRISES IN UKRAINE

The paper reviews the general business trends and proves the need for cooperation at the international level for enterprises. It has been established that export-import operations are a special form of the enterprise's foreign economic activity and are characterized by certain features. Therefore, the use of the "export-import management" category is suggested. The interpretation of export-import management as a special direction of the enterprise's activity which involves the effective organization of the interaction of all divisions and officials of the enterprise in order to ensure the rapid movement of goods or services across the border and the full implementation of signed agreements in order to achieve the commercial goals of the enterprise is presented. The institutional conditions for the development of export-import management and signs of its necessity are determined. The need to improve the efficiency of export-import operations due to such problems of their organization as the disorganization of management processes, the inconsistency of the processes of informatization and digitalization of business in different countries, the complexity of the procedures for obtaining the status of an authorized economic operator, the complexity of the conditions for the formalization of foreign economic contracts, a large number of criteria for the efficiency of export-import activity is emphasized. Partial criteria for the effectiveness of export-import management are suggested. The importance of export-import management in the development of machine-engineering enterprises has been proven. The main positive consequences that effective export-import management that can be provided for the machine-engineering industry have been determined. It was revealed that an important direction of export-import management of machine-engineering enterprises is the study of potential partners, in particular, their legal, technological, scientific-technical and organizational aspects of development. Special attention is paid to the use of export-import management measures by machine-engineering enterprises after the start of a full-scale invasion.

Innovative competences in public administration: The path to sustainable development, financial efficiency and strengthening of national security

The article claims that modern transformation processes in the system of international relations have led to the emergence of a new set of security problems threats, challenges, and risks of a non-traditional series, differing from traditional, military-strategic threats in the parameters of their impact on modern states and their transboundary nature. Hybrid dangers have an increasing impact on societal domains. To further their political, ideological, or commercial goals, hybrid actors take advantage of the weaknesses found in intricately interconnected communities. Research makes an attempt to outline innovative competencies of public administration in the domains of national security and sustainable development within this complex environment.

Tensions in work integration social enterprises in The Netherlands: balancing social and commercial goals in a multi-stakeholder context

Tensions in work integration social enterprises in The Netherlands: balancing social and commercial goals in a multi-stakeholder context

(Invited) Scalable Synthesis of Low Carbon Fuels via CO2 Electrolysis

Over three trillion tons of greenhouse gasses have been emitted since the start of the industrial revolution, with dire consequences for our climate, including an increase in the regularity of natural disasters such as heatwaves, wildfires, and hurricanes. Cost-effective, industrial-scale CO2 recycling using renewable energy sources could form the basis of an artificial carbon cycle to produce the same products that are currently derived from fossil resources while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Towards this end, Twelve is developing a highly efficient and scalable electrochemical reactor that converts CO2 into valuable building blocks for chemicals and fuels such as carbon monoxide (CO). The resulting CO can be blended with green hydrogen from water electrolyzers to form syngas, enabling an ultra-low carbon pathway to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) via the Fischer-Tropsch process. At scale, this technology could eliminate the aviation industry’s dependence on fossil resources by providing an alternative source of carbon-based compounds for jet fuel. Twelve is presently scaling up the technology to reduce production costs and achieve industrially relevant production rates. This talk will present Twelve’s CO2 electrolysis technology and highlight collaborative development efforts towards our commercialization goals.

Achieving Optimal Business-IT Alignment in Small Firms: A Dynamic Perspective

This study uses Charmaz's (2006) constructivist grounded theory to examine how small enterprises dynamically connect IT adoption with business goals. To explore small company IT alignment practices, the research uses a qualitative approach to conduct in-depth interpretive interviews with 31 owner-managers. The study methodically analyses grounded data to find processes and concept interrelationships, examining contextual elements, actions, reactions, repercussions, and results. This analysis creates a new framework for business-IT alignment: adaptation, anticipation, synchronisation, and collaboration. Each state shows how small enterprises balance technological and commercial goals, presenting a detailed view of how they do so. This reactive alignment method allows small enterprises to adapt their IT plans to external changes or business needs. Anticipation is a proactive alignment strategy that positions organisations to strategically harness technological advances by anticipating future business and IT needs. Synchronisation occurs when IT and business strategy match in real time, harmonising IT systems and business operations. Collaboration involves deeper integration where IT and business goals are co-created through communication and cooperation. The study's methodology helps policymakers, researchers, and small firm owner-managers predict and analyse business-IT alignment behaviours. This methodology diagnoses alignment states and improves IT adoption strategies and business objectives-IT integration. These findings are important for IT-business alignment theories, especially in small enterprises with resource restrictions and unpredictable contexts.

Development of the information system for managing the output volume of a manufacturing enterprise considering demand

This paper examines the integration of information systems for optimizing the management of production output volumes at manufacturing enterprises, considering demand. The research highlights the critical role of integrated information systems in enhancing the operational efficiency, decision-making processes, and overall competitiveness of manufacturing companies. Ultimately, an integrated information system ensures effective dissemination of valuable information throughout the organization, leading to increased efficiency and profitability for manufacturing companies. The paper emphasizes the importance of integrating demand forecasting, production, warehouse planning, and advertising to optimize operations in industries facing cyclical demand fluctuations. By simultaneously addressing these aspects, companies can minimize costs, improve decision-making consistency, and enhance overall efficiency. The research addresses the issue of planning production volumes, ensuring warehouse resource availability, and stimulating demand through advertising activities, often considered separate business functions. However, all these functions aim to achieve the commercial enterprise's goal of maximizing profit. In modern conditions, any enterprise is a complex system characterized by emergent behavior and interdependence of its components. To maximize the profitability of a manufacturing enterprise, its sales volumes must match the demand, which depends, among other factors, on the effectiveness of demand stimulation through advertising. The ability to meet demand is determined not only by production volumes, which may vary over time, but also by warehouse stock levels, which depend on the available capacity of owned and rented warehouses. The paper proposes an integrated optimization of production output and advertising using economic and mathematical models. The research object is the production and sales activities of an enterprise. The research tasks include forecasting demand for the enterprise's products, determining optimal warehouse capacity, evaluating the effectiveness of advertising campaign elements in influencing demand, optimizing the set of advertising campaign elements, optimizing production output, and developing an integrated information system to support these optimization processes.

Paradoxical founders’ identity and its impact on social venture performance

Purpose This study explores the structure of founders’ hybrid personal identities and their relationship to social venture performance. The authors hypothesize that founders experience the tension between the social and commercial goals of their venture as a paradox rooted in their personal values. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed 112 social enterprise founders in Chile and used structural equation modeling to test hypotheses about the relationship between self-transcendent values (i.e. promotion of others’ welfare and care for nature) and self-enhancement values (i.e. pursuing own interests and power over others) on a multidimensional scale of social venture performance. Findings Self-transcendence and self-enhancement are distinct yet interrelated values that coexist within social venture founders (i.e. they constitute a paradox). Self-transcendence values negatively moderate the positive relationship between self-enhancement values and social venture performance. Practical implications Mere benevolence is insufficient for effective social venturing; success depends on the founder’s self-enhancement values or their “drive” to succeed. Founder values can thus inform organizational design choices (e.g. tasks, team composition, structures and processes) and guide public and private investment decisions. Originality/value This research empirically assesses the structure of hybrid personal identities, uncovering how the concurrent action of self-transcendence and self-enhancement values influences social venture performance. The authors challenge the belief that balancing social and commercial goals benefits social venture performance. Best-performing ventures are those whose founder’s exhibit high self-enhancement and low self-transcendence values.

The Use of Retrocession by Retakaful operators: An Analysis from Shariah Perspective

In Malaysia, the insurance and takaful sector is under the purview of the Central Bank of Malaysia, and the same goes for reinsurance and retakaful operations. However, due to the country's dual financial system i.e. the conventional and Islamic financial system, conventional reinsurance and retakaful, fall under different laws. The conventional reinsurance is regulated under the Financial Services Act (2013) while the takaful and retakaful by the Islamic Financial Services Act (2013). Undoubtedly, the takaful industry is expanding in the Malaysian market today by leaps and bounds. Retakaful acts in the same way as takaful, providing (re)takaful arrangement for their policyholders. The survival of the takaful operator is heavily influenced by the retakaful operators. The takaful operator will distribute some portion of their risks that they cannot bear to a retakaful operators. However, the retakaful operators are currently unable to cover the entire risk that were ceded by the takaful operators due to lack of retakaful operators in the market, as well as very limited capital, inadequate accumulated funds, and regulatory solvency issues. At the same time, retakaful operators also face challenges in meeting their commercial goals. They, in turn, use tools such as retrocession to overcome their impending challenges. This paper aims to analyse the importance of retrocession to the retakaful company from a Shariah perspective. The research is timely as not much research has been carried out on Retakaful operations in Malaysia. There is also limited discussion related to the business models of retakaful, as well as no specific guidelines focusing on retakaful itself. Therefore, a qualitative approach is suitable for the purpose of exploring such new areas. Besides, Retakaful industry is considered relatively new compared to reinsurance.

The Technological Nature of “New Sincerity”

Changes in modern communication have led to the transformation of the category of sincerity into a technology (or strategy) of persuasive influence. Increased sensitivity and the illusion of displaying genuine emotions are used not for frank self-expression, but for achieving commercial, ideological, and other goals. In the article, “new sincerity” is examined from the perspective of communication theory and the understanding of effective strategies by communication participants. It is argued that “new sincerity” has several variations with different sets of substantive components. Four models of new sincerity are characterized, each structured according to the significant components identified during the analysis: the scope of the concept of sincerity, the subject of sincerity, the object of influence, the instrument of influence, the conceptual core (integral component), qualifiers of the concept, type of activity; means of carrying out the activity; expected result of the activity. The assumption is made that variations in understanding the linguistic unit new sincerity have emerged as a result of the universality of its structural-and-semantic contour. It is suggested that the word sincerity originally had potential for future transformations due to the practical properties of the reality it denotes. It is shown that the awareness of the unique properties of sincerity has led to its transformation into insincere sincerity as a technology for attracting audiences of different types with different goals.

Complexity analysis of technology spillover supply chain with dual business objectives

ABSTRACT Based on the existence of technology spillover effect of manufacturers, considering the manufacturer's commercial goals of profit and market share, a dynamic price game model of technology spillover supply chain with dual commercial goals is established. Based on game theory and nonlinear dynamics theory, the equilibrium point and local stability of the system are analyzed. In addition, the effects of price adjustment rate, balance coefficient of business objectives, and technology spillover on model complexity, the change of manufacturer price and profit were analyzed through numerical simulation. The results show that the price adjustment rate, the balance coefficient of business objectives, and the technology spillover have an impact on the stability and complexity of the manufacturer's price competition model. Rationally controlling the price adjustment rate, and enhancing technological spillovers are beneficial to the healthy development of manufacturers and the healthy competition among manufacturers, maintaining the stability of product market prices, and effectively avoiding market chaos. Moreover, when considering market share, manufacturers can expand the system stability domain.

УПРАВЛІННЯ СТАЛИМ РОЗВИТКОМ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА В УМОВАХ МІНЛИВОГО СЕРЕДОВИЩА

The need to solve the global problems of humanity has already convincingly and indisputably proven the feasibility of introducing the concept of sustainable development into the practical sphere of economic activity and management of business entities. However, the complexity and scale of the components of the trilemma of sustainable development create several risks and threats to the organization's management system. These risks are exacerbated by the unpredictable effects of external and internal business environment factors. The article examines the peculiarities of managing the activities of enterprises based on sustainable development under the influence of factors of a changing business environment. The proposed author's vision of the content of sustainable development is based on the combination of commercial and non-commercial goals of the company's existence. The implementation of the principles of the global concept of sustainable development in the practical sphere of enterprise management showed the urgent need to consider the challenges and risks exacerbated by the high degree of volatility and variability of the external business environment. Under such conditions, modern approaches to management are updated, which are based on the principles of risk management and allow effective management and leveling of the consequences of transformational transformations associated with the sustainable development of the company. It was determined that the key risks for sustainable business are environmental, social and managerial risks. Considering the nature of their origin and the nature of the manifestation, the article examines the phasing of the risk management process recommended by the world's leading companies when the company achieves the goals of sustainable development. A set of management methods based on the principles of sustainable business development is recommended under the conditions of the need to level the risks of the organization's changing environment. Among the main ones, the following are proposed: a method of analyzing hierarchy processes; method of analytical and network processes; a method of assessing the priority of organizational sub-risks of sustainable management; compliance, assessment of codes of business conduct, assessment of sustainability risks of supply chains. It was determined that the achievement of the goals and objectives of sustainable development and modern approaches to risk management of the business environment should be based on a more transparent disclosure of information about activities. The international standard IFRS S1 "General Requirements For Disclosures Of Sustainability-Related Financial Information" is not just a strategic guideline, but a necessity for the disclosure of information and the creation of a transparent information and analytical management base. This practice is now becoming mandatory for large and medium-sized businesses in foreign management practice, underlining its importance in sustainable business management.

Cross-sectional examination of commercial milk formula industry funding of international, regional and national healthcare professional associations: protocol

IntroductionCommercial milk formula manufacturers often emphasise their role in supporting infant and young child nutrition and breastfeeding, but their commercial goals to increase volume and profit margin of formula sales...

Commercial Nafion Membranes for Harvesting Osmotic Energy from Proton Gradients that Exceed the Commercial Goal of 5.0 W/m2.

Osmotic energy from proton gradients in industrial acidic wastewater can be harvested and converted to electricity through membranes, making it a renewable and sustainable power source. However, the currently designed membranes for harvesting proton gradient energy in acidic wastewater cannot simultaneously achieve excellent chemical/mechanical stability and high power density under a large-scale area and require high cost and complex operations. Here, we demonstrate that commercial Nafion membranes with high chemical/mechanical stability and proton transport selectivity can generate a power density of 5.1 W/m2 for harvesting osmotic energy from proton gradients under a test area of 0.2 mm2, which exceeds the commercial goal of 5.0 W/m2. Even under a test area of 12.5 mm2, a power density of 2.1 W/m2 can be achieved under a strong acid condition. In addition, the heat can greatly promote proton transport, and the power density is increased, i.e., 8.1 W/m2 at 333 K (5.1 W/m2 at 293 K) under a test area of 0.2 mm2. By matching membranes with ion selectivity, our work demonstrates the potential of Nafion membranes for harvesting proton gradient energy in acidic wastewater and provides an approach for large-scale conversion of osmotic energy.

Smoking out Australia's growing illicit tobacco market: Current trends and future challenges

Data from the Australian Taxation Office and Australian Border Force show notable recent increases in illicit tobacco seizures across Australia. The illicit tobacco market results in substantial losses in tax revenue, funds organised crime, and perpetuates tobacco use, threatening to undermine Australia's ability to achieve its national commercial tobacco endgame goal of 5 % or less smoking prevalence by 2030. This commentary discusses recent trends in Australia's illicit tobacco trade, reasons why this is of concern, potential drivers of Australians’ illicit tobacco use, and policy measures that could be implemented to mitigate increasing illicit tobacco trade such as implementing a track and trace system, increased investment in the Australian Border Force to enhance detection of illicit tobacco shipments at Australia's borders, and encouraging public tip-offs of illicit tobacco sales.

The spherical tokamak path to fusion power: Opportunities and challenges for development via public–private partnerships

In this article, we aim to show that the spherical tokamak (ST) device with high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets could offer the quickest and lowest risk path to develop commercial fusion energy, which may be significantly advanced by the use of private–public partnerships. Our starting point is based on what we have learned and will continue to learn from publicly funded research on STs. Keeping prototype ST devices and HTS magnets small has enabled rapid innovation toward a commercial goal. Our ST40 compact, high field ST has proven exceptional performance, with plasma ion temperatures over 100 × 106 °C (above 8 keV) and a record triple product for any private company (n T τE ∼ 1019 keV s/m3). Meanwhile, our robust, compact, quench-safe, HTS magnets can routinely achieve over 24 T. We now have results of great interest to fusion scientists, so as well as pursuing our commercial goals, we are contributing to scientific progress in fusion. Opportunities to participate in public–private partnerships are emerging with Tokamak Energy already selected for the U.S. Department of Energy milestone program and well-positioned to participate in the U.K. Government Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production program. Other countries are likely to adopt similar approaches as the need for rapid development of fusion energy becomes ever more apparent.

Omnichannel as a trend in managing marketing communications of microfinance business in the digital economy

The intense development of the competitive environment requires microfinance organizations to implement highly effective marketing, aimed at achieving commercial goals and realizing promotion functions in the digital environment. Omnichannel marketing becomes relevant in such conditions, emerging as a widespread trend in the contemporary microfinance business. This work reveals the modern trends of omnichannel marketing development: digitalization, the predominance of large commercial structures, and the shift towards a customer–centric approach and omnichannel marketing. Specific tools of omnichannel marketing are highlighted and analysed: email marketing, call centers, chatbots, messengers, websites, and others, as well as some methods of managing loyalty and personalizing interaction with clients are considered. The research concludes that omnichannel marketing not only contributes to the competitiveness of microfinance organizations through improving customer experience and increasing loyalty but also serves as a significant and effective tool for ensuring efficiency and achieving the marketing commercial goals of the microfinance business.

Management information system, a strategic tool to enhance decision making in micro and small businesses

Background Nowadays, companies face continuous changes, which force them to be more versatile by managing large volumes of data, which do not always become relevant information for decision making. Therefore, the objective of this research is to implement a management information system to improve administrative management in micro and small businesses. Method it was developed under the approach of the agile methodology “SCRUM” following its 5 phases; In addition, the visual basic programming language in ASP.NET was used for the development of the source code and Microsoft SQL Server 2019 and its extensions: Ma-nagement Studio for data processing, “Integration Services” for the migration to the new dimensional model, Reporting Services for reports and Looker Studio for dashboards. Results The implementation of a management information system based on a dashboard allowed managers to obtain relevant information quickly and easily, optimizing decision-making times. In addition, the system allowed for homogeneous comparisons by level, which made it easier to identify deviations in commercial goals and the implementation of corrective actions such as adjustments in goals, changes in productivity, among others. Another result was the visualization of the monthly behavior of the financial system, which helped management structure short, medium and long-term strategies; in addition to the export of reports for “offline” analysis, which facilitates the work of employees in the field. Conclusions This allows reducing the time invested in generating reports, improving the efficiency and precision of the analysis. In addition, it has facilitated the identification of opportunities for improvement in administrative and commercial management, specifically in average productivity and the weighted average rate per advisor.

Cross-disciplinary AI supply chain risk assessment

While AI remains chip based and part of both commercial and national strategic superiority goals, it is useful to examine the security and risks associated with achieving those goals. The future strategy rests perilously on an unstable inverted triangle of financial and economic reality. This paper presents the AI chip supply chain as an inverted triangle which base/apex is dependent on a global single supplier with the capability of producing equipment essential for their manufacture. It highlights the dependence on a single company for the fabrication of those chips, and the security risks associated with that supplier being Taiwanese in limited foreign ownership. It is suggested that the increasing tensions between China and the USA have resulted, in part, from this dependence, which was demonstrated by the supply chain crisis resulting from Covid-19. The attempt to reduce this dependence led to the CHIPS and Science Act 2022, signed into law by President Biden. In part of the inverted triangle are found Big Tech and the major Cloud Service Providers. They vary between 60% - 80% of their market capital being in financial institutional ownership, most of which is held by a very limited number of institutions, not all of whom are publicly quoted. To doubt the influence wielded by those financial institutions, just a single institution with major Big Tech and Cloud holdings has, at 31 December 2022, USD 8.59 trillion of assets under management. This represents economic power and places it between the equivalent Gross Domestic Product of China (USD 19.37 trillion) and Japan (USD 4.41 trillion) the second and third entries behind the USA in the GDP rankings. Financial institutions are market driven to achieve growth, contribute to economic stability, and are to an extent regulated by unelected vested interests and organisations. The battlefield for national supremacy of AI may concern chips, until the arrival of quantum AI. Current Chinese economic woes are providing the momentum for pre-emptive strikes at the semiconductor industry, and an inverted triangle is neither a secure nor stable structure for a supply chain.

THE ARCTIC: THE STRUGGLE FOR RESOURCES AND INFLUENCE IN THE REGION

Modern climate changes caused by the processes of global warming are clearly reflected in the geopolitical interests of various states of the world in relation to the Arctic region. Accordingly, the relevance of the study of this issue is caused by the formation in the last decade of a number of opportunities that may be open to a state that will establish its influence in the Arctic. This is due to a combination of economic and political advantages expressed in the extraordinary amount of resources that characterize this region, the development of rational sea routes, the satisfaction of commercial goals and even the protection of the sovereignty of coastal countries. Thus, the purpose of the work was to define the Arctic as a political arena, in particular, to reveal the interests and plans of various countries regarding its territory and resources. For this, the research used the method of analysis and synthesis, comparison, deduction, generalization, as well as historical. As a result, it was established that active climatic changes in the world cause the formation and development of new economic opportunities in the Arctic. Accordingly, the role of this region was determined for such countries as Canada, Russia, United States of America, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Finland. It was possible to establish that their interests are to a greater extent caused by the desire to control the operation of the Northern Sea Route. In addition, the work described the advantages of the Arctic region, which describe the priority of establishing control over this territory by the relevant state. In particular, it is beneficial for the development of economic activity, the protection of the territories of coastal countries, it is characterized by a significant number of deposits of natural resources and other minerals, as well as wide transit opportunities. Thus, it was proved that it is appropriate to consider the Arctic as a socio-cultural, ethnic, socio-economic, geopolitical space around the North Pole, the resources of which provoke world states to compete with each other. The practical value of the work is revealed in the possibility of using its results for further scientific research, as well as educational material for those studying the Arctic and its role in international relations.