Global Companies Research Articles

(Micro)soft power in Dutch public education: making classrooms platform-ready through partner work

ABSTRACT This article explores how the global technology company Microsoft, supported by local partners, makes Dutch classrooms platform-ready by influencing how schools approach three key public governance responsibilities in their digital transformation: developing a vision for digital education, creating strategies for educational innovation and fostering digital literacy. Using the concept of soft power and extensive empirical research, the study shows how Microsoft aligns these responsibilities with its own corporate interests. As a result, the company gains control over schools’ digital infrastructure – not only in terms of hardware and software but also in terms of its pedagogical design. The conclusion emphasises the importance of collective and collaborative national efforts to resist the global influence of platforms like Microsoft on local digital education.

About the approach to measure company’s network capital

In modern scientific literature the category of «capital» is beginning to be applied to a wide range of company assets that can bring economic benefits over a long period of time. Various researchers distinguish human, intellectual, social, network and other types of capital. This makes it urgent to develop new approaches to assessing various types of capital, taking into account their complementary specificity. Within the framework of this article the task is to propose a new approach to measure company’s network capital. Existing methods for estimating company’s value are often based on summing up the costs of individual types of capital. However, such an additive approach does not consider the complementary nature of different types of capital. The work proposes to use a multiplicative approach based on the modified Cobb–Douglas function, which takes into account property and network capital as well as the economic efficiency of the company. This approach takes into account the complementarity of different types of capital and their combined impact on the value of а company. Seven leading global companies in the IT industry (Microsoft, Apple, Oracle Corp., Alphabet, Baidu, Meta, Twitter) were chosen as the empirical basis for the study. The proposed approach made possible to compare the network capital of different companies and identify the factors influencing its accumulation.

Leveraging AI for Transfer Pricing Strategy Development and Execution: A Practical Approach

Abstract—Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into transfer pricing strategies offers excellent opportunities for global companies to optimize taxes, thereby optimizing business strategies across international borders. This paper proposes a practical approach to an AI-driven framework for the development and execution of transfer pricing strategies. This paper also focuses on compliance, risk management, global profit optimization, and organizational value creation, which are considered to face increased scrutiny from tax authorities worldwide. The paper proposes a step-by-step approach that integrates AI technology into various stages of transfer pricing, from data analysis to documentation. With AI's data analytics, predictive modeling, and decision-making, companies can enhance accuracy and efficiency to meet compliance while enhancing business decisions. The framework discussed provides a practical guide for global organizations to navigate global taxation complexities. Keywords—Transfer pricing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Analysis, OECD, Pillar 1, Pillar 2, BEPS, NLP, Automation.

Government Subsidies and Business Resilience of Chinese Electric Vehicle Enterprises: The Roles of ESG and Technological Capability

In the context of increasing global macroeconomic policy uncertainty, the effectiveness of Chinese government subsidies in promoting the business resilience of electric vehicle (EV) enterprises and the sustainable development of the EV industry has attracted significant attention. This paper utilizes panel data from Chinese listed EV companies from 2013 to 2022 to examine the impact of government subsidies on the business resilience of these enterprises. It also analyzes the moderating roles of corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance and technological capability. This study finds that government subsidies significantly enhance business resilience, particularly for companies with a high ESG performance and a strong technological capability, which can better leverage these subsidies to further enhance their resilience amidst market fluctuations and uncertainties. Moreover, as an external support measure, government subsidies complement internal corporate factors like ESG performance and technological capability, promoting the sustainable development of the industry. Policymakers should consider corporate ESG performance and technological capability when designing subsidy programs to maximize their effectiveness.

An Analysis of Global Organic Farmland Leaders

Organic farming is one of the methods by which the world can target the global sustainable goals concerning production and consumption. Currently, organic farming is practiced in 188 countries worldwide, and 96.4 million hectares of agricultural land are under organic management. India ranks second in terms of total area under organic agricultural land and is a global leader concerning organic producers. During the period 2000-2020, India had the highest Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) concerning organic agricultural land at 41 percent. This study analyses the growth rate of the global organic players namely, Australia, India, Argentina, China, and France, in terms of organic farmland area. During the period 2000-2020, India had the maximum hectare multiplier value being 957.80, while Australia (6.74), Argentina (1.55), and France (6.89) had a hectare multiplier value in single digit and China (60.88) hectare multiplier value in double digit. This paper also analyses the major reasons resulting in this expansion.

CMMI & Lean-Based Metrics Governance Model to Ensure Data Accuracy & Consistency for Ai/Ml Applications for Sustainable Operations in Mining Industry

In today’s competitive business environment, even small improvements in productivity and efficiency can have a huge impact on company’s profitability. Whether it is through reduced lead time/waste, minimized downtime or improved quality, operation managers are looking for any advantage at every stage. Lean management is a long-term operational discipline that methodically seeks to enhance efficiency and quality by eliminating wastage. The concept is being used in varied industries and helped by improved productivity, safety & better management. Lean in being used by few mining companies also at a small scale, which has helped them in limited way. AI/ML is another important technology used by many organizations. Many global mining companies have also used it for improving operational efficiency, which have helped miners in a limited ways in improving the productivity and safety. Mining companies have to deal with tons of data set generated from heavy machinery and plants, which have to be stored, processed, and stored. There are many challenges in the data set generated/used by AI/ML-application for mining operations. One of the key challenges in AI/ML is accessibility and availability of accurate & consistent data. To ensure consistency of data there is a need for a governance structure which will guarantee the availability of required accurate data set for AI/ML system. One possible solution could be, CMMI’s metrics processes used by IT companies and have helped in improving quality. CMMI’s Metrics related processes are being used extensively by the organizations for better monitoring & control of key measures. This paper explores the possibility of usage of CMMI’s metrics practices with lean implementation in mining for ensuring availability of accurate data sets for AI/ML applications. The proposed framework will put a governance model in place to ensure accuracy & consistency of data to be used for AI/ML-applications in Mining.

Collective attention overload in a global manufacturing company: a case study

AbstractThe rapid evolution of information technology (IT) platforms has enabled the collection of vast volumes of data for decision support. These technologies have facilitated an increase in information sharing and collaboration, promising to accelerate problem-solving and foster innovation. However, despite the advancements in this sophisticated and evolving technological landscape, scholars have raised concerns that the collective attention of organizations may be compromised primarily due to the overwhelming volume of information that employees are exposed to daily. Given the limited nature of human attention, this excessive information can impair decision-making and restrict an organization’s capacity to achieve performance enhancements. To understand the IT impact on collective attention, we conducted a case study in a multinational organization in the engineering and electronics sector. Our participants described how an IT platform designed to encourage information sharing and collaboration affected collective mindfulness of opportunities for collaboration and innovation. Despite an innovation culture and careful implementation, the IT platform induced a level of information sharing and collaboration that overwhelmed collective attention, leading to employees failing to achieve the anticipated performance improvements. Our findings caution organizations about how emerging technologies may induce attention overload, undermine collective attention, and detract from collective mindfulness of business opportunities. Our research findings confront the prevalent assumption that an abundance of high-quality information invariably leads to enhanced organizational performance. The article concludes by proposing a research agenda aimed at defining guidelines for the adoption of collaborative IT platforms that prevent overloading collective attention.

Cross-functional integration between demand and supply processes: a case study about the role of digital technologies

PurposeThe objective of this article is to analyze the integration between the internal functions related to demand and supply processes. The studied object was an agribusiness company that uses digital technologies to operate its inbound logistics.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted in a global agribusiness company that went through a restructuring process with the implementation of a shared service center. In-depth interviews were conducted with employees from the demand and supply areas. The analysis involved description of cross-functional integration processes from the areas of demand and supply, the identification of technologies from Industry 4.0 present in the activities of those areas and their role in the integration process.FindingsThe analysis revealed the mediating role of technology in cross-functional integration, the presence of new integration factors and their impact on process performance. A framework was developed that describes the relationship between technology and integration factors, their impacts, and the implications for theory and practice.Practical implicationsRegarding this study, the focal company migrated its activities, which were previously isolated and dispersed across branches, to a centralized shared services unit. This research contributes by providing managers with elements to support their investment decisions in technologies that facilitate the integration process, mainly in the areas of planning and execution. It also contributes to the planning of processes, helping managers who are implementing or migrating activities and areas to new management structures.Originality/valueThis paper brings two new assumptions that may guide future investigations about cross-functional integration and its effects on demand and supply integration (DSI): (1) Digital technologies are able to support cross-functional integration in order to provide information integrity, team alignment, agile and assertive decision making within supply and demand processes; (2) Cross-functional integration, mediated by digital technologies, can generate agility and accuracy of information in the demand and supply processes. This accuracy and agility provide improvements in demand and supply process performance metrics, such as predictability, assertiveness, standardization, productivity and response time.

Using Websites to Become Global Players in International Education: Insights from a Chinese University

Despite the emerging scholarship on efforts of (semi)peripheral countries to take up internationalization of higher education (HE), little attention has been paid to how these universities market international education to prospective students on their websites. These websites are a multimodal space marketing internationalization that has been rarely investigated from a diachronic perspective. This study focuses on a Chinese university and uses a multimodal semiotic approach to unpack (dis)similarities of its present website from its other earlier websites to uncover how internationalization of HE has been integrated from a comparative point of view. The research also investigates how internationalization discourses, ideologies and practices are mobilized and disseminated through website design. It reveals that the university under scrutiny has kept utilizing the same salient modes in its layout, video, text, and image to communicate to potential students. The (dis)similarities were supported by an increase in branding and marketing, which shapes internationalization of HE in China and beyond. This paper ends by discussing the practical implications for countries seeking to claim greater competitiveness in international HE.

Credit Risk Prediction Using Machine Learning and Deep Learning: A Study on Credit Card Customers

The increasing population and emerging business opportunities have led to a rise in consumer spending. Consequently, global credit card companies, including banks and financial institutions, face the challenge of managing the associated credit risks. It is crucial for these institutions to accurately classify credit card customers as “good” or “bad” to minimize capital loss. This research investigates the approaches for predicting the default status of credit card customer via the application of various machine-learning models, including neural networks, logistic regression, AdaBoost, XGBoost, and LightGBM. Performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, ROC, and MCC for all these models are employed to compare the efficiency of the algorithms. The results indicate that XGBoost outperforms other models, achieving an accuracy of 99.4%. The outcomes from this study suggest that effective credit risk analysis would aid in informed lending decisions, and the application of machine-learning and deep-learning algorithms has significantly improved predictive accuracy in this domain.

Digital recognition: cybersecurity and internet infrastructure in UAE–Israel diplomacy

Abstract The 2020 Israel–UAE Abraham Accords normalized these states' relations, with heavy emphasis on digital technologies. International Relations theories of recognition, however, hardly consider the role digital technologies play in establishing recognition between states. What role, then, did digital technologies play in this landmark shift in UAE–Israel recognition? This article uses three aspects of digital technologies in the UAE–Israel case—cybersecurity cooperation, cloud computing, and subsea cables—to inductively develop three propositions regarding the role of digital technologies in state recognition. First, states use digital technologies—and private sector companies that own and operate them—as diplomatic lubrication: a means to navigate around and overcome difficult diplomatic relationships, building momentum towards recognition. Second, digital competition between states leads them to conform their national economic structures towards global technology companies in similar ways, thereby recognizing each other as equal participants in a global market—which we term market-oriented homogenization. Third, states involved in transnational internet infrastructure projects together develop technical working practices, interests, and dependencies that facilitate diplomatic recognition—which we term infrastructural integration. Building on these three propositions, we put forward an overall concept of ‘digital recognition’ to capture their common theme: the influence of digital technologies, their owners or their operators on state recognition.

Penerapan Metode Ward and Peppard dalam Analisis Infrastruktur TI pada Global Youth Action

Global Youth Action is a company engaged in youth empowerment with a focus on supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the collaboration of various youth movements in Indonesia and internationally. However, the company still faces challenges in terms of infrastructure and information system (IS) applications that are not fully capable of supporting business processes optimally. One of the main obstacles is the limited human resources who have expertise in managing SI and information technology (IT) effectively. In preparing the SI strategic planning framework, this research uses the Ward and Peppard approach to analyze company needs. The analysis process includes mapping the company's internal and external environment through Value Chain Analysis and SWOT Analysis, as well as grouping the application portfolio using McFarlan Strategic Grid. The results of this research recommend the development of various applications such as the Global Youth Action Website application, SAP application, customer service information system, asset information system, and executive information system. These recommendations are expected to provide strategic direction for the global youth action company, as well as improve IT HR competencies and strengthen the application portfolio to support the sustainability of business processes at Global Youth Action.

Evaluating Corporate Governance: Guiding Principles and Calls for Future Research

SYNOPSIS Prior research finds that companies’ evaluation of corporate governance is often piecemeal and symbolic, leaving companies vulnerable to systematic risks associated with governance failures. In this paper, we use interview data from 29 chief audit executives (CAEs) from publicly traded companies in the U.S. to propose guiding principles for how companies can formally evaluate their overall internal corporate governance systems. Our guiding principles can be adapted for a variety of governance-related objectives and leverage existing frameworks. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research. JEL Classifications: G34; M42.

Reducing Pharmaceutical and Non-Pharmaceutical Inventory Waste in Tertiary Hospital: Impact of ABC-VEN Analysis in a Zero-Waste Strategy Over 7 Years.

To evaluate the prevalence and trend of inventory waste in a tertiary hospital over the last 7 years. This included the type and average monetary value (MV) of inventory waste, as well as the outcome of using the Always-Better-Control (ABC)-Vital-Essential-Non-essential (VEN) matrix as part of a Zero-Waste Strategy. This was a retrospective observational study conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) over 7 years. The prevalence of waste was 0.21%, which equates to (SAR) 15 million out of SAR 7 billion. The pharmaceutical inventory had significantly higher waste in terms of MV and the number of items (89.8%, and 80.3%, respectively) (P<0.001). The expired pharmaceutical inventory had a significantly higher waste of MV than non-moving and obsolete inventory (79.8%, 14.3%, and 5.9%, respectively) (P<0.001). The ABC-VEN matrix categorized the inventory into Category I, which has the highest MV waste at 82.3%, followed by Category II with 16.8%, and then Category III with 0.9%. However, category II had a significantly higher number of wasted items at (58.2%), followed by Category I (24%) and Category III (17.8%) (P<0.01). The majority of MV waste consisted of a small number of pharmaceutical items that had a high clinical impact, representing 66% and 18%, respectively. After implementing a zero-waste strategy for landfills using the ABC-VEN matrix, the prevalence of waste declined from 0.9% to 0.21%. The waste sent to the landfill was zero from 2018 through 2020, saving 73.64% of the total money. The use of the ABC-VEN matrix positively impacted the reduction of MV waste. The prevalence and trend rate of inventory waste were lower than the benchmarks of global companies, saving more than two-thirds of the inventory value that would have been wasted. The majority of the wasted MV consisted of a small number of pharmaceutical items that had a significant clinical impact.

Determinants Of Reputable Underwriters In Green Bond Offering

This research paper delves into the process by which industrial companies issuing green bonds can secure certification from reputable underwriters. By analyzing data from international green corporate bond offerings from the period between 2014 and 2022, the study aims to unravel the factors that influence underwriter selection decisions. Using a logit model to address the potential biases, the research reveals specific firm and bond characteristics that significantly impact the likelihood of collaborating with reputable underwriters. The findings indicate that reputable underwriters exhibit a preference for larger firms demonstrating strong financial performance, dealing with larger bond sizes, and possessing distinct bond features such as callability and involvement in private placements. Additionally, variables like maturity periods, involvement in finance vehicles, credit ratings, and syndicate size emerge as crucial factors in underwriter selection processes. These insights highlight the critical factors that issuers must thoroughly assess when selecting underwriters with strong reputations. The significance role of underwriter credibility, capabilities, and reliability in shaping the landscape of green bond underwriting is emphasized. This analysis holds relevance for both academic research and industry practitioners within the realm of sustainable finance.

Exploring the Impact of Flexible Work Arrangements on Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and the Moderating Effect of Perceived Supervisory Support

In today's employment landscape, the value of flexibility cannot be overstated, with an increasing number of employees seeking to balance their professional duties with their personal lives. This quest for the right balance has been strengthened by workplace flexibility, allowing individuals to tailor their workloads and have more autonomy over their working conditions. This research focuses on the impact of Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs)—namely, working from home and flextime—on Turnover Intention (TI) within the power and utilities sector of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We further investigate how Job Satisfaction (JS) mediates this relationship, and the extent to which Perceived Supervisory Support (PSS) moderates it. The study utilized a convenience sampling method to survey employees from a leading global energy company with a significant presence in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, boasting over 500 staff members. Of the 550 employees approached, 250 responded, yielding a 45% response rate. The research employed SPSS V.28 for demographic analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and measurement of the reliability and validity of the study constructs. Also, mediation and moderation analysis were performed using Hayes Process Macro to validate our conceptual framework, providing robust statistical analysis. This research focuses on how PSS moderates the relationship between FWAs and Job Satisfaction, a relatively underexplored area. The findings include, FWA has positive impact on Job Satisfaction and negative impact on turnover intention. The indirect effect of Job Satisfaction and Perceived Supervisor Support is found out to be insignificant. The implications of this study guides organizations in tailoring their policies, and practices to mitigate turnover intentions.

Spiritual Branding and Corporate Profit in the Japanese Modern Mystery School

This article analyzes the irreducibility of spiritual branding, theologies of self-divinity and the business practices of a global esoteric company. Based on fieldwork with the Modern Mystery School (MMS) in Tokyo, I show how initiates, by purchasing an ascending syllabus of esoteric courses, recognize their own divinity and parlay this recognition into a spiritual brand that helps them market to their own clientele niche. The spiritual transformation of recognizing one’s transcendent individual royalty is necessarily monetized as Adepts transition from paying clients to income-generating spiritual therapists. Parallel to this, top leadership have consciously fused MMS as an ancient hermetic lineage with a modern-day entertainment company, fashion company and lifestyle magazine. This has given MMS in Japan a recognizable public aesthetic which, combined with teachings about opposite but complementary Divine Masculinity and Femininity, advances gender normative ideologies often experienced by followers as spiritual alternativity. This article theorizes the intertwined relationship of other-worldly self-branding and this-worldly business acumen without reifying the binary between religion and economy or reducing meaningful spiritual transformation to corporate profit.

Evaluating the financial case for investing in, or divesting from, tobacco investments.

Tobacco Free Portfolios urges institutions to pledge against investing in, and to withhold financial services from, tobacco companies. Their goal is to create a 'tobacco-free world'. They argue that without financial and investor support, these companies' operations will become less sustainable. To assess the financial rationale for investing in, or divesting from, tobacco companies. Using data sourced from Bloomberg from 2008 to 2023, we evaluate historical sales volumes, real revenue, real gross profit per cigarette, stock performance and price-to-earnings trends for nine leading listed global tobacco companies. Cigarette sales volumes have steadily declined from 2008 to 2023. Despite efforts to diversify towards novel products, revenues from these products remain small, and cigarettes remain the primary revenue source. Excluding inorganic growth, six of the nine companies experienced real revenue declines from 2008 to 2023. Since 2016, many companies experienced declines in real gross profit per cigarette, indicating that they find it increasingly difficult to offset reduced cigarette sales through net-of-tax price increases. Since 2016, all nine tobacco companies' stocks have substantially underperformed the market. This stands in contrast to the 2008-2016 period, during which all nine companies' stocks substantially outperformed the market. Tobacco companies have experienced deteriorating financial performance since 2016, amidst ever-escalating regulation. It remains unclear whether the growth in novel products will be rapid enough to mitigate the decline in cigarette sales. This uncertainty poses heightened risks for investors, and there is a real possibility of continued poor stock performance.

Greensill capital and the use of the administration process in UK company law: an incomplete case study

ABSTRACT This paper examines the Greensill collapse, with a central focus on the UK company administration procedure under the Insolvency Act 1986, exploring its broader implications for international corporate finance regulation. It analyses the events leading to Greensill’s collapse and the challenges encountered during the administration process, shedding light on stakeholder rights and the delicate balance between national and international legal frameworks. This case illustrates the intricacies of contemporary administration practices, demonstrating how administration can serve as both a rescue mechanism and as a tool for a more efficient liquidation, aimed at maximising asset value to provide better dividends for creditors. Ultimately, the paper underscores the risks inherent in financial innovation, offering lessons for the ongoing evolution as regards to the usage of administration. As the Greensill saga continues, the paper anticipates future developments, emphasising the need for systematic understanding and vigilance in complex financial scenarios.

Innovating for sustainability in food and beverage companies: the role of governance and environmental factors in climate change mitigation

PurposeFocusing on the food and beverage (F&amp;B) sectors, this study aims to identify combinations of external environmental factors (natural disasters and water stress) and internal corporate governance factors (corporate social responsibility [CSR] sustainability committee, board gender diversity and stakeholder engagement) that lead to the integration of climate change mitigation innovation and technologies.Design/methodology/approachA fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was conducted on a global sample of 262 listed companies in the F&amp;B sectors. Two additional analyses were performed for European and Asian companies.FindingsIn the three models, the presence of CSR sustainability committees and stakeholder engagement was crucial for achieving the integration of climate change mitigation innovation and technologies. The relevance of board gender diversity differs between the European and Asian models, highlighting potential regional influences on corporate climate innovation decisions. The combination of external and internal factors is the key to justifying different approaches to achieving climate innovation.Originality/valueThis study offers insights into the factors driving the integration of climate change mitigation innovation and technologies into company strategies. Related strategies must combine external and internal factors to enhance the climate resilience and competitiveness of F&amp;B companies while reducing their environmental impact.