International Decisions Research Articles

Brain signatures during perceptual decision-making index variations in internal processing and decision boundary

Brain signatures during perceptual decision-making index variations in internal processing and decision boundary

Internal Information Quality and Corporate Employment Decisions

AbstractPrior studies argue that high‐quality internal information improves forecasting and reduces internal information asymmetry, and hence facilitates firms’ decision‐making. Consistent with this argument, we find that internal information quality (IIQ) is positively associated with employment efficiency. Furthermore, we find that better IIQ leads to an improvement in employment efficiency primarily by improving demand forecasts. The baseline finding is robust to using a setting that exploits time‐series shocks to IIQ (i.e., the adoption of SFAS 158) and other sensitivity analyses. Our findings add to prior studies on the role of IIQ in decision‐making.

Do Share Repurchases Crowd Out Internal Investment in South Africa?

Researchers in developed countries have questioned whether share repurchase activity influences internal investment. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between share repurchases and internal investment (defined as capital expenditure, employment expenditure, and research and development) in South Africa, as little was known about this relationship in developing countries. A quantitative research methodology was followed, employing the data of South African listed companies during the 2002–2017 period. A significant negative relationship was noted between share repurchases and employment expenditure when considering all companies, while high-growth companies exhibited a significant negative relationship between share repurchases and capital expenditure. The negative relationships could indicate that companies increase share repurchases to the detriment of internal investment (especially employment). Alternatively, it may imply that share repurchase and internal investment decisions are determined simultaneously, with companies decreasing internal investment and increasing share repurchases in the absence of identifiable profitable projects (or increasing internal investment and decreasing share repurchases when growth opportunities are available). These findings could be useful to shareholders, corporate governance regulators and activists. Given the high unemployment and income inequality in South Africa, the results support a call for the improved regulation of share repurchases to ensure effective monitoring.

The effect of political elections at home on the internationalization of state‐owned multinationals from emerging countries

AbstractResearch SummaryThe literature on the internationalization of state‐owned enterprises in emerging countries usually implicitly assumes continuity in the provision of key resources by home country governments. This assumption, however, does not necessarily hold in the presence of political elections in democratic emerging countries. Drawing from the resource dependence theory and the literatures on election‐induced uncertainty and investment irreversibility, we study how political elections in emerging countries affect the internationalization of multinationals with state indirect ownership. Using a sample of 89 Brazilian multinationals from 2000 to 2012, we find that these state‐owned multinationals are less likely to internationalize during elections than multinationals with fully private ownership. When they internationalize, they choose investments that provide them with more flexibility than those chosen by their private counterparts.Managerial SummaryPolitical elections in democratic emerging countries regularly create considerable policy uncertainty and opportunism in policymaking. This affects the provision of government resources that state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) depend on for their internationalization strategy. Our results show that Brazilian multinationals with state indirect ownership are less likely to internationalize in an election year, and when they do, they implement more flexible strategies than fully private multinationals. These findings suggest that SOEs need to include the timing of political elections in their long‐term international strategic planning. Our study also stresses the pros and cons of the SOE‐government relationship. Whereas the link to the state can offer SOEs a way to access valuable government resources, it may constrain their managerial autonomy in international strategy decisions during political elections.

Does effective democracy explain MNE location choice?: Attractiveness to FDI and cross-border M&As

Are internationalization decisions of MNEs affected by the democracy levels of the host country? Democracy is a thicker construct that defines the credibility, stability, accountability and effectiveness of formal and informal institutions present in a country. Democratic nations are better governed. Democratization should, therefore, make locations more favorable for MNEs. Yet very little is known about the role of democracy. Using a unique sample of FDI and cross-border M&As, our paper, for the first time, provides global evidence of how effective democratization increases the attractiveness of the target county to foreign investment. We find a positive linear association of effective democracy with FDI and cross-border M&A inflows. Our analysis also differentiates between a paper (only rules) and effective (rules with implementation) democracy and identifies implementation as a critical factor in democratization’s attractiveness. Thus, this paper provides a key peg in the MNE location choice decision and has implications for firms and their stakeholders, M&A decision-makers, business leaders, and policymakers.

Adaptive active Brownian particles searching for targets of unknown positions

Developing behavioral policies designed to efficiently solve target-search problems is a crucial issue both in nature and in the nanotechnology of the 21st century. Here, we characterize the target-search strategies of simple microswimmers in a homogeneous environment containing sparse targets of unknown positions. The microswimmers are capable of controlling their dynamics by switching between Brownian motion and an active Brownian particle and by selecting the time duration of each of the two phases. The specific conduct of a single microswimmer depends on an internal decision-making process determined by a simple neural network associated with the agent itself. Starting from a population of individuals with random behavior, we exploit the genetic algorithm NeuroEvolution of augmenting topologies to show how an evolutionary pressure based on the target-search performances of single individuals helps to find the optimal duration of the two different phases. Our findings reveal that the optimal policy strongly depends on the magnitude of the particle’s self-propulsion during the active phase and that a broad spectrum of network topology solutions exists, differing in the number of connections and hidden nodes.

The Journal of Consumer Behaviour's first 20 years

AbstractWe analyzed and compared the Journal of Consumer Behaviour content in its first 20 years of publication. Articles were categorized into seven topics (Internal Factors, External Factors, Decision Process, Social Issues, Internet, Managerial Issues, and Research Methods) with subtopics. Authorship, citations based on Google Scholar, geographic representation of authors, and methodologies employed across the first 20 years were also explored. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the journal and consumer behaviour. This analysis provides suggestions for future research to be published by the Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

Evaluation framework study assessing the role, applicability and adherence to good practice of planning support tools for allocation of development aid for health in low-income and middle-income countries

ObjectivesAllocation of development aid for health is controversial and challenging. In recent years, several planning-software tools have promised to help decision-makers align resource allocation with their objectives, more clearly connect...

COMO OS ESTUDANTES PERCEBEM O VALOR DA EDUCAÇÃO EM CONTABILIDADE: O CASO DE UMA IES PORTUGUESA

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the perception of accounting/tax students of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) about the value of education in financial and cost accounting. The research highlights and distinguishes the relevance of financial and/or cost accounting to the labour market and to organisations from the perspective of students. The study is quantitative, and the data was collected through a questionnaire for students who are completing a course in accounting or taxation. Students consider accounting fundamental to the labour market and extremely important the information provided by financial and/or cost accounting for the fulfilment of legal obligations, to assist in internal decision-making and to provide information to all relevant audiences.

ده‌نگدانه‌وه‌ی كۆڕه‌وی (1991)ی باشووری كوردستان له‌ ئاستى ناوه‌نده‌ فه‌رمی و نافه‌رمییه‌كانی ده‌ره‌وه‌دا

Reaction of the 1991 exodus at the level of official and informal institutes in outside the Iraqi Kurdistan Region ، this study presents the reactions to the 1991 uprising in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region at the formal and informal levels. The reactions of the Kurdish Diaspora abroad and the Arab countries, as well as the reflection of the mass exodus on the international media and international decisions has been demonstrated. Such a study highlights the importance of the event that is related to the fate of the legitimate cause of the Kurdish nation in contemporary history. The most important source mentioned in this study is the analysis of witnesses, politicians, intellectuals and academic figures who were involved in the events. We believe that this is the first study with a scientific significance that focuses on the rumors of the exodus event at various official and informal levels abroad.

The Bank of Indus: a strategic operational transformation

The case describes how Khyber Bank saw compelling reasons to open branches in FATA, a part of the KPK province. Khyber Bank had only 2.5 months to open branches in FATA, where there was no concept of banking or operating banks in the area. The branches had to be operationalized by the end of November 2019; hence, this was a challenge that was to be encountered by Khyber Bank. In the underdeveloped new zone of FATA, where there was no such idea of the banking system and financial services, recruiting, residence, security, finance, awareness, economic, and infrastructural concerns were real. Despite having the advantage of being the first to market, the bank nevertheless had to ensure that all of its branches were self-sustaining within the first few years of operation. The story was about internal operations and decisions, citizens’ involvement, and analytical study to evaluate the real-world reality of that specific zone. The case explores Khyber Bank’s problems while relocating its branches in FATA within 2.5 months and how they tried to overcome them.

Return on equity determinants and Covid-19 pandemic impacts on Latin America companies: A panel data study

This research investigates the determinants of ROE and the impact caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on public companies in Latin America. The fixed effects regression model with panel data is used to identify that factors related to sales policies and cost controls are the ones that contribute the most to ROE performance, regardless of the period. On the other hand, the level of indebtedness and macroeconomic indicators are not significant, strengthening the finding that the operational and internal decisions of the company contribute more strongly to maximizing shareholder returns. This verification helps financial managers in directing decisions and expands academic knowledge on this topic.

Justainability.

Sustainability, properly understood, is an existential moral ideal. The United Nations, however, defines it in terms of 17 indivisible sustainable development goals. This definition changes the core idea of the concept. It turns sustainability from a moral ideal into a set of economy-based political aspirations. The European Union's bioeconomy strategy demonstrates the shift aptly and reveals its main problem. When economy is prioritized, social and ecological concerns become secondary. This has been the United Nations line since the Brundtland Commission's report, Our Common Future in 1987. Considerations of justice illustrate the inadequacy of the approach. Equality and justice require that all those affected by decisions are heard in making them. Under the current operationalization, decisions related to the natural environment and climate change are currently being made without hearing voices that advocate deeper social and ecological equality. After an explication of the problem and the state of the art as outlined above, a new notion of justainability is introduced and it is argued that assuming it would be a step in the right direction in taking also noneconomic values properly into account in international decision making.

Political risk and corporate international supply chain

This paper examines the effect of countries’ political risk on corporate international supply chain. Using the survey data of firms in 32 countries, we find that political risk decreases firms’ purchasing proportion from foreign suppliers. We also find that the effect is less pronounced for firms with business association membership and whose main market is international, and firms in countries with better institutional environments and higher degree of development. Studies on influencing channels show that political risk decreases corporate international purchasing through the increase in corporate informal payments and the decrease in willingness to apply for import licenses. Finally, we find that the reduced corporate international purchasing accompanied by political risk decreases firms’ capacity utilization, expected sales, and research and development activities. Collectively, our findings provide new evidence on the role of political risk for firms’ international purchasing decisions.

Assessing the fairness of the EU Council qualified majority voting. A voting power critical perspective of the liberal intergovernmentalist accounts

The Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) used by the Council of the European Union developed to a high degree of complexity from one modifying treaty to another, until the latest definition stipulated in the Treaty of Lisbon. This paper analyses this EU intra-institutional voting method using a rational choice approach and emphasizes that there are situations when not even the institutions, as rational actors, can avoid a collective irrational outcome even when they are addressing subjects such as voting power distribution. It also addresses several shortcomings of the Liberal Intergovernmentalist explanatory framework focusing on the insufficiently developed level of credible institutional commitments. The core part of the article consists in investigating several types of EU Council internal decision-making options, proposing how they can be designed to be considered in the same time fair and efficient, and in analysing how close this voting power ideal type configuration is to the current decisional system.

A Brief Study on the Emerging Nature of India’s Foreign Policy

As was said, the government of the day should base its diplomatic and international policy decisions on the nation's best interests, which should also be the primary element in making such decisions. However, while being open to a variety of perspectives and interpretations, India has been unable to make the most of the chances that are now accessible to it. India's democracy is strong and contentious. In this article, scholar plans to provide his personal evaluation on India's significant foreign policy movements throughout the years, including how some of them have failed us down while others have helped us accomplish our national objectives in more effective ways. He will also discuss how some of these efforts have helped them accomplish country's goals in more efficient methods.

The impact of empowering internal auditors on the quality of electronic internal audits: A case of Jordanian listed services companies

This study emphases on the top management empowerments to internal auditors, namely, general qualification, electronic qualification and independence, affecting quality of electronic internal audits in the Jordanian Listed Service Companies. This paper used 144 usable questionnaires from internal auditors in the Jordanian listed service companies. The gathered data were analysed utilizing ``Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)''. The results reveal that general qualification, electronic qualification and independence have a significant effect on the quality of electronic internal audits, as supported by the resource-based view. Due to the importance of the service companies’ sector in the context of Jordan, the results are helpful for the internal audit profession and decision makers in offering new legislation for the internal audit profession. Future research may consider other factors that may hinder the quality of electronic internal audits, such as audit task complexity or organizational culture.

ده‌نگدانه‌وه‌ی كۆڕه‌وی (1991)ی باشووری كوردستان له‌ ئاستى ناوه‌نده‌ فه‌رمی و نافه‌رمییه‌كانی ده‌ره‌وه‌دا

Reaction of the 1991 exodus at the level of official and informal institutes in outside the Iraqi Kurdistan Region ، this study presents the reactions to the 1991 uprising in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region at the formal and informal levels. The reactions of the Kurdish Diaspora abroad and the Arab countries, as well as the reflection of the mass exodus on the international media and international decisions has been demonstrated. Such a study highlights the importance of the event that is related to the fate of the legitimate cause of the Kurdish nation in contemporary history. The most important source mentioned in this study is the analysis of witnesses, politicians, intellectuals and academic figures who were involved in the events. We believe that this is the first study with a scientific significance that focuses on the rumors of the exodus event at various official and informal levels abroad.

Coloniality in science diplomacy—evidence from the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract Ocean science diplomacy stands for the social phenomena resulting from the interaction of science and diplomacy in ocean affairs. It refers, inter alia, to the provision of scientific evidence in support of international decision-making, the building of alliances through scientific cooperation, and the enhancement of international collaborative marine research. Despite this generalization, we still lack an understanding of the sense practitioners make of ocean science diplomacy. This paper reports on perceptions of ocean science diplomacy collected through twenty in-depth interviews with South and North Atlantic government officials and researchers involved in the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance. In principle, interviewees perceive ocean science diplomacy as a positive and critically important phenomenon that combines the best of science and diplomacy. However, below this generally positive perception, there seems to be a polarization of power between science and policy and also between South and North Atlantic perspectives. Scientists have reported feeling suspicious of policymaking processes, while officials portray science as unaccountable and segregated from policy. South Atlantic researchers expressed concern over limited research capabilities, and officials reported an openness to the scientific evidence presented by scientists. Northern interviewees, with reported enhanced research capabilities, seem more inclined to search for the right scientific evidence in support of national political goals. A preconceived sense of the other is what seems to permeate South–North Atlantic relationships. Northern subjects make sense of their Southern peers as those in need of assistance, while Southern interviewees claimed being unheard and victims of tokenism. I discuss these findings in light of postcolonial and decolonial theories, advocating for the need to decolonize ocean science diplomacy in the Atlantic Ocean if we are to achieve its alluded benefits.

Tourism Attractiveness in Improving Re-visit Decisions through the Destination Image, Accessibility and Word of Mouth

This study aims to determine the impact of destination image, accessibility, and word-of-mouth on local and international tourists' decision to revisit the Bogor Zoological Museum. For the study's analysis, 250 individuals who had visited the Bogor Zoological Museum on multiple occasions were selected at random and assigned a number. The data collection method is a Likert-scale questionnaire. This analysis employs multiple linear regression with SPSS version 25 to conduct validity tests, reliability tests, normality tests, heteroscedasticity tests, multicollinearity tests, linearity tests, t-tests, f-tests, and coefficient and determination analysis. The decision to revisit the Bogor Zoological Museum is significantly influenced by the destination's image, its accessibility, and positive word-of-mouth, according to research.