Large International Companies Research Articles

Digitally Mobile Swedes and Their Experiences: A Contribution to the De‐Exceptionalization of Migrants

ABSTRACTThis article challenges entrenched notions of otherness, which presuppose that migrants’ experiences always are inherently different from those of other people. By exploring the experiences of white, middle‐class, highly educated Swedes living in Sweden, I highlight some similarities with challenges traditionally attributed solely to migrants. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the Swedish hub of a large international company, the article examines experiences of Swedish employees participating in international digital meetings, a significant aspect of their daily professional lives. It elucidates aspects of their experiences that are often associated with migrants: struggling with language, feeling dominated and unseen and striving to adapt while subtly challenging the dominance of British and American ‘natives’ through practices of boundary maintenance. The article contributes to the de‐exceptionalization of migrants’ experiences without further equating the privileged Swedes’ living conditions with those of people who are migranticized and subjected to enduring othering in their everyday lives.

Simulation of decision-making processes regarding the formation of an invest-ment portfolio using IT

Significant changes observed in the global economy and in particular in Ukraine in recent years have significantly increased interest in the problems of investment theory. An example of this is the intensification of trading in shares of large and medium-sized international companies and cryptocurrencies, which causes a rapid increase in their values. It is known that in the theory of investments, the task of optimizing the set of components of investment portfolios is considered as a special case. As you know, the issue of decision-making regarding the formation and optimization of an investment portfolio is in the field of attention both for large investment companies and for private investors, since when choosing among possible alternatives for the distribution of capital investments within the market of financial assets, the investor will receive different results. As a result, it is necessary to understand the amount of income received during the period of ownership of the investment portfolio. It is known, according to Gary Markowitz's theory of investment risk, that the optimal distribution of the filling of the investment portfolio should provide the best income while maintaining the lowest risks. At the same time, the decision regarding the structure of capital distribution is often made in conditions of uncertainty, and the profitability of investing capital in investment objects is of a random nature. Since uncertainty creates additional risks, the investment of capital and the task of optimizing the investment portfolio must be considered and solved in the presence of risk. At the same time, effective investment activities require the use of special mathematical methods and informational tools to support decision-making. In the article, using the Ruby programming language, a model is proposed that can be used in the decision-making process when forming a set of components of a portfolio of securities, which allows potential investors to independently assess the effectiveness of a set of investment portfolios by comparing the growth dynamics of shares available on the financial market. It is known that most of the information an investor encounters is in a tabular format, and according to the methodology of scientific knowledge, a person better perceives visualized ways of presenting information. The model proposed in the work uses visualization tools built into the software product, which presents available tabulated information in a structured graphic form.

Globalization and its Effect on the National Economy: The Albanian Case

Globalization is a widely discussed phenomenon that involves the free flow of goods, services, capital, and people across the world. It is mainly focused on economic and cultural aspects, among others. Globalization can be considered as a trend towards increasing of the interdependence and integration among the countries and regions of the globe. Globalization affects us all and leads a radical change in the human’s lives all over the planet, in the relations between them as well as in culture and other aspects related to institutions. So globalization increases incomes but simultaneously increases social inequalities, leaving some countries and groups of people behind. To put it simply, globalization can rapidly enrich a small group of capable individuals while impoverishing the larger population. This ultimately leads to a decline in living standards across the world. Globalization has both positive and negative sides, globalization also produces winners and losers, both between countries and within them, so there are losses and the lost, but the supporters of globalization do not accept this fact. In conditions when the economies are converging and that this phenomenon is generally acceptable, national governments should look forward to pay attention to the growth of domestic capital the pursuit of international financial reforms with the aim of making it possible to find solutions to help losses and the lost. National governments should have social protection policies on the top of their agenda as well as programs that will help as much as possible in the correcting of the unequal distribution, to help different groups in need. Labor migration is a negative phenomenon that caused by the globalization and damages the economy of small countries in transition as people capable of working move to developed countries for a better life than what they leave in their country of origin. The main indicators of the globalization of the national economy are producing for world markets, being part of the global financial markets, as well as foreign direct investments. Globalization is inevitable, under these conditions the duty of the national governments is to face of the pressure that leads to the subordination of the local economy to the global one. Globalization facilitates the connection of different parts of the world, reducing borders and allowing national economies to cater to global tastes. The decreased transportation costs also contribute to the intermingling of the global and local aspects, ultimately leading to the unification of regions. About globalism, there are currents for and against, while the opponents of globalism as well as those who call globalization the cause of poverty and inequality have not drawn up any alternative model for economic growth and development throughout the globe. Small countries like Albania require large international corporations or companies to invest in them to achieve comprehensive economic development, reduce unemployment, and increase well-being. Financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund also play a crucial role in this process. Received: 25 December 2023 / Accepted: 25 February 2024 / Published: 23 April 2024

ВНЕДРЕНИЕ ЦИФРОВЫХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ В ПРОДОВОЛЬСТВЕННЫЙ СЕКТОР: ОПЫТ СТРАН ЛАТИНСКОЙ АМЕРИКИ И КАРИБСКОГО БАССЕЙНА

The article analyzes the experience of the introduction of digital technologies by Latin American and Caribbean countries in the food sector. The article substantiates the important role of the countries of the Latin American region in world food trade, as well as in ensuring world food security. The study notes that some of the Latin American countries, such as Argentina and Brazil, are already implementing the digital transformation of agriculture, while most of the Caribbean countries have yet to do so. The article presents the main initiatives, both of a regional and national nature, that are being implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean and aimed at digital transformation of the food sector. It is noted that the initiatives are being incorporated with the assistance of large international companies, financial funds, other countries, as well as international organizations. The study examines the key trends in the digitalization of the Latin American region. Special attention is paid to the increasing role of high-tech agri-food companies. It is concluded that agritech startups contribute to the digital transformation of agriculture in the region, as well as modify the structure and methods of interaction at each stage of food production.

Blockchain technology for small and medium business under the conditions of instability of the twenties of the 21st century

This study is aimed at studying the possibility and necessity of using blockchain technology for payments by small and medium–sized businesses for various realistic scenarios in the context of instability associated with the consequences of the 2020–2021 pandemic, geopolitical changes and sanctions pressure on companies in the Russian Federation. Blockchain as a technology has been gaining interest in the last few years. A lot of research has been conducted to understand how technologies for payment can be used for large projects, and to determine if this technology is suitable for various realistic scenarios. When it comes to implementing blockchain technology for payments, companies and businesses find themselves at a crossroads due to the lack of a clear vision. This leads to serious doubts about whether such blockchain technology is suitable for payments by companies that intend to use it. There are real examples of the implementation of blockchain technology in large international companies as they have both financial and technical support for the development and implementation of the technology. However, when it comes to small and medium–sized businesses, it must be said that they often suffer from a lack of resources, especially when it comes to the introduction of new technologies. The purpose of this study is to consider the features to apply blockchain technology by small and medium enterprises for payments in unstable environments, define the opportunities to introduce and use this technology by small and medium enterprises, and also potential problems that may arise while using the blockchain technology to process the payments.

Comments: A Practical Challenge to Scaling Up Low-Carbon Energy Systems: Technical Talent

_ Finding talent to advance technologies for energy transition are among the top concerns among executives in oil and gas, utilities, chemicals, mining, and agribusiness. Talent shortages, especially for technical experts, are slowing down progress. One in three companies reported difficulty finding the engineers they need in a recent Bain & Company survey of 600 executives. Digital and information technology talent is at a premium in all sectors and regions. Although about 60% of executives expect digital and AI technologies to change their businesses significantly by 2030 (only 7 years from now), they’re struggling to find talent that can help them move in that direction. Frontline labor is also in short supply. One in four are not finding enough frontline workers, cited by 39% of the companies in North America and 42% in the Middle East. The survey found that traditional energy companies are rethinking how they hire, manage, and retain talented people. For example, an unidentified large international energy company changed its approach to identifying talent and increasing diversity by taking a skills-first approach. It reevaluated job descriptions to remove requirements that weren’t critical and is considering skills developed in other industries, recruiting at more schools, and looking at a wider range of degree majors. Energy companies may have to recruit from engineering firms, technology companies, and government. The report noted that finding the talent to lead integration solutions and stakeholders is often difficult. “Rather than expertise in functional disciplines—from digital capabilities, electrical system design, and joint venture negotiations to niches like customers’ offtake and usage patterns or electrolyzer manufacturing—project leads who have significant ‘techno-commercial’ hybrid skills to integrate all of these areas, or who are great at nurturing partnerships, will be more likely to succeed.” The complexity of meeting the world’s increasing energy demands while attaining net-zero goals was identified by the executives. To close the gap between energy provided by low-carbon sources and that provided by hydrocarbons, the struggle to find technical talent to supply the world’s energy needs will continue. Bain noted, “The massive expansion of primary energy supply since the 19th century has driven an unparalleled improvement in human longevity and prosperity.” Those benefits, however, have not been equally realized in many parts of the world. Energy poverty remains a reality, especially in the global south regions. “Future population growth will be overwhelmingly concentrated in these regions, with the population of sub-Saharan Africa alone expected to almost double.” About 675 million people do not have access to electricity, and 2.3 billion people (about 30% of the world’s population) have no access to clean cooking fuels or technologies that prevent premature death from indoor air pollution. Using a scenario to emphasize the scope of the world’s increasing demand for energy, Bain wrote, “Say that India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and other countries with low or very low energy consumption per capita today were to increase per capita consumption by 2050 to the level of, for example, Mexico, in pursuit of economic growth, a desirable goal. Global primary energy consumption would then grow by about 70 petawatt-hours, or approximately 45% of total global energy supply as of 2019.” ExxonMobil, in its global energy outlook, said that to support the world’s growing population with rising living standards, 15% more energy will need to be produced in 2050 than today. It projected that more than 50% of energy demand will still be met by oil and gas in 2050. (Senior Technology Editor Jennifer Presley takes a closer look at future supplies in her feature, “Elephant Hunt—The Search for the Oil and Gas Supplies to 2050,” in this JPT issue.) The world needs more clean energy, whether geothermal, hydrogen, renewables, nuclear, zero-emissions hydrocarbons, etc.—and it needs the technical knowledge to deliver it. For Further Reading Elephant Hunt—The Search for the Oil and Gas Supplies to 2050 (https://jpt.spe.org/elephant-hunt-the-search-for-the-oil-and-gas-supplies-to-2050) by Jennifer Presley, JPT. US Petroleum Engineering Graduation Rates Keep Falling, but Oil Execs Are Not Complaining Yet (https://jpt.spe.org/us-petroleum-engineering-graduation-rates-keep-falling-but-oil-execs-are-not-complaining-yet) by Stephen Rassenfoss, JPT.

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Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between the development of large international companies and migration. An equally important task is to improve the direction of financial and economic cooperation between exporting countries and countries receiving migrants. Theoretical framework: The process of globalization caused by the accelerated development of production and technology is chaotic. At the same time, migration processes can create economic conditions aimed at improving socioeconomic, cultural, and political development in countries. Methodology: The study uses general scientific and special research methods, namely the method of dialectical cognition, the method of induction and deduction, the method of scientific abstraction, the method of system analysis, the index system and evaluation method, the causal method, and the comparative method. Findings: The article proves that the financial and economic interests of countries should be taken into account when cooperating with migration and other international policies. This direction of development is ensured by increasing the efficiency of the management of large international companies and improving the mechanisms of financing international migration processes. At present, the efficiency of management of large international companies is enhanced by creating a trilateral mutually beneficial situation when the immigration process has a positive impact on the country of origin, the country of destination, and the migrant. Practical & Social implications: The positive impact of immigration is that immigrants use their rights in the host country to find work, develop skills and earn money, some of which they can transfer to their country of origin. The advantage of the destination country is that it can attract workers from unpopular countries who find jobs there. Originality: The article proves that the positive effect is ensured by an increase in remittances and is seen as a new source of additional financing for economic development. Through remittances, migrants make a direct contribution to reducing poverty in their country of origin. In addition, the positive impact is also reflected in social communication, which is manifested in the flow of information, ideas, values.

Improving the Efficiency of Management of Large International Companies for the Development of Financial and Economic Cooperation Between Countries, Given Migration

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between the development of large international companies and migration. An equally important task is to improve the direction of financial and economic cooperation between exporting countries and countries receiving migrants.
 
 Theoretical framework: The process of globalization caused by the accelerated development of production and technology is chaotic. At the same time, migration processes can create economic conditions aimed at improving socioeconomic, cultural, and political development in countries.
 
 Methodology: The study uses general scientific and special research methods, namely the method of dialectical cognition, the method of induction and deduction, the method of scientific abstraction, the method of system analysis, the index system and evaluation method, the causal method, and the comparative method.
 
 Findings: The article proves that the financial and economic interests of countries should be taken into account when cooperating with migration and other international policies. This direction of development is ensured by increasing the efficiency of the management of large international companies and improving the mechanisms of financing international migration processes. At present, the efficiency of management of large international companies is enhanced by creating a trilateral mutually beneficial situation when the immigration process has a positive impact on the country of origin, the country of destination, and the migrant.
 
 Practical & Social implications: The positive impact of immigration is that immigrants use their rights in the host country to find work, develop skills and earn money, some of which they can transfer to their country of origin. The advantage of the destination country is that it can attract workers from unpopular countries who find jobs there.
 
 Originality: The article proves that the positive effect is ensured by an increase in remittances and is seen as a new source of additional financing for economic development. Through remittances, migrants make a direct contribution to reducing poverty in their country of origin. In addition, the positive impact is also reflected in social communication, which is manifested in the flow of information, ideas, values.

The impact of transition to a remote work format on the mental health of employees

The subject of employee mental well-being has recently been discussed in the Russian corporate world and now it is a hot topic. According to the survey results, most domestic companies consider the problem of employee burnout to be important and recognize its negative impact on the staff, while over half are reluctant to do anything about it. However, for those companies that started thinking about implementing employee psychological wellness programs before 2019, the pandemic accelerated the process. The purpose of our study is to identify the causal relationship between the shift to remote working in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and the mental state of workers. In-depth interviews with HR managers of the Russian branches of six large international companies and econometric analysis were used in this work. The research reveals that the abrupt shift to work from home (WFH) had a negative impact on employee mental state, which forced the companies to promptly implement new measures to support their workers. Over time, the staff was able to adapt to the new environment, and the opposite effect was observed: during the subsequent waves, those who were at WFH felt more psychologically stable compared to those transferred to a remote format later.

Do leadership behaviours, work environments and the health of managers in Sweden and outside Sweden differ?—a study of a large international mining company

The mining industry faces specific challenges related to the working conditions and safety of employees. Studies indicate that the leadership behaviours, working conditions and health of managers are of importance for the working conditions and health of subordinates. Therefore, the aim here is to study these factors in a large international mining company with its head office in Sweden. The specific focus is on identifying similarities and differences that may exist between managers in Sweden and managers outside Sweden. An online survey with validated questions has been distributed to all managers in the company. The main findings are that both managers in and outside of Sweden report relatively high values regarding relation-, structure- and change-oriented leadership behaviours. In addition, managers also rated HEL (healthy and effective leadership) behaviours with relatively high values. The managers in Sweden rate relation orientation with the highest value and the managers outside Sweden rate structure orientation with the highest value. These differences have been confirmed by a regression analysis that identified significant associations between the group of managers based outside Sweden and higher structure orientated leadership behaviours. Both manager groups rate relatively high values regarding job satisfaction and self-rated health. However, they rate relatively high work demand values. The main conclusions are that there are different patterns in leadership behaviours between these two manager groups that can be related to cross-culture factors. Further investigation of the reasons for these differences is important in this industrial sector.

Improvement of the Fama-French Five Factors Model in Terms of The US Dollar Index

Contemporarily, the Fama-French Five Factors (FF5) model is a well-known asset pricing model, which establishes a model with five fundamental factors of market in order to explain the return of stocks and has an excellent performance in the market. This paper attempts to improve the FF5 factors asset pricing model by introducing the macroeconomic factor of the exchange rate. Primarily, the monthly circulating market value, monthly book market value ratio, monthly profitability, and monthly total asset growth rate of all U.S. stocks are selected. The method in this paper calculates and processes it and obtains the time series of the FF5 basic factor. Afterwards, we use the monthly variation extent of the US dollar index to represent exchange rate changes to improve the model, select 22 representative stocks from U.S. stocks to test. Subsequently, the advantages and disadvantages of the new model are compared with the FF5 model. According to the analysis, the new model has enhanced the ability to interpret the yield of most stocks and greatly enhanced the ability to interpret the stocks of large international companies. These results shed light on guiding further exploration of asset pricing model.

Architecture of new technological worlds on the example of IT-parks

The article considers IT-parks as examples of the implementation of new technological worlds of the information post-COVID period on the example of large international and domestic IT companies. Modern trends and general principles of creating office spaces for IT organizations are revealed from the point of view of the influence of the environment on the physical, psychological and emotional well-being of employees. The study identified seven main trends: a healthy work environment, biophilic design, transformable spaces, hybrid workplaces, sustainable workplaces, contactless technologies, a unique interior that tells the story of the company. These trends were further implemented in the design: in the experimental graduation project of the IT-park in Samara and in the implemented building of the IT-park in Samara.

The Existing Deficiencies of Virtual Currency and Its Possible Development Direction

The virtual currency market born from the blockchain is developing rapidly, and the market has reached a scale of hundreds of billions of dollars. Even some countries are trying to use virtual currency as the official currency. However, due to the limitations of virtual currency itself such as decentralization, the current virtual currency is not a good substitute for existing currency, and there are also illegal activities such as using virtual currency to launder money. This article will focus on explaining the main shortcomings of virtual currencies, the inadequacy of the trading market and its regulation, and the possible negative impact on the economy. And explore the possibility of future virtual currency development from two aspects: virtual currency adapts to the existing market and new market adapts to virtual currency. And finally came to two conclusions, large international companies or central banks can also develop virtual currency, so that virtual currency can adapt to the existing market to some extent. At the same time, the constantly developing virtual reality technology and the possible virtual world in the future may also provide a broad application space for virtual currency.

Emberarcú mesterséges intelligencia

Összefoglalás. A jelen írás alapja a témában tartott előadásom. Először általános kérdésekkel foglalkozom, majd a tervezett „EU AI Act”-ről lesz szó, utána egy VW projektet ismertetek röviden, majd a „megmagyarázható MI”-ről fogok beszélni, aztán egy saját, hazai kezdeményezésről, az Alfi projektről teszek említést. Végezetül egy kitekintés zárja le az írást. Summary. This writing is based on a lecture on the topic. In my other (German) affiliation I am manager of a large-scale EU project called “HumanE AI Net” (funded with 12m Euro) comprising 53 leading EU institutions, including large universities (UCL London, LMU Munich, Sorbonne, Sussex or ELTE), networks of research institutes (Fraunhofer, Max Planck Gesellschaft, INRIA, CNR Italy), large international companies (ING Bank, SAP, Philips, Airbus), etc. In the writing I discuss general issues related to Humane AI, the planned EU AI Act, social credit systems, explainable AI, and the Alphie project, respectively. In April 2021, the European Commission proposed a regulation on artificial intelligence, known as the AI Act. The regulation aims at human-faced AI in a European dimension. Although it is still only a draft, the stakes are high. The planned law has, however, faults (I maintain here), to be corrected before the text passes as law. Another subject to discuss is the study – and prohibition (at least in Europe) – of social credit systems. The original “Social Credit System” is a national credit rating and blacklist developed by the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Proponents of the system claim that it helps regulate social behaviour, improves citizens’ ‘trustworthiness’ (which includes paying taxes and bills on time) and promotes the spread of traditional moral values. Critics of the system, however, argue that it goes far beyond the rule of law and violates the legitimate rights of people – in particular, the right to reputation, privacy and personal dignity – and that it can be a tool for extensive government surveillance and suppression of dissent. “Explainable AI” (XAI) has become a hot topic in recent years. AI applications are mostly “opaque”: this is especially true for learning systems and by definition for neural networks (NN). The current fashion, “deep learning”, usually means the application of a particularly opaque NN anyway. It is natural not to know what the system is doing and why. So, let’s change that! With this tenet, XAI was born. I review some solutions to the problem. In the writing I also mention an application, Alphie, the first version of which was done in the OTKA project “Good Mobile” and is now supported by the MI National Laboratory. Alphie is a science-based playful application for children that helps them to use digital tools more consciously and within limits, while developing a variety of skills. It performs the functions of a ‘grandmother’ who shows emotions towards the child: can be e.g. angry, loving, etc. The application makes the corresponding sounds (!) and facilitates real social interactions (e.g. sends the child to play football (!).

The real effects of ESG reporting and GRI standards on carbon mitigation: International evidence

AbstractThis study explores the real effects of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting and the adoption of global reporting initiative (GRI) standards on carbon mitigation. Using a sample of large international companies, our empirical evidence does not show that a general form of ESG reporting is associated with carbon mitigation. However, after controlling for ESG reporting, firms that follow GRI standards when preparing their ESG reports are more likely to achieve greater carbon mitigation. Channel tests show that such firms tend to set more proactive carbon strategies and policies, make environmental investments, and actively engage with stakeholders. Finally, we find that the real effects of GRI standards tend to occur mainly in weak institutional settings (e.g., countries with less stringent carbon regulations, lower climate consciousness, and weaker legal enforcement). Overall, the central insight of the study is that standardized ESG reporting under GRI plays a soft substituting role in promoting green aspirations in an institution void of a high degree of global warming awareness.

ПРОБЛЕМИ РОЗВИТКУ КРОСКУЛЬТУРНОГО МЕНЕДЖМЕНТУ В УКРАЇНІ

JEL Classification: J53,J8, M14,M59 DOI: http://doi.org/10.34025/2310-8185-2022-3.87.07 Andriy Kruhlyanko, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4939-2901 Oksana Verstiak, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4222-4964 Inna Kormakova, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Senior Lecturer, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3237-9396 Chernivtsi Institute of Trade and Economics of SUTE, Chernivtsi THE MAIN PROBLEMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF CROSS- CULTURAL MANAGEMENT IN UKRAINE Summary Cross-cultural interaction is becoming an increasingly important problem in the modern world: business relations are expanding, multinational teams of managers are being formed, transnational companies are developing, international public associations are being organized, and intercultural relations are growing. The emergence of international management in the nineties is determined by the emergence of new management problems in large international companies with multinational staff. Organization of the corporate work of the personnel with different cultural attitudes requires studying the patterns of interaction in a multinational environment. Cross-cultural interactions began to concern the problems of group dynamics, taking into account national traditions and cultural differences. The integration of Ukraine into the European community requires knowledge and skills of cross-cultural communication, adaptation of own management model to modern European requirements, which determined the choice of this research topic.The theoretical and methodological basis of the research are the fundamental provisions of management and international economics; formal logics; general scientific theoretical methods of generalization, comparison, which involves a consistent and structural analysis of basic terms and concepts (when researching the essence and content, forming the concept of "cross-cultural management"); combination of systematic and logical-sequential analysis methods, synthesis for the study of cross-cultural management problems. The purpose of the article is to determine the problems of the development of cross- cultural management in Ukraine. The essence and nature of cross-cultural management is studied; the main problems of the development of cross-cultural management in Ukraine are highlighted and considered; the necessity of adapting the Ukrainian management model to modern European realities is substantiated; ways to improve cross-cultural communication during war are suggested. The proposed problems of the development of cross-cultural management in Ukraine can be used for the practical solution of tasks related to the processes of adapting the Ukrainian model of management to modern European realities.

“We don't want to be the bad guys”: Oil industry's sensemaking of the sustainability transition paradox

The operating model of the global oil industry is not compatible with the goals of the Paris Agreement. For the industry, there is a fundamental tension between two competing mandates: the pressure to contribute to the social goal of climate change mitigation, and the need to perform financially and meet obligations to shareholders in activities that directly contribute to climate change. To explore the range of responses to the tension, we interview professionals from large international oil companies who work or have worked in climate related roles. This is novel data from a professional group that has not previously been interviewed in depth about climate change. We develop a framework of six archetypical responses to tension within the oil industry. Examples of strategic responses include accepting the paradox to choose priorities other than climate change mitigation and confronting the paradox to demand changes to the way the oil industry operates. Examples of defensive responses include the transfer of responsibility and projection of tension to other stakeholders. Responses calling for change in the oil industry are the most common among people who have left the industry and the least common for participants from companies headquartered outside of Europe. In a field marked by controversies and value-based debates, a better understanding of the views of people working on the energy transition inside the oil industry provides new insight into the discussion about possible routes to the sustainability transition.

Notes on the development of water treatment technologies: an analysis of patent applications between 2000 and 2020

This paper aims to analyze the research efforts carried out to develop new technological applications in the field of water and sanitation services. We use the Derwent Innovations platform to perform a search for global patent applications made between 2000 and 2020 that received the D15 technological classification ("treating water, industrial waste and sewage"). The survey identified 31,278 patent families, including 2,938 applications that were extended to Brazil. Our results suggest that General Electric (GE) owns the most technologically important water treatment patents. The company also stands out as the main holder of Brazilian patents, being closely followed by other multinationals such as Veolia and 3M. We conclude that large international companies are interested in spreading the main water treatment technologies to Brazil. Due to its large rivers and aquifers, Brazil poses as an attractive place for the development of new water treatment solutions. On the other hand, despite this favorable scenario, Brazilian organizations are staying out of the global race for patents in the field of water-related technologies.

Company Training and Employee Engagement

The main goal of this study is to examine the relationship between company training (on-the-job learning) and employee engagement. For this purpose, data from a standardized questionnaire among 93 mostly production employees from an enterprise that is a branch of a large international company are analyzed. Based on the grouping of the statements from the questionnaire on different organizational domains, identified by the literature analysis as key to the engagement, eight indices are constructed. The variables included in these indices are checked for reliability through Cronbach’s Alpha. The obtained results show that the share of respondents expressing agreement or full agreement on most statements from all organizational areas (cooperation, acceptance of differences, efficiency of work organization, relations with managers, learning and training opportunities, recognition system, well-being and employee engagement) is most often between 80% and 90%. These results are visualized through the distribution of the values of the respective indices and are explained by the specifics of both the surveyed company and the sample. As a subsidiary of a big foreign international corporation, the researched company applies the most developed approaches to human resource management by the parent company with a focus on employee training and motivation. The results of the correlation matrix show that training and learning are positively related to employee engagement. In addition, it is found that engagement is related to varying degrees with other factors. The limitations of the study relate to the fact that the opinion of mainly production employees are surveyed in only one company, which has an established tradition in the training of its employees. In this regard, the results of the study cannot be extrapolated to other types of enterprises. Nevertheless, these results would be useful for understanding the involvement of employees namely in subsidiaries of international corporations.

Role of corporate social responsibility in development of India

CSR in India has customarily been seen as a philanthropic action. And in keeping with the Indian convention, it was a movement that was performed but not deliberated. As a result, there's constrained documentation on particular exercises related to this concept. In any case, what was clearly apparent that much of this had a national character typified inside it, whether it was blessing educate to effectively taking an interest in India’s opportunity movement, and inserted within the thought of trusteeship. On April 1, 2014, India became the first country to legally mandate corporate social responsibility. The rules in Section 135 of India’s Companies Act make it mandatory for companies of a certain turnover and profitability to spend 2% of their average net profit for the past three years on CSR. CSR has become a fundamental business practice and has gained much attention from the management of large international companies. It facilitates the alignment of business operations with social values. CSR is deemed as a point of convergence of various initiatives aimed at ensuring socio-economic development of the community.