NAFTA: MORE THAN A REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENT

Trade is one of the fundamental reasons underlying the relationships between societies. Commercial interactions have contributed to the establishment of a specific international system worldwide through the trade relations between empires and states. In the 20th century, interstate trade led to the formation of certain agreements, some of which gave rise to regional-scale trade alliances. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is one of the regional trade agreements documented among North American countries, holding significant importance not only in increasing trade volume among signatory nations but also in terms of fostering regional cooperation and closer political relations. Despite being criticized by many since its signing date, NAFTA underwent substantial changes in 2020 and was restructured under the name The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Despite controversies and criticisms, NAFTA played a significant role in strengthening regional economic, social, and political ties, becoming one of the prominent examples of the rising regional trade agreements worldwide after the 1990s. In this study, the motivation behind NAFTA's inception, its historical development, member countries, and the positive impacts on the region are discussed. The contributions of NAFTA to the North American economy and regional development are examined through the analysis of gathered data, reports, and academic studies. The study aims to discuss the findings on the impact of NAFTA not only as a trade agreement but also on regional social and political developments

Revalution and Reconstruction of the Maritime Historiography in Southeast Asia Archipelago

Seas and oceans are equally realms with their advantages in bridging nations, inculcating a sense of unity, mutual understanding, and cooperation as well as in generating wealth. They are considered priceless treasures, which can neither be exchanged nor modified. At the same time, seas and oceans are also capable of changing their function as theaters of conflict and routes towards colonization/imperialism that has ultimately led to the demise of various ancient kingdoms. In the historiography of the Southeast Asia Archipelago, the relationship between men known as seafarers and seas like the South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, Flores Sea, Jawa Sea, Banda Sea, and others, all of which are within the confines of the Indian and Pacific oceans, is indisputable. It is not far-fetched to suggest that the change and development in present-day Southeast Asia, from traditional kingdoms to modern nation-states are intimately rooted in and shaped by the contributions of our seafaring ancestors. History demonstrates how they risked as well as sacrificed their lives crossing treacherous waters and encountering stormy weathers just to ensure their legacy and continuity of the future generations of seafarers, and turning this region into an epicentre that was second to none in the world of civilizations. Yet, their thousands of years of contributions and sacrifices appear trivial and pale into insignificance like” shipwrecks laying at the bottom of the sea in their forgotten watery graves”. This article aims to discuss the diversity of terminology and fields in maritime historiography; the glory of the maritime kingdoms in the Southeast Asia Archipelago as leading powers, emporiums, and empires; and to reevaluate and reconstruct the facts of maritime history in the Southeast Asia Archipelago.

Potential of Halal Industry in South Sulawesi Province: An Analysis of Opportunities, Challenges, And Strategies

The phenomenon of globalization of the halal industry has become an important issue that needs to be considered by Islamic economic practitioners. This is not only about meeting the needs and compliance of Muslims with sharia principles but also about becoming a globally recognized standard. This research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential development of the halal industry in South Sulawesi Province and its development strategies so that the results of the research can be a reference for the government and stakeholders in developing the halal industry in South Sulawesi Province. This research used a descriptive qualitative approach. Secondary data was obtained from various sources, including books, journals, articles, data reports, and other relevant scientific sources. The results showed that the halal industry in South Sulawesi Province has a significant role, not only limited to the food and beverage sector. The halal industry has penetrated the Islamic finance sector, Muslim fashion, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, travel, hotels, and tourism. Another reason for developing the halal industry's potential is that most of South Sulawesi's population is Muslim. In addition, the halal industry development strategy in South Sulawesi Province is by the development of world conditions and the direction of economic transformation as part of global participation, which is possible that South Sulawesi Province will become the leader of the halal industry in Indonesia

Resolution of Family Conflicts in Fiction: A Comparative Study of TV Series from China and the United States

The main objective of this research paper is to conduct a comparative cross-cultural analysis of family conflicts in two distinct cultural contexts, as represented in television fiction from China and the United States. The author focuses on conflicts arising within families and portrayed in television series in both countries. To achieve this, a systematic and objective content analysis method is employed, examining family conflict situations presented in the narratives of these television productions. The results indicate that, for the most part, conflicts are resolved positively, reflecting the typical trend in television fiction to seek a happy ending, especially in commercial series. However, cultural variabilities are also observed in the paths each region has taken to reach these conclusions

Mitigating Underinvestment through Accounting Conservatism: A Comparative Study of Family and Non-Family Firms in Taiwan

This study examines the role of accounting conservatism in mitigating underinvestment due to internal cash flow volatility in Taiwan-listed and OTC companies from 2013 to 2022, comparing family and non-family firms. Utilizing regression analysis, we assess how accounting conservatism influences investment decisions under varying conditions of cash flow stability. Our findings reveal that accounting conservatism significantly alleviates underinvestment across all sampled firms, particularly in family firms where its impact becomes pronounced under high cash flow volatility conditions. In contrast, conservatism does not significantly affect investment decisions in stable cash flow scenarios. Additionally, the study finds that accounting conservatism can reduce capital costs under high cash flow volatility, thereby promoting investment. These insights provide a new understanding of the function of accounting conservatism across different firm types and offer practical guidance for financial decision-making.

Evaluating Strategic Human Recourse Management’s Influence on Employee Productivity in Bangladesh’s NGO

Strategic human resource management techniques involve a strong emphasis on recognizing the value of each individual inside the firm to ensure employees are committed to its long-term objective. The goal of the study is to determine how strategic HRM factors affect employee productivity in Bangladesh's NGOs from the perspective of the NGO managers. From various organizations of NGOs in Bangladesh, a total of 50 different categories of employees were chosen. Analysis reveals that in NGOs, strategic HRM significantly affects Employee productivity. The executive authority and HR department of NGO should be aware of and concerned with addressing these strategic issues on employee productivity which will ultimately utilize the implementation costs of Strategic human resource management (SHRM). Further study can be evaluated other sectors of Bangladesh

An Application of Judgement Modeling to Examine Inter-Cultural Differences Regarding Perceptions of Business Skill Importance

With increased global interaction, cultural awareness among stakeholders is crucial, especially for companies seeking growth in the international environment. This study focuses on comparing the perceptions of business skill importance between student subjects from China/Hong Kong (CHK) and the United States (US). The results show that the six cues representing the business skills/attributes strongly influenced student perceptions of job offer likelihood and the relative importance of these cues were not equal, with Interpersonal Effectiveness (INPER), Internship Experience (INT), and Ethical Awareness (ETH) having a higher impact than Communication (COMM), Cultural Intelligence (CULT), and Critical Thinking (CRIT). The results indicated that INPER, INT, and ETH were associated with similar, substantial effects, while COMM, CULT, and CRIT exhibited smaller and comparable effects. The analysis revealed significant interactions between the country and two cues Interpersonal Effectiveness (INPER) and Ethical Awareness (ETH). Chinese students perceived INPER to be somewhat more important than U.S. students, possibly influenced by cultural dimensions such as the emphasis on interpersonal relationships in Chinese culture. Conversely, U.S. students regarded ETH as more crucial than their Chinese counterparts, aligning with findings that suggest cultural variations, particularly in power distance and collectivism, may influence ethical values. The findings enhance our understanding of the relative importance of business skills in different cultural contexts and provide insights for educational institutions and employers in preparing students for the global business environment. The study contributes to the existing literature by providing direct comparisons of student perceptions across cultures and employing a rigorous judgment modeling methodology

Musical Habits and Smartphone Addiction of College Students: Mediating Role of Self-Control

This study uses theories of habit and self-control to explore the relationship between musical habits and smartphone addiction among college students. Our findings reveal that self-control mediates this relationship, with individual differences playing a significant role. While musical listening habits, impacted by personal genre preferences, positively impact self-control, active music engagement, through playing an instrument and/or creating music, negatively affects it. We suggest using interventions to promote mindful music engagement to mitigate smartphone addiction. These insights contribute to understanding how music habits influence digital behaviors and offer practical strategies for fostering healthier smartphone use among college populations

Corporate, Social Responsibility (CSR) in Nigeria: Investigating Discrepancy between Practices and Blind Spots

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been recognized as a significant contributor to the economy of developing countries. The study uncovers the potential causes of CSR discrepancies in Nigeria, a nation with divergent business prospects, evaluates their implications, and provides effective way-outs. CSR has achieved substantial interest worldwide as enterprises attempt to weigh profit-making services with social and environmental obligations. Yet, there is extensive interest in disagreements between organizations’ CSR obligations and their actual implementation. By synthesizing documented literature, the study reveals factors responsible for the discrepancy of CSR in Nigeria, such as ineffective stakeholder involvement, consumer attitude, inadequate resources, poor frameworks, and lack of consistent reporting. Furthermore, the implications imposed by CSR are examined, including missed chances for social impact, reputational damage, consumer perception, and workers' morale and commitment. Since CSR discrepancies are crucial to both enterprises and legislators, the study underscores addressing stakeholder engagement, clear frameworks for CSR implementation, transparency in reporting, and adequate resource allocation that can bring about sustainable development. The insights provided by this study can inform CSR policy development and effective corporate practices in Nigeria

The Value of Corporate Bond Listing

We study the impact of bond exchange listing in U.S. publicly traded corporate bond markets. We find that listed corporate bonds have lower estimated bid-ask spreads than unlisted corporate bonds. Specifically, we show that listed bonds have estimated spreads of $0.14 lower than unlisted bond spreads. We find that execution venue matters for listed bonds, and that listed bond executions on the NYSE have higher trading costs than listed bond executions off-NYSE. We show that listed bonds are more volatile than unlisted bonds. Last, we study bond trading around earnings announcements and find a slight increase (decrease) in overall (institutional) volume on earnings announcement days compared to non-announcement days