Competition and Cooperation in Economics and Business

Asia and the Pacific have become the growth engine of the world economy with the contribution of two-third of the global growth. The book discusses current issues in economics, business, and accounting in which economic agents, as individuals, entrepreneurs and professionals, as well as countries in the Asia and Pacific regions compete and collaborate with each other and with the rest of the globe. Areas covered in the book include economic development and sustainability, labor market competition, Islamic economic and business, marketing, finance, accounting standard compliances, and taxation. It will help shed light on what business and economic scholars in regions have done in terms of research and knowledge development, as well as the new frontiers of research that have been explored and opening up

Performance-Based Specifications: Exploring When They Work and Why

There is extensive research and attention on innovation and sustainable public procurement (SPP) in the European Union at present, with the 2014 revision of the Procurement Directives, the Innovation Union strategy and other European Union policy initiatives. This report seeks to contribute to this discussion through the investigation of the use of performance based specifications (PBSs) in public procurement in the European Union and the United States. The report outlines the benefits and limitations of the use of PBSs, even in the most "progressive" public procurement environments, such as the Netherlands, particularly around their ability to support sustainable development goals and deliver environmental benefits for a procuring authority, such as energy and resource efficiency. Additionally, this report aims to identify the sectors in which the enabling conditions for the successful use of PBSs in public procurement are in place and to understand what policies and regulations are needed to promote the use of PBSs in public tenders and public procurement framework agreements

Addressing Gaps in the Dodd-Frank Act: Directors\u27 Risk Management Oversight Obligations

In the years leading to the recent financial crisis, finance theorists introduced innovative methods, including quantitative financial models and derivative instruments, to measure and mitigate risk exposure. During the financial crisis, financial institutions facing insolvency revealed pervasive misunderstandings, misapplications, and mistaken assumptions regarding these complex risk management methods. As losses in financial markets escalated and caused liquidity and solvency crises, commentators sharply criticized directors and executives at large financial institutions for their risk management decisions. By adopting the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Congress directly and indirectly addresses certain risk management oversight concerns at large, complex financial institutions. To improve risk management oversight at these institutions, Congress imposed several structural reforms altering the composition and obligations of financial institutions\u27 boards of directors. Unfortunately, even after the adoption of the Dodd-Frank Act reforms, financial institutions remain vulnerable to the same critical errors in enterprise risk management oversight that engendered systemic risk concerns during the recent financial crisis. While the Dodd-Frank Act may enhance a board\u27s risk management oversight capabilities, significant concerns persist regarding reliance on board committees. Organizational literature suggests that cognitive biases and structural limitations that influence group decision making will continue to plague boards\u27 efforts to effectively manage risk. This Article argues that better-tailored reforms are necessary to address weaknesses in enterprise risk management regulation and to reduce the threat of systemic risk

Competition and Cooperation in Economics and Business

Asia and the Pacific have become the growth engine of the world economy with the contribution of two-third of the global growth. The book discusses current issues in economics, business, and accounting in which economic agents, as individuals, entrepreneurs and professionals, as well as countries in the Asia and Pacific regions compete and collaborate with each other and with the rest of the globe. Areas covered in the book include economic development and sustainability, labor market competition, Islamic economic and business, marketing, finance, accounting standard compliances, and taxation. It will help shed light on what business and economic scholars in regions have done in terms of research and knowledge development, as well as the new frontiers of research that have been explored and opening up

Addressing Gaps in the Dodd-Frank Act: Directors\u27 Risk Management Oversight Obligations

In the years leading to the recent financial crisis, finance theorists introduced innovative methods, including quantitative financial models and derivative instruments, to measure and mitigate risk exposure. During the financial crisis, financial institutions facing insolvency revealed pervasive misunderstandings, misapplications, and mistaken assumptions regarding these complex risk management methods. As losses in financial markets escalated and caused liquidity and solvency crises, commentators sharply criticized directors and executives at large financial institutions for their risk management decisions. By adopting the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Congress directly and indirectly addresses certain risk management oversight concerns at large, complex financial institutions. To improve risk management oversight at these institutions, Congress imposed several structural reforms altering the composition and obligations of financial institutions\u27 boards of directors. Unfortunately, even after the adoption of the Dodd-Frank Act reforms, financial institutions remain vulnerable to the same critical errors in enterprise risk management oversight that engendered systemic risk concerns during the recent financial crisis. While the Dodd-Frank Act may enhance a board\u27s risk management oversight capabilities, significant concerns persist regarding reliance on board committees. Organizational literature suggests that cognitive biases and structural limitations that influence group decision making will continue to plague boards\u27 efforts to effectively manage risk. This Article argues that better-tailored reforms are necessary to address weaknesses in enterprise risk management regulation and to reduce the threat of systemic risk

Public Administration in Germany

This open access book presents a topical, comprehensive and differentiated analysis of Germany’s public administration and reforms. It provides an overview on key elements of German public administration at the federal, Länder and local levels of government as well as on current reform activities of the public sector. It examines the key institutional features of German public administration; the changing relationships between public administration, society and the private sector; the administrative reforms at different levels of the federal system and numerous sectors; and new challenges and modernization approaches like digitalization, Open Government and Better Regulation. Each chapter offers a combination of descriptive information and problem-oriented analysis, presenting key topical issues in Germany which are relevant to an international readership

Global Integrity Report: United States

Highlights: The United States has a generally strong anti-corruption and governance framework, through troubling exceptions exist, contributing to recent high-level lobbying and corruption scandals. Official secrecy is increasing. Lobbyists exploit loopholes in campaign finance regulations. The United States lacks a true ombudsman; instead a collection of oversight agencies, few of them truly independent, monitor different aspects of governance. The Inspectors General (IG), a key element of this framework, has received considerable political pressure, and IG appointments often go to party loyalists. In the civil service, political appointments made by the president without congressional approval have increased 33 percent between 2000 and 2005 (FEMA leadership during Hurricane Katrina was an example of these appointments at work).This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country