MERCOSUR: A Cautionary Tale

Regional economic integration has resulted from the globalization phenomena.  Nations establish trade blocs as a strategic maneuver, while firms seeking growth and investment opportunities require knowledge of prevailing business laws.  Prudent, integrated policy-making will support the trade bloc’s interactions and provide firms with a sense of certainty.  The business bankruptcy laws of South America’s largest trade bloc, MERCOSUR, are investigated to determine if they are moving toward alignment that would foster growth within the association and attract foreign investors

Traditional To Modern Values: Chinas Opening And The Impact On Prestige Goods

The younger generation in China has undergone a cultural shift away from what are considered traditional Chinese values (Adams, 2011; Speter, 2008). This movement toward Western-based individualistic values is hypothesized to result from the opening of China to capitalistic and modern media systems. This cross-cultural research analyzes an online survey of 304 Chinese individuals that will explore this cultural shift by employing Kahles (1983) Values scale. To further explore the similarities or differences, the ratings of several prestige goods based on their hedonistic value are studied, as compared to an American sample

International Strategic Alliances: Identifying Objective Performance Measures

With the acceleration of globalization, International Strategic Alliances (ISA) are increasingly playing a critical role in a firm’s strategic arsenal.  Despite its importance, measuring an ISA’s success is difficult due to the reticence of failing partnerships to announce these issues.  This paper presents an analysis of 29 alliances from 18 countries and 5 industries. The success or failure of these alliances was analyzed utilizing ROA, ROE, ROI, and operating margin as the variables of performance measurement. Discriminant Analysis demonstrates that operating margin correctly classifies the success of an alliance 70% of the time

The Effect of Using E-Learning Tools in Online and Campus-based Classrooms on Student Performance

Creating an integrative research framework that extends a model frequently used in the Information Systems field, the Technology Acceptance Model, together with variables used in the Education field, this empirical study investigates the factors influencing student performance as reflected by their final course grade. The Technology Acceptance Model explains computer acceptance in general terms. The model measures the impact of external variables on internal beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use, two main constructs in the model, refer to an individual\u27s perception of how the adoption of a new technology will increase their efficiency, and the individual\u27s perception of how easy the technology will be to use. The lower the perceived effort is, the easier the technology will be to adopt. Thus, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Computer Self-Efficacy, and Computer Anxiety were measured to determine their effect on student performance. The proliferation of the personal computer was possible because of the applications written for it. The continuous creation of new applications has created ample ground to test the Technology Acceptance Model to determine how a user will decide to adopt such applications. The recent escalation of delivering online education via the Internet has again sparked a new dimension of information systems. This has given rise to research using the Technology Acceptance Model for applications in the Education field. Today’s modern classroom, whether online or campus-based, uses e-learning tools and Learning Management Systems that capture student cognition and engages them in the learning process via technology, while increasing their need for self-directedness. In view of this, the present study also considers the students’ ability to work independently. The results of the statistical analysis used in this study revealed marked differences in student perceptions of e-learning tools between students who chose to take an online course and students who preferred to take the campus-based section. Additionally, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and the students’ ability to work independently were all statistically significant factors in predicting students’ final grades

Recent Developments In Selected Asian Countries Bankruptcy Laws: Should Multinational Company Strategists Be Concerned?

This paper explains why multinational companies should be concerned about adjudication of international insolvencies. The Territorialism and Universalism Models of bankruptcy law are reviewed and employed as a backdrop to describe recent developments in the insolvency laws of four Asian nations. We conclude with an assessment of the status of the selected Asian nations insolvency laws, progress toward a uniform global system for resolving multinational insolvencies, and the strategic implications these developments hold for strategy formulation

Cultura de museus no Brasil: a gênese das instituições artísticas no país

For a better understanding of what constitutes museum culture – that means, the habit of visiting museums – in a colonized country as Brazil, it is necessary first to understand the creation of these institutions historically, even if through a panoramic overview. How did museums arrive in Brazil and develope here? For whom were they created? How has their relationship with its public established and changed over the years? These are some of the questions that need to be answered in order to understand under which conditions a museum can be transformed, becoming more democratic, and what makes it possible for the public experience vis a vis the work of art to become a common practice in Brazil.Comprender la cultura de museos (o sea, la costumbre de visitar museos) en un país colonizado cómo Brasil exige entender históricamente la génesis de la creación de estas instituciones, aun que de modo panorámico. ¿Cómo que los museos vinieron para Brasil y se desarrollaron? ¿Para cual público fueron creados y cuales las relaciones mantenidas entre ambos (y cómo han cambiado a lo largo de los años)? Esas son algunas de las cuestiones que han de ser analizadas para entender lo que puede cambiar para que estos espacios sean más democráticos y accesibles y que la apreciación del patrimonio artístico y el encuentro con las obras contemporáneas puedan ser inseridos en la costumbre y el anhelo del pueblo brasileño.Compreender a cultura de museus (isto é, o hábito de se visitar museus) em um país colonizado como o Brasil requer entender historicamente a gênese da criação dessas instituições, mesmo que de forma panorâmica. Como os museus vieram para o Brasil e aqui se desenvolveram? Para qual público foram criados e quais as relações com ele estabelecidas (e como elas mudaram ao longo dos anos)? Essas são algumas das questões que precisam ser analisadas, a fim de entender o que é necessário alterar, de modo que esses espaços tornem-se mais democráticos e acessíveis e que a apreciação do patrimônio artístico e o encontro com as obras contemporâneas possam se inserir no hábito e no anseio da população brasileira

Recent Developments In Selected Asian Countries’ Bankruptcy Laws: Should Multinational Company Strategists Be Concerned

This paper explains why multinational companies should be concerned about adjudication of international insolvencies. The Territorialism and Universalism Models of bankruptcy law are reviewed and employed as a backdrop to describe recent developments in the insolvency laws of four Asian nations. We conclude with an assessment of the status of the selected Asian nations’ insolvency laws, progress toward a uniform global system for resolving multinational insolvencies, and the strategic implications these developments hold for strategy formulation

Cultura de Museus no Brasil: Mário Pedrosa e a VI Bienal de São Paulo

From October 1 to December 31, 1961, the 6th edition of the São Paulo International Biennial took place in the current Ciccillo Matarazzo pavilion. It had the participation of 681 artists from 50 countries, totaling 4,990 works and reaching 300,000 visitors. It is known for its grandiosity and boldness in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the exhibition, however, criticisms are divided between defining this grandeur as “antiquarian or epiphanic”, as Glaucia Villas Bôas (2022) observes. The edition project proposed a critical look at the western, colonialist and imperialist narrative of art history. By anticipating the post-colonialist debate during the sixth edition - which only came to reverberate in the late 1980s - Mário Pedrosa denounced the lacking in Brazilian museological institutions: evoking identification with their public. The complaint was not heard with so much echo at the time, but it can show us a milestone in the process of building a new culture of museums in Brazil, which in fact belongs to all.Durante o período de 1 de outubro a 31 de dezembro de 1961 aconteceu, no atual pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo, a VI edição da Bienal Internacional de São Paulo. Contou com a participação de 681 artistas, de 50 países, totalizando 4.990 obras e atingindo 300 mil visitantes. É conhecida por sua grandiosidade e ousadia ao comemorar o marco de 10 anos da exposição, contudo, as críticas se dividem entre definir essa grandiosidade em “antiquária ou epifânica”, como constata Glaucia Villas Bôas (2022). O projeto da edição propunha um olhar crítico à narrativa ocidental, colonialista e imperialista da história da arte. Ao antecipar o debate pós-colonialista durante a VI edição - que só veio a repercutir no final dos anos 80 - Mário Pedrosa denunciou o que faltava e falta às instituições museológicas brasileiras: evocar a identificação com seu público. A denúncia não foi ouvida com tanto eco à época, mas pode nos evidenciar um marco no processo de construção de uma nova cultura de museus no Brasil, que pertence de fato a todos