Towards a regulatory agenda for banking in Europe

Although the world of banking and finance is becoming more integrated every day, in most aspects the world of financial regulation continues to be narrowly defined by national boundaries. The main players here are still national governments and governmental agencies. And until recently, they tended to follow a policy of shielding their activities from scrutiny by their peers and members of the academic community rather than inviting critical assessments and an exchange of ideas. The turbulence in international financial markets in the 1980s, and its impact on U.S. banks, gave rise to the notion that academics working in the field of banking and financial regulation might be in a position to make a contribution to the improvement of regulation in the United States, and thus ultimately to the stability of the entire financial sector. This provided the impetus for the creation of the “U.S. Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee”. In the meantime, similar shadow committees have been founded in Europe and Japan. The specific problems associated with financial regulation in Europe, as well as the specific features which distinguish the European Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee from its counterparts in the U.S. and Japan, derive from the fact that while Europe has already made substantial progress towards economic and political integration, it is still primarily a collection of distinct nation-states with differing institutional set-ups and political and economic traditions. Therefore, any attempt to work towards a European approach to financial regulation must include an effort to promote the development of a European culture of co-operation in this area, and this is precisely what the European Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee (ESFRC) seeks to do. In this paper, Harald Benink, chairman of the ESFRC, and Reinhard H. Schmidt, one of the two German members, discuss the origin, the objectives and the functioning of the committee and the thrust of its recommendations

Entwicklung einer einfachen und schnellen Analysenmethode für Kohlenmonoxid in Fisch – Teil 2: Methodenoptimierung

After having described in our first paper (Haase et al. 2005) the main features of an easy and fast method for determination of carbon monoxide in fish and the equipment and chemicals necessary as well as first results measured on fish samples, this part deals with the influence of sample preparation, variation of the size of samples, type of solvent, duration of extraction and further conditions on the result of analyses. Both variants of the method are evaluated with regard to measuring expected errors. The single components of the equipment, including prises, are listed to allow a reliable assessment of costs. Additional instrumental colour and DSC measurements on both untreated and CO-treated tuna illustrate the effects

Analyzing non-linear dynamics of organic growth: Evidence from small German new ventures

This paper links theories of growth models with the literature on serial autocorrelation of growth. We study the serial autocorrelation of tendencies of growth trajectories of employment and sales for German new ventures over a nine-year period using mosaic plots as a conceptual framework. The autocorrelation of growth tendencies provides important information on firms growth processes. We find that growing new ventures are subject to negative autocorrelation of tendencies of growth trajectories making sustained growth a very rare occurrence. This indicates that the growth of new ventures is non-linear, prone to interruptions, amplifying forces, and setbacks. Therefore, we interpret the commonly used term ‘stages of growth model’ in a different manner. A stage cannot be defined as a time span but rather as a sort of conditions of circumstances that are all present at a point in time and that are conditionally linked to a preceding sort of circumstances

Entwicklung einer einfachen und schnellen Analysenmethode für Kohlenmonoxid in Fisch und Durchführung orientierender Untersuchungen

Treatment with gases containing CO, misleadingly called “tasteless smoke” or “clear smoke”, prior to freezing of fish like tuna, tilapia and swordfish (to name only a few of these species that are characterised by an intensive coloration of flesh) stabilise the fresh red colour of muscle also after thawing and suggest consumers non-existing freshness. In the European Union, carbon monoxide is excluded from being a permitted additive and therefore this handling is not allowed. Notwithstanding of the clear legal position, producers and traders are trying to establish CO treated fish on the market. In the case of taking legal measures the food control laboratories have to provide evidence that fish has been treated by CO and therefore a respective method is necessary. The method of determination of carbon monoxide in fish flesh presently applied requires considerable material and mechanistic effort to detect CO by GC after catalytic transformation into methane. The aim of our work was a direct detection of CO using suitable sensor technology. Mechanistic requirements and results of preliminary investigations to detect carbon monoxide in fish flesh will be described

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Digital Transformation: An Explanatory Case Study

Purpose. Digital transformation in the global sport industry has resulted in digitally focused business strategies, innovative business models, targeted social media marketing strategies, increased consumer, and sponsor demand, accelerated growth in women’s sports, and streaming media (OTT) worldwide. This paper aims to study the case of the U.S.-based National Basketball Association’s (NBA) digital transformation, including multiple interactions of actors in the digital transformation process. A key aim is understanding the synergies resulting from the league’s integration of digital technologies, its business strategy, the evolution of its hybrid business model and the increase in revenue and global branding.   Design/methodology/approach. An explanatory case study design was selected to examine the NBA’s integration of digital technologies, digital and social media marketing strategies, business model innovation, multimedia partnerships, and strategic sponsorships. Data was derived from: (1) academic journals; (2) research based white papers; (3) sport industry reports and periodicals; (4) selected sport industry websites; and (5) recorded interviews with selected NBA officials. Gleaned content was analysed with a theory-oriented triangulation approach. The study period was from 2000 to 2023.    Findings. The NBA’s digital transformation, led by an entrepreneurial management team contributed to a successful business strategy aimed at engaging with digitally focused consumers across multiple media channels. The NBA developed an ecosystem-based consumer-focused hybrid business model, content-focused digital assets, and partnerships with media, brands, and cultural events. Its media partnerships and strategic sponsorships are synergistic with its business and marketing objectives, digital initiatives, and acquisitions. By the 2017-2018 season, the NBA had validated its position as a successful global entertainment property.   Originality/value. This paper examined the NBA’s digital transformation, including how the league integrated digital technologies with its business strategy and model to increase revenue and create a global brand. The analysis examined how the NBA’s digital transformation facilitated the league’s business strategy, enhanced the NBA fan experience, generated revenue from innovative digital products and services, and transformed its business model. The NBA’s business strategy and hybrid business model provide an exemplar for professional teams, leagues, and federations worldwide seeking to digitally transform their enterprises

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Digital Transformation: An Explanatory Case Study

Purpose. Digital transformation in the global sport industry has resulted in digitally focused business strategies, innovative business models, targeted social media marketing strategies, increased consumer, and sponsor demand, accelerated growth in women’s sports, and streaming media (OTT) worldwide. This paper aims to study the case of the U.S.-based National Basketball Association’s (NBA) digital transformation, including multiple interactions of actors in the digital transformation process. A key aim is understanding the synergies resulting from the league’s integration of digital technologies, its business strategy, the evolution of its hybrid business model and the increase in revenue and global branding. Design/methodology/approach. An explanatory case study design was selected to examine the NBA’s integration of digital technologies, digital and social media marketing strategies, business model innovation, multimedia partnerships, and strategic sponsorships. Data was derived from: (1) academic journals; (2) research based white papers; (3) sport industry reports and periodicals; (4) selected sport industry websites; and (5) recorded interviews with selected NBA officials. Gleaned content was analysed with a theory-oriented triangulation approach. The study period was from 2000 to 2023. Findings. The NBA’s digital transformation, led by an entrepreneurial management team contributed to a successful business strategy aimed at engaging with digitally focused consumers across multiple media channels. The NBA developed an ecosystem-based consumer-focused hybrid business model, content-focused digital assets, and partnerships with media, brands, and cultural events. Its media partnerships and strategic sponsorships are synergistic with its business and marketing objectives, digital initiatives, and acquisitions. By the 2017-2018 season, the NBA had validated its position as a successful global entertainment property. Originality/value. This paper examined the NBA’s digital transformation, including how the league integrated digital technologies with its business strategy and model to increase revenue and create a global brand. The analysis examined how the NBA’s digital transformation facilitated the league’s business strategy, enhanced the NBA fan experience, generated revenue from innovative digital products and services, and transformed its business model. The NBA’s business strategy and hybrid business model provide an exemplar for professional teams, leagues, and federations worldwide seeking to digitally transform their enterprises

AI models and the future of genomic research and medicine: True sons of knowledge? Artificial intelligence needs to be integrated with causal conceptions in biomedicine to harness its societal benefits for the field

The increasing availability of large-scale, complex data has made research into how human genomes determine physiology in health and disease, as well as its application to drug development and medicine, an attractive field for artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. Looking at recent developments, we explore how such approaches interconnect and may conflict with needs for and notions of causal knowledge in molecular genetics and genomic medicine. We provide reasons to suggest that—while capable of generating predictive knowledge at unprecedented pace and scale—if and how these approaches will be integrated with prevailing causal concepts will not only determine the future of scientific understanding and self-conceptions in these fields. But these questions will also be key to develop differentiated policies, such as for education and regulation, in order to harness societal benefits of AI for genomic research and medicine

Rs9939609 Variant of the Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene and Trunk Obesity in Adolescents

A common T/A polymorphism (rs9939609) in the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene was found associated with early-onset and severe obesity in both adults and children. However, recent observations failed to find associations of FTO with obesity. To investigate the genetic background of early obesity, we analysed the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609 of FTO in 371 styrian adolescents towards degree of obesity, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT)-distribution determined by lipometry, early metabolic and preatherosclerotic symptoms. The percentage of AA homozygotes for the rs9939609 SNP of FTO was significantly increased in the obese adolescents. Compared to the TT wildtype, AA homozygotes showed significantly elevated values of SAT thickness at the trunk-located lipometer measure points neck and frontal chest, body weight, body mass index, waist, and hip circumference. No associations were found with carotis communis intima media thickness, systolic, diastolic blood pressure, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (US-CRP), homocystein, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, oxidized LDL, fasted glucose, insulin, HOMA-index, liver transaminases, uric acid, and adipokines like resistin, leptin, and adiponectin. Taken together, to the best of our knowledge we are the first to report that the rs9939609 FTO SNP is associated with trunk weighted obesity as early as in adolescence