Business under adverse home country institutions: The case of international sanctions against Myanmar

We expand the institutional perspective of international business by exploring the range of institutions outside the host country that influence international business. We use a critical case, Myanmar, to explore the dynamics of institutional constraints and the reaction of business to such constraints. Our in-depth case analysis focuses on four industries for the period 1996–2011. On this basis, we develop the concept of ‘low profile strategy’ and propose a conceptual framework of home country pressures influencing multinational enterprises’ international operation, and the variation of their impact across industries and firms. This framework provides a foundation for future work on the extra-territorial effects of institutions in international business

Impacts of oil spills on seabirds: Unsustainable impacts of non-renewable energy

© 2016 The Authors. Accidental spillage of oil in to the sea from shipping transport and drilling rigs results in spills that cause significant unsustainable mortality of wildlife and destroys marine ecosystem services. External oiling of seabirds causes large scale mortality within days following a spill, while survivors suffercauses long term chronic effects from the exposure to toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in ingested oil. Survival rates for rehabilitated oiled birds are very low despite investment of significant resources. PAHs disturb thyroid homeostasis which plays a vital role in the control of energy metabolism. In this study, plasma PAH and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were quantified as biomarkers of exposure and endocrine disruption in oiled guillemots (Uria aalge). Mean plasma PAH and TSH concentrations, were 98.1 ± 8.3 ng/ml and 0.13 ± 0.02 ng/ml and these parameters were found to be negatively correlated (p < 0.01) indicative of PAH-associated thyroid hormone suppression in more heavily oiled birds. Body condition and weight were also lower in birds that died compared with birds that were released. The data also show the value of measuring plasma TSH and PAH to monitor metabolic status and progress of decontamination of oiled birds in a rehabilitation setting.The Royal Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal