Buy High Sell Low: Redefining Bean Counting in the Coffee Industry for a Sustainable Future

Charles Manz returns to the JVBL providing ‒ together with several fellow researchers/writers ‒ a case study of a socially responsible business within the coffee industry. Familiar CSR concepts are examined such as Fair Trade and sustainability which foster parity in dealing with buyers while maintaining product quality and reasonable income. The practices of Dean’s Beans, a progressive coffee organization, are examined as a notable demonstration of how a business can fiscally succeed while maintaining a commitment to the triple-bottom-line considerations of people, planet, and profits

Coordination Failure and Financial Contagion

This paper explores a unique equilibrium model of ''informational'' financial contagion. Extending the global game model of Morris and Shin (1999), I show that the failure of a single firm can trigger a chain of failures merely by affecting the behavior of investors. In contrast to the existing multiple equilibria models of financial and banking panics, there is no indeterminacy in the present model. Thus, it provides a clear framework to assess the consequences of contagion and yields some important and hitherto unnoticed insights. Most importantly, if contagion is compared to an appropriate benchmark, its impact can be both positive or negative, which contrasts sharply with the traditional view of contagion. Moreover, contagion increases the correlation between firms, but the effect on the unconditional probability of failure is exactly zerofinancial contagion; systemic risk; financial crises; global games; unique equilibrium

Information and Barometric Prices: An Explanation for Price Stickiness

Price stickiness plays a decisive role in many macroeconomic models, yet why prices are sticky remains a puzzle. We develop a microeconomic model in which two competing firms are free to set prices, but face uncertainty about the state of demand. With some probability, there is a positive demand shock, which is observed but by one firm. In equilibrium, only the informed firm adjusts its price after the shock, while the uninformed firm raises its price only with a delay, after observing the price of its competitor. Hence, prices are sticky in the sense that one firm's price does not adjust immediately. Further, if getting information is costly, the model implies that the larger firm tends to be better informed and to adjust its price first.Price Setting; Sticky Prices; Asymmetric Information; Barometic Price Leadership

Scent whisper

Scent Whisper is a jewellery set integrated with wireless sensor networks that offer social and therapeutic value in a desirable context. The jewellery incorporates sensors and microfluidics to initiate fragrance delivery, depending on the sensor response. A wireless humidity sensor is used to trigger scent output in these proof-of-concept devices. Future devices will use sensors to detect stress physiologically and release benefit chemicals in controlled ways responding to personal needs. About this conference: MEMS technology (micro-electro-mechanical-systems) is advancing rapidly, and over the last five years has allowed the construction of many integrated systems, including (for example) novel micro and nano structured materials, sensors based on movable mechanical components and self powered autonomous devices. Many involve nanotechnology. These components are allowing systems that were once confined to the laboratory to find new applications with a strong commercial potential. UK activity is now rapidly increasing, after a relatively slow start compared to the rest of the advanced industrial nations. The aim of this event is to bring together UK expertise in MEMS, to introduce the advantage of MEMS process technology and to highlight developments. The topics will be relevant to companies engaged in sensor manufacture and process control, equipment manufacturers for the semiconductor industry and academics engaged in MEMS, nanotechnology and sensor researc

The Exposure of Swiss Banks to Macroeconomic Shocks - an Empirical Investigation

Assessing financial stability is an issue of rapidly growing importance to central banks and banking authorities. This paper explores an extensive panel data set of Swiss banks to identify macroeconomic influencing factors on bank profitability and to quantify their impact on bank capitalization. We find evidence of a significant effect of various macroeconomic variables as e.g. real growth or interest rate shocks on bank earnings. However, our results suggest that the Swiss banking system is quite robust against macroeconomic shocks. Only a joint occurrence of a recession, rising interest rates and falling stock prices would lead to substantial losses in the Swiss banking industry.banking, macroeconomic shocks, stress tests, credit risk, interestrate risk, Switzerland

Succeeding Through Collaborative Conflict: The Paradoxical Lessons of Shared Leadership

Facing serious challenges that may dictate the complete overhaul of business mindset and industry must be directed by sound leadership. But is it possible to lead alone or is collaboration necessary to confront these challenges? These authors tackle the well-known idiom “two heads are better than one” and extract from its meaning the inherent dichotomy in shared leadership, mediating differences of direction, and preserving the integrity of individual perspective in this new age

Maximum tunneling velocities in symmetric double well potentials

We consider coherent tunneling of one-dimensional model systems in non-cyclic or cyclic symmetric double well potentials. Generic potentials are constructed which allow for analytical estimates of the quantum dynamics in the non-relativistic deep tunneling regime, in terms of the tunneling distance, barrier height and mass (or moment of inertia). For cyclic systems, the results may be scaled to agree well with periodic potentials for which semi-analytical results in terms of Mathieu functions exist. Starting from a wavepacket which is initially localized in one of the potential wells, the subsequent periodic tunneling is associated with tunneling velocities. These velocities (or angular velocities) are evaluated as the ratio of the flux densities versus the probability densities. The maximum velocities are found under the top of the barrier where they scale as the square root of the ratio of barrier height and mass (or moment of inertia), independent of the tunneling distance. They are applied exemplarily to several prototypical molecular models of non-cyclic and cyclic tunneling, including ammonia inversion, Cope rearrangment of semibullvalene, torsions of molecular fragments, and rotational tunneling in strong laser fields. Typical maximum velocities and angular velocities are in the order of a few km/s and from 10 to 100 THz for our non-cyclic and cyclic systems, respectively, much faster than time-averaged velocities. Even for the more extreme case of an electron tunneling through a barrier of height of one Hartree, the velocity is only about one percent of the speed of light. Estimates of the corresponding time scales for passing through {the narrow domain just} below the potential barrier are in the domain from 2 to 40 fs, much shorter than the tunneling times

Authentic Corporate Social Responsibility Based on Authentic Empowerment: An Exemplary Business Leadership Case

Authors Dillon, Back, and Manz examine the underpinnings of genuine or authentic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), noting the direct nexus between stakeholder empowerment and the socially-responsible actions of authentic leaders. Such an empowering leadership approach– involving structural, psychological, developmental, and financial components – is particularly exemplified by a family-owned (Back) wine and cheese company (Fairview Trust), situate in South Africa