Preconditioning of Antarctic maximum sea-ice extent by upper-ocean stratification on a seasonal timescale

This study uses an observationally constrained and dynamically consistent ocean and sea ice state estimate. The author presents a remarkable agreement between the location of the edge of Antarctic maximum sea ice extent, reached in September, and the narrow transition band for the upper ocean (0–100 m depths) stratification, as early as April to June. To the south of this edge, the upper ocean has high stratification, which forbids convective fluxes to cross through; consequently, the ocean heat loss to the atmosphere is an efficient way to cool the surface ocean to the freezing point during April to September. To the north, the upper ocean has low stratification such that the ocean heat loss to the atmosphere is not efficient to cool the upper ocean. The upper ocean is instead cooled mainly through mixing with the colder inflow carried by northward Ekman transport but cannot reach the freezing point due to the nature of mixing. Therefore, upper ocean stratification, dominated by salinity here, provides an important constraint on the northward expansion of Antarctic sea ice to its maximum

Environnement juridique et développement du secteur privé en Chine

Ce texte expose l'état actuel du droit applicable au secteur économique privé, tel qu'il s'est développé depuis 1979. Il tend à montrer qu'en dépit d'une rationalisation très sensible ces dernières années, l'environnement juridique demeure assez largement hostile à l’activité économique privée. L'auteur revient d'abord sur l'évolution des règles juridiques depuis que l'entreprise privée a été autorisée à réapparaître, en 1981, après trente ans d'interdiction. Le dynamisme dont elle a aussitôt fait preuve a conduit les dirigeants, dès 1987, à assouplir le cadre très limité qui lui avait d'abord été fixé. Tout en s'efforçant de régulariser et de mieux maîtriser le phénomène, cette nouvelle réglementation a notamment permis la formation d'entreprises de plus grande ampleur, éventuellement sous la forme de sociétés à responsabilité limitée, et bénéficiant d'une plus grande sécurité juridique. La relance de l'activité économique privée à compter de 1992 s'est accompagnée d'un développement rapide de la législation économique. Cet environnement juridique, qui tend à uniformiser les règles applicables à toutes les formes d'entreprise, comprend notamment la Loi sur les sociétés, entrée en vigueur en 1994 et dont l'auteur présente les principales dispositions. Sont également évoquées les lois concernant la faillite des entreprises, la concurrence, le système financier, le régime fiscal, le régime du travail et les contrats économiques. Les effets bénéfiques de ce développement législatif sur l'entreprise privée sont souvent compromis, cependant, par le décalage entre les textes et leur application, par la lourdeur et l'imprécision des contraintes imposées aux entrepreneurs, par la lenteur et les aléas des processus administratifs d'autorisation, par l'imprévisibilité des orientations politiques et enfin par la tendance à l’informalité et aux arrangements factices qu'induisent ces facteurs hostiles.This paper presents current legislation as applied to the private economic sector, as it has evolved since 1979. It tends to show that despite strong rationalization over these past years, the legal sector still remains generally hostile to private economic activity. The author first reviews the evolution of legal rules since private businesses were approved in 1981, after 30 years of prohibition. The dynamic growth that such businesses immediately experienced let authorities in 1987 to enlarge the limited framework that had originally been set. While attempting to regulate and better control the phenomenon, this regulation mainly allowed for the creation of larger businesses, eventually in the form of limited liability companies that would enjoy added legal security. The revitalizing of economic activity in 1992 was accompanied with a rapid development of economic legislation. This legal framework which tends to standardize the rules applicable to all forms of businesses, primarily includes the Business Corporations Act, which came into force in 1994 and whose main provisions are reviewed by the author. The paper also covers legislation dealing with bankruptcy, competion, the financial system, tax law, labour law and economic contracts. The beneficial effects of this legislative development on private enterprise have often been compromised, however, by the gap between these texts and their enforcement, by the sluggishness and inaccuracy of constraints imposed upon business people, by the slowness and instability of enabling administrative procedures, by the unpredictability of political orientations and finally by the tendency towards lack of formality and artificial procedures introduced by such hostile factors

Made with China contre made by China : La place réelle des produits made in China dans l’économie mondiale

La croissance spectaculaire des produits made in China est avant tout la conséquence de la volonté politique de l’autorité chinoise de faire participer la Chine à la nouvelle division internationale du travail. Les produits made in China devraient être qualifiés de produits made with China plutôt que de produits made by China, car ils sont souvent le résultat d’une production organisée globalement, entraînant des bouleversements majeurs dans la structure et l’ordre économique mondial. Ainsi, le seul passage du « prix chinois » à la « création chinoise » ou à la « marque chinoise » ne garantit pas le succès futur des produits made in China sur le marché international. L’avenir des produits made in China semble devoir passer plutôt par made with the world que par made for the world.The dramatic growth of “Made in China” products is primarily a consequence of the political will of the Chinese authorities to engage China in the new international division of labour. The “Made in China” products should be more qualified with “Made with China” products than the “Made by China” products, because these products, in many cases, are the result of a globally organized production, involving activities realized in different countries, creating therefore major changes in the global economic order. Therefore, only a portion of “Chinese Price” to “Chinese Design” or “Chinese Brand” does not guarantee the future success of “Made in China” on the international market. The future of “Made in China” seems to go rather with “Made with the World” than “Made for the World”

THE APPLICABILITY OF WIDELY EMPLOYED FRAMEWORKS IN CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

This article aims to analyze and assess the applicability of widely employed frameworks in cross-cultural management research. First, some criteria are conceptualized and then, eight cultural frameworks are examined and their relevance with respect to defined criteria is determined. At the end, all cultural frameworks are compared, their overall applicability is assessed, and suggestions for empirical research are presented. Results and discussion might be useful not only in applying cultural typologies, but also in improving existing frameworks.Culture, Cross Cultural Management, Cultural Dimension, Cultural Frameworks

Analyse critique de la mondialisation: tendances et doctrine (Note)

Cet article examine le fondement du discours sur la mondialisation pour en dégager les significations latentes. Les principales perspectives de la mondialisation suggèrent des tendances sociohistoriques qui sont analysées à travers quatre courants théoriques. Notre acception des phénomènes en cause propose un courant historique dont l'objet est d'étudier la tendance qui considère la mondialisation en termes d'accumulation périodique des flux d'échanges économiques internationaux autour d'objets sans cesse renouvelés. Le courant libéral interprète le sens de la nouvelle dynamique managériale qui héberge les interactions des entreprises et de l'État. Le courant sociologique analyse la sociogenèse des phénomènes de nature économique des deux courants précédents pour les situer en aval de la réflexivité individuelle et collective de l'agent. Enfin, notre démarche de théorisation comporte un courant critique qui évalue la portée du discours résultant des autres courants pour en relativiser la trop grande propension à la normalisation. Nous proposons finalement un cadre doctrinal permettant de centrer l'analyse des débats soulevés à partir de deux doctrines philosophiques et de deux attitudes pratiques.The purpose of this article is to analyse the ideological foundations underlying present day globalization discourse and to shed light on some of their latent meanings. The main perspectives of globalization suggest certain sociohistorical tendencies which mil be analysed by way of four theoretical frameworks. Our own acceptation of globalizing phenomena proposes an historical perspective whose objective has been the analysis of a tendency which considers globalization in terms of the recurring accumulation of international economic exchange flow centered around constantly renewed goods. The liberal current focuses on, and seeks to interpret the meaning of novel managerial dynamics in which are lodged interactions between business and the State. The sociological perspective is concerned with the social beginnings of the economic phenomena subsumed in the two preceding trends in order to situate them as a consequence of the agent's individual and collective reflexive processes. Finally, our theorizing process includes a critical dimension which means to evaluate the scope attained by globalization discourse as affected by other thought currents and seeks to relativize its already excessive propensity to create norms. In the end we propose a framework allowing for the centering of the analysis of these debates stemming first from two philosophical doctrines, and second, from two more pragmatic attitudes

Repenser l’évaluation du risque-pays dans le contexte de la mondialisation

Traditionnellement, le risque-pays est défini par rapport aux conditions sociopolitiques et économiques internes du pays hôte. Au regard de la nouvelle donne internationale, cette vision est remise en cause et il apparaît nécessaire aujourd’hui de réexaminer ce concept. Ainsi, à partir de l’analyse des grands changements dans l’environnement international et d’une enquête internationale Delphi, cet article apporte un éclaircissement sur les principales composantes du risque-pays dans le contexte actuel de la mondialisation. Il suggère que les sources de risque dans un marché étranger se trouvent dans un ensemble interdépendant de facteurs locaux politiques, socioculturels, économiques et financiers ainsi que de variables d’influence extérieures favorisant la contagion entre les pays. Pour mieux rendre compte des risques courus par les entreprises internationales dans les marchés hôtes, il propose le concept du risque-pays global qui prend en compte aussi bien les influences régionales et mondiales que les variables nationales dans l’analyse du risque-pays.Traditionally, country-risk is defined with regard to the internal sociopolitical and economic conditions of the host country. In today’s international context, this narrow vision of country risk needs to be revised. Thus, from the analysis of the main changes in the international environment and based on the international Delphi inquiry, this article brings a clarification on the main elements of country risk in the current context of globalization. It suggests that the sources of risk in foreign markets are within interdependent set of political, sociocultural, economic and financial local factors as well as outside variables of influence, which facilitate the spread between countries. To better understand the risks faced by multinationals in foreign markets, the new approach proposes analysis of country risk using the concept of the global country risk which takes into account the regional and world influences as well as the national variables.El riesgo país tradicionalmente se define en relación a las condiciones sociopolíticas y económicas del país huésped. Dentro del contexto internacional actual, esta angosta visión del riesgo país necesita ser revisada. Razón por la cual, a partir de un análisis de los principales cambios en el medio internacional y basado en el estudio Delphi, este artículo busca clarificar los principales elementos del riesgo país en un marco actual de globalización en los mercados extranjeros. Sugiere que las fuentes de riesgo en mercados extranjeros se encuentran, tanto dentro de un conjunto interdependiente de factores locales políticos, socioculturales, económicos y financieros, como entre variables de influencia externas que agrandan la distancia entre los países. Para entender mejor los riegos enfrentados por las empresas multinacionales en mercados extranjeros, el nuevo enfoque propone un análisis del riesgo país usando el concepto de riesgo país global que toma en cuenta las influencias regionales y mundiales así como las variables nacionales

Policy for Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Creative Industries

This policy review describes the efforts to develop an ecosystem to boost innovation in creative industries. Since the 2017 re-imposition of the US-led sanctions on Iran, creative industries in the country emerged as a competitive advantage which could help lessen reliance on foreign countries and generate revenues through self-sufficiency. Accordingly, the Iranian government has invested in creative industries ecosystem to foster entrepreneurship and innovation. This policy review briefly touches on Iran's experiences in the implementation of the policies in this regard

Flying Towards the Successful Skies: The Emerging Region Multinationals

Multinationals from emerging regions have long been ignored by practitioners as well as researchers. However, with the ongoing globalization the emerging country multinationals have internationalized and emerged as strong global contenders. Their successful growth has been in spite of various complexities existing in their regions/countries due to economic backwardness along with the late comer disadvantage. Accordingly, their growing significance and participation in the global value chain makes it mandatory that they should be studied in detail and that our understanding about them should develop

Manufacturing Small And Medium Size Enterprises Offshore Outsourcing And Competitive Advantage: An Exploratory Study On Canadian Offshoring Manufacturing SMEs

This paper explores whether and how theoffshore outsourcing of the manufacturing SMEs creates competitive advantagesfor these firms. The offshore outsourcing strategy is widely criticized in thedeveloped countries for allegedly reducing job opportunities, missing scaleeconomy, diminishing innovation potentialities and creating various socialproblems. The present article with empirical data from thirteen Canadianoffshoring manufacturing SMEs attempted to address that the world-widedistributed co-production network could instead increase profit and marketshare, boost investment in R&D, raise focus on core competency and enhancecompetitivity of offshoring SMEs. This strategy enables companies to enhancetheir competitiveness by allowing them to have access to the competitiveproduction factors and new markets for their products. This paper contributesto the existing body of knowledge by showing that not only the largemultinationals but also the SMEs can achieve competitive advantages fromoffshoring part of their activities to foreign firms where those tasks can beperformed more competitively