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Introduces a special issue on globalization and the welfare state. Asserts that economic globalization constrains national economic and social policy far more now than ever before, although the level of international trade has not increased that much compared to levels at the beginning of this century. Talks about the political consequences of economic globalization, particularly welfare state retrenchment in the advanced capitalist world. Outlines the papers included in this issue – comparing welfare system changes in Sweden, the UK and the USA; urban bias in state policy‐making in Mexico; and the developing of the Israeli welfare state. Concludes that economic globalization has a limited effect in shaping social welfare policy in advanced capitalist countries; nevertheless, recommends further research into which aspects of economic globalization shape social welfare policy.

The purpose of this paper is to contrast the business risks of seeking to hide “questionable” corporate activities with the benefits of achieving high levels of corporate transparency.

The paper summarises three well‐documented cases of corporate malfeasance, simply and sequentially. Each is analysed separately.

The paper finds, in each case, that once the concealed “truth” comes out, the companies are in a much worse position than if they had come clean when initially challenged. The generalised finding is that once pressures mount, what is intentionally concealed tends to become exposed, with unanticipated and powerful negative consequences.

To minimise business risk, managers are well advised to refrain from doing things behind a veil of secrecy and, instead, opt for greater transparency. Since what is hidden seldom remains hidden, a “policy” of corporate transparency is often in their interest. The lesson is that when under public pressure, for whatever reason, facts, risks and relationships will out.

This paper demonstrates how openness rather than secrecy can reduce business risk and raise ethical standards at the same time.

This paper aims to explore the general question: Is corporate social responsibility (CSR) a business duty, as many contend, or really just a benign delusion?

To provide an answer to the question the CSR literature is examined from both theoretical and practical perspectives. This paper offers a broad general review and practical assessment of contemporary thinking about CSR. It investigates three precise questions. These are: who pays for CSR, who makes decisions about CSR, and what are the long‐term, potential implications of CSR?

The three most relevant theoretical frameworks are each found wanting. In particular, none offers managers clear operational guidance. So, although CSR is recognised as morally attractive, it is judged unhelpful to force it on business through regulatory or legislative means. From the questions posed it is revealed that answers to the first two questions are quite clear. The answer to the third is conjecture. The paper finds that none of these questions has yet received adequate attention. The paper offers three main findings: that CSR has costs which may go unrecognised; that it draws managers into decisions which may lie outside their competence; and, if it were widely adopted on a major scale, CSR would have implications for government and civil society which we have scarcely begun to think about.

At the same time, the proven capacity of business to contribute to society through discretionary expenditure is huge. The paper therefore concludes that it is sensible to encourage business to do more. It follows that CSR should be popularised but not imposed.

The paper provides useful information on CSR as a business duty.

Illustrates marketplace practice in some of the dynamic, development‐oriented economies of East Asia. Argues that Western businesses engaging in the region for the first time do not always recognize the major impact which the industrial development policies of non‐Western governments have on their domestic markets and local marketing practice. Consequently, marketing’s key activities and day‐to‐day priorities can be very different in a “managed” economy.

This paper aims to offer an Australian perspective on the recent crisis of confidence in corporate governance and its legislative and regulatory aftermath. It is informative because Australia's experience is directly comparable with that of the USA but its professional and regulatory traditions are much less prescriptive.

The author dissects the corporate scandal of recent years and analyses the several issues which have arisen. Problem elements, once identified, are evaluated separately, followed by an examination of the responses in each country. The main value of the paper lies in the separation and categorisation of these issues. For clarity, the author groups them as technical, political and cultural and uses these three labels to distinguish between problems which are the responsibility of the accounting profession, the responsibility of regulatory agencies, and those faced by managers individually. There is brief mention of some other groups, like suppliers of professional business services, who have also fallen under critical scrutiny. At the same time, other groups associated with contemporary financial scandal are omitted for lack of space.

The paper includes some observed contrasts between the consequences of scandal in the two jurisdictions and ends with a number of personal judgements.

It is hoped that the judgements made in this paper may offer food for thought and some guidance for those seeking to advance best practice in this important but delicate area.

This paper is about the marketing of the next generation of mobile phones. It begins with comments on the state of the telecom industry and draws attention to elements of technological and product convergence, highlighting the point that while industry convergence on digital technology is a fact, today’s mobile telephony marketplace is nonetheless characterised by three generations of technology and the latest generation, 3G, embraces three related but competing standards. The paper examines 2G, 2 and a half G and 3G developments around the world and identifies factors relevant to the marketing of 3G, including recognition of geographical and user diversity and the consequent need for marketers to keep these various user perspectives in mind. There is recognition of the financial pressure on telephone operators and of the sometimes emotional and fickle preferences of telephone users. However, customer desire for personalisation, including personalised 3G services, are important features of the marketplace, as will be the availability of simple, secure payment systems.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the future of corporate communication professionals and researchers; to present the findings of the Corporate Communication International (CCI) Corporate Communication Practices and Trends Study 2009; and to introduce the issues presented in the papers from the CCI Conference on Corporate Communication 2009 published in this special issue.

The paper presents a discussion of the future of the corporate communication and the findings of the CCI Corporate Communication Practices and Trends Study 2009.

The paper implies strategic knowledge of business processes and practice for effective corporate communication.

The paper implies several areas for further research.

The paper articulates complex challenges facing corporate communicators.

In 1930s Britain, tennis champion Fred Perry was a household name. However, the name Fred Perry is more commonly associated with striped-collar polo shirts featuring a laurel wreath logo. In the late 1960s, Fred Perry polo shirts were standard mod and Skinhead dress. When worn by working-class youth the shirt became subversive commentary on English elitism because it had originally been designed for the tennis courts. Many punks also aligned with the brand in dual demonstration of association with working-class ethics as well as an alternative to t-shirts. In the 1980s and onward, this sartorial style was appropriated by right-wing white nationalists, which stripped it of its subcultural spirit. Patriot groups, such as neo-Nazis and the alt-right have continued to co-opt the subcultural style, simultaneously turning the Fred Perry polo into a symbol of racism and bigotry. The multi-use of the Fred Perry brand creates a challenge in how to interpret visual cues when one garment has competing perceptions that at times can be completely opposing. This study examines the history of the Fred Perry brand through the lens of symbolic interactionism, specifically how the shirt evolved from a rather innocuous, yet subversive, form of merchandize repurposed from the tennis world to youth subcultures where the polo communicated group identity. As the brand has moved through fashion cycles, the association of the Fred Perry polo with deviant groups has reduced the brand to representations of hate and separation, which has impacted sales and brand image with its intended consumers.

The social relations model (SRM; Kenny, 1994) explicitly proposes that leadership simultaneously operates at three levels of analysis: group, dyad, and individual (perceiver and target). With this model, researchers can empirically determine the amount of variance at each level as well as those factors that explain variance at these different levels. This chapter shows how the SRM can be used to address many theoretically important questions in the study of leadership and can be used to advance both the theory of and research in leadership. First, based on analysis of leadership ratings from seven studies, we find that there is substantial agreement (i.e., target variance) about who in the group is the leader and little or no reciprocity in the perceptions of leadership. We then consider correlations of leadership perceptions. In one analysis, we examine the correlations between task-oriented and socioemotional leadership. In another analysis, we examine the effect of gender and gender composition on the perception of leadership. We also explore how self-ratings of leadership differ from member perceptions of leadership. Finally, we discuss how the model can be estimated using conventional software.