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The object of this research is the reconstruction of the existing legal response by European Union states to the phenomenon of immigration. It seeks to analyse the process of conferral of protection.

One main dimension is selected and discussed: the case law of the national courts. The study focuses on the legal status of immigrants resulting from the intervention of these national courts.

The research shows that although the courts have conferred an increasing protection on immigrants, this has not challenged the fundamental principle of the sovereignty of the states to decide, according to their discretionary prerogatives, which immigrants are allowed to enter and stay in their territories. Notwithstanding the differences in the general constitutional and legal structures, the research also shows that the courts of the three countries considered – France, Germany and Spain – have progressively moved towards converging solutions in protecting immigrants.

The research contributes to a better understanding of the different legal orders analysed.

Prior studies provide mixed propositions on whether earnings levels or earnings changes provide the better explanatory power for variations of stock returns and whether the time-series behavior of earnings affects the value relevance of both earnings variables. This paper aims to compare the value relevance of earnings levels with that of earnings changes in the return-earnings relations.

The unobservable components model is used to estimate permanent and transitory components of earnings.

The finding shows that the proxy ability of earnings changes for unexpected earnings is sensitive to a firm's time-series earnings permanence property and is unstable and noisy when earnings contain predominantly transitory components, but that of earnings levels is not. The results support earnings levels are a stable and better value relevant proxy in the return-earnings relations.

The findings imply that the valuation role of earnings levels is important in the research relating to earnings components, earnings innovations, and equity valuation, especially when earnings permanence is of interest.

The results provide a new understanding on the role of earnings levels in many business decisions such as executive compensations, institutional investment and conservative accounting where they often involve the choice of using levels and/or changes of earnings variables in making decisions.

The paper contributes to the accounting literature by providing a new insight into the valuation role of earnings levels in the return-earnings relations. The stable value relevance of earnings levels also has important implications, especially for studies that use only earnings levels to assess earnings quality and earnings attributes.

Few people with special educational needs (SEN) had access to higher education in Brazil until the 1980s, mainly due to their lack of access to basic education and a lack of specific public policies for this population. It was only in 2003 that the Brazilian government implemented strategies for the dissemination of the factors referring to inclusive education. The objective was one of the support for the transformation of educational systems into inclusive educational systems. As these policies are recent; few studies have been carried out in Brazil. According to Brazilian statistical data, the number of enrollments connected to special education in regular basic education classes, in 2015, was almost 751,000 students, while in higher education in diverse graduation courses the number was 38,000. In this sense, this chapter aims to unveil and discuss Brazilian public policies for the access and permanence of SEN students in higher education. Reflections will also be presented related to the evolution of the number of enrollments of students with specific SEN (visual, physical, hearing, and intellectual) in basic and higher education, as well as the implementation of public policies focused on this population in a Brazilian context.

This study aims to analyzes the effects of the consumer-generated media (CGM) boom on hotel managers’ investment behavior concerning quality signals.

Survival analysis has been conducted, considering the permanence/dropout of the Spanish hotels in a quality certification system during the 1998–2020 period.

The number of hotels certified since 2010 has been progressively falling, pointing to a decreasing interest of the managers in these certifications. Nevertheless, this is not a generalized phenomenon: the hotel characteristics and the number and nature of reviews about them in CGM significantly affect their permanence decisions in certification systems.

The findings provide several keys to optimizing investment management in quality signals considering hotel characteristics and their positioning in CGM.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that analyses the relationship between the presence of hotels in CGM and their investments in alternative quality signals. The results will allow future investment decisions based on previous real business experiences.

Firms can use dividends and/or share repurchases to distribute cash to shareholders. Jagannathan, Stephens, and Weisbach (2000) argue that managers tend to use dividends to pay out permanent cash flows and repurchases to pay out temporary cash flows. This paper examines Korean firms’ decisions on their choices between paying out cash flows in the form of dividends or share repurchases. We focus on the permanence of cash flows. To complete this analysis, we decompose cash flows into a transitory component and a permanent one of each firm, employing the approach of Beveridge and Nelson (1981). We find that higher permanent cash flows increase the probability of a dividend increase, while higher temporary cash flows increase the probability of repurchases. And Korean firms tend to choose both dividend change and repurchases when temporary cash flows increase, rather than to choose only repurchases without dividend change. These empirical results show that Korean firms take into consideration of permanence of cash flows in the choice of their payout methods.

The present world is captivated by the global challenges of climate change, environmental and ecological degradation, challenges related to migration, inequality, conflict and unrest. The development process failed to appreciate and signify the role of non-value, non-materialistic and altruistic value of both living and non-living natural entities. Thus, a significant disconnect or gap between public policy and human well-being has been observed. The departure of human beings from their true self has also distanced humans from the rest of the species and ecosystem. The essence of altruistic value and its recognition is plausible only through the upliftment and evolution of the inner self. The interconnectivity of the inner and outer world can be perceived through self-evolution. A public policy that is driven by the force of self-enhancement and realization, connecting and synthesizing human and non-human interactions selflessly, is required for revolutionizing the development paradigm. Against this backdrop, Gandhian philosophy that values the individual and his relationship with his true self becomes instrumental in ethical transformation. The self-transformation, manifestation and realization of truth and love are deeply embedded in Gandhian Revolution. Gandhian philosophy is a phenomenal illustration of self-transformation based on self–realization and soul force (Satyagraha) that acts as a driving force for a paradigm shift. Gandhian thoughts recognize the otherness of others (either human beings or nature), embedded in the notion of ‘Sarvodaya’. Based on spiritual inquiry and ethical value judgement, and cosmic interdependence, the Gandhian notion constitutes a building block for a non-violent socioeconomic system guided by empathy and the law of non-possession. The twin models, ‘The trusteeship model’ and ‘Economy of Permanence’, advocate a spiritual inquiry and ethical value judgement in economics and governance. Addressing the economic problem of scarcity and choice, the attributes of decentralization, self-sufficiency and self-reliance envisage that individuals are satisfied with minimum consumption. In addition, non-violence, truth and love create a subsequent balance in ecology and the environment. Ethical responsibility is not just limited to socio-economic and political systems but also integrates environmental and ecological sustainability.

The paper is an excerpt from a more comprehensive study by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection comparing the technical elements of offset projects in forestry, agriculture, and waste management, as well as some miscellaneous project types. The authors compare and contrast design elements of three specific offset projects: afforestation/reforestation, manure management, and landfill gas capture. The technical review for each offset project is concluded with a look at the potential applicability for that project in Florida in the context of the protocols evaluated.

Offset projects that may be employed in Florida are first broken up into comparable design elements specific to the selected offset project type. Focusing on the design elements, a discussion of the similarities and differences among the protocols for each offset project is presented. Each section begins with general findings then moves on to assessments of the detailed design elements. Finally, the project's general applicability to Florida is considered, highlighting specific strengths of particular protocols from the analysis of the design elements.

Protocols tend to vary from highly specific requirements to a more general set of recommendations. Interestingly, no one program's set of protocols is the most opportunistic for Florida, but rather various protocols may have distinctive strengths depending on the project type.

Many comparative studies of offset protocols evaluate protocols in the context of program‐level policies. This study uniquely values the technical details in the protocols and does not consider policy or program‐level issues.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of financial performance measures on the social norms and values of an Islamic microfinance institution (IMFI), and the actions taken by the organisational members to maintain these values in their organisation.

A qualitative case study of an NGO-based IMFI in Malaysia was undertaken, with interviews conducted with officers and managers at various organisational levels of the IMFI. Insights gained from institutional work and institutional logic were used to theorise the findings.

The IMFI used mainly financial measures to manage its performance, which were interlinked with the commercialisation approach in the industry, and the top management’s focus on the financial sustainability of the organisation. The lack of social goals and the use of reward-based financial measures did not weaken the solidified social values at the operational level, due to the independence of the operational units, the compartmentalisation of profit-making activities and the institutional work of the operational managers. The operational managers acted as carriers of this social logic. Religious values formed the pillar of the permanence of social values in the IMFI.

This study provides insights into the internal practices of IMFIs, and the role of religious values in the permanence of social logic in the context of an NGO-based IMFI. The lack of measurable social goals, as well as their rewards, does not compromise the focus on poverty alleviation and community development in view of the intrinsic rewards and accountability of the operational managers.

Considers the problems of rating valuations for street and indoor markets. Discusses the most suitable way to solve them using three different types of market as examples. Queries whether the rates bill should be charged to the landlord or the occupier of the individual stall. Provides guidelines for the rating valuation of markets throughout the country.

Lack of colour permanence can also be associated with less contemporary finishes. A few years ago, a leading chemical manufacturing concern built a spacious office block in Victoria Street, Westminster. Much thought was given to the choice of windows. A final touch of luxury was imparted to the façade by the selection of lightly toned bronze windows; this is a Victorian touch of splendour normally associated with banks, consulates and similar establishments. The term ‘bronze’, in the window trade, assumes a breadth of definition remarkable for even such an ill‐defined term, and is extended to beta brasses. However, the windows were installed, lacquered and admired by all. A few weeks later, a darkening of colour became apparent. This was investigated, attributed to the formation of copper sulphide as a result of permeability of the lacquer film to atmospheric contaminants, and the frames were cleaned down, repolished and relacquered using a competitive brand. The lacquer was applied by spray—the weather was hot, but with gusts of wind, and the comments elicited from the occupants and passers‐by were practically sufficient to induce some colour change. However, the task was completed, and in due course the phenomenon recurred, but more severely. A third attempt gave no better results, and an acceptable degree of permanence was achieved only when the windows were painted with a bronze paint, which consisted of aluminium powder in a tinted vehicle.