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This study investigates whether cyclical turning points in the U.S. and U.K. stock markets are unevenly distributed over the year, that is, whether they are more likely to occur during certain months of the year. In examining this form of periodic seasonality, a Markov switching‐model is applied to U.S. and U.K. stock market chronologies of monthly peak and trough dates for the periods May 1835 through March 2000 and May 1836 through September 2000, respectively. In order to provide some evidence on robustness with respect to the sample data, results are obtained for the entire sample periods as well as for various sub‐. For both markets, the evidence indicates that while the probability of moving from an expansion to a contraction does not depend on the month of the year, the probability of switching from a contraction is greater for some months. Additionally, the durations of contractions, but not expansions, are dependent on the month of the year in which they begin.

This study examines the durations of US stock market cycle expansions and contractions for the presence of seasonality. Specifically, it is determined whether the distributional characteristics (i.e., location and dispersion) of the durations of market expansions and contractions are dependent on the time of the year the market phase begins or ends. The duration data are obtained from a stock market chronology of monthly peak and trough dates for the period May 1835 through July 1998 and nonparametric rank‐based tests are used to test for the presence of seasonality. In order to provide some evidence on robustness with respect to the sample data, results are obtained for the entire sample period as well as for various sub‐periods. When the data are aggregated on a quarterly basis, the evidence suggests that seasonal structures are present in stock market cycle durations. These seasonals are related primarily to shifts in location over the course of the year and to when a market expansion or contraction begins. However, when the duration data are aggregated on a bi‐annual basis, support for seasonality is much more limited.

The study this chapter reports focuses on how network theory contributes to the understanding of the internationalization process of SMEs and measures the effect of network capability on performance in international trade and has three research objectives.

The first objective of the study relates to providing new insights into the international market development activities through the application of a network perspective. The chapter reviews the international business literature to ascertain the development of thought, the research gaps, and the shortcomings. This review shows that the network perspective is a useful and popular theoretical domain that researchers can use to understand international activities, particularly of small, high technology, resource-constrained firms.

The second research objective is to gain a deeper understanding of network capability. This chapter presents a model for the impact of network capability on international performance by building on the emerging literature on the dynamic capabilities view of the firm. The model conceptualizes network capability in terms of network characteristics, network operation, and network resources. Network characteristics comprise strong and weak ties (operationalized as foreign-market entry modes), relational capability, and the level of trust between partners. Network operation focuses on network initiation, network coordination, and network learning capabilities. Network resources comprise network human-capital resources, synergy-sensitive resources (resource combinations within the network), and information sharing within the network.

The third research objective is to determine the impact of networking capability on the international performance of SMEs. The study analyzes 11 hypotheses through structural equations modeling using LISREL. The hypotheses relate to strong and weak ties, the relative strength of strong ties over weak ties, and each of the eight remaining constructs of networking capability in the study. The research conducts a cross-sectional study by using a sample of SMEs drawn from the telecommunications industry in Ireland.

The study supports the hypothesis that strong ties are more influential on international performance than weak ties. Similarly, network coordination and human-capital resources have a positive and significant association with international performance. Strong ties, weak ties, trust, network initiation, synergy-sensitive resources, relational capability, network learning, and information sharing do not have a significant association with international performance. The results of this study are strong (R2=0.63 for performance as the outcome) and provide a number of interesting insights into the relations between collaboration or networking capability and performance.

This study provides managers and policy makers with an improved understanding of the contingent effects of networks to highlight situations where networks might have limited, zero, or even negative effects on business outcomes. The study cautions against the tendency to interpret networks as universally beneficial to business development and performance outcomes.

Describes the development and effects of behaviourally‐based management techniques in improving construction site safety. In phase one, goal‐setting and feedback methods were developed and tested on six sites in the North West of England. A 40‐week longitudinal research design was adopted in which measures of safety performance were taken before, during and after the application of these methods. The measures included four categories of measurement: access to heights; site housekeeping (site tidiness); scaffolding; and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) – with PPE used as a control. The results showed that: safety behaviour can be objectively and reliably measured; goal setting and feedback can produce large improvements in safety performance; the commitment of site management appears to enhance their effectiveness. Eleven major contractors have provided us with 22 sites which are participating, or have participated, in a larger follow‐up study that aims to assess whether contractors are able to implement these techniques themselves. Early results are highly encouraging, though analysis indicates that the mechanism by which the intervention influences behaviour is less direct than classical goal‐setting theory would suggest.

The initial jurisprudential response to the gig economy above has included the exploration of two new legal personae: algorithmic persons and dependent contractors. The author uses the word ‘exploration’ here, because neither figure has become an established character on the legal landscape in the United States – yet. Given the sector’s claims of absolute novelty, it may seem that the best way to develop regulations is to identify new positions and actors, define them, and then apply existing regulations and expectations or develop new ones accordingly. This chapter explains why this approach is misguided. First, legal personae have only a tangential relationship with actually existing human beings. Much regulatory energy could be caught up in elaborate definitions and descriptions intended to develop robust regulation, only to find that they create the blueprint for future business models that avert these very frameworks. Second, these legal personae are developed within the existing frameworks of employment law and corporate regulation, which in the United States, are determined by a phantasmagoric understanding of ‘the market’. Unless this basic framework is questioned, one can expect that these new legal personae will fail to protect actual workers and consumers.

Minamata disease was first officially recognized in May 1956. Its earliest victims were small children. Environmental contamination most rapidly and seriously affected the physiologically weak among the residents. However, the outbreak of the disease in humans was preceded by abnormalities in the natural environment such as massive death of fish and shellfish, and the abnormal behavior and death of cats. It used to be considered that poisoning was caused by direct exposure to a toxic substance, and that toxic substances did not pass the placenta. Minamata disease is an indirect poisoning by methyl mercury through the food chain as a result of environmental contamination, and is the first known disease to cause abnomalities in the fetus due to a toxic agent passing through the placenta. Minamata disease, therefore, had implications in various fields. Namely it also stirred up legal, ethical, and eugenic arguments concerning fetal protection. This report reviews the course of Minamata disease, and evaluates its impacts. “Minamata Studies” has three intellectual and scientific missions to change the social systems that caused the disease; to pursue environmental justice; and to explore the possibility of an environment that permits coexistence not only of all humans, but of all living things.

Unsafe behavior is a major cause of safety accidents, while in most management measures for unsafe behavior, the construction workers are generally managed as a whole. Therefore, this study aims to propose group management of construction workers' unsafe behavior considering individual characteristics.

A cognitive process model with ten cognitive factors was constructed based on cognitive safety theory. The questionnaire was developed and validated based on the cognitive model, and the results showed that the questionnaire had good reliability and validity, and the cognitive model fitted well. Latent class analysis was used to classify the unsafe behaviors of construction workers.

Four categories of cognitive excellent type, cognitive failure type, no fear type and knowingly offending type were obtained. Workers of cognitive excellent type have good cognitive ability and a small tendency for unsafe behaviors. Workers of cognitive failure type have poor cognitive ability and the potential for cognitive failure in all four cognitive links. Workers of no fear type have weak cognitive ability, and cognitive failure may occur in discovering information and choosing coping links. Workers of knowingly offending type have certain cognitive abilities, but cognitive failure may occur in choosing coping link.

This study formulates targeted management measures according to the potential characteristics of these four types and provides scientific theoretical support for the personalized management of unsafe behavior.

It is well researched and reported that the culture of a nation has a major impact on employees’ work related values, attitudes and expectations. The objective of this study was to investigate if western research on the generation gap applies equally to generational groups in Taiwan’s workplaces, specifically in the higher education sector and manufacturing industry. The research found that groups in the manufacturing industry share generational differences with their western counterparts. However, the research has demonstrated that western research results in respect to generational differences do not apply to the generational workers in the Taiwan education sector. In addition to these findings, the reseach has uncovered some anomalies with specific research findings in the western literature.

This study aims to examine style-deviation practices in the socially responsible mutual funds (SMRF) industry i.e. how mutual funds game their stated financial objectives to earn a higher relative performance ranking. In addition, the consequences of such practices on sustainable scores and money flows are studied.

A sample of 454 US equity SRMFs is studied. This paper uses panel regressions controlling for time and style fixed-effects.

This study finds that 17.60% of SRMF managers in the sample are engaged in style deviation practices. These practices positively impact the sustainable performance of SRMFs and negatively impact their financial performance. One effect offsets the other and they consequently do not affect money flows. Another finding is that only investors with lower portfolio sustainability scores do show return-chaser behaviour.

This paper reveals that SRMF managers deviating from their stated financial style face a dilemma that is non-existent for their conventional peers that is style deviation practices affect financial and sustainable performance in opposing ways, whereas SRMF investor utility depends positively on both dimensions. The findings are not conclusive about the effectiveness of style deviation practices in attracting SRMF money flows.

SRMF industry has experienced tremendous growth in the past decade. The increased competition in this industry has led managers to strive to attract investors, sometimes by relying on irregular practices that enhance their portfolio results. Regulators should consider how to avoid such perverse behaviour with a view to improving mutual funds transparency.

This is the first research that analyses style deviation practices and their consequences for the SRMF industry.