Business and Public Administration Studies (E-Journal, Washington Institute of China Studies - WICS)
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Activities of organised crime in the area of cross-border waste shipments - a case study
Full text linkTechnological advances and rapid global population growth are degrading the environment. One of the problems is the growing amount of waste, which affects people\u27s lives and health while posing a threat to the natural economy. Waste is generated in industry, agriculture and households. Considering their properties, they can be flammable, irritant, car-cinogenic, toxic, mutagenic, corrosive, infectious or having a harmful effect on reproduction.Internationally, environmental degradation has begun to become such a serious problem that there have been pro-posals to deal with acts that harm the environment as an environmental crime. Efforts in this respect began in 2010 and are being pursued by lawyers from around the world. .The purpose of this article is primarily to introduce the mechanism used by one of the criminal groups in Poland, whose activities adversely affected the environment. In addition, the irregularities that occurred and the legal qualifications of the crimes accompanying waste management will be presented. The source base for writing the article was information obtained from the Tarnów Regional Prosecutor\u27s Office, which is conducting the case, as well as from scientific studies and newspaper articles
How can machine learning identify the potential of digital trade facilitation in bridging inequality?
Full text linkThis paper is the result of an exploratory application of machine learning (ML) methods for identifying the potential that digital trade facilitation can have in bridging inequality gaps between and within countries. Most well-known coun-try classifications guiding country-level technical assistance are based on income level, socio-economic development di-mensions, and geographical location of countries. While policymakers and researchers have approached these indicators as a valid criterion to characterize structural patterns that differentiate countries among themselves, more objective cri-teria could play a potential role in bridging effectiveness gaps in allocating technical assistance efforts among countries. ML methods, such as clustering methods, could enable adopting a more objective approach for classifying countries ac-cording to desired strategic objectives, such as leveraging digital trade facilitation for reducing between- and within-country inequality. This paper then has two objectives. First, it aims to contribute to existent country classification criteria by identifying a set of variables to cluster countries according to their levels of digital trade facilitation, inequality, and other institutional, social, and economic factors. Second, it intends to explore some possible policy implications for coun-tries from Asia and the Pacific region. Section 1 introduces the ML analysis used and states the underlying motivation. Section 2 explains the data sources and variables used, as well as the process followed to clean and explore the data. Section 3 and 4 present two ML clustering methods applied for this paper\u27s analysis and their corresponding results. Section 5 concludes and discusses areas for future improvements. Section 6 includes an appendix with data visualizations that resulted from the analysis presented in this paper
Federal Legislation Opens Opportunities for Investments in U.S. based Semiconductor Foundry Companies
Full text linkThe article examines the bipartisan support for U.S. technology manufacturing under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and the earlier U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which opens up a unique opportunity to invest in U.S. semiconductor and integrated device companies. Despite the high upfront costs and innovation risk factors inherent in the development of circuit manufacturing facilities, the recent federal prioritization of U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, combined with broader market demand for semiconductors and bipartisan support for over-reliance on Chinese manufacturing, pro-vides a unique offsetting risk for investment in semiconductor manufacturing facilities. To assess this risk, this note will present an analysis of the competitiveness of global and domestic semiconductor foundry companies and outline the likely implications of U.S. policy for the industry over the next five year
Application of synthetic measure to assess and model the financial condition of a company
Full text linkEnterprises should regularly analyze the results of their operations, as well as their financial condition. The source material for the analysis of the financial condition are financial statements. They present a picture of the property and financial condition of the enterprise for a certain period of time. The purpose of the article is to examine the usefulness of a synthetic measure for assessing the financial condition of enterprises. The CRITIC-TOPSIS method was used in the analysis. The study of financial condition provides information for evaluating and correcting the activities carried out. The increase or decrease in synthetic measures must be considered as a way to assess the effects of the financial condition to date. The assessment of financial condition using subindices of evaluation, i.e. liquidity, debt, profitability, as well as the synthetic measure can indicate trends in the studied area, positions in the industry, the situation of the unit. The syn-thetic measure of financial condition can complement the traditional ratio analysis
Bitcoin and farm tokens: a historical link to the decentralization of money
Full text linkThis paper analyzes the relationship between farm tokens, which were used in the 19th and 20th centuries, and their comparison with digital currencies focused on cryptographic technology. The paper stresses on the similarities that have existed since its conception between farm tokens and cryptographic currencies, specifically bitcoin. Farm tokens presented a quest for decentralization of the traditional financial system with the aim of addressing a lack of supply within due to currency limitations. On the one hand, this presented a possibility for haciendas and farms to create a decentralized financial system that would allow exchange based on trust. On the other hand, the growth of crypto-currencies which began in 2009 due to the consequences of a financial crisis that, according to those who promoted bitcoin, was based on the impact of the traditional financial system and its relationship with the printing of currency. due to the change from a gold standard system to a fiat money system [World Gold Council, 2022]. The consequences of the impact of fiat money, that is, money based on various currencies instead of gold, created a demand focused on the decen-tralization of money with the purpose of being able to make sovereign decisions
A literature review on the effects of regional trade agreements (RTAs) on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)
Full text linkThis document presents a literature review of the effects of regional trade agreements (RTAs) on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). It focuses on the extent to which MSMEs use RTAs to engage in interna-tional trade, and addresses other recurrent themes in the literature, such as the determinants of RTA use, MSME chal-lenges in utilizing RTAs, and potential benefits RTAs can have for MSMEs. Most of the studies available in the literature focus on economies in North America, East Asia and the Pacific, with limited coverage of other regions such as Africa, Europe and Latin America. These studies do not provide definitive conclusions on the direction of RTA effects on MSME trade participation given that their principal focus was RTA utilization rates and not effectiveness of MSME- specific RTA provisions. Rather, the literature describes the potential benefits MSMEs can experience from RTAs such as access to cheaper intermediate goods due to lower tariffs, increased exports, more business opportunities, larger production net-works and further participation in regional and global supply chains. Studies, however, also document challenges MSMEs can face to use RTAs including complex regulatory requirements and high administrative costs or downside effects RTAs can have such as increased competition from foreign firms