Analyzing the nexus between Chinese industrial policy and cross-border M&As.

In recent years, as China experiences economic expansion and its corporations become more global, it has notably become a central hub for cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on the world stage. The Chinese government, in tandem, leverages these international M&A operations to drive industrial transformation and progress in technology. This research investigates the role of China's industrial policies in shaping cross-border M&A activities by examining recent instances. Findings indicate that relaxing financial barriers and applying specific industrial tactics bolster companies' abilities to secure funding, consequently energizing cross-border M&A initiatives. Several firms in these international mergers and acquisitions are intricately connected to political strategies, markedly affecting the formulation of industrial policies. This assertion is corroborated through the analysis of relevant statistical evidence. The study methodically collects and scrutinizes data to quantitatively depict the current landscape and influencing elements of cross-border M&A, thus providing concrete evidence for policy and business strategy formulation.

Density of cannabis outlets vs. cannabis use behaviors and prevalent cannabis use disorder: findings from a nationally-representative survey.

Background: Thailand recently decriminalized (de facto legalized) cannabis use and sales. However, nationally representative data are scarce with regard to cannabis use behaviors and its association with cannabis outlet density. The objectives of this study are: (1) to describe the prevalence of cannabis use behaviors and cannabis use disorder among the general adult population of Thailand; (2) to describe the extent that the density of cannabis outlets is associated with cannabis use behaviors, cannabis use disorder, and the amount of cannabis smoked per day. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in 11 provinces and the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Participants were residents of sampled communities aged 20 years or older. We requested literate participants to self-administer the questionnaire and interviewed participants who could not read. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics with sampling weight adjustments and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: The prevalence of current cannabis use was 15 percent. At a 400-m radius, participants who reported three cannabis outlets had 4.2 times higher odds of being current users than participants who reported no outlet (Adjusted OR = 4.82; 95% CI [3.04-7.63]). We found no association between outlet density and hazardous cannabis use or cannabis use disorder, nor association with the amount of cannabis use among cannabis smokers. Discussion and Conclusion: The patterns of association between outlet density and cannabis use behaviors were inconsistent. Furthermore, limitations regarding outlet density measurement and lack of temporality should be considered as caveats in the interpretation of the study findings.

Piercing the corporate veil system and creditors protection: Based on the investigation of debt paying ability--Empirical evidence from the 2005 Company Law amendment.

This paper uses the difference-in-differences model to research how the "piercing the corporate veil" system marked by the 2005 Company Law amendment affects the level of corporate creditor protection. The research results show that private enterprises and local state-owned enterprises are sensitive and significant to this legal amendment. In contrast, local state-owned enterprises are more sensitive and have a stronger motivation to protect the interests of creditors. The motivation of companies with weaker profitability for creditor protection lasts not only for the year of law revision but also extends to the year of implementation. With the law's implementation, the growth effect of creditor protection for local state-owned enterprises has become more significant. Further analysis shows that the main findings of this article are more significant in companies with larger debt scales, companies with a higher year-on-year growth rate of operating income, companies with controlling shareholders, and companies with higher stock market capitalization. From an empirical research view, this paper explains the economic effect and mechanism of the whole corporate personality under the complete system and adds economic evidence for how the law acts on the capital market.

From isolation to revival: trade recovery amid global health crises.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of designing effective trade recovery measures in response to global health events (GHEs). This study combines international trade risk management theory and multi-case comparative analysis of past GHEs to present a theoretical framework for designing national trade recovery measures for future events. RESULTS: The research finds that during GHEs, trade risks shift to fundamental uncertainty, requiring spatial-temporal-subject dimension recovery measures. The study suggests changing the focus of trade recovery policy design from emergency-oriented and single-dimension measures to reserve-oriented and enduring-effect measures of comprehensive dimensions at micro- and macroeconomic levels. CONCLUSION: The study contributes to the debate on managing trade risks in times of crisis, where there is a need to develop effective trade recovery measures that account for the complexities of global trade and the unique challenges of GHEs. The findings provide practical guidance for trade officials and policymakers to design measures in response to GHEs to improve a country's overall trade recovery.

Do political connections facilitate or inhibit firms' digital transformation? Evidence from China's A-share private listed companies.

Given the advent of the digital era, digital transformation has become necessary for enterprise development. Political connections are the most important resources for enterprise development in most countries. However, the impact of political connections on corporate digital transformation has yet to be verified. This study uses ERNIE, a large language model, to construct a measurement of corporate digital transformation from the perspective of digital technology application through a textual analysis of the annual reports of A-share privately listed companies from 2008 to 2020 and analyzes the impact of political connections on corporate digital transformation and its mechanism of action. The findings demonstrate that political connections have a significant inhibitory effect on corporate digital transformation. This conclusion still holds after a series of robustness and endogeneity tests. The mechanism analyses demonstrate that political connections primarily affect corporate digital transformation through three mechanisms: weakening risk, inhibiting innovation, and enhancing resource crowding. We theoretically expand the understanding of the economic impact of political connections and provide new ideas for accelerating enterprise digital transformation from the perspective of policy makers.

Implementing Maximum Fair Price Without Hurting Pharmacies.

This Viewpoint discusses challenges pharmacies may face under the Inflation Reduction Act and steps that can be taken to prevent unintended consequences.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on food availability and affordability: an interrupted time series analysis in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: In Africa, approx. 675 million people were at risk of food insecurity. COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have exacerbated this situation, by damaging populations' access to and affordability of foods. This study is aimed at estimating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on availability and prices of essential food commodities at 20 large markets in Ghana. METHODS: Data on food availability and food retail prices collected through weekly market-level data during the period from July 2017 to September 2020 were used in this study. We performed interrupted time-series analyses and estimated the percentage increases between the observed and predicted food prices by food group and by region to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on food prices. RESULTS: As a result, the impact of COVID-19 on food availability was limited. However, the results of interrupted time-series analyses indicate a significant increase in overall mean food prices in Greater Accra, Eastern and Upper East regions. It was also found that mean price of starchy roots, tubers and plantains significantly increased across regions. DISCUSSION: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on food availability and prices was significant but varied by food type and regions in Ghana. Continuous monitoring and responses are critical to maintain food availability and affordability.

A blueprint for a new commercial driving epidemiology: An emerging paradigm grounded in integrative exposome and network epistemologies.

Excess health and safety risks of commercial drivers are largely determined by, embedded in, or operate as complex, dynamic, and randomly determined systems with interacting parts. Yet, prevailing epidemiology is entrenched in narrow, deterministic, and static exposure-response frameworks along with ensuing inadequate data and limiting methods, thereby perpetuating an incomplete understanding of commercial drivers' health and safety risks. This paper is grounded in our ongoing research that conceptualizes health and safety challenges of working people as multilayered "wholes" of interacting work and nonwork factors, exemplified by complex-systems epistemologies. Building upon and expanding these assumptions, herein we: (a) discuss how insights from integrative exposome and network-science-based frameworks can enhance our understanding of commercial drivers' chronic disease and injury burden; (b) introduce the "working life exposome of commercial driving" (WLE-CD)-an array of multifactorial and interdependent work and nonwork exposures and associated biological responses that concurrently or sequentially impact commercial drivers' health and safety during and beyond their work tenure; (c) conceptualize commercial drivers' health and safety risks as multilayered networks centered on the WLE-CD and network relational patterns and topological properties-that is, arrangement, connections, and relationships among network components-that largely govern risk dynamics; and (d) elucidate how integrative exposome and network-science-based innovations can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of commercial drivers' chronic disease and injury risk dynamics. Development, validation, and proliferation of this emerging discourse can move commercial driving epidemiology to the frontier of science with implications for policy, action, other working populations, and population health at large.

Community Engagement, Jurisdictional Experience, and Previous Tobacco-Related Ordinances in Neighboring Communities as Drivers of Flavored Tobacco Bans in Los Angeles County.

We examined whether a community engagement approach and jurisdictional attributes were associated with local action to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products in Los Angeles County during 2019-2022. We estimated crude and adjusted risk ratios to examine these associations. Jurisdictions that used an active community engagement approach to adopt a flavored tobacco ban ordinance, those with previous experience adopting other tobacco-related ordinances, and those located next to communities that have an existing tobacco retail license ordinance were more likely than jurisdictions without these attributes to adopt a new ordinance to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products. Efforts to adopt such an ordinance were generally more successful in jurisdictions where community members were engaged and policy makers were familiar with the adoption of public health ordinances.

The impact of rural e-commerce participation on farmers' entrepreneurial behavior: Evidence based on CFPS data in China.

The "Three Rural Issues", encompass challenges related to agriculture, farmer, and rural area, which hold significant importance in driving comprehensive rural revitalization efforts in China. Farmer entrepreneurship, as a crucial means to enhance productivity, create job opportunities, and increase residents' income, has gradually become a key driving force in promoting rural revitalization in the new stage of development in China. With the rapid development of rural e-commerce, farmer entrepreneurship has encountered new opportunities. This study utilizes the 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data and employs a structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the direct impact of rural e-commerce participation on farmer entrepreneurial behavior, considering factors such as human capital, social capital, and network infrastructure. This study further explores the indirect effects and mechanisms of e-commerce participation as a mediating variable and analyzes the impact and mechanisms on agricultural entrepreneurship behavior. The findings are as follows: (1) E-commerce participation significantly promotes farmer entrepreneurial behavior; (2) E-commerce participation as a mediating variable has a positive indirect effect on the relationship between social trust, network infrastructure, human capital, and farmer entrepreneurial behavior; (3) E-commerce participation has a significant positive influence on farmer entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector, and farmers with higher levels of network infrastructure and human capital have a higher probability of choosing agricultural entrepreneurship under the influence of e-commerce participation. Finally, this study provides policy recommendations in terms of infrastructure construction, entrepreneurial policy environment, and education level, aiming to optimize the situation of farmer entrepreneurship and contribute to the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization.Overall, the research in this paper effectively combines theory and empirical evidence to outline the direct and indirect impact mechanisms of rural e-commerce participation on farmers' entrepreneurial behavior and agriculture-related entrepreneurial behavior and to test the effects of their impacts. First, most of the existing literature deals with farmers in individual sample areas, while the sample selected in this paper is farmers in the whole country, which is relatively more generalizable; second, most of the previous studies explore the level of e-commerce in the inter-provincial or county areas, while this paper expands the empirical study of rural e-commerce on the entrepreneurial behavior of farmers and the micro-period of agricultural entrepreneurial behavior, and focuses on the impacts of the e-commerce activities of farmers on their entrepreneurial behavior.

Investigation on the strategy of business administration level of enterprises in the new economic environment.

In the face of the new economic environment, enterprises must continuously enhance their capabilities to achieve long-term development. In the current market scenario, business management relies on economic principles and legal accounting. Considering the current market situation, the article analyzed enterprises system reform and production planning, proposing corresponding countermeasures. Therefore, in order to achieve rapid development, it was necessary to strengthen the management of enterprises. In this paper, the current problems faced by enterprises, solutions and the significance of enterprises needed to improve their management level were explained, and the situation of enterprises was analyzed through the enterprise strategic management model. Comparing with the traditional management model in terms of the complexity of enterprise management processes, efficiency, management level score, and quarterly profit,findings reveal that the management model in the new economic environment has reduced the complexity of the enterprise process by 0.17 points. The management efficiency has increased by 0.15 points, the management score has increased by 14 points, and the quarterly profit of the company has increased by 30,000 yuan. Furthermore, it is elucidated that, in the new economy, enhancing the management level is essential for enabling enterprises to attain long-term development.

Driving force of value reversal in Chinese overleveraged firms: The mechanism and path of private placement.

To stimulate economic growth, China has launched multiple economic stimulus plans in recent years, intensifying corporate debt financing and subsequently elevating the leverage levels. Addressing and effectively reducing the leverage levels of our country's enterprises has emerged as a pressing issue in the trajectory of our economic development. This paper primarily investigates the drivers, pathways, and mechanisms for reversing the over-leveraged values of enterprises. Key findings include: (1) Excessive indebtedness exerts a negative impact on corporate value, with the suppressing effect intensifying as the degree of over-leverage increases; (2) Over-leveraged enterprises can effectively decrease their debt levels and enhance their value through private placement. Further research suggests that this mechanism operates by amplifying the operational leverage of over-leveraged enterprises post private placement and alleviating financing constraints, thereby elevating corporate value. (3) Compared to non-state-owned enterprises, state-owned enterprises exhibit higher levels of indebtedness. Among over-leveraged firms, enhancements in corporate governance and increased investment efficiency can positively transform corporate value. This study offers valuable insights for the ongoing supply-side structural reforms and governance guidance from the regulatory bodies.

Exploring trends and autonomy levels of adaptive business intelligence in healthcare: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: In order to comprehensively understand the characteristics of Adaptive Business Intelligence (ABI) in Healthcare, this study is structured to provide insights into the common features and evolving patterns within this domain. Applying the Sheridan's Classification as a framework, we aim to assess the degree of autonomy exhibited by various ABI components. Together, these objectives will contribute to a deeper understanding of ABI implementation and its implications within the Healthcare context. METHODS: A comprehensive search of academic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies, selecting AIS e-library (AISel), Decision Support Systems Journal (DSSJ), Nature, The Lancet Digital Health (TLDH), PubMed, Expert Systems with Application (ESWA) and npj Digital Medicine as information sources. Studies from 2006 to 2022 were included based on predefined eligibility criteria. PRISMA statements were used to report this study. RESULTS: The outcomes showed that ABI systems present distinct levels of development, autonomy and practical deployment. The high levels of autonomy were essentially associated with predictive components. However, the possibility of completely autonomous decisions by these systems is totally excluded. Lower levels of autonomy are also observed, particularly in connection with prescriptive components, granting users responsibility in the generation of decisions. CONCLUSION: The study presented emphasizes the vital connection between desired outcomes and the inherent autonomy of these solutions, highlighting the critical need for additional research on the consequences of ABI systems and their constituent elements. Organizations should deploy these systems in a way consistent with their objectives and values, while also being mindful of potential adverse effects. Providing valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers aiming to comprehend the diverse levels of ABI systems implementation, it contributes to well-informed decision-making in this dynamic field.

How do e-commerce platforms and retailers implement discount pricing policies under consumers are strategic?

In the era of the rapid development of e-commerce, many retailers choose to launch promotional activities to become consumers' first choice for shopping. Since price discounts can greatly attract consumers, the e-commerce platforms have also begun to implement discount pricing. It is urgent for e-commerce platforms and retailers to formulate reasonable discount strategies to achieve sustainable business. In this paper, we construct a dynamic game model for implementing discount pricing on an e-commerce platform and two retailers, we study the market equilibrium between the two retailers and the e-commerce platform under various scenarios that considering consumers' strategic waiting behavior and competition between the two retailers, we further discuss the effectiveness of retailer discount pricing and the double discount pricing of the platform and retailers. We show that the optimal pricing decreases as the difference in product quality narrows under both pricing strategies. Low-quality retailers implementing a double discount pricing strategy are in relatively higher demand only when the difference in product quality is small. High-quality retailers implementing the retailer discount pricing strategy are in relatively higher demand only when the product quality difference is large. Double discount pricing is desirable for both e-commerce platforms and retailers and can be used to effectively achieve Pareto improvement in the market by increasing their expected profit. Our results emphasize the role of product quality and the value of the double discount pricing strategy. The double discount pricing strategy weakens the profit advantage that retailers and platforms gain from it as the rebate intensity and rebate redemption rates increase.

Characteristics of built food environments associated with alternative protein food choices: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review contributes to the understanding of the characteristics of built food environments that may be associated with choices of alternative protein foods (APF). Using the built food environment typology proposed by Downs et al., we investigated various environmental structures (e.g., supermarkets, other retailers, farmers' markets, restaurants, schools, and online vendors) and the characteristics that may facilitate or hinder consumers' choices. For example, facilitators and barriers may refer to the physical characteristics of environmental structures, food presentation practices, the organizational strategies or policies operating in the setting, or the actions that retailers or consumers engage in while selling, serving, choosing, trying, or purchasing APF in these environmental structures. METHODS: A systematic review (PROSPERO database preregistration; no. CRD42023388700) was conducted by searching 13 databases for peer-reviewed journals focusing on the fields of economics and business, agriculture, medical sciences, and social sciences. Data searches, coding, and quality evaluations were conducted by at least 2 researchers. A total of 31 papers (36 original studies) were included. The risk of bias was evaluated with the Joanna Briggs Institute quality evaluation tool, with 24 publications presenting low risk of bias. RESULTS: The findings indicate that perceived and actual availability facilitate consumers' APF choices across a built food environment. Several barriers/facilitators were associated with APF choices in specific types of built food environments: the way food is presented in produce sections (supermarkets), consumer habits in terms of green and specialty shopping (grocery stores), and mismatches among retailer actions in regard to making APF available in one type of food environment structure (e-commerce) and consumers' preferences for APF being available in other food environment structures (supermarkets, grocery stores). The effect of a barrier/facilitator may depend on the APF type; for example, social norms regarding masculinity were a barrier affecting plant-based APF choices in restaurants, but these norms were not a barrier affecting the choice of insect-based APF in restaurants. CONCLUSIONS: Addressing barriers/facilitators identified in this review will help in developing environment-matching interventions that aim to make alternative proteins mainstream. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO database registration: #CRD42023388700.

Optimization of 3D printing supply chain in the era of live streaming e-commerce.

This study examines the effects of the rising live streaming e-commerce on the 3DP supply chain, employing system dynamics to develop separate models for pure polymer and polymer-metal mixed printing. The analysis focuses on optimizing the 3DP supply chain configuration. Results indicate that, based solely on printing time, cost, and quality metrics, Corporate-live-3DP services are optimal for live commerce scenarios. However, despite this, Private-live-3DP maintains a substantial consumer base in practice, as evidenced by literature data and case studies. Both models pose significant challenges to conventional supply chains, necessitating adaptation. For Corporate-live-3DP, optimization strategies may include technology advancements, digital transformation, agile manufacturing, global network optimization, innovative management, collaborative R&D, fine-tuned inventory control, quality system upgrades, talent development, and organizational restructuring. Conversely, Private-live-3DP can be optimized through consolidation of private 3D printing resources, demand prediction and order optimization, supply chain collaboration platforms, quality management extensions, inventory strategy adjustments, increased transparency, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation measures.

Turning the tide on big cat trade: Expert opinion on trends and conservation lessons from the Republic of Korea.

Unsustainable trade in big cats affects all species in the genus, Panthera, and is one of the foremost threats to their conservation. To provide further insight into the impact of policy interventions intended to address this issue, we examine the case study of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), which in the early 1990s was one of the world's largest importers of tiger (Panthera tigris) bone and a major manufacturer of tiger-derived medicinal products. In 1993, South Korea became a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and introduced a ban on commercial trade in CITES Appendix I-listed big cats a year later. We used an expert-based questionnaire survey and an exploration of the CITES trade database to investigate what has since happened to big cat trade in South Korea. Expert opinion suggested that big cat trade has likely substantially reduced since the early 1990s, as a result of the trade ban and broad socioeconomic changes. However, illegal trade has not been eradicated entirely and we were able to confirm that products reportedly derived from big cats were still publicly available for sale on a range of Korean online marketplaces, sometimes openly. The items most commonly reported by respondents from post-1994 trade and supported by expert-led evidence were tiger and leopard (Panthera pardus) skins and tiger bone wine. Although South Korea may provide a useful case study of a historically significant consumer country for tiger which has made strong progress in addressing unsustainable levels of big cat trade within a short period of time, there remains a need to address recalcitrant small-scale, illegal trade. We also recommend further investigation regarding reports of South Korean nationals being involved in illegal trade in tiger-derived products in Southeast Asia.

Collaborative servitization in service-oriented company: The case study of telco company.

There is a growing interest in the subject of product-service system (PSS) and collaborative servitization in academia and practice. However, the focus is on exploring the growth of manufacturing companies without specifically analyzing the growth of service companies in applying PSS. There are companies, especially in the telco industry, that expand their service business to complex bundles of products and services. The paper investigates PSS in the service company and the role of collaboration in different PSS development phases: idea generation, development and go to market phase. The study adopted case-based research conducted in international Telco organization. The research demonstrates how a company creates and commercializes integrated packets of products and services, it identifies partners company works with and the benefits and challenges of their cooperation. The study addresses collaboration with customers and identifies five different customer profiles according to their openness to participate in the development of PSS. The study highlights the importance of (1) collaboration models, (2) customer involvement, and (3) strategic focus in successful application of collaborative servitization. The findings complement the literature for collaborative servitization and offer concrete input for companies in terms of how to better organize business, profit from collaboration models and gain market advantage.

The effects of trade liberalization on inequality in nutrition intake: empirical evidence from Indian districts.

BACKGROUND: Despite the positive impact of trade liberalization on food availability in India, severe inequality in nutrition consumption at the district level persists. Empirical evidence on the relationship between trade liberalization and nutrition consumption inequality often offers a country-level perspective and generates disputed outcomes. The study aimed to explore the effects of trade liberalization on inequality in nutrition consumption at the district level in India and to examine the heterogeneity of the impact on different nutrition consumption. METHODS: Our study employed the Gini Index to measure nutrition consumption inequality of 2 macronutrients and 5 micronutrients at the district level in India during 2009-2011, utilizing the comprehensive FAO/WHO individual food consumption data. The import tariff was adopted as a proxy for trade liberalization, as its externally imposed nature facilitates a causal interpretation. We further identified the direct causal relationship between food trade liberalization and inequality in nutrition consumption using a fixed effects model. RESULTS: The results show that more than 50% of the individuals in the survey districts did not meet the dietary standards for both macronutrients and micronutrients. Food trade liberalization hindered the improvement of inequality in nutrition consumption. As import tariffs were reduced by 1%, the inequality in intake of calories, zinc, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2 increased significantly by 0.45, 0.56, 0.48, and 0.66, respectively, which might be related to food market performance. The results also highlight the positive role of the gender gap, female-headed households, and caste culture on inequality in nutrition consumption in India. CONCLUSIONS: To ease the shock of liberalization and minimize its inequality effects, complementary measures should be adopted, such as improving food logistic conditions in poor areas, and nutrition relief schemes.