Channeling Unilateralism

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the development and nature of organized crime in the USA over the past 50 years, emphasizing organized crime's corruption and victimization of legitimate businesses and describing law enforcement's efforts to combat organized crime through specific case studies.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the paper analyzes the control over and corruption of legitimate businesses in the USA by the La Cosa Nostra (“LCN,” or the American Mafia), including the following industries: Las Vegas gaming; moving and storage; garment; waste – hauling; and, construction, and the following unions: the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Laborers International Union of North America; and, the International Longshoreman's Association. The paper also describes law enforcement's successful efforts to combat such corruption through the use of criminal and civil racketeering laws and specific prosecutions. The paper then discusses the emergence in the mid‐1980s of non‐traditional organized crime groups in the USA, including various Asian ethnic groups and large‐scale human trafficking organizations that impact Europe and Asia as well as the USA.FindingsThe non‐traditional criminal groups not only prey on the legitimate businesses in ethnic Asian communities in the USA, but they also engage in complex crimes, alien smuggling, drug trafficking, credit‐card frauds, money laundering, and other financial crimes. There has emerged a new era for organized crime that began in the 1990s with the fall of the former Soviet Union and the emergence of transnational organized crime groups emanating from the nations comprising the former Soviet Bloc. These organized crime groups engage in a wide variety of economic crimes including extortion, fraud, illicit appropriation of natural resources, and public corruption. Such extensive corruption threatens the stability of some of these emerging nations.Originality/valueThis paper will be valuable to law enforcement offices and policy makers to assist them to understand the scope and nature of organized crime's adverse effects upon businesses and economic interests and to develop tools to combat such criminal activities.

This article deals with the complex relationships that exist among drug traffickers, insurgent guerrilla groups, paramilitary forces, peasants, and the government's military and police agencies in Colombia and the use of violence and terrorism among them to achieve disparate ends. Colombia was chosen as a case study because of its importance as a key source country for coca leaf and as an incubator for organized crime. The article also focuses on the narco-terrorist nexus, which for years has threatened the sovereignty of the country, and on strategies and institutional initiatives to combat drug production, trafficking, and terrorism.

Centuries ago, there were some small scale real estate agency firms in Hong Kong. Many of them were small scale family business. As large scale shopping malls were uncommon at that time, these shops were opened on the streets. Nowadays, the market structure of real estate agency sector is an oligopoly. Ricacorp, Centaline, Century 21, Midland Realty, and Hong Kong Properties are the five major large-scale agency companies in Hong Kong. In the modern era, many of these agency firms open their branches inside the shopping malls beneath the large scale residential estates. To better understand the reasons for this phenomenon in Hong Kong, we have conducted two case studies. The case study of Ricacorp, one of the large-scale real estate agency firms in Hong Kong, shows that over half of the Ricacorp real estate agencies shops are opened in shopping malls that are owned by the major developers in Hong Kong. The second part of the case study explores some of the major shopping malls in Tseung Kwan O, a new town in Hong Kong. We find that many shopping malls have similar “content” and appearance because they have similar branded shops. Secondly, the agency firms also open their shops in different malls owned by the same developers. We therefore propose that the oligopoly market structure is caused by two factors: 1) lower transaction costs are incurred when the large scale agency owners negotiate with the mall owners in settling the terms of contracts: A) the mall owners do not need to draft separate contracts for the different agency companies. One piece of contract (or more or less the similar terms of contracts) fits all the agency branches owned by one single firm. B) there is no need to search for background information on each company if the shopping malls are contracting with a single agency company. C) By looking at the other shopping malls, the shopping mall designers can gather information and predict the success of the tenant mix easily. 2) Modern shopping centres usually locate below the towers of residential buildings. By opening the agency firms inside these malls, the consumer’s search costs can be lowered. Despite both the small and large scale agency firms know that these shopping malls can help them secure better business returns, the large-scale companies can easily build up closer relationships with the mall owners (due to factor 1) find it easier to rent their units at a lower rent while the smaller firms find it hard to expand in the New Town’s shopping malls. These small firms are forced to stay in lower profit margin regions in old estates where there are only street shops without large scale developer’s renting administration. Therefore, it is sufficient to conclude that the shopping mall has imposed a relative higher costs to new comers should they wish to enter the real estate agency market in new town area.

Drug trafficking remains a significant challenge in Nigeria, with complex socio-political and economic factors driving its persistence. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of drug trafficking in Nigeria and evaluates the effectiveness of law enforcement strategies in combating this menace. The study adopts a qualitative research approach with semi-structured interviews with law enforcement officials and former traffickers. Thematic and narrative analyses are used to uncover the underlying themes and individual experiences that shape the drug trade and enforcement efforts. Findings reveal that while Nigeria has implemented various strategies, including legislative reforms and cross-border collaborations, the effectiveness of these measures is hindered by inadequate resources, and the adaptive strategies of traffickers. The study also highlights the need for a more integrated approach that includes community-based interventions and stronger international cooperation. By analysing the narratives of those involved and the strategies employed, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the drug trafficking landscape in Nigeria and offers insights for more effective policy and enforcement measures.

Economic historians have always underscored the influence of institutions – economic, political, legal, social, and even cultural – in the processes of industrial development and economic growth. In the last decade, economists more broadly have turned their attention to similar factors underlying the differential economic growth witnessed across countries. Much of the recent literature on the determinants of long-run economic growth focuses on financial institutions as critical factors. In particular, the current literature focuses on the role of political and legal systems in providing the environment that allows financial institutions to allocate capital and services efficiently. This literature takes as a given that functioning financial institutions are important preconditions for economic growth, which is sometimes called the finance-leads-growth perspective. In contrast, in the mid-twentieth century, the dominant view held that financial development responded to demand or real economic activity. The finance-leads-growth perspective has begun to hold sway, although some have recognized the dual directions of causality: In the long run, increases in industrial activity will feed back into the financial system, thereby increasing the demand for financial services. In this case, in the long run, the causality from economic growth to financial development goes both ways.

With the rewritten Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution and the National Water Law of 1992, Mexico embarked on an ambitious program of transferring the management of many irrigation systems to local user groups, primarily farmers. By 1996, 372 water user associations had been formed to control water delivery to 2.92 million hectares. During this time water prices increased by 45–180% and government O&M subsidies were eliminated. Limited economic analysis of stakeholder impact has been conducted of the irrigation management transfer (IMT) program. This research effort pilots a partial budget analytical framework for analyzing the social benefits and costs of IMT. Two irrigation modules near Culiacan, Sinaloa were selected as case studies. Results reveal that even with significantly higher water prices, water users have invested more in their systems than during the post-IMT period and consider their overall irrigation costs to be lower. Lower transaction costs in the pre-IMT period explain the majority of these cost savings. Efforts to quantify incremental benefits and costs associated with IMT at the module and district levels proved difficult given the unavailability of reliable, time series information.

Digital data are critical to people and companies, acting as a crucial element in the decision-making process in different areas. Accordingly, logs can track how this data changes over time and are essential to enable auditing. The traditional approach to ensure log integrity is to store them on well-kept servers, both from a physical and a digital security standpoint. However, this approach assumes that it is difficult to exploit these servers' vulnerabilities and that these systems' administrator is honest. Distributing trust is an alternative that does not rely on these assumptions, and blockchain-based approaches are promising in that aspect. A method that stands out for providing post-storage integrity guarantees at low transaction costs is the proof of existence, which consists of sending the hash of an object to a public blockchain, proving that the object existed before its hash became included in the blockchain. However, although this method is viable, no other works generalize the concept nor make it accessible, making its wide adoption difficult. Therefore, this work aims to propose an architecture to assure log integrity through proof of existence and develop an application for consuming logs indexed using Elasticsearch: the Auditchain. We present here a case study with qualitative and quantitative data collection. As a result, we obtained a comparison of PoE fulfillment APIs, an architecture to simplify PoE of logs, and an implementation of the proposed architecture.

Investing can help a person's wealth to generate more, and investing in stock is proven as one of the most profitable forms of available investment. The benefits gained in stock broking are immediate Buy/Sell which investor can sell part of their investment any time and at low transaction cost. However, investing in stock will require investor to observe the market, as market can be a volatile place and investor need to acquire knowledge of what they actually are doing. This study will discuss the price trends over the year, and how it will get affected by the seasonality in Malaysia, which also known as the calendar effects. The factor to be investigated in this study is the price on holiday’s season, the January effect or any other monthly seasonality. The daily price of KPJ Healthcare Berhad for the year 2011 is the sample was chosen in this study. Further this study, data used is derived from the weak-form efficient markets hypothesis, which is the price history and case study. Regression method is used in this study in order to help achieving the findings. This should be a continuous study, and adding on more other factors, such as wars and economic crises, and traders, investors and other speculators. This paper has proved the existence of calendar anomalies in KPJ's stock price for Chinese New Effect, Aidilfitri Effect and Christmas Effect. However, the price changes are believed more likely due to the investors tormenting about central banks raising interest rates to restrain rising inflation. Other than that, for Aidilfitri Effect and Christmas Effect, further study should be perform since the raise of the stock market, may be due to the world’s stock market begin to be stronger after the European sovereign debt crisis to Spain and Italy in August. Conversely, there are positive returns for January. However, the findings are non-related to the January effect. This is because January effect arises due to tax-loss selling, which Malaysia has a different tax system compared to other countries. Shareholders in Malaysia are not necessary to pay any taxes on the return they gained from share trading.

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to determine the factors that lead to satisfaction of the customers as regards to e‐banking services provided by selected banks in India.Design/methodology/approachSurvey method was used to conduct the study. Data were collected through a well structured questionnaire from a sample of 350 respondents.FindingsAs a major finding of the study, six factors namely ease of use, reliability, convenient accessibility, security, low transaction cost and the time consumption emerged as factors that lead to customer satisfaction as regards e‐banking services. Further, the results of multiple regression showed that out of the above mentioned six factors, three factors, namely, ease of use (i.e. user friendly web sites leading to easy technology‐customer interaction), low transaction cost (i.e. saving of time, speed of service delivery, convenience and reduced paper work in monetary terms) and security (i.e. dependable safety mechanism in terms of illegal access of accounts, hacking and password protection) are found to be statistically significant at 5 percent significance level.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has a regional bias since the respondents belong to a single state of northern India. To have better generalisation of the results, a sample size could be made appropriately large and a wider geographical area be covered.Practical implicationsTaking findings of the study into consideration, strategies could be drawn by the bankers to spread their businesses as a large chunk of the population in India is still not using banking services. Through internet, however, access could be provided to customers residing in remote areas of the country.Originality/valueThe study is quite helpful for the policy makers in comprehending the attitude of banking customers towards e‐banking services provided by the banks and for developing appropriate strategies for placing themselves at competitively advantageous positions.

Blockchain and smart contracts are forming new systems to record and manage businesses with less need for intermediaries. The new systems are expected to offer high level of governance with lower cost as compared to the traditional technologies. While there is a continuous effort to apply this innovative technology in several businesses, Islamic finance in general—and Islamic social finance in particular—are facing few challenges that could be solved by such innovations. Islamic social finance institutions such as waqf are facing some challenges in enhancing its governance structure to ensure Shariah compliance as well as economic efficiency. This chapter explains how blockchain and smart contract technologies can help these institutions for better governance, lower transaction cost, more transparency, and higher trust, hence enhancing the business flexibility and market accessibility. It also presents some related cases that are currently under development as an evidence for the practicality of these technologies in the Islamic social finance arena.

Reviewed by: Cocaine: From Coca Fields to the Streets ed. by Enrique Desmond Arias, and Thomas Grisaffi Jane Rausch, Emerita Arias, Enrique Desmond, and Thomas Grisaffi, eds. Cocaine: From Coca Fields to the Streets. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2021. Bookended by editor Enrique Desmond Arias's introduction and conclusion, this volume is a collection of eleven essays written by scholars who participated in a series of panels at a Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress in 2016 to discuss the effects of drug trafficking in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Colombia, Bolivia, and Brazil. Setting their observations within the framework of moral economy, these researchers acknowledge the effect of global drug markets on the nations they examined, and they show how [End Page 225] drug trafficking has developed via a complex process of self-regulation in the shadow of a state power that formally seeks to destroy it. They review the interconnection between sites along cocaine's global supply chain; the implications of those interconnections for social, political, and economic experiences in places affected by the trade; and, conversely, how those interconnections affect the cocaine trade (3). Taken collectively, these essays demonstrate that entire ways of life are built around cocaine commodification and show how state authority is coupled with the self-regulating practices of drug producers, traffickers, and dealers. Their authors also suggest more progressive policies that acknowledge the important role drugs play in the lives of individuals at the urban and rural margins. Since the essays are all high quality, a brief comparison of just two of them will provide an idea of their collective value. In her article, "Drug Crops, Twisted Motorcycles, and Cultural Loss in Indigenous Colombia," Autumn Zellers-Leon notes that Colombian Law 30 of 1986 allows indigenous people to grow up to thirty coca plants for local traditional use and exchange, yet these farmers are also active participants in the illegal drug trade that began in the 1970s. Although the drugs they produce make up a crucial part of the drug commodity chain, they receive only 2 percent of the profits. Nevertheless, Zellers-Leon notes that rather than disrupt the traditional economy, the drug trade has promoted development of a cash-based economy in rural areas that has helped indigenous families meet their basic needs. One of the most basic changes has been the abandonment of horse-drawn vehicles for motorcycles. Drug gangs introduced these probably stolen motorcycles and then dumped them in remote places such as rural Cauca. Their presence promoted road building and the expansion of municipal town centers, but they also contributed to the breakdown of traditional community values. In this one example, indigenous families' increasing dependence on global commodities challenges their identity models rooted in past lifeways. In fact, many of Cauca's indigenous communities could not sustain themselves today without the availability of motorcycles for transport. Thus, in this way, the drug trade has helped to mitigate the effects of class inequalities in rural indigenous regions. Zeilers-Leon concludes that to resolve the situation, the state must prioritize the needs of indigenous farmers in both long-term agricultural development projects and policies that favor indigenous agricultural goods (114). [End Page 226] By contrast, Taniele Rui's essay compares drug consumption between 1990 and 2017 in two of Brazil's largest cities—São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Her case studies reveal that the illegal drug trade produces and regulates user scenes in both cities, but in different ways. In São Paulo, a single criminal faction manages conflicts that the trade generates, and illicit markets are not necessarily violent. Drug users concentrate in the downtown area, and the government's repressive efforts to repress drug use have not only increased the number of crack users in prison but also strengthen the criminal organization by providing new recruits. In Rio de Janeiro, state policies have displaced drug users to different parts of the city. This strategy has encouraged activities by illegally armed actors in the favelas and hides the problem from the view of tourists who do not see the consumption sites. Rui concludes that since the crack trade is not the same everywhere in Brazil and does...

This article analyzes the criminal law aspects in combating drug trafficking through a case study of the verdict of South Jakarta District Court Number 133/Pid.Sus/2023/PN JKT.SEL. Juridical-normative and qualitative approaches are employed to analyze the case facts, legal arguments, sentencing considerations, and social impacts of the court's decision. Case study, descriptive, comparative, and content analysis methods are utilized to gain a comprehensive understanding of the legal and social aspects involved in addressing drug trafficking cases. The research findings provide insights into the implementation of criminal law, social influences, and countermeasures against drug trafficking crimes. Recommendations can be made for the improvement of handling similar cases in the future.

Firms in industrial clusters outsource extensively. Factors influencing outsourcing de cisions are reviewed in the context of industrial clusters, characterized by high levels of specialization, low transaction costs, and technology diffusion. A framework for mak ing outsourcing decisions is developed and illustrated using a case study of outsourcing practices in the Gujrat fan cluster. Core competencies, together with outsourcing prac tices, were found to vary according to the size of the manufacturing firm. Given the extremely low cost of conducting transactions and the presence of highly specialized and efficient vendors, the decision that core activities should be retained and devel oped in-house is the key to survival in clusters.

The evolution of electronic business-to-business payments in the United States has been subject to delays and detours, primarily because of the success of the banking industry in creating efficient methods of clearing cheques. As a result, the justification for a corporation to change from paper cheques to electronic credits based on lower transaction costs has been weak and uncompelling. In the recent past, corporate treasurers have begun to recognise that financial risks are an increasingly important objective, often over-shadowing the historical interest in minimising expenses associated with interest, banking services and administrative overhead. A case study of Day International demonstrates how one treasurer, motivated by risk rather than cost, was able to effect a timely and comprehensive change in his company’s vendor payments. The company’s success is a model for any treasurer undertaking to convert business-to-business payments to electronic transactions.

While the European Union has put a lot of emphasis on cluster development due to their inherent advantages such as lower transaction costs, technological transfer and regional development, little is known about how clusters emerge and what can facilitate their competitiveness. This paper aims to study the impact of public-private cooperation between universities and organizations on cluster development and competitiveness. A literature review is employed to develop the model while 4 qualitative case studies provide the initial test of its validity. The analysis suggests that cooperating with research institutions impacts cluster development first through education of industrial staff, but also by developing innovation processes through the facilitation of the appearance of innovative ideas and also of knowledge sharing among organizations. The research has several implications both for organizations and for government officials. First of all, R&D and top management should actively seek to cooperate with research institutions both for training of their staff but also in seeking new ideas and as a way of collaborating with other organizations within the field without fear of losing competitive advantage. Second, government officials should try to create more incentives both for organizations (through for example tax returns) and for universities (extra funding or salary incentives) that can increase collaboration between these actors. This paper is the first one to asses empirically how cooperation with research institutions affect cluster competitiveness and development, especially within the developing region of Eastern Europe, Romania.