The New Self-Governance: A Theoretical Framework

Originally a crucial stretch of Silk Road trade routes, the Wakhan Corridor served as a key connecting route between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The historical importance of the Wakhan Corridor is explored in this study, as well as its function in Afghanistan's economic diplomacy, the economic prospects and problems for China and Afghanistan, and its possible inclusion into worldwide supply networks. Drawing on secondary data, the study emphasizes the corridor’s historic role in trade and cultural exchange. Its integration into China’s Belt and Road Initiative could generate economic benefits, but political instability and weak infrastructure hinder progress. Resolution of both geopolitical hazards and development of suitable infrastructure networks is required for the Wakhan Corridor to be successfully included in worldwide supply chains. The research suggests boosting infrastructure and promoting international partnerships and proposes to conduct more research on the environmental and economic effects of corridor development projects.

Because of their sterile castes, social insects have been the focus of many studies on the evolution of altruism. Such studies stress conflicts of interest between workers and queens regarding sex ratio of brood, conflict among females for queenship, and genetic differences among nestmates to distinguish the largely overlapping predictions for the evolution of altruism derived from the theories of kin selection and parental manipulation. Interest in conflict among largely cooperating females has resulted in much more attention being paid to individual dynamics within colonies than to the ecology of social insects. This book addresses that gap. It serves as a general introduction to the ecology of social insects for general ecologists and entomologists. The subject areas range from food gathering and processing to colony organization, growth and reproduction and community organization of social insects in their environment. Brian stresses the great variability in life styles of social insects and effectively conveys considerable enthusiasm for his subject. It is possible to compare differences among social insects because each chapter contains examples taken from wasps, bees, ants and termites. The descriptions are generally arranged from the most simple societies to the most complex. The best parts of the book are those on foraging ecology, and the examples taken from ants. The introduction states that the book is organized from outside the colony to within. The result was rather confusing. For example, foods used by social insects are discussed in Chapter 2, foraging in Chapters 3 and 4, but food processing is not discussed until Chapter 9. A central theme such as might have been supplied by evolutionary theory is notably lacking. Even without a theoretical framework, summary tables comparing and contrasting the species discussed would have been helpful. Chapters 13 and 14, which outline the evolution of social behavior, colony structure, and the role of relatedness in colony organization, are probably the weakest two chapters in the book. In these chapters the presentation of alternative hypotheses for the evolution of sociality is very unclear. This book will be of most interest to non-specialists who are interested in a description of the ways in which social insects relate to their environment.

As we have already established, toy recalls have increased over the recent past, and several explanations for this trend have revolved around China. The toy industry is very global in nature, involving several multinational corporations, worldwide supply chains, and a global market. However, over two-thirds of all toys sold in the world are made in China. Therefore, when toy recalls occur, it is likely that the recalled products are made in China, and thus, it is common to suspect that Chinese manufacturing practices are to blame.

Global land-water nexus: Agricultural land and freshwater use embodied in worldwide supply chains

Firms are increasingly integrating digital technology into their supply network systems for the purpose of attain global competitiveness. The utilization of digital technology has resulted in the Rise of a new supply chain management system known as the digital supply chain. Many parties believe that digital supply chain has several opportunities for companies, however, a number of researchers argues that the dependence on digital technology in the worldwide supply chain is accompanied by substantial obstacles. Therefore, this study intends to understand the opportunities and difficulties of digital supply chain and identify the future research agenda in this research area to develop better digital supply chain concepts and implementations. This research conducted systematic literature review through content analysis based on five dimensions in the SCOR model, which is plan, source, make, deliver, and return dimension. The analysis in this research finds that digital supply chain can enhances demand forecasting and product development in plan dimension, enables supplier selection and procurement automation in source dimension, facilitates smart and additive manufacturing in make dimension, optimizes inventory management, order management, transportation and logistics management in deliver dimension, as well as supports closed loop supply chain or circular economy in return dimension. However, the lack of infrastructure, policy, and coordination, along with financial, technical, and technological barrier, has become the common challenges of digital supply chain. Cybersecurity issue is also another main issue of the digital supply network. Through this analysis, the future research agenda can finally be taken in this research.

The importance of supply chain management in the field of international business administration is investigated in this study. Global businesses rely heavily on effective supply chain management, which coordinates the international transfer of materials, data, and money. The paper illuminates the critical nature of supply chain management on a worldwide scale. Distance, cultural differences, legal constraints, and logistics are only some of the problems and complexity of international supply chain management that are explored in this article. Topics covered include supplier selection and management, demand forecasting, inventory control, transportation, and distribution network design, as well as other techniques used by businesses to improve their worldwide supply chains. The study also discusses how international supply networks are affected by globalization, free trade agreements, and geopolitical considerations. Organizational strategies for overcoming hurdles such as tariffs, quotas, and political instability in international commerce are discussed. This paper used the neutrosophic sets (NSs) to deal with uncertainty in assessment factors of supply chains in international business. The NS is integrated with the DEMATEL method. The neutrosophic DEMATEL is used to show relationships between factors.

Nickel is an important key resource and plays an increasingly important role in new energy technologies. The stability of its worldwide supply chain is crucial for addressing country risks and unforeseen events. To explore the impact of country risks on the stability of the global nickel supply chain, this study conducts a complex network analysis and panel regression analysis on nickel ore, ferro-nickel, and the stainless-steel trade data from 2000 to 2022. The study reveals the mechanisms by which economic and political risks affect the trade structure of nickel commodities and identifies the drivers of global nickel supply chain patterns. The study finds that an increase in economic risk promotes diversification of supply sources, while political risk hurts export scale and resource control ability. Industrial structure adjustments and R&D investments have a significant impact on trade structure, especially on the stainless-steel trade. China is a major consumer and importer, and occupies a central position in the global nickel trade network, while Indonesia and the Philippines’ policy changes have a significant impact on the market. This study provides an empirical basis for the risk management of the global nickel supply chain and a scientific basis for policy formulation and strategic planning.

One hundred years ago Frank Hyneman Knight made a distinction between risk and uncertainty. The distinction, and the theories of profit and entrepreneurship that followed from it, are widely considered his most important contributions to economic theory. In this paper, we ask why they have not had more impact on economic theory and whether they are indeed his most important contributions. The distinction between risk and uncertainty has been of limited use; in making it, Knight overlooked all forms of partial information. The uncertainty theory of profit in turn has been superseded by theories of imperfect competition based on oligopoly and monopolistic competition. Rather than these innovations, Knight’s real contribution to economics was promoting the model of perfect competition.

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Abstract: This research describes the outcome of a needs assessment to determine whether the Univ. of Guyana should introduce a Food Science program. The research design utilized interviews and questionnaires to large manufacturing organizations and agroprocessors to determine if the required skills are available for the manufacturing process. Results revealed that the lack of skills, particularly in food processing, is one factor that has negatively impacted value‐added production in large manufacturing companies; as well as in the micro, small and medium enterprises, limiting the range of products produced by these entities. Based on this, it was established that the university should introduce a program in food science and be the focus for formal training to satisfy the demands of the food manufacturing industry.

Forward osmosis, or simply, osmosis, refers to a process by which a solvent moves across a semipermeable membrane due to the difference in the solute concentration established across the membrane. Because of its spontaneous nature, forward osmosis has received immense attention during the last few decades, particularly for its diverse applications, which include municipal wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, membrane bioreactor, potable water purification, food processing, drug delivery, energy generation, and so forth. Of many parameters that determine the performance of the forward osmosis process, the most fundamental factor that impacts performance is temperature. Considering the importance of the temperature on the forward osmosis process, there have been only a limited number of studies about the effect of temperature on the osmosis-driven process. In this chapter, we discuss the temperature effect on the forward osmosis process from two main aspects. First, we provide an extensive and in-depth survey on the currently available studies related to the anisothermal osmosis phenomena. Second, we then discuss a state-of-the-art theoretical framework that describes the anisothermal forward osmosis process that may shed light on achieving an enhanced performance via temperature control.

A mechanistic model of GPS collar location data: Implications for analysis and bias mitigation

The central bank practice which emerged in the period following the financial crisis called into question numerous elements of interest rate considerations. In this paper we present a new theoretical framework that dispenses with the concept of real interest altogether, as a vague and unnecessary category both in policy judgements and business decisions. This approach breaks with the traditional theory of economics. Traditional macroeconomics places its argumentation in the context of real analysis, which hinders the understanding of economic processes. Schumpeter and subsequently, Keynes took a stand against this approach and, rebuffing the real approach, turned to monetary analysis as early as a century ago. In the framework of the classical theory of economics, they describe monetary policy as an adjustment to the natural rate of interest. In this article we propose a different approach. Describing the role of fiat money, the endogenous money theory puts the lending activity of commercial banks into the focus of money creation. This concept also put central bank monetary policy in a new framework. According to this approach, central banks assume an exclusive role in determining the interest rates, but the central significance of the interest rate policy weakens. Once we recognise the crucial role of commercial banks in money creation, the role and function of the central bank changes. The central bank no longer controls money creation solely by shaping the interest rate policy, but also by way of the micro and macroprudential regulation of lending.

Objective: The objective seems to be to explore the importance of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a means of crisis management and performance lever allowing companies to withstand current financial and economic shocks. Theoretical Framework: The text mentions the intention to provide a historical overview of CSR, define CSR, financial performance, SMB, the role of SMB on economic growth, and cite organizational theories related to the importance of CSR in times of crisis. This section constitutes the theoretical framework by linking CSR to different economic concepts and organizational theories. Method: this article suggests a theoretical and descriptive approach, analyzing the economic impact of health measures and proposing recommendations, which involves documentary and theoretical analysis. Results and Discussion: The text focuses on presenting the topic and theoretical framework without providing specific results or data analyses. Research Implications: e research aims to highlight the importance of CSR for crisis management and financial performance of companies, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The implications could concern strategies business, public policy, and managerial theory. Originality/Value: The originality of this research could lie in its analysis of the impact of CSR during the COVID-19 crisis, a relatively new and current topic. The combination of crisis management, financial performance and health measures from the perspective of CSR can constitute an original contribution to the existing literature on the subject.

Both theory and evidence regarding forest-relevant decisions by various agents suggest that there are significant constraints on the effectiveness of domestic policies for REDD (i.e., in facilitating a reduction in emissions from deforestation and forest degradation). Economic theory and empirical research identify many factors that affect the incentives for forest clearing, thereby limiting the impact of policies intended to alter any one factor. We summarize three theoretical frameworks that could be employed to gain insights into how to improve REDD policy design. Economists commonly use these frameworks to model decisions in many settings that are relevant for forests and REDD: (1) producer profit maximization given market integration, focusing on the spatial distributions of competing land uses; (2) rural household optimization given incomplete markets and household heterogeneity, to explain uses of land and forest; and (3) public optimization given production and corruption responses by private firms, which we illustrate with harvesting concessions and which is affected by decentralization. We also review empirical evidence concerning the impacts of forest conservation, forest-relevant development, and decentralization within the settings described by these models. Both the theory and the evidence suggest that REDD outcomes can be improved by designing policy to match its setting—the relevant local agents and institutions.