Disertación acerca de los intereses y modalidades de la internacionalización/transnacionlización del crimen organizado: ilustración con la mafia rusa

En el escenario de la globalización las organizaciones criminales se han proyectado en el sistema internacional a través de las modalidades de internacionalización y transnacionalización tanto de su estructura como de sus operaciones criminales. La acepción de internacionalización y transnacionalización permite distinguir cuando efectivamente se está llevando a cabo un trasplante de las organizaciones criminales o simplemente cuando es una operación económica transnacional ilícita. Es decir, permite distinguir cuando una organización criminal efectivamente logró establecerse en un nuevo territorio diferente a cuando no se establece en un nuevo territorio pero logra ciertas operaciones económicas en dicho zona. El crimen organizado puede ser visto como un actor no público del sistema internacional que se mueve a través del concepto analítico de las redes criminales. La globalización, sin duda alguna, permite a las organizaciones criminales incrementar sus operaciones pero no necesariamente aumentan la posibilidad de un trasplante de un país a otro. Para ilustrar las modalidades de dicha proyección la disertación acerca una mirada a la organización criminal conocida como la Mafia Rusa. Esta organización criminal tuvo su proyección y consolidación al tiempo que la Guerra Fría llegaba a su fin y el advenimiento de la etapa de la globalización.

Internationalization of Chinese and Korean firms

This article compares and contrasts the growth of Chinese and Korean multinational enterprises (MNEs). The article identifies the similarities and differences between Chinese and Korean MNEs in terms of motivations for internationalization, expansion strategies, and paths. The goal of this article is to contribute to the literature by shifting focus on host-country conditions to home-country conditions in explaining the drivers for firms' internationalization. We conclude that firms are motivated to expand abroad when faced with domestic competitive disadvantages resulting from absence or deficiency of one or more of Porter's Diamond attributes in their domestic market. Implications for further studies are also explored.

Developing the eclectic paradigm of internationalization on the issue of multinational contractors bidding for Australian infrastructure

Against a background of already thin markets in some sectors of major public sector infrastructure in Australia and the desire of the Australian federal government to leverage private finance, concerns about ensuring sufficient levels of competition are prompting federal government to seek new sources of in-bound foreign direct income - as part of attracting more foreign contractors and consortia to bid for Australian public sector major infrastructure. As a first step towards attracting greater overseas interest in the Australian public sector market infrastructure market, an improved understanding of the determinants of multinational contractors’ willingness to bid in this market is offered by Dunning’s eclectic paradigm and which have has been a dominant approach in international business for over 20 years and yet has been little used in the context of international contracting. This paper aims to develop Dunning’s eclectic framework and also gives a brief outline of a research plan to collect secondary data and primary data from international contractors around the globe in pursuance of testing the eclectic framework.

Inward internationalization of services : Exploring satisfaction and dissatisfaction of overseas students in Australia

Most research has assessed the outward internationalization process of service firms and less is known in the literature about the inward internationalization of services, or companies that provide the service to overseas customers in the domestic market (i.e., tourism, education, healthcare). Specifically, there is scant research looking at the overseas customer perspective. This study attempts to identify the main drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction for overseas customers. The critical incident technique (CIT) method was used to collect and analyse the data. A total of 107 critical incidents regarding drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction for overseas customers in a higher educational service context were collected. Findings of this study show that drivers of service satisfaction and dissatisfaction for overseas customers derive from elements of the core service and peripheral service. However, the findings show that elements of the peripheral service (living environment, socialization and interaction with others, and personal performance) are more important for international students.

Australian universities and the challenges of internationalization

In a little over twenty years, Australia has succeeded in developing an industry in international education worth $15.5 billion Australian dollars. Most universities engaged in this industry see themselves as integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into teaching, research and service. We examine the internationalization challenges faced by Australia's universities, and explore how curriculum and mobility are understood by academics interviewed at two case study universities.

Eco mafia and environmental crime

This chapter explores the links between organised crime and the environment, and examines the regulatory and environmentalist responses to this growing issue of global concern.

L’internationalisation des jeunes entreprises de hautes technologies : Le rôle des compétences internationales des fondateurs [The internationalization of new technology based firms : the role of the international skills of founding teams]

Extending recent research on the importance of specific resources and skills for the internationalization of start-ups, this article tests a negative binomial model on a sample of 520 recently created high technology firms from the UK and Germany. The results show that previous international experience of entrepreneurs facilitates the rapid penetration of foreign markets, especially when the company features a clear and deliberate strategic intent of internationalization from the outset. This research provides one of the first empirical studies linking the influence of entrepreneurial teams to a high probability of success in the internationalization of high-technology ventures.

Inward internationalization of consumer services : lessons from Australian firms

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore the inward internationalization process of consumer services. A review of the service internationalization literature is conducted and the resource-based view of the firm is used as a theoretical approach. Design/methodology - Case study methodology is used to explore the internationalization process of five different consumer service sectors: tourism, education, accommodation, transport and entertainment. The main data collection method was interviews conducted with top managers of 12 Australian consumer service firms from these sectors. Findings - Findings of this study show that inward internationalizing services confront most of their barriers, such as immigration policies, exchange rate fluctuations, and cultural differences, in the domestic market where the service is provided. The findings also suggest that superior intentional performance for consumer service firms combines firm-specific resources and capabilities, such as market orientation, service quality, cultural sensitivity, international communicational activities, partnerships and networks, with country-specific resources and capabilities, such as country-of-origin image and government support. Research limitations/implications - This is one of the few studies in the academic literature that directly addresses the issue of inward internationalization of consumer services. Limitations derive from the qualitative nature of this study. Practical implications - The process of inward internationalization applies to a broad range of service industries and can assist firms to develop more effective international marketing strategies. Originality/value - This study contributes to the international services literature by identifying the main barriers and drivers of international performance for inward internationalizing consumer service firms, which is a topic that has been neglected in the literature.

Understanding the pre-internationalization phase decision heuristic of Australian SMEs

Since the 1970s, the Uppsala stages model has been one of the dominant explanations of firm internationalization. The model's focus on internationalization as a firm's gradual and incremental process of increasing international involvement has attracted much debate, with one criticism being that it is unclear in explaining how the internationalization process first originates within a firm. In this paper, the Uppsala model is extended through the incorporation of a pre-internationalization phase to explore the antecedents of firm internationalization. Adopting the Uppsala model's theoretical underpinnings, this paper develops and operationalizes a pre-internationalization phase decision heuristic in the form of an ‘export readiness index'. Four constructs are proposed that drive and inhibit export commencement decision-making during a firm's preinternationalization phase: export stimuli, attitudinal/psychological commitment, resources and lateral rigidity. Through a survey of Australian exporting and non-exporting small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), the Export Readiness Index (ERI) is developed through factor analysis and tested using logistic regression. Results of the study and their potential implications are discussed.

Decreto del Obispo de Acireale (Sicilia) privando de exequias a quien ha sido condenado del delito de mafia

Visto il n. 14 del Documento “Sviluppo e solidarietà. Chiesa italiana e Mezzogiorno” (18 ottobre 1989) della Conferenza episcopale italiana nel quale si afferma: «Deve essere ben chiaro che questo fenomeno [la criminalità organizzata] non è il Mezzogiorno; ne è invece solo una malattia, un cancro contro il quale la coscienza generale del Sud, assieme a quella di tutto il Paese, si indigna e reagisce. La Chiesa italiana condanna radicalmente queste organizzazioni criminose ed esorta gli uomini “mafiosi” ad una svolta nel loro comportamento. Il loro agire offende l’uomo, la società, ogni senso etico, religioso, il senso stesso dell’“onore” e si ritorce, poi, contro loro stessi»...

The social dimensions of marine protected areas: a case study of the Mafia Island Marine Park in Tanzania

As threats to the marine environment continue to remain high, and conventional resource-management techniques have been found wanting, marine protected areas (MPAs) are being seen as a tool to address the abuse and destruction of the environment. This study discusses the social dimensions of MPAs in Tanzania, using the case of the Mafia Island Marine Park and the socioeconomic, political and cultural contexts within which Mafia people live their lives. (54 pp.)

Learning and management skills: the internationalization of Grupo Arcor. Analysis from a process-based approach

This paper analyzes the path of the international expansion of Grupo Arcor, an Argentine multinational company specializing in confectionery. The objective is to entify corporate strategies and business learning that led this Latin American firm to establish itself as one of the leading manufacturers in confectionery industry ,particularly in the 21st Century. The analysis is primarily qualitative in order to identify the economic dimension as a determinant in the internationalization process; a processbased approach from the Uppsala Model is used for this. However, the study is also complemented with a regression analysis to test if the firm was driven to expand internationally by the expectations on the degree of globalization of the industry and the accumulation of experience in foreign markets, and if the company was influenced by psychic distance in choosing the location of its investment; given the influence of these variables in Grupo Arcor business strategies. Our findings suggest that Grupo Arcor, was able to become global due to strategies such as vertical integration, diversification of products and geographical markets (based on psychic distance) and indeed some strategies were consequence of the globalization of the sector and the accumulation of experience in foreign markets.

Mafia marine resources in peril

The rich marine resource of the Mafia District, Tanzania, especially its coral reefs and mangroves, are in danger of collapse. The proposed marine park faces chronic problems of dynamite fishing and coral mining. The Mafia fisheries resources and the importance of coral reefs are presented together with proposed measures to rescue the Mafia marine environment.