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Drawing on complex narratives across film, TV, novels and graphic novels, this authoritative critical analysis demonstrates the value of fictional narratives as a tool for understanding, explaining and reducing crime and social harm. McGregor establishes an original theory of the criminological value of fiction.

The current consensus among comparative political scientists postulates that diverse democracies redistribute less than do homogeneous ones. However, whereas homogeneous democracies do redistribute more on average, diverse democracies exhibit high variation in redistributive outcomes. Why does ascriptive heterogeneity stifle redistribution in some cases but not in others? In this article, it is argued that diversity undermines redistributive outcomes when identity groups differ more starkly in their income levels. More importantly, under these conditions, the policy outcomes are not uniform: rather than general cutbacks, richer groups selectively under‐prioritise benefits and access for poorer, minority‐heavy groups while keeping their own redistributive interests protected. The result is not simply less redistribution aggregately, but a more exclusionary and regressive welfare state that prioritises the special needs of better‐off identity groups. Empirical support is found in these hypotheses using macro‐comparative panel data on multiple redistributive aspects in 22 developed democracies in the years 1980–2011. The article thus outlines a conditional and more nuanced relationship between diversity and redistributive outcomes than commonly assumed, as well as several broader lessons for research of identity politics and social policy.

AbstractCorporate governance (CG) is the system of rules, procedures, and processes by which an organization is operated and controlled. Effective corporate governance helps mitigate risk by ensuring the company complies with applicable laws and regulations and maintains appropriate internal controls. CG is an essential aspect of the overall management of companies and can have a significant impact on their Financial Performance (FP). In China, CG practices have undergone significant modifications over the last few years as the country shifted from a centrally planned economy to a market‐based economy. The study's novelty evaluated the effect of corporate governance on finance and Chinese‐listed firm creation. Data obtained from 345 employees working in 8 firms in China, the relationship between CG, financial performance, and innovation is investigated. The study adopted PLS‐SEM analysis and the findings of the study indicate that CG is positively related to better FP and innovation output. The study analysis found that firms with stronger governance structures have better access to external financing, lower agency costs, and higher levels of innovation investment. Also, the result identified that improving CG can lead to better FP and innovation, which in turn improves the firm's competitiveness and long‐term sustainability.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of human resource management practices (HRMPs) on employee attitudes and behavior (EAB). The population of this study was all employees of cement manufacturing firms (CMC) in the southern region of Bangladesh. Data was gathered using structured questionnaires following convenient sampling technique. The data was analyzed using SPSS-23 statistical package program. A robust and significant linear association between HRMPs and EAB was found. Further, HRM practices, including compensation & rewards (CR) and motivation (MV) were discovered to be dominant predictors of EAB. According to the study, variations in EAB of 77.10% were caused by independent predictors such as recruitment and selection (RS), training and development (TD), performance appraisals (PA), compensation and rewards (CR), motivation (MV), and maintenance (MT) in CMC in the southern part of Bangladesh. Nevertheless, it is apparent from the study's findings that manufacturing organizations that have implemented progressive HRM practices in a systematic and integrated manner are having an enormous influence on EAB. This study only focused on one industry and one type of organizational structure. According to the study, findings should not be extensively generalized. Future research should incorporate other aspects, such as organizational learning and organizational capacity, to construct a new model of HRM practices.

The paper describes the conceptual algorithm model to address complex collisions of law (conflicts of law) that arise due to coincidence of collisions. Based on the functional interpretation of the conflicts of law, the author describes a three-level taxonomy of such conflicts in terms of the prescriptive criterion: at the first level, the conflicts of law are divided into objectively solvable and objectively unsolvable (absolute) ones. At the second level, the objectively solvable conflicts of law are subdivided into inter-legal (spatial) and intra-legal ones. The latter, in their turn, are subdivided into hierarchical, conceptual and temporal conflicts of law. However, the coincidence of law conflicts may only occur between intra-legal collisions.
The author demonstrates the interrelation between the universal and specific historical aspects to determine the criteria for selecting the applicable law in case of various conflicts of law. It is noted that in the context of the modern hierarchically organized legal system there is a hierarchy of collision maxims: first — lex superior, second — lex specialis, and third — lex posterior. The paper provides a model of the scientifically grounded algorithm for addressing conflicts of law in a situation of their coincidence, taking into account various strategies.

A large body of scholarship shows that even as interdisciplinarity gains recognition, the disciplines remain core aspects of the organization of modern academic life in the United States. We do not yet know, however, how faculty draw on disciplines and disciplinary boundaries in their academic identity work or how they construct their academic identities and convey those identities to others. We explore these questions through 100 in-depth interviews with faculty from 34 arts and sciences disciplines at a private, Research 1 university. We show how boundary battles over symbolic resources associated with disciplines contribute to faculty identity work. We identify four types of identity work arts and sciences faculty use: foregrounding disciplinarity, resisting disciplinary identities associated with administratively assigned departmental homes, emphasizing scientist identities, and pursuing question-oriented identities. Finally, we show how beliefs that disciplinary differences reflect underlying distinctions between "kinds of people" shore up the importance of disciplinary divisions, even in a university setting that provides material support for interdisciplinarity. We use these results to argue that even in institutional settings that provide support for interdisciplinarity, disciplinary boundaries may remain central by providing important symbolic resources.

Export is considered a significant aspect of the economy regarding international trade. Many organizations need to improve their staffs' capacity towards positive export performance. This enrichment of capacity is done through education and skills-specific training. As indicated by Chugan and Singh (2015), upgrading firms' dedication towards exporting is one of such advance approach guaranteeing effective worldwide ventures by them. It is fundamental for the organizations to fabricate their dedication regard to exporting with the goal that they can guarantee powerful and productive activities. Chugan and Singh (2015) additionally expressed that the role pretended by the company's administration is essential as effective worldwide operations require experienced and persuaded personnel. A significant measure of work has been coordinated with upgrading export performance. Most of the work has concentrated on the export conduct of firms at a residential level. Similar work into export conduct is additionally developing with multinational comparisons, for example, by Beamish, Craig, and McLellan (1993) and also territorial comparison, for example, that by Kaynak (1992). Beamish et al. (1993) showed that these sorts of contrasts help recognize differences and likenesses in exporting that are related to provincial, national and universal impacts.

The paper reflects one of the aspects of the research carried out within the framework of the project "Nature of variability of negative personality traits: a twin study". The research reviews the adaptive component of negative personal traits. The sample of the study consisted of 136 members of monozygotic twins and 401 only children in their families aged 18-78. Life satisfaction was a generalized metric of psychological adaptation. It is shown that a number of negative personality traits (in particular, narcissism, authoritarianism) positively correlate with life satisfaction. The biased value of various personality traits, which can also indirectly serve as an indicator of adaptability of these psychological properties, was assessed using a semantic differential. The age-related changes in the perfect image of the self, which are associated primarily with some more attractive negative personal traits, as well as the multidirectional desired changes in personality traits in themselves and the twin (more power and conflict in themselves and less of the same in the brother/sister) also indicate that a number of negative personal traits play a positive role in psychological adaptation. It is assumed that these traits can have a compensatory function during stress, and the destructiveness of these traits can have a greater impact on people around than on themselves.

The paper aims to identify the similarities and differences in the emphases and patterns that military and civilian managers attribute to strategy. Two different analysis methods were employed in order to achieve abovementioned research objective. In the first method, the aim was to reveal and compare strategy understanding of the sample groups. Towards that end, ten different strategy definitions and nine different necessity statements compiled from various definitions/statements in the existing strategic management literature were provided to the samples. Then, the samples were requested to consider how strategy and necessity of strategy is formed in their minds, and then to choose top three definitions out of 9/10, and finally rank them in preference order, from one to three. Lastly, we counted the ranks/perceived importance of the various strategy definitions and necessity statements that which statement is ranked to which place. Using mean rank assessment by nonparametric comparison method the study shows differences between military and civilian managers in following aspect: the comparison of the emphases that are attributed to approach to strategy identified significant differences among business and military managers. Concisely, the paper reveals the varying perceptions of business and military managers on strategy based on their personal perceptions.

AbstractDue to the growing awareness among enterprises of the relevance of 'sustainable development', applications of the Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in Italy are expanding. With the second era of EMAS (EMAS II), this scheme will become a global instrument, enabling Italian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to master environmental challenges while improving their competitive position. This report intends to demonstrate that area and local agreements between local government units and research centres, such as universities or energy and environmental boards, can simplify and improve the diffusion of EMAS in the country. Reported examples of some small Italian municipalities that have applied EMAS are demonstrations of how government units can increase all citizens' quality of life while taking care of environmental aspects. Since 1993, the year of the first applications of Regulation 1836/93, local government units have understood the important role they can play in this subject.This work illustrates that the development of ISO and EMAS local applications must be based on government's local promotion aimed at encouraging enterprises to voluntarily adopt these instruments for environmental safeguard. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment.

La sociedad contemporánea está experimentando profundos cambios sociales relacionados con la revolución digital. La transformación digital abarca no sólo las actividades de producción y la modificación de las estructuras de organización de empresas y patrones de negocio, sino también transforma considerablemente la realidad social, dinamiza los procesos de cambios sociales, afecta las conexiones sociales, el mercado de trabajo y la estructura de empleo de la población. La adaptación a las condiciones sociales en vías de la modificación es dolorosa, con graves expensas económicas, políticas y sociales. La revolución digital es capaz convertirse en un controlador de la economía rusa, creando, con todo y esto, riesgos para el mercado de trabajo. Estos aspectos se abordan en el artículo. ; The contemporary society is undergoing profound social changes associated with digital revolution. Not only does digital transformation cover the production activity itself and the change of organizational structures of companies and business-models, but it transforms social reality considerably, boosts the processes of social changes, and influences social relations, the labor market and the population employment structure, too. Adaptation to the changing social conditions is painful and it involves serious economic, political and social costs. With regard to this, digital revolution can become a growth driver for the Russian economy while creating risks for the labor market, too. These aspects are developed in the article.

La civilisation chinoise est une des rares civilisations anciennes qui a perduré. Depuis des millénaires, l'architecture et l'urbanisme chinois ont été très influencés par les leçons de Confucius et par les principes du taoïsme. Cependant, cette tendance ancestrale a radicalement changé après la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il y a toujours eu un lien théorique sous-jacent entre les sphères de la politique, de l'urbanisme et de l'architecture. Quand les Communistes prirent le pouvoir en Chine en 1949, un de leurs principaux objectifs fut de transformer radicalement l'environnement physique, social et économique des villes. Ils mirent au placard le confucianisme et le taoïsme, et forgèrent de nouveaux principes et directives pour l'aménagement urbain. Le but principal de cette étude est de découvrir les déterminants derrière l'aménagement urbain en Chine pendant la Guerre froide, entre 1949 et 1991. En outre, nous voulons identifier les conséquences pour les villes contemporaines en Chine et dans d'autres pays communistes. Notre étude adopte une approche de recherche qualitative impliquant des analyses de documents, des enquêtes et des observations sur le terrain. La recherche confirme que, jusqu'en 1979, des éléments de la ville chinoise maoïste ont inspiré les transformations urbaines. Plus largement, nous identifions dans quelle mesure les traditions, les modes et les idéologies politiques ont influencé la transformation des milieux et des paysages urbains dans la République populaire de Chine. Cependant, à partir de 1979, les influences capitalistes, accentuées par une migration vers les villes sans précédent, ont altéré les modes d'urbanisation vers un développement fondé sur l'immobilier commercial. Un effet malheureux de cette phase récente d'urbanisation chinoise fut la destruction des hutongs traditionnels. L'exposition aux impacts du changement climatique, y compris les sécheresses et les canicules, va peut-être souligner les pires excès des pratiques de développement commercial actuelles irréfléchies et ressusciter les aspects fructueux des anciennes sagesses du confucianisme, du taoïsme et du Feng Shui.

In this paper my aim is to examine the Hungarian architectural discourse between 1928 and 1944, with special regard to the 'historical' centre of Pest. The observation is carried out through the review of architectural journals and theoretical essays. I undertake a historical analysis of the various uses and changes in the meaning of the concept of townscape. Analysis of the architectural discourse for this time interval might provide a better understanding of the transformation in the perception of urban space. The examined period can be boldly called the 'dawn of urban heritage protection', but also the age of a new urbanity that envisioned the rethinking of urban space through the reconstruction of complete urban areas. This paradox not only had a remarkable impact on rethinking of urban space, especially on determining values, but also led to experimental and hybrid spatial categories. My aim is to study this specific problem of social history, which not only made urban preservation part of the discourse but expanded it more and more as a continually growing 'set'. This set captures and addresses the diverse aspects of urban life, making the concept of urban heritage even more complex. The fundamental questions of the study are how the discourse conceptualises urban spatial categories, more precisely, how the materiality of the built environment and representations of space are taken into account. The discourse on compatibility encompasses all strategic behaviours that seek to integrate the historic city and the new architectural solutions incorporating the needs of the present. In order to analyse the ways in which the city centre was constructed in the discourse, I incorporate the resilience model into the argument. Thus, the discussion may help understanding how changes in the interpretation of urban space result in a new attitude towards preservation, development or modernization of 'historic' neighbourhoods.

"Social science research has frequently found conflict between Latinos and African Americans in urban politics and governance, as well as in the groups' attitudes toward one another. Rodney E. Hero and Robert R. Preuhs analyze whether conflict between these two groups is also found in national politics. Based on extensive evidence on the activities of minority advocacy group in national politics and the behavior of minority members of Congress, the authors find the relationship between the groups is characterized mainly by non-conflict and a considerable degree of independence. The question of why there appears to be little minority intergroup conflict at the national level of government is also addressed. This is the first systematic study of Black-Latino intergroup relations at the national level of United States politics"--