Suchergebnisse

This paper examines the effects of European Commission's (EC) new leniency program on the EC's capabilities in detecting and deterring cartels. As a supplementary analysis, the US leniency is studied. I discuss a dynamic model of cartel formation and dissolution to illustrate how changes in antitrust policies and economic conditions might affect cartel duration. Comparative statics results are then corroborated with empirical estimates of hazard functions adjusted to account for both the heterogeneity of cartels and the time-varying policy impacts suggested by theory. Contrary to earlier studies, my statistical tests are consistent with the theoretic predictions that following an efficacious leniency program, the average duration of discovered cartels rises in the short run and falls in the long run. The results shed light on the design of enforcement programs against cartels and other forms of conspiracy.

It is argued in our paper that current studies of civil society in China, which place too much emphasis on its 'independence', are neither practical nor conducive to the sound development of China's civil society, because an adversarial intensification is likely to arise between the state and society. As is shown in our empirical study, despite the fundamental control imposed by the government, Wenzhou Business Association is actively involved in industry governance, constantly empowered by the government, and thus gradually achieves growth and development. This leads to a conclusion that it appears to be a rather more realistic developmental path for China's civil society for associations to make full use of the government's expanding space and to actively participate in public governance. (J Contemp China/GIGA)

In order to overcome the various defects caused by the limitations of solid metal as a shielding material, the development of electromagnetic shielding materials with flexibility and excellent mechanical properties is of great significance for the next generation of intelligent electronic devices. Here, the aramid nanofiber/Ti3C2Tx MXene (ANF/MXene) composite films with multilayer structure were successfully prepared through a simple alternate vacuum-assisted filtration (AVAF) process. With the intervention of the ANF layer, the multilayer-structure film exhibits excellent mechanical properties. The ANF2/MXene1 composite film exhibits a tensile strength of 177.7 MPa and a breaking strain of 12.6%. In addition, the ANF5/MXene4 composite film with a thickness of only 30 μm exhibits an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding efficiency of 37.5 dB and a high EMI-specific shielding effectiveness value accounting for thickness (SSE/t) of 4718 dB·cm2 g−1. Moreover, the composite film was excellent in heat-insulation performance and in avoiding light-to-heat conversion. No burning sensation was produced on the surface of the film with a thickness of only 100 μm at a high temperature of 130 °C. Furthermore, the surface of the film was only mild when touched under simulated sunlight. Therefore, our multilayer-structure film has potential significance in practical applications such as next-generation smart electronic equipment, communications, and military applications.

Purpose
This study aims to address existing gaps in the literature and theories by investigating the influence of responsible leadership traits on employees' sustainable performance (E-SuPer) in the Malaysian service sector. Specifically, the authors focus on three key responsible leadership traits: relationship building, relational governance and sharing orientation. Additionally, the authors explore how these traits interact with leader-member exchange (LMX) and whether gender plays a role in this relationship.


Design/methodology/approach
A total of 235 usable responses were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Multi-group analysis (MGA) was employed to examine the moderating impact of gender.


Findings
The results showed that both relationship building and relational governance significantly affect E-SuPer among organisations in the service industry. LMX was found to be a significant moderating condition influencing the association between responsible leaders' sharing orientation and E-SuPer. Interestingly, the MGA results suggest that the effect on male employees was greater than on female employees across the relationships examined. The findings suggest that responsible leadership traits are essential for sustainable employee performance, but there is room for improvement in how these traits are perceived by female employees.


Social implications
The present study contributes to gender equality agenda, supports the sustainable development goals, adds to the growing body of knowledge on the relationship between responsible leadership traits and E-SuPer within one of the most important economic sectors in Malaysia and sheds lights on the moderating effect of LMX.


Originality/value
This study investigates how responsible leadership traits affect E-SuPer in the service industry, particularly among male and female employees. Moreover, this study is one of the early investigations into the significance of responsible leadership within Malaysian service sector and offers valuable information for industry actors to improve their management approaches.