Good corporate social performance may lead to higher credit ratings

But only for firms whose countries share the same values, find Christian Klein, Christoph Stellner and Bernhard Zwerge

On Personnel Policy of Wilhelm II in German and Prussian Armed Forces

The study analyses the influence of Wilhelm II, German Emperor on the personnel policy in the armed forces between 1888–1918. It also describes the most crucial events in connection with the level of institutions of the Empire and highest Prussian institutions. The study looks for main actors of individual appointments and examines who was instrumental in key personnel appointments. The study’s conclusions are primarily based on analysing non-published sources from the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin-Dahlem, namely the Brandenburg-Preußisches Hausarchiv, Repositur 53, Kaiser Wilhelm II. und Familie. It is also based on reports of Austrian-Hungarian ambassadors in Berlin saved in the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv, Wien, namely Abteilung III. (Preußen). The author concludes that Wilhelm II’s personnel policy had three stages of development. At the beginning of his rule, he excitedly grasped the chance to “rejuvenate” the corps of generals of the armed forces and to surround himself with people who suited him — people who admired him, did not criticize him, and did not argue with him. From this perspective, he negatively influenced the state of the armed forces because (unlike his predecessors) he focused more on subjective factors rather than objective criteria when assessing the abilities of the members of the armed forces. After 1900, the second stage began, during which the Emperor accepted suggestions for promotions. The third stage — the significant decline of the Emperor’s influence on the personnel policy of armed forces — started after the scandals in 1907 and after the beginning of World War I. Wilhelm II’s influence on the personnel policy of armed forces can be (similarly to his influence on foreign and internal policies) described as chaotic, unsystematic, and in some instances even destructive, which is why he is partly responsible for the developments during World War I, including the takeover of political decisions by the leaders of the armed forces.223

The Development of the Brewing Industry in South Bohemian Region in The Turn Of The 20th And 21st Centuries

The study showed that the South Bohemian beer industry is developing in a specific way within the Czech beer production. Only in the South Bohemian region during the small privatization, sales of two major breweries were implemented. The only privatized brewery in the Czech republic that is town property, the Strakonice Brewery, is located in the South Bohemian region. Another distinction is that only the Budweiser Budvar Brewery has not been privatized until this day and is the only and last state enterprise. Also very specific is the fact that the Budweiser Budvar is only fourth place in beer production but first in beer export in the Czech republic

The effects of corporate and country sustainability characteristics on the cost of debt: an international investigation

We investigate the relationship between corporate and country sustainability on the cost of bank loans. We look into 470 loan agreements signed between 2005 and 2012 with borrowers based in 28 different countries across the world and operating in all major industries. Our principal findings reveal that country sustainability, relating to both social and environmental frameworks, has a statistically and economically impactful effect on direct financing of economic activity. An increase of one unit in a country's sustainability score is associated with an average decrease in the cost of debt by 64 basis points. Our international analysis shows that the environmental dimension of a country's institutional framework is approximately twice as impactful as the social dimension, when it comes to determining the cost of corporate loans. On the other hand, we find no conclusive evidence that firm-level sustainability influences the interest rates charged to borrowing firms by banks. Our main findings survive a battery of robustness tests and additional analyses concerning subsamples, alternative sustainability metrics and the effects of financial crisis

Transport Policy as a Way to Strengthen Geostrategic Position – A Review of Vienna as a Centre of Air and High-Speed Rail Transport in Central Europe

Vienna’s geostrategic importance fluctuated through the ages because of the power clashes and subsequent political and socio-economic impacts on the population. This paper assesses its current position in a historical context and then focuses more on the socio-economic dimensions such as interconnectedness and other transport aspects of the geostrategic position. Air and environmentally friendlier modes of passenger transport like high-speed rail are considered and analysed in the European context. This paper also reviews the results and issues dealing with the development of the Vienna Airport and the progress of high-speed railway projects in the Central European Economies (CEEs) after the European Union’s enlargement in 2004. The results suggest that after a restoration period of Vienna’s geostrategic position between 1995–2005, there is currently only a moderate and slowly growing exercise of power, control or influence over the CEEs. The results suggest that there is competition from busier German hub airports as well as the growing importance of CEE airports in transit and growing passenger transport performance figures. The lack of environmentally friendly high-speed infrastructure as a viable option instead of the fastest air travel is preventing Vienna to strengthen its strategic position. Its strategic importance is highly affected by the underdeveloped transport networks in CEEs and the future development of the Vienna Airport as a major transport hub

Structural studies of capsular polysaccharide of type XII diplococcus pneumoniae

The capsular polysaccharide of Diplococcus pneumoniae Type XII contains residues of -glucose and -galactose in a molar ratio of 2:1. The methylated polysaccharide yielded upon hydrolysis 2,3,4,6-tetra- and 3,4,6-tri-O-methyl--glucose and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl--galactose as the only neutral methyl sugars. Periodate oxidation of the polysaccharide resulted in destruction of all neutral sugars and immunochemical activity against rabbit antisera. Periodate oxidation of the methyl O-methylglycosides obtained after hydrolysis of the methylated polysaccharide indicated that at least 30% of the -fucosamine residues are substituted at C-4 in the polysaccharide. It is concluded that the polysaccharide consists of a hexosamine backbone that is substituted by -galactosyl and kojibiosyl side-chains. The proposed terminal -galactosyl residues apparently are sterically hindered from interacting with several -galactose-binding proteins.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/22259/1/0000696.pd

Palace Coups in Russia: Comparative Typologization

This article considers palace coups as one of the key phenomena of Russian political culture, which intertwined traditions and innovations, accidents and patterns, personal and corporate interests, prudence and adventurism. It analyzes methods and mechanisms by which the Russian autocrats of the late 17th – 18th centuries ascended to the throne. The ways of ascension to the throne were different, but they had one thing in common – compliance with clear rules of succession was very far from ideal, which was significantly different from most European monarchies. In monarchies where inheritance was legally fixed by the principle of primogeniture, it was much more difficult to carry out palace coups. There was no such mandatory legal norm for the Romanov dynasty. Palace coups in Russia did not lead to changes in the social and economic sphere or in the mechanisms of functioning of the state, with the exception of the political careers of individual dignitaries. The last palace revolution in the history of Russia took place in 1801 and symbolically completed the 18th century for it. Most of the changes on the Russian throne during the 18th century took place in the form of a “palace coup” with the participation of representatives of the dynasty and, as a rule, the highest dignitaries. Such methods of changing rulers reflected a certain instability of the supreme power, disputes about the ways of modernizing the country, the consequences of Peter the Great’s reforms and, in fact, intra-dynastic contradictions.</jats:p