Search

• Sustainability of preparation for reuse (PfR) depends on actual market performance. • Emotional and combined stimuli outperform functional ones. • Functional stimuli require deeper trust and understanding of PfR activities. • Social involvement moderates the effects of emotional and combined stimuli. • Policies are required to reduce the risk of unfair competition and "social washing". Preparation for reuse (PfR) is a fundamental waste management practice that is second only to prevention in the waste hierarchy. The paper, building on advertising literature, investigates how to leverage the pro-social nature of this option for giving products that have become waste a second life. To examine how advertising strategies based on emotional, functional or combined stimuli can be used to increase intention to buy these items, we carried out an experiment on 507 actual visitors a PfR items shop run by a social cooperative in Northern Italy. We found that, depending on consumers' social involvement, both emotional and functional stimuli based on the social impact of preparation for reuse tend to outperform functional stimuli and have a positive impact on brand attitudes by shaping attitudes to advertisements. Purchasing behaviour has a positive impact on attitudes toward the PfR organization and moderates the effect of emotional and combines stimuli on attitudes toward the advertisement. Since emotional stimuli can be freely used by both legitimated and opportunistic companies, the former should seek to preserve their value proposition by making it easier for consumers to recognise actually trustworthy organizations. This is possible combining the use of advertisements with the development of solid customer relationships. To this end, awareness campaigns, closer relationships with stakeholders and third-party verifiable standards and certifications should be considered to reduce the risk of "social washing" in the current second-hand market context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, three Spanish wine vinegars have obtained the indication of Protected Denomination of Origin (PDOs) due to their unique characteristics and traditional method of production: "Vinagre de Jerez", "Vinagre de Condado de Huelva" and "Vinagre de Montilla-Moriles". These vinegars are expensive due to their high quality, the long aging time and the high cost of production, reason why the adulteration and unfair competition in the vinegar industry are frequent practices. To avoid these frauds, several analytical techniques have been already studied for the characterization and authentication of these high quality vinegars. Nevertheless, ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, especially attractive for its simplicity and low cost, has not been previously used to assess PDO or other qualities as type of production or aging, in wine vinegars. For this reason, the potential of UV–vis spectroscopy was investigated for the first time as a rapid and inexpensive methodology for developing classification models to discriminate wine vinegars according to the production method, the PDO and the aging category. Spectra from 70 wine vinegars -including different categories within the 3 PDOs and also vinegars without PDO as known as rapid vinegars-have been analyzed and compared in the selected region of 280–600 nm. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used as exploratory method, while soft independent modelling-class (SIMCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were employed for the development of a hierarchical classification model. Differences between categories and PDOs, as well as between PDO and Non-PDO wine vinegars, were observed according to the spectral regions around 300 nm and the visible regions around 500 nm. Furthermore, bootstrap resampling method was employed to generate distributions of classification results and to obtain confidence intervals in the classification. The hierarchical classification results open up the possibility of developing a tool that provides an easy and fast differentiation for the authentication of wine vinegars from different categories and denomination of origins. • UV–vis was studied for classifying wine vinegars of different qualities. • A hierarchical classification model was developed by SIMCA and PLS-DA models. • Bootstrap resampling method was used to evaluate the reliability of the results. • Results allowed to classify PDO and Non-PDO wine vinegars, and with different aging. • This method could be an alternative tool for wine vinegar authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Our theoretical model shows that countervailing power stemming from collective action is not necessarily associated with a reduction of occurrence and/or severity of unfair trading practices in agrifood markets. • Farmers engaging in collective initiatives may experience different unfair trading practices than other farmers, even when countervailing power is exerted. • Our empirical investigation with Italian kiwifruit producers supports the conclusions of the theoretical model. • We conclude that, while a policy promoting countervailing power may fail to eliminate unfair trading practices, it is not expected to lead to inefficient negotiation between actors in the agrifood value chain. We reach the opposite conclusion regarding regulations banning unfair trading practices (such as EU Directive 633/2019): Bans might reduce the occurrence of target practices but could lead to inefficient negotiation outcomes. This paper investigates whether countervailing power of collective initiatives (cooperatives, producer organizations, associations) can mitigate unfair trading practices in agricultural markets. The study hypothesis is that collective initiatives exerting countervailing power can attenuate the imbalance in the distribution of bargaining power that is considered one of the main causes of unfair trading practices. Our findings suggest that in a multidimensional bargaining setting where all contract terms are negotiated at once, there is no theoretical expectation that exerting countervailing power necessarily results in a mitigation of unfair trading practices. To investigate the topic empirically, we used a data set measuring fairness perception of a sample of Italian kiwifruit producers. The data support the hypothesis that membership in collective initiatives increases the probability that a farmer perceives a transaction as fair. However, countervailing power does not counter all unfair practices in the same way. While patrons of collective initiatives perceive benefits in price and quality determination practices, no such effect was found for contract renegotiation. The analysis compares two policy approaches: supporting countervailing power and banning specific practices (such as EU Directive 633/2019). We conclude that countervailing power is less effective in targeting specific unfair practices, but it is less likely to determine efficiency loss because it does not impose constraints on contractual negotiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU airline deregulation in 2004 resulted in numerous merger proposals. The European Commission has a crucial role in deciding on mergers with a Community dimension. An overview of 21 merger proposals is followed by the assessment of the EC's attitude towards definition of relevant market and applied remedies. In this paper, we argue that the EC should apply EU competition law in a more consistent manner in order not to slip into arbitrariness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality wine vinegars protected by the indication “Protected Designation of Origin” (PDO) need efficient tools to protect their brands and prevent adulteration and unfair competition. In this sense, Near-Infrared spectroscopy (NIRs) combined with chemometrics has demonstrated its usefulness in food authentication. This work assessed NIRs and Chemometrics as a rapid and non-destructive methodology for this purpose. In this study, 83 high-quality wine vinegars of the Spanish PDOs “ Vinagre de Jerez ”, “ Vinagre de Condado de Huelva ” and “ Vinagre de Montilla-Moriles ” of different categories, and 11 wine vinegars without PDO, were analyzed in the range 12000-4000 cm −1 . Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to explore the spectra and Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was used to build classification models. The high ability of prediction obtained (>90% correct classification) demonstrated the usefulness of this methodology for authentication of PDO wine vinegars and their categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legal debate around online ad blocking demonstrates a tension between user's freedom and online content providers' revenue-generating business model. This paper aims to analyze ad blocking from a unique perspective of the Chinese law and practice. Since ad blocking does not violate copyright law, copyright law cannot be a guardian to the ad-based business model. China takes a different approach to protect the ad-based business model under unfair competition law and bans ad blocking software directly by regulation. The Chinese courts held that providing ad blocking software is anti-competitive under a vague general principle of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law. The special policy reason behind these decisions is that the Chinese government and courts want to maintain this business model and strengthen intellectual property protection. These decisions are reinforced by the regulatory ban of ad blocking software in China. However, the Chinese approach is in the wrong direction. The Chinese courts have applied a principle of “non-interference unless in the public interest” to ad blocking cases but never analyzed the public interest seriously. This paper argues that the “public interest” in the Internet context should be the interests of Internet users. The group of Internet users is large enough to constitute the general public. The public have a compelling interest of autonomy to justify ad blocking. The right approach to solving the ad blocking problem should be flexible, easily adjustable and it should not totally fail one side. Compared to direct regulatory intervention, a flexible judicial approach is better because it could take into consideration a variety of interests and strike a balance in specific cases. And, to regulate new technologies, a soft version of guidelines could be easily adjustable than an immature regulation. The Internet itself is a creative industry developed under the process of “creative destruction”. Any legal intervention shall be careful and not impede the emerging technologies, market structure development and autonomous competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has long been a highly controversial issue as to whether deep linking constitutes a making available to the public. Chinese courts have two main ways of interpreting this: the server test and the substantive substitution test. Beijing Intellectual Property Court adopted the server test and ruled that deep linking does not constitute a making available in the recent landmark decision: Tencent case. The court also stated that deep linking might involve joint copyright infringement, unfair competition or circumvention of technological measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of online services is constantly growing, offering numerous and unprecedented advantages for consumers. Often, the access to these services requires the disclosure of personal information. This personal data is very valuable as it concedes significant advantages over competitors, allowing better answers to the customer's needs and therefore offering services of a better quality. For some services, analysing the customers' data is at the core of their business model. Furthermore, personal data has a monetary value as it enables the service providers to pursue targeted advertising. Usually, the first companies who provide a service will benefit from large volumes of data and might create market entrance barriers for new online providers, thus preventing users from the benefits of competition. Furthermore, by holding a grip on this personal data, they are making it more expensive or burdensome for the user to shift to a new service. Because of this value, online services tend to keep collected information and impede their users to reuse the personal data they have provided. This behaviour results in the creation of a lock-in effect. Upcoming awareness for this problem has led to the demand of a right to data portability. The aim of this paper is to analyse the different legislative systems that exist or have been recently created in this regard that would grant a right to data portability. Firstly, this article draws up the framework of data portability, explaining its origin, general aspects, advantages as well as its possible downfalls. Secondly, the core of the article is approached as the different ways of granting data portability are analysed. In this regard, the possible application of European Competition Law to prohibit restrictions to data portability is examined. Afterwards, an examination of the application of U.S. Antitrust Law is made to determine whether it could be a source of inspiration for European legislators. Finally, an analysis of the new General Data Protection Regulation is made with respect to the development of data portability throughout the European legislative procedure. This article makes a cross-examination of legislations, compares them with one another in order to offer a reflection on the future of portable data in Europe, and finally attempts to identify the best approach to attribute data portability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's merger enforcement agency approved the Google/Motorola merger with conditions. This pattern of approval is not in full accordance with that in other jurisdictions, including the United States and the European Union, which made unconditional approvals. This contradiction attracted ample criticism; some critics believe that China's policy is designed to protect domestic industry. In investigating the Chinese merger agency's decision and the basis for its decision making, this article finds that much of the criticism is groundless and misleading because the critics have failed to incorporate all elements of the global value chain of mobile intelligent terminals into their analyses. The investigation also shows that, although the decision makers are less experienced, their decisions are based on Chinese competition law and market realities. It is important for international firms to be aware of this pattern in merger analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specialty coffee is one of high quality coffees which have grown faster these past years. As a possible consequence of this fast growth, it is still difficult to understand the dynamic of this coffee segment with respect to its different definitions, market trends and its impact on producers' and consumers' decisions. As a main objective of this work, Spanish and Colombian consumers' preferences toward the origin and some specialty coffee attributes such as: Fair Trade, sustainable, organic, and gourmet were studied. It was used a choice experiment method as a quantitative technique to carry out this study. It has been found that Spanish and Colombian consumers are ethical consumers; they highly value Fair Trade coffee. However, Spanish consumers prefer organic coffee than Rainforest certified coffee in comparison with Colombian consumers. In both countries, the consumer preference for Colombian origin coffee was recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of Fair Trade certification is to contribute to sustainable development by offering trading conditions that are transparent and equitable. One important condition is improved market access and strengthened producer organizations. In regions like Southeast Asia this goal can be hard to achieve in value chains where local middlemen play a central role in not only trading fish, but also providing fishers with access to capital, infrastructure and essential services. Despite these contributions, Fair Trade principles presume that middlemen adversely control market benefits that should accrue to primary producers. The social and economic contributions of middlemen, and the potentially dependent relationship fishers have with them, is therefore a controversial issue if Fair Trade fish is going to be marketed as a product capable of improving fisher livelihoods. In this paper, we explore the role of middlemen in the first ever Fair Trade USA fishery: handline-caught yellowfin tuna from Molucca in Indonesia. Interviews with fishers, middlemen, the local processor and those involved in Fair Trade implementation were conducted and analzed to understand changes to the organization of the value chain and of the community by defining how middlemen contribute to the assets and capabilities of fishers. The results indicate that middlemen contribute but also control the full range of assets required to enable fishers to fulfill their value chain functions. Introduction of Fair Trade has facilitated a rapid reorganization of value chain structure in the fishery with notable impacts on fisher perceptions of the resource and the market. However, it remains unclear what this value chain reorganization means for community structure. The opportunities and challenges for Fair Trade USA fish to be an empowering force depend heavily on fisher-middlemen dynamics being adequately considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU digital competition policy is in the process of a paradigmatic transformation. The main legal instrument, epitomising the rationale of the reform is the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA). This article conceptualises the broader theoretical foundations of EU digital competition policy and law, illustrating the developed hypotheses by examining the selected procedural novelties of the DMA. The main normative proposition, underpinning this article is that the emerging more proactive approach to digital markets reflects an objective socio-economic and political trend. This implies that the purified, inwards-oriented perception of competition policy will be gradually converting towards a more polycentric modality. An earlier version of this article has been awarded the prize by the Portuguese Competition Authority 2021 "Competition Policy Award for academic work in Competition Policy". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, users disregard the low level of privacy protection and allow excessive data gathering by dominant online platforms. In return, they receive personalised social-media services from such companies. However, the fault is not entirely with consumers. This article aims to identify the circumstances that support excessive data gathering and argues that gatekeepers both exploit several heuristics that lead to cognitive biases and take advantage of the asymmetries of power and information confronting consumers. This article highlights the shift from neoclassical to behavioural economics and claims that the latter offers a convincing account of the situation consumers face in digital markets. By framing the problem as the exploitation of users' behaviours, remedies can be formulated for the problem in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retail pharmaceutical sector has been characterized in the last decades by profound deregulation policies, aiming at fostering the entry process of new competitors in the market to improve users' access and quality of services. This paper explores the effects of such reforms in the Navarre Region (Spain), where the existing entry restrictions were relaxed in 2000. Using a GIS-based methodology and very disaggregated real data, we show that the massive entry of new pharmacies improved users' access in urban and rural areas but led to intense agglomeration of competitors within limited distances, thus failing to result in a more fair spatial competition. We then propose solving a mathematical programming model that can support policy-makers for an ex-ante assessment of the (spatial) effects determined by changing regulatory frameworks. Results from our computational experiments demonstrate that, if adequately oriented at guaranteeing predefined minimum profitability to new entrants, spatial deregulation policies may result in win-win scenarios for both users and pharmacies. Indeed, the obtained solutions (almost) perfectly replicate the current accessibility conditions while ensuring more equitable market shares' distribution. • We analyze the effects of deregulation policies in the retail pharmaceutical sector. • We investigate the real case study of the Navarre Region (Spain). • We observe that deregulation led to poor users' accessibility improvements and unfair competition. • We propose a mathematical model to determine optimal pharmacies' locations. • Guaranteeing minimum profitability to new entrants leads to more fair spatial competition under deregulation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental innovation (EI) is a complicated task with high investment costs and long-lasting administration demands. These challenges discourage firms from implementing EI, while firms that do perform this activity are exposed to a risk of failure and may be forced to leave the market. This paper seeks to show how to improve the survivability of environmentally innovative firms. We used survey data on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam from 2007 to 2015 to examine the effects of EI implementation on firm survival, taking into account different internal capacities, operating in a corrupt environment, and unfair competition. In this paper, the provincial competitiveness index is employed to measure corruption in the economy, based on different dimensions, namely transparency, informal costs, time costs, fair competition, proactive and creative provincial leadership, and fair and effective legal procedures. Firm size and exporting status are employed to capture firms' internal capacities. By employing the semi-parametric Cox proportional hazard model and two parametric specifications, including Weibull and exponential, the results show that only conventional innovation promotes firm longer-term survival, while there is a negative association between EI and the probability of firm survival. We conduct a robustness check using the propensity matching method. We show that the relationship is most evident for firms operating in an economy that features low-quality institutions or unfair competition. Firms' internal capacities are essential in permitting firms to earn greater benefits from EI implementation. The findings of our study are an essential foundation for economists and policymakers in the design and implementation of processes to assist firms in dealing with environmental issues and ensuring that firms benefit when undertaking EI activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retail pharmaceutical sector has been characterized in the last decades by profound deregulation policies, aiming at fostering the entry process of new competitors in the market to improve users' access and quality of services. This paper explores the effects of such reforms in the Navarre Region (Spain), where the existing entry restrictions were relaxed in 2000. Using a GIS-based methodology and very disaggregated real data, we show that the massive entry of new pharmacies improved users' access in urban and rural areas but led to intense agglomeration of competitors within limited distances, thus failing to result in a more fair spatial competition. We then propose solving a mathematical programming model that can support policy-makers for an ex-ante assessment of the (spatial) effects determined by changing regulatory frameworks. Results from our computational experiments demonstrate that, if adequately oriented at guaranteeing predefined minimum profitability to new entrants, spatial deregulation policies may result in win-win scenarios for both users and pharmacies. Indeed, the obtained solutions (almost) perfectly replicate the current accessibility conditions while ensuring more equitable market shares' distribution. • We analyze the effects of deregulation policies in the retail pharmaceutical sector. • We investigate the real case study of the Navarre Region (Spain). • We observe that deregulation led to poor users' accessibility improvements and unfair competition. • We propose a mathematical model to determine optimal pharmacies' locations. • Guaranteeing minimum profitability to new entrants leads to more fair spatial competition under deregulation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liberalized telecom sector propagates a dynamic ecosystem mixed prominently with three forces: the market mechanism, sector-specific regulation and competition rules. While the tension between the market force and sector-specific regulation has been well studied, the conflicts between sector-specific regulation and competition rules have attracted less attention in particular in China. The 2012 China Telecom / China Unicom case indicates that such conflicts are not moot issues any more. This leads to a question whether it is better to let the two instruments compete or complement. The comparative study on the different practices of the EU and the US suggests that China may better apply the US case-by-case approach, i.e. to evaluate whether antitrust intervention can bring added value to effective competition. Subsequently, a substantive analysis based on the US approach arrives at a conclusion that the EU outcome is nonetheless better suited for the Chinese context, namely to establish the supremacy of competition rules over sector-specific regulation and to allow the former to intervene in the latter whenever necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate to what extent consumers base food purchases on the information implied by the presence of a label. Firstly, we study whether consumers are able to identify the environmental and social labels associated with a particular good or service. Secondly, we analyze whether consumers find the product information implied by the presence of a label trustworthy. Thirdly, we examine the desirability, including taste, of sustainably produced goods compared to conventional goods. Fourthly we calculate consumers’ marginal willingness to pay for environment-friendly and socially desirable goods, and finally, we identify groups of consumers with different preference patterns. Specifically, we performed a survey including a stated choice experiment of consumer decisions concerning the purchase of chocolate in Flanders (Belgium), focusing on fair trade and organic labels. Overall, we find that fair trade labels for chocolate are more likely to influence consumer choice than organic labels in Flanders. For most of the consumers the organic label seems to become superfluous when selecting a self-indulgent treat such as chocolate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are no legal regulations in the area of hyperlinking, the issue of the freedom of hyperlinking affect jurisprudence among others in the fields of unfair competition law and intellectual property law. Therefore, there is a need to consider if case-by-case approach is sufficient or special legal regulations in the field of hyperlinking should be created. This work concerns taxonomy of hyperlinks, jurisdictional issues, notion of "making available to new public", circumvention of access restrictions, issue of advertisement of counterfeit goods, copyright and trademark infringements. Matter of defamation of competitors through hyperlinking is also elaborated in this work. Issues of copyright law, trademark law and unfair competition law are discussed independently in this paper. Therefore, wide range of hyperlinking matters is elaborated in this article. Hence, this is significant source of information and considerations on legal problems in the field of hyperlinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates young consumers' attitudes to sustainable food and analyzes the determinants of their willingness to pay (WTP) for chocolate bars with different sustainability labels. Data were collected through experimental auctions in Italy assessing respondents' ( N = 80, aged between 18 and 35) WTP for chocolate bars with three selected labels (i.e. Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance and Carbon Footprint). Econometric outcomes reveal that several socio-demographic factors exert a positive and statistically significant effect on WTP for all the selected chocolate bars, namely age cohort (older), gender (female) and household income (high). Respondents' lifestyles and food consumption habits also had an effect on final bids. This study offers valuable insights to policy makers and practitioners for efficiently targeting young consumers in campaigns to increase sustainability-labelled food consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One strategy for companies competing in Internet industries is to attack the privacy and security problems of products or services provided by a competitor and then to deliver remedial software to attract consumers. The recent ruling of the Supreme People's Court of China (SPC) establishes legal constraints on this strategy, recognising that a company owes a high duty of care when criticising the privacy and security policies of its competitors and identifying the line between legal technological innovation and unfair interference with the business of competitors. This article provides a summary of the background, facts and court conclusions as well as relevant comments on the impact of this judgement and identifies the issues that require further clarification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU digital competition policy is in the process of a paradigmatic transformation. The main legal instrument, epitomising the rationale of the reform is the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA). This article conceptualises the broader theoretical foundations of EU digital competition policy and law, illustrating the developed hypotheses by examining the selected procedural novelties of the DMA. The main normative proposition, underpinning this article is that the emerging more proactive approach to digital markets reflects an objective socio-economic and political trend. This implies that the purified, inwards-oriented perception of competition policy will be gradually converting towards a more polycentric modality. An earlier version of this article has been awarded the prize by the Portuguese Competition Authority 2021 "Competition Policy Award for academic work in Competition Policy". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are no legal regulations in the area of hyperlinking, the issue of the freedom of hyperlinking affect jurisprudence among others in the fields of unfair competition law and intellectual property law. Therefore, there is a need to consider if case-by-case approach is sufficient or special legal regulations in the field of hyperlinking should be created. This work concerns taxonomy of hyperlinks, jurisdictional issues, notion of "making available to new public", circumvention of access restrictions, issue of advertisement of counterfeit goods, copyright and trademark infringements. Matter of defamation of competitors through hyperlinking is also elaborated in this work. Issues of copyright law, trademark law and unfair competition law are discussed independently in this paper. Therefore, wide range of hyperlinking matters is elaborated in this article. Hence, this is significant source of information and considerations on legal problems in the field of hyperlinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food fraud is an increasingly acknowledged problem that can cause unfair competition in the market, contribute to the grey economy, cause financial losses and threaten the health of consumers. Even so, little research exists on food-related criminal cases. The aim of this study was to characterize Finnish food-related criminal cases in order to improve understanding of the prevention of food-related crime. We investigated 127 cases resolved by the police, prosecutors, or district courts under the titles of food offence, health offence or marketing offence from 2008 to 2019. The analysis revealed that the incidence of cases was low and varied regionally, which may be due to varying abilities to detect cases and differences in reporting them to the police. The most common non-compliances in the cases we analysed were unapproved or unregistered premises or activities (43.3%), false or misleading information provided on food products (39.4%), and insufficient or incorrect, false or misleading documents (31.5%). Safety hazards were associated with 45.7% of cases, while 2.4% involved verifiable instances of illness, which demonstrates that preventing food crime is important for consumer safety. The majority of cases (51.2%) were detected during food control inspections, highlighting the importance of performing inspections on-site. In addition, tip-offs to food control authorities about possible food-related crime (29.1% of cases) were an important mode of detection and could possibly be even more important if Finland were to have a centralized anonymous whistleblowing system. In total, 59.8% of cases led to a conviction or a sanction, and the most common type of punishment was a fine. Nevertheless, the fines tended to be rather low, and the proceeds of crime were recovered in only a few cases. More training for food control inspectors on the detection of food-related crime, harmonized reporting practices, and increased legal praxis throughout the country could improve the detection and prevention of food crime in the future. • Food-related crime is a regular but rarely reported occurrence in Finland. • Food control inspections and tip-offs are important in case detection. • A safety hazard was commonly associated with the cases. • Punishments were rather lenient and the proceeds of crime were seldom reclaimed. • More training in case detection and harmonized practices in reporting are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) as an emerging global Internet-based information architecture facilitating the exchange of goods and services is gradually developing. While the technical aspects are being discussed in detail a legal framework does not exist so far. The first supranational organization trying to work out an IoT governance framework has been the European Commission by appointing a large group of experts to examine the relevant aspects of a possible IoT governance regime. In the meantime, however, the activities have been degraded. Nevertheless, even if the differences between the IoT and the Internet have been overestimated at the beginning, many elements of the IoT differ in part from the corresponding problems in the Internet. Therefore, an analysis of the major IoT governance issues (legitimacy, transparency, accountability, anticompetitive behavior) seems to be worthwhile to conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the increasing importance of public data calls for urgent attention and effective protection, legislatures and courts are currently divided on the regulatory patterns between entitlement regulatory pattern and behavior regulatory pattern, leaving a dim boundary for data scraping. Data regulation is contextual and multi-dimensional. The business investment of platforms should be respected in an appropriate way. However, the benefit of granting an exclusive right to data is not appropriate to the cost of inhibiting access. Based on the dynamic nature of data competition and contextual nature of data regulation, this article argues that the behavior regulatory pattern adopting a multifactor approach is the best solution for defining the boundary of data scraping, provided the factors can be carefully tailored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to understand the increasingly prevalent phenomenon of shoddy goods and help honest firms better cope with the unfair competition posed by shoddy goods producers. We develop a game-theoretic model to examine the interaction between an honest manufacturer of quality goods (the truth-teller) and an unscrupulous producer of shoddy goods (the deceiver). Three power structures are considered: with the truth-teller as leader, with the deceiver as leader, and with equal-power players. Our equilibrium analysis suggests that when consumers make only one-time purchase, the truth-teller is prone to suffer profit loss. Yet some power structures may help the truth-teller mitigate the risk of losing profit. Specifically, when the announced quality of the deceiver is low enough, the truth-teller-as-leader power structure reduces the truth-teller's risk of profit loss; in contrast, when the announced quality of the deceiver is not low enough, the deceiver-as-leader power structure has a better mitigating effect; and the equal-power-player power structure always works worst. We also investigate the role of consumer repurchase behavior in fighting shoddy goods by extending the model to incorporate consumer dissatisfaction and repurchase frequency. A numerical study indicates that consumers' quality expectation disconfirmation sensitivity can deter the deceiver from exaggerating its product quality – either when consumers' repurchase frequency is high or when consumers repurchase at a medium frequency in a market led by the truth-teller. Our findings yield new theoretical insights for firms and industries seeking to combat shoddy goods. • We enrich the current literature on low-quality goods to consider shoddy goods. • We analyze the game between truth-tellers and deceivers in three power structures. • We investigate the role of consumer repurchase behavior in fighting shoddy goods. • We provide guidance on fighting unfair competition posed by shoddy goods producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The increasing importance of premium segments and private labels raise skepticism about the ability of Fair Trade to help smallholders compete in high value-added markets. Using panel data collected in Mali, this paper contributes to the debate by estimating the impact of Fairtrade certification on the quality of Malian cotton. Controlling for the nonrandom certification of producers, results show a significant impact on the quality of cotton produced by both certified and geographically close noncertified growers via spillover effects. The analysis suggests that contract farming enforced by third-parties and demonstration effects foster the adoption of innovative agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fair Trade certification may have important social effects on small-scale producers but empirical evidence is limited. We conducted logistic regressions using data from a 2009 survey of Rwandan coffee farmers to estimate the link between Fair Trade and social capital—measured as farmer trust and participation—while controlling for various other factors that could influence social capital, particularly membership in a cooperative organization. The results show a negative association between Fair Trade and farmer trust in cooperative leadership and a positive association with a perceived higher level of participation of women. Social capital is linked most significantly to farmers’ interaction with their neighbors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the recent years, Muslims have become increasingly concerned about the meat they eat. Proper product description is very crucial for consumers to make informed choices and to ensure fair trade, particularly in the ever growing halal food market. Globally, Muslim consumers are concerned about a number of issues concerning meat and meat products such as pork substitution, undeclared blood plasma, use of prohibited ingredients, pork intestine casings and non-halal methods of slaughter. Analytical techniques which are appropriate and specific have been developed to deal with particular issues. The most suitable technique for any particular sample is often determined by the nature of the sample itself. This paper sets out to identify what makes meat halal, highlight the halal authenticity issues that occur in meat and meat products and provide an overview of the possible analytical methods for halal authentication of meat and meat products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Smallholder farmers producing for Fair Trade market outlets are usually considered to benefit from better prices and stable market outlets. However, many empirical studies verifying this impact suffer from strong selection bias. This study uses a balanced sample of Fair Trade farmers and likewise nonFair Trade producers of organic and conventional coffee from Peru to compare the net effects on production, income and expenditures, wealth and investments, and attitudes and perceptions. After careful matching, we find only modest direct income and production effects, but significant changes in organization, input use, wealth and assets, and risk attitudes. Moreover, important differences between farmers with early and more recent FT affiliation are registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: I use a representative sample of coffee growing households in southern Mexico to estimate the price premium and gross income gain from participating in Fair Trade-organic markets through grower cooperatives. For the 2004–2005 season, FT-organic growers received an average premium of 12.8 cents per pound, yielding a gross income gain of 5% of total household income or about 26 dollars per household member. The gain is net of the costs of cooperative participation but not of other costs incurred to become certified and suggests that price premiums alone have a limited potential to increase household returns from growing coffee. More broadly speaking, the finding raises questions about the persistence of substantial price premiums associated with social or environmental labeling initiatives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: While charitable giving stagnates, Fair Trade and organic labelling as well as Cause-related Marketing campaigns are on the rise in Germany. The question as to whether the efficiency of the different systems is of relevance for consumers has received little attention in the literature so far. A latent class model for discrete choice analysis reveals five consumer segments with well distinguished preferences and willingness to pay measures for the modes of ethical consumption as well as for different donation amounts. For 27% of the 484 respondents ethical consumption occurs at the expense of other forms of ethical behaviour such as charitable giving. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: We use a random sample of coffee producing households in southern Mexico to compare opportunities associated with government subsidies and migration to the role of Fair Trade/organic coffee in household livelihoods. Although land and labor returns among Fair Trade/organic coffee growers are higher than for conventional growers, differences in yields are more important than price premiums. Moreover, investment in education and labor opportunities outside coffee dominate those in Fair Trade/organic coffee. The results highlight the value of an integrated approach to the agrarian question that improves productivity and prices and supports other pathways for improving incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Human rights abuses, environmental predations and governance failures plague artisanal gold mining in Tanzania. Gold''s exchange value and the illegality of most artisanal gold product challenge the traditional fair trade model, a potential solution. Additionally, memories of the government''s earlier failed effort to serve as a sole purchaser of artisanal gold undercut enthusiasm for statist interventions. This paper presents an alternative: a public–private partnership (PPP) that would engage one or more private banks, an agency within the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and NGOs or international initiatives specifically aimed at improving conditions for artisanal mine operators. The concept of transformational exchange, wherein a set of business transactions substantially affects societal expectations, modifies behavior and promotes sustainable mechanisms, frames the proposal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Javanese teak forest constitutes more than 35% of world teak forests. It provides employment and livelihood to millions of people. This paper describes the use of systems dynamics to mimic the value chain of teak from forest to final furniture market using phases of conceptual design, model specification, model evaluation and model uses. The model comprises Perhutani plantation teak, community agroforest, teak log trading, furniture manufacturing and market. From the model we observe baseline trends of teak forest and incomes to various actors participating in teak business including forest state enterprise Perhutani, local communities, brokers, manufacturers and retailers. We use the model to produce governance scenarios of fair trade and vertical integration, their impacts on actors'' income and the sustainability of teak plantations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We identify the fair trade network as the generation of a market where special social, relation-related product attributes play a dominant role. The analysis shows that price-competitiveness with respect to these social product attributes would increase both efficiency and fairness of the network. In addition, it may be appropriate for governments to issue import restrictions based on social criteria similar to fair trade standards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Corporate data disputes have been rising rapidly in recent years in China. Courts typically apply the trade secret clause, the Internet clause, and the general clause under the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of PRC to the disputes. However, there are some limitations and problems, including the limited scope of the trade secret clause, the difficulty in interpretation of the Internet clause, and short of sufficient demonstration of the general clause, all leading to the lack of clear rules and guidelines for solving corporate data competition issue. The property nature of corporate data and the business operators' factual control of the data necessarily require standard legal protection. Corporate data is not the property right, but the property interest protected under the Anti-Unfair Competition Law. For further legal positioning of the corporate data, the paper refers to the trade secret clause's legislative principles. The paper also learns from the United States and Japan that both information misappropriation rule and newly established 'shared data with limited access' provision protect corporate data under their anti-unfair competition law. The paper concludes by providing judicial and legislative suggestions to pave the way for corporate data protection in China. At the judicial level, Chinese courts should clarify the specific application conditions of the general clause. At the legislative level, enacting new legislation 'data clause' into the Anti-Unfair Competition Law is necessary to regulate unfair competition behaviors related to corporate data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influence of information about organic production and fair trade on hedonic and analytic judgments of pineapple was studied in British (n =44) and Dutch (n =51) subjects. The subjects received pineapple pieces of three regularly grown varieties, in which information about organic production and fair trade was systematically varied. Taken over all subjects, organic or fair trade information did not seem to have much influence on liking or on perception. Although they seemed to positively affect liking when presented alone, in combination, they did not. When subjects were grouped according to their – indirectly measured – affective attitudes towards organic or fair trade products by means of conjoint analysis, perception differed as a result of the information provided. Subjects with a positive attitude towards organic or fair trade information perceived the products to have an overall stronger sensory impact in the presence of such information than its in absence, whereas the opposite was true for subjects with a negative attitude towards organic or fair trade information. When the subjects are considered as a uniform group, the individual differences indicating different outcome of underlying cognitive processes cannot be revealed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Federal Republic of Nigeria has set out the modalities for launching a competition policy regime in its electricity industry in 2006. By analysing the factors that may inhibit a smooth transition to contestable regimes in generation (commodity and capacity) and in supply (metering, billing and customer services), this paper lays the foundation for the policy advisors to begin to re-think whether unbundling and deregulation is the best way for Nigeria to improve power supply. The paper concludes that, consistent with some of the other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, implementing a hastily convened competition policy will be a huge transaction cost, and one that will yield the country very little (if any) economic benefit. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The biotic index Bentix [Simboura, N., Zenetos, A., 2002. Benthic indicators to use in Ecological Quality classification of Mediterranean soft bottom marine ecosystems, including a new biotic index. Mediterr. Mar. Sci., 3 (2), 77–111] developed for the classification of ecological status of zoobenthic communities was tested in a Mediterranean coastal area (Aegean Sea, N. Evvoikos gulf, Greece) subject to coarse metalliferous waste discharge. The residues in the form of slag are the byproducts of the smelting procedure of a local ferronickel plant and are discharged in a permitted area 8km from the shore. This practice adopted over the last 36 years has led to the formation of a thick underwater deposit of slag on the sea bottom. A decade of monitoring resulted to a long series of data on macrozoobenthos communities in the area. Application of the Bentix and other indices on the data has revealed the long-term impact of dumping on the benthic communities and the potential of the indices used to assess the community health. Among the indices tested, Bentix index succeeded in assessing the long-term trends of decline or recovery of the community health. The index proved efficient in detecting differences of the ecological status of the communities attributed to the transferring of the core of the dumping activity over the area studied, as validated by the geophysical data provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, a face-to-face survey was conducted in order to reveal consumer preferences for ethical and environmentally sound labeling programs in coffee. Valuation questions regarding the fair trade, shade grown, and organic coffee labels were asked using a payment card format, after consumers were previously informed about each of the labeling programs. Results suggest that consumers are very receptive toward both fair trade and shade grown coffee labels, and consequently are willing to pay higher premiums for these labeling programs than for the organic coffee. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper links changing global coffee markets to opportunities and vulnerabilities for sustaining small-scale farmer livelihoods in northern Nicaragua. Changing governance structures, corporate concentration, oversupply, interchangeable commodity grade beans, and low farm gate prices characterize the crisis in conventional coffee markets. In contrast, certified Fair Trade and organic are two alternative forms of specialty coffee trade and production that may offer opportunities for small-scale producers. A research team surveyed 228 farmers to measure the impact of sales on organic and Fair Trade markets. The results suggest that participation in organic and Fair Trade networks reduces farmers' livelihood vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper begins to explore the changing political geographies of alternative development as practiced and envisioned in the global South. Looking specifically at the growing movement and market for fair trade foods, this form of alternative development has become the moral business of latte drinkers and other reflexive consumers in Europe and the US. Fair trade attempts to re-connect producers and consumers economically, politically, and psychologically through the creation of a transnational moral economy. This re-connection is accomplished through material and semiotic commoditization processes that produce fair trade commodities. The semiotic production of these commodities and their traffic in particular ‘political ecological imaginaries’ is essential to the formation of ethical production-consumption links, acting to also politicize consumption and fair trade eaters. Fair trade''s moral economy rides the tension between the ethical relationships it fosters and the need for the wily characteristics of enterprise in the construction of transnational trade networks. Bringing recent work on moral geography to bear, constructing this moral economy is an attempt to facilitate a sense of ‘solidarity in difference’ in the experiences of global economic inequalities between North and South and growers and eaters. At the same time, fair trade networks look to produce an expansive ‘spatial dynamics of concern’ in the fashioning of ethical places of production and consumption. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the continuing dilemmas critical for fair trade and suggestions for further empirical study of fair trade provisioning and alternative development networks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examines how macro factors influence the use of antidumping in developed and developing countries. A panel data analysis of 99 countries over 1980–2000 reinforces the view that the primary jurisdiction for the antidumping law is really more political than economic. Furthermore, it suggests that once the WTO is fully enforced, the use of antidumping will spread among developing countries not only due to greater liberalization pressures but also as many countries would like to create an antidumping ability so as to counter its use against them. This may reverse the trade gains that liberalization may ensure to them. This paper thus calls for the granting of the special and differential treatment to developing countries in this provision. Finally, based on its findings, the paper argues that future negotiations should be directed toward revising safeguard rules and replacing antidumping by this new clause. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study which explored the proliferation of Fair Trade organizations in developing countries. Analysis of alternative trade organizations as part of the non-governmental movement; Objectives of alternative trade organizations; Evaluation on the fair trade movement.

Examines the use of an open channel-licensing mechanism to solve the concerted purchasing and selling actions of the multiple system operators and multiple channel providers in Taiwan. Prevention of unfair practices in channel licensing trade; Characterization of the market for delivery of video programming to households; Solution for the anti-competitive problems in the cable market.

Authors: Price parity clauses have received significant amount of attention from both academics and antitrust agencies. The predominant view is that 'narrow' parity clauses are not as pernicious as 'wide' parity clauses and they are necessary to restrict free-riding; for instance, free-riding of hotels on Online Travel Agents' (OTAs) efforts. This paper challenges this understanding. The paper builds upon a recent investigation report from the Bundeskartellamt in Booking.com case that empirically shows the insignificance of free-riding in the market for online hotel intermediation. With explicit reference to these empirical findings the German Supreme Court (BGH) has rejected a justification of narrow parity clauses and declared them as illegal. In the absence of a free-riding argument, the theory of harm that 'narrow' parity clauses stifle intra-brand competition between different distribution channels and foreclose the market for the brokerage of hotel rooms through OTAs does not meet any justification. Additionally, the paper argues that even in the presence of free-riding, the transfer of wealth from hotels to OTAs is unjustified as 'narrow' parity clauses incentivise OTAs more than the risk they undertake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Governance, challenges and their linkages to food safety have been identified. • Fragmented and costly multiple government licenses identified as barrier to complying with rules and regulations. • Business licenses and permits seen as avenues for revenue collection and less for food safety. • Unfair competition in the dairy system discouraged optimal best food safety practices. The dairy value chain of Nairobi is comprised, in its majority, of small-scale independent enterprises that operate within a complex interlinked system. In this complexity, the coordination and power structures of the system may have major influences on the management of dairy food safety. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the governance structure and challenges faced by stakeholders throughout the Nairobi dairy value chain and assess their potential implications on food safety. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews based on a dairy value chain mapping framework previously developed. Thematic analysis enabled identification of governance themes, key challenges and analysis of their implications on food safety. Themes were organized depending on their association with farmers (informal settlement or peri-urban), dairy cooperatives, dairy traders, processing companies, retailers or government officers. The identified governance themes included: i) weak linkage between government and farmers, ii) inadequate compliance with government regulations by traders and retailers, iii) emphasis on business licenses and permits for revenue rather than for food safety, iv) multiple licensing resulting in high business cost and lack of compliance, v) fragmented regulation, vi) unfair competition and vii) sanctions that do not always result in compliance. The key challenges identified included, among others: i) inadequate farmer support, ii) harassment of traders and retailers and iii) high business costs for traders, retailers, dairy cooperatives and large processors. The implication of governance and challenges of food safety were, among others: i) inadequate extension services, ii) insufficient cold chain, iii) delivery of adulterated and low milk quality to bulking centers, iv) inadequate food safety training and v) lack of policies for management of waste milk. The range of issues highlighted are based on stakeholders' perceptions and reflects the complexity of the relationships between them. Many of the governance themes demonstrate the linkages that are both beneficial or confrontational between the formal and informal sectors, and between industry and regulatory authorities, with possible direct food safety consequences. Findings obtained provide indications to decision-makers of potential governance areas that could help improve efficiency and food safety along the dairy value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combinations of two or more branded oncology drugs have improved patient outcomes in several cancers, but are associated with high costs, pose challenges for payers and have faced access barriers. Value attribution to individual components of the combinations is particularly difficult for payers and poses a challenge for pricing of novel add-on treatments. [Extracted from the article]