No abstract

Abstract. The article examines the "One Belt -One Road" initiative of China aimed at the development of transport and logistics infrastructure on the trade route from China to Europe. The authors pay special attention to the history of the Silk Road, which serves as an ideological basis for the modern initiative. The scale of the new project allows the authors to expect that its impact on the international trade will be comparable with the contribution of the historical Silk Road to the development of the global economy as we know it. The authors analyze the prospects of the development and implementation of the initiative in terms of China's economic interests. The most significant threats associated with the initiative are identified.

No abstract

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the skills and attitudes development of multicultural teams. In todays’ environment, business interconnectivity and multicultural societies are becoming the normal way of living. Although students are increasingly facing multicultural learning environments, their awareness and willingness or harmonious and productive learning in these environments need to be prepared for in a systematic manner. Therefore, it is necessary that the students are conscious of their commonalities and differences with other students to gain cultural competence. Students’ progress in developing their cultural intelligence is determined by co-operative social skills and the amount of interactions in a multicultural environment. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted using a quantitative methodology. The questionnaire development roots in a students’ self-assessment scheme proposed by Armstrong (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) covering the progress made during the participation in an intercultural project. Findings The research findings relate to attitudes toward developing and sharing knowledge, stress, learning and task orientation, intercultural communication and cultural awareness skills related to the impacts of culture on the different ways of learning when working in multicultural teams. The study confirmed that knowledge gains and competence progress are higher in international teams compared to national teams. Research limitations/implications To provide for better differentiation as to the student profile, e.g., nationality, cultural categories, a larger sample size is suggested. Practical implications The study might be seen as a road map for universities and international companies alike for imparting cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies. Originality/value This study complements previous studies investigating the phenomenon of stress with multi-cultural complexity in more long-term durations. It implies stress factors to appear also in short-term multi-cultural exposures.

management, reflecting the low level of representative organization that typically exists in small firms.Chapter 9 aims to demonstrate that strategies to improve health and safety performance in small firms need to consider the business environment as well as the social and regulatory context. The author describes the role of supply chain relationships in influencing health and safety performance in small enterprises in certain sectors. This reflects, on the one hand, the self interest of large firm customers in what goes on in their suppliers and, on the other hand, the potential business benefits to suppliers of being able to access the health and safety resources of their customers. In addition, the author suggests there are other potentially relevant intermediaries that deal with small firms who could be sensitized to health and safety messages in order to promote their implementation. At the same time, it is stressed that such a strategy is a means of augmenting existing regulation, not replacing it, since the role of regulatory inspection combined with the advisory role of inspection services remains vital if health and safety management in small firms is to be improved.Overall, this book is a welcome addition to the literature, which is likely to attract interest from researchers involved in regulation and employment relations issues in small firms, as well as those whose interest lies mainly in health and safety issues. The core message of the book is to advocate the use of intermediaries and support networks as change agents with respect to the management of health and safety issues in small firms, within the context of a voluntary or nonregulatory approach. The density of the material presented and the range of international contexts that are considered means that it is not the easiest book to read. It is also a little repetitious in places, reflecting perhaps its origins in the national reports from a large international collaborative project. Nevertheless, the shortage of up-to-date material on approaches to 'better regulation' from a small firm's standpoint, and on health and safety issues in particular, makes it a valuable source of material for those interested in small business studies and associated policy issues. Finally, as the author recognizes in the conclusion, there is a clear need for further research in this area, for example, to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of intermediary agencies to promote improved health and safety in small firms.