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This text analyzes the relationship between crises and the dominance of interest-bearing capital, with particular emphasis on fictitious capital, which forms a striking feature of contemporary capitalist economies. It discusses how capitalist crises are commonly viewed and how we should understand them, on several dimensions of reality, based on a comprehensive reading of Marx. We follow with a reflection on the nature and characteristics of interest-bearing capital and on fictitious capital and fictitious profit, given that the high activity of this last form of capital is a hallmark of current capitalism and is itself the maximum expression of the fetishism engendered by it. We conclude that what is understood as a crisis by people in general is, in fact, a source of enormous enrichment for the owners of fictitious capital.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implementation and evaluation of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) training course for clinicians in Chiba, the sixth-largest province in Japan.

Individual CBT for obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, or social anxiety disorder was delivered by trainees of the Chiba CBT training course in a single study design.

The results demonstrated that individual CBT delivered by trainees led to statistically significant reductions in symptom severity for all three disorders. Feedback from the trainees indicated that the training course achieved its aims.

Barriers to the dissemination of CBT in Japan such as opportunities for training and possible solutions are discussed.

This paper evaluates the Chiba CBT training course, which is a Japanese adaptation of the UK Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Project and the first post-qualification CBT training course in Japan.

An inverse relation between performance and managerial turnover at Japanese firms suggests that bank monitoring substitutes for other governance mechanisms (Kaplan, 1994; Kang & Shivdasani, 1995). Morck and Nakamura (1999), however, report that Japanese banks protect their self-interests as creditors rather than the interests of shareholders when appointing corporate directors. We re-examine data on top management changes at Japanese firms and find results consistent with this latter notion. Specifically, management turnover is conditionally related to a firm’s ability to meet its short-term obligations rather than profitability or stock returns. Bank monitoring is therefore not a substitute for mechanisms that directly serve shareholders’ interests.

The purpose of this chapter is to characterize fictitious capital and fictitious profits as extreme expressions of the fetishism of capital. Considering the incessant search for valorization and allowing for fictitious forms of capital, the subject of this study is at the center of the dynamics of recent capitalist accumulation, especially when we take into account the capitalist crises over the last four or five decades. Its mechanism of fictitious valorization (M – M′), a decisive dimension of contemporary capitalism, is contradictory, based on the growing obstacles to the extraction of surplus value on an expanded scale, and therefore the real valorization of capital. At the same time, we support the idea that this mass of overaccumulated capital produces profits unrelated to surplus value, that is fictitious profits, further intensifying the fetishistic and contradictory nature of capitalism.

In this paper, we describe an energy transport simulation method for graded AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs, which uses Al composition‐, doping density‐, and energy‐dependent transport parameters estimated by a Monte Carlo method. For several representative Al composition x and doping densities, parameters such as electron mobility, energy relaxation time and upper valley fraction are evaluated as a function of electron energy. For the other x, these are determined by linear extraporation. The problem of this extraporation method is also described. Calculated cutoff frequency characteristics and electron velocity profiles are compared with those by using more simplified approaches, indicating the importance of using adequate transport parameters.

Cutoff frequency ƒT characteristics for AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs with planar structures are studied, by two‐dimensional simulation, with an emphasis placed on their dependences on the collector parameters. It is shown that the sub‐collector resistance becomes an important factor to achieve a higher ƒT in the high current region, and so it should be made as low as possible. Effects of introducing semi‐insulating external collectors are also studied. It is shown that the introduction of semi‐insulating layer is effective to improve the ƒT characteristics provided that it is slightly away from the intrinsic collector region.

This paper discusses labor value and the rate of exploitation in the global economy using international input–output tables. Labor value is defined as the multiplication of the labor coefficient and Leontief inverse. Exploitation means that the amount of labor embodied in the received wage commodity is less than the amount of the labor actually sold. Therefore, the Fundamental Marxian Theorem, which states that the conditions for the existence of profit and those for the existence of exploitation are the same, should be modified to stipulate that the existence of profit requires exploitation in at least one country. In other words, exploitation may not exist in some countries (non-exploitation). In the context of international input–output tables, we introduce the concept of global labor value, which is the vector of embodied labor in various countries. In the empirical study using an international input–output table, we find that (1) there are non-exploitation cases in several countries. (2) During the time period 1995–2009, the rate of exploitation increased in Asian countries, namely China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, whereas the advanced countries other than Asia faced a decreased rate of exploitation.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of human factor on ecological conditions of Moroccan cedar forest with a view to drawing out implication for sustainable forest management. The study is set against the backdrop of the global depletion of natural capital in a rare axis which, if not brought under an integrated sustainability purview, might lead to the extinction of this quickly receding natural resource.

Data for this research are mined from publicly held databases but processed through a time series regression analysis in a way that measures variations in ecological/environmental variables.

Findings reveal that changes in precipitation and temperature account for a small but significant amount of variation during the period 1940-2006. However, most of the decline is attributable to human activities such as overgrazing and illegal logging. These are having far-reaching implications for forest conservation management.

Human agency, more than any effect of nature, is chiefly responsible for the unsustainable development in this sphere of natural capital. Whilst this may not altogether constitute new knowledge, the paper highlights ambivalent positions that both promote and constrain efforts to sustain cedar forest. Its novelty lies not only in the empirical substantiation it affords but also in ferreting out strategic initiatives to dis-incentivise unsustainable exploitation of this important aspect of natural capital.

This chapter aims at making clear growth and distribution of China’s economy 1987–2000 with fixed capital on the input-output table basis. Since fixed capital data are not sufficiently available, one has to estimate fixed capital coefficients. In the outset, this chapter outlines the Sraffa–Fujimori method, which simulates the maximum growth path and estimates the marginal fixed capital coefficients on that path. In the second place, the marginal fixed capital coefficients of China’s economy are estimated. In the third place, the wage-profit curves of China’s economy will be drawn, and we discuss some further features obtained by our observations.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical hierarchy process (AHP)‐based selection model for choosing a web analytics product/service that meets organizational needs.

The research objective is achieved through modeling and empirical validation.

While more criteria could be added, the proposed selection model provides a feasible approach to choosing a web analytics product/service. Cost‐ and risk‐related criteria are weighed heavier than those of technical capabilities. Tools based on the page tagging method are more popular than those based on transaction log file analysis. The level of technology savvy might play a role in the application of the selection model.

The development of web analytics products/service is still evolving. Thus, as the use of web analytics increases, more criteria might be identified and added to the model. The model is validated by groups for different sectors. In the future, it is suggested to conduct a similar study with one sector by different groups.

The selection model provides a process in which practitioners can systematically evaluate pros and cons of web analytics products/services. The selection model includes a comprehensive list of criteria that vendors of web analytics products/services can use to benchmark their products. Following this model, an organization contemplating the use of web analytics will more likely find one product/service that accommodates organizational and technological characteristics.

A sufficiently comprehensive list of qualitative and quantitative criteria for evaluating web analytics products/services was developed. Practitioners will be able to use the model to select a proper tool. In academia, the article fills a gap in literature that might bring academics' interests in this area.