Airbnb and Uber are examples of a two-sided marketplace that really works. But they’re the exception, not the rule. This type of business is hard to build and grow unless you tackle a couple of fundamental issues at the outset. Two-sided marketplaces have become one of the most popular types of online business models, attracting...
Key issues and concerns remained at the end of the previous trade negotiation round. Developing countries felt that more needed to be done to strengthen the multilateral trading system. The prevailing system then for example, permitted developed countries to impose temporary trade restrictions to protect local industries and hence negotiations on safeguards were to continue....
Carbon pricing should be a key component of any climate mitigation strategy designed to assist countries in reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Humans depend majorly on fossil fuels to drive their economies and that’s why we need an immediate way to encourage the shift to clean energy by imposing tangible economic pressure. Policymakers considering...
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) envisions a continental market of about 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of over $3.4 trillion. In the 12th extra ordinary meeting of the African Union held on July 2019 in Niamey, the operational phase of AfCFTA was launched. What characterized the launch was the adoption of...
The global economy is growing rapidly coupled with integration of national economies and markets. This growth has created an opportunity for profit shifting by Multinationals from high-tax jurisdictions to low-tax jurisdictions through treaty shopping; which has been cited by OECD Inclusive framework as one of the major sources of BEPS concerns. Against that background, OECD...
Despite the successes that were seen in the Tokyo round, it had challenges that clearly highlighted the in-ability of the GATT system to liberalize trade. These shortcomings were a clearer indication that a body with a wider mandate than that of the GATT, and with stronger enforceable rules was needed. It left vague forms on...
The omnichannel way is the only way Many digital and traditional store companies employ un-optimized marketing strategies. These strategies usually deploy several marketing campaigns geared towards customer acquisition and retention. However, many of these campaigns are disjoint in the customer’s journey, from awareness to repeat purchases. In recent years, we have noticed both parties (digital...
Abuse of tax treaties has been cited by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a key source of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). The Multilateral Instruments as Action 15 (MLI) helps the fight against BEPS by implementing the tax treaty-related measures developed through the BEPS Project in existing tax treaties in a...
COVID-19 Pandemic was a blessing in disguise for the fashion industry as the use of social media to discover and shop for clothing gained traction. According to the State of Fashion 2022 Report by McKinsey, 74% of consumers are more confident to shop online through social media channels than they would have before COVID-19, with...
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions pose several potential economic and environmental risks to property, human health, agricultural productivity, and the ecosystem. Carbon pricing transfers the cost of the damage caused by GHG emissions back to those responsible. Instead of dictating who should reduce emissions where and how, a carbon price sends an economic signal to emitters,...