佛山市服务外包产业发展的现状分析

佛山发展服务外包产业具有显著的区位与政策优势,广东金融高新技术服务区的建立更为佛山发展服务外包产业带来巨大契机。本研究通过实地企业调研发现,当地的制造企业具有很强的服务外包需求,发展服务外包产业的潜力巨大。本文最后在调研的基础上提出了对产业发展的建议。     

The economic analysis of social customs: the case of pre-marital sex

This paper uses a sample of 18,876 adults aged 16-59 from to estimate logit equations of the determinants of support for the custom of abstaining from pre-marital sex. Three sets of equations are estimated separately for males and females; one set for disapproval of pre-marital sex, one set for disapproval of one night stands and another set for a proxy for involvement in pre-marital sex. These results confirm some expected male-female differences and also show a polarisation amongst the population in their support for, and observance of, customs and practices related to abstaining from sex before marriage.     

浅论全球化时代的普遍伦理

随着全球化浪潮的推进,人类生活的互相联系与依赖的一体化趋势日益明显,这带给了我们世界文明的进步与发展,也造成了人类生存道德危机,现今世界迫切呼唤普遍伦理的到来。普遍伦理不是现存伦理的普遍化,而是一种新的伦理规则。它的建立是完全可能的,世界市场的形成为它提供了经济基础,人类对永久和平幸福的向往为它提供了观念基础,以及现存伦理规范中的一些共同认识为它提供了沟通基础。     

Robustness of simple menus of contracts in cost-based procurement

We consider a model of cost-based procurement in which the principal faces Knightian uncertainty about the agent's preferences for cost reduction. We show that a particularly simple incentive scheme—a menu comprising a fixed-price contract and a cost-reimbursement contract—minimizes the maximum expected payment, where this maximum is taken over the set of possible agent preferences. For some parameters of the problem, a range of alternative incentive schemes also satisfy this criterion. We show that the simple incentive scheme is not weakly dominated by any of the alternatives: there does not exist an alternative mechanism for which the expected payment is no higher for all realizations of the agent's preferences and strictly lower for some realization.     

On the evolutionary selection of sets of Nash equilibria

It is well established for evolutionary dynamics in asymmetric games that a pure strategy combination is asymptotically stable if and only if it is a strict Nash equilibrium. We use an extension of the notion of a strict Nash equilibrium to sets of strategy combinations called ‘strict equilibrium set’ and show the following. For a large class of evolutionary dynamics, including all monotone regular selection dynamics, every asymptotically stable set of rest points that contains a pure strategy combination in each of its connected components is a strict equilibrium set. A converse statement holds for two-person games, for convex sets and for the standard replicator dynamic.     

关于城市化的理性思考

城市化是人类社会经济发展的共同趋势。中国要在未来加快城市化进程首先要正确认识城市化,城市化不是一个可有可无的过程,也不是一个人为可以随意控制的过程。加快城市化进程既是解决中国当前社会经济发展中所存在的各种问题的一个关键性问题,又是中国在２１世纪保持续稳定发展的一种重要因素。城市化是一自然经济过程,是一个经济、空间和人口相互协调的过程,是一个资源在空间优化配置的过程,它是经济城市化、空间城市化和人口     

论《白衣女人》的主题情节

英国著名侦探小说家威尔基·柯林斯的代表作《白衣女人》一书不仅开创侦探小说之先河,且在写作手法上亦为英国小说另辟了一条新的蹊径。作为长篇侦探小说,《白衣女人》是关于拯救＂受困的公主＂及寻找社会身份的认同的文学作品,其故事枝蔓纵横、错综复杂,因而理清其主题情节就显得尤为重要。     

Generalized Method of Moment estimation of multivariate multifractal models

Multifractal processes have recently been introduced as a new tool for modeling the stylized facts of financial markets and have been found to consistently provide certain gains in performance over basic volatility models for a broad range of assets and for various risk management purposes. Due to computational constraints, multivariate extensions of the baseline univariate multifractal framework are, however, still very sparse so far. In this paper, we introduce a parsimoniously designed multivariate multifractal model, and we implement its estimation via a Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM) algorithm. Monte Carlo studies show that the performance of this GMM estimator for bivariate and trivariate models is similar to GMM estimation for univariate multifractal models. An empirical application shows that the multivariate multifractal model improves upon the volatility forecasts of multivariate GARCH over medium to long forecast horizons.     

A discrete time model of convergence for the term structure of interest rates in the case of entering a monetary union

This paper presents a method for constructing the term structure of interest rate spreads for two currencies in the context of a country’s entry into a monetary union. We propose a special type of process that ensures the convergence of the short-term interest rate spread to zero by a fixed moment in time, which we call the discrete-time Brownian bridge process. Using this process and the conventional pricing kernel framework, we derive double recursive formulas for computing the affine coefficients for the term structure of interest rate spread. The estimated model counterpart, which is based on the pre-EMU interest rate spread data for the interest rates of the German mark and Italian lira, fits the data reasonably well and captures the stylized empirical facts. Namely, spreads for all maturities have downward trends, and the longer the maturity is, the less spread there is.     

Effectiveness of sequences of One-Euro-Jobs for welfare recipients in Germany

Empirical evidence reveals that German welfare recipients often participate in multiple active labour market programmes (ALMPs). However, evidence on the effectiveness of ALMPs exists mostly for single ALMP participations so far. This article evaluates the sequential participation in ALMPs for welfare recipients in Germany based on comprehensive administrative data to control for dynamic selection that arises in the evaluation of sequences. Using a dynamic causal model and an inflow sample of welfare recipients, the article analyses the effects of sequences of a public employment programme called One-Euro-Jobs on labour market outcomes. For female participants in One-Euro-Jobs in the first period, especially in West Germany, the results imply that participating in two consecutive One-Euro-Jobs compared with receiving only welfare benefits for two consecutive periods better facilitates integration into regular employment. Moreover, taking part in a One-Euro-Job directly after entry into welfare receipt is also more effective for participants in One-Euro-Jobs in the first period than taking part in a One-Euro-Job in a later period, especially for East German men (although not for West German women). However, I also find evidence of so-called programme careers and stepwise integration into regular employment.     

The effect of inflation on growth

The paper examines the effect of inflation on growth in transition countries. It presents panel data evidence for 13 transition countries over the 1990–2003 period; it uses a fixed effects panel approach to account for possible bias from correlations among the unobserved effects and the observed country heterogeneity. The results find a strong, robust, negative effect on growth of inflation or its standard deviation, and one that appears to decline in magnitude as the inflation rate increases, as seen for OECD countries. And the results include a role for a normalized money demand in affecting growth, as well as for a convergence variable, a trade variable and a government share variable. Robustness of the baseline single‐equation model is examined by expanding this into a three‐equation simultaneous system of output growth, inflation and money demand that allows for possible simultaneity bias in the baseline model.     

The effect of experience and quantity-based pricing on the valuation of a curbside recycling program

Quantity-based pricing for garbage collection services and recycling programs are becoming increasingly popular methods of meeting municipal solid waste diversion objectives. This article investigates household willingness to pay (WTP) for a pilot curbside recycling program (CRP) in the presence of a quantity-based pricing scheme for garbage collection services, which allows a household to alter their garbage container size at a reduced price. Unlike previous studies that have modeled the simultaneity of these household decisions as a two-step process, we jointly estimate the household's intentions using a full-information maximum-likelihood (FIML) approach. Our results show a strong positive correlation between a household's WTP for a CRP and its stated intention to reduce its garbage container size when a CRP is offered. The positive correlation suggests that WTP will be higher for households which are more likely to reduce their garbage container size. Thus, in the presence of quantity-based pricing, a household's WTP for recycling more fully reflects the marginal social costs of garbage disposal.     

加快企业信息化建设提高市场竞争力

当前，企业信息化建设面临的严峻形势，高度重视企业信息化建设是带动各项工作创新和升级的突破口，是增强市场竞争力的客观需要，是实现制度创新、管理创新和技术创新的重要内容和途径。构建集成化信息管理系统，实施信息化建设与企业体制改革、管理创新协调推进的一体化战略，对增强企业市场竞争力，具有重要意义。本文综述企业信息化建设的基本内容和要求，针对企业信息化建设存在的问题，提出相应对策和建议。     

试论高校以人为本的法治化建设

＂依法治校,以德治校＂是新世纪新形势高校发展的需要,是建立现代大学制度的需要,＂以人为本＂为二者的统一奠定了坚实的基础,高校的法治化进程离不开人本思想的指导,＂以人为本＂思想下的高校法治建设才能取得长足发展。     

The adoption of new technology by listed companies: the case of Twitter

This study investigates the adoption of Twitter by Australian listed companies for disseminating marketing information (including corporate promotion) and for directly interacting with consumers. Based on a sample of the Top 200 Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed companies, we find that companies with larger market capital are more likely to adopt Twitter for static advertising, a one-way communication approach, and direct interaction with consumers, a two-way communication approach. Companies with smaller market capital that adopt Twitter for marketing communication appear to disseminate more corporate promotion information, a static advertising approach. Overall, our results indicate that the level of a company's access to resources can influence their adoption of a new technology and the manner in which it is used. This study calls for further clarification of regulation regarding marketing communication on social media and experience sharing between industry practitioners.     

The internalization of externalities in the production of electricity: Willingness to pay for the attributes of a policy for renewable energy

This paper investigates the willingness to pay of a sample of residents of Bath, England, for a hypothetical program that promotes the production of renewable energy. Using choice experiments, we assess the preferences of respondents for a policy for the promotion of renewable energy that: (i) contributes to the internalization of the external costs caused by fossil fuel technologies; (ii) affects the short-term security of energy supply; (iii) has an impact on the employment in the energy sector; and (iv) leads to an increase in the electricity bill. Responses to the choice questions show that our respondents are in favour of a policy for renewable energy and that they attach a high value to a policy that brings private and public benefits in terms of climate change and energy security benefits. Our results therefore suggest that consumers are willing to pay a higher price for electricity in order to internalize the external costs in terms of energy security, climate change and air pollution caused by the production of electricity.     

Impact of hirsutism on women's quality of life and their valuation of an effective treatment

SUMMARY

The aims of the study were to assess the impact on health-related quality of life in women with excess facial hair; to assess patients' valuation of treatment for excess facial hair using willingness-to-pay (WTP) and to assess the cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained from using an effective treatment for hirsutism. Questionnaires were sent to hirsute women, their partners and a sample of non-hirsute women to establish the basic characteristics and perceptions of each of the groups. Significant differences in health-related quality of life existed between hirsute and non-hirsute women. However, no significant differences between the groups' WTP for effective treatment were evident. Assuming an annual cost of £156 for a woman with facial hirsutism, the cost per QALY gained from the use of eflornithine cream for the treatment of hirsutism was considered to represent value for money even when a low estimate of effectiveness is used.     

Economic evaluation of inhalers used in the treatment of asthma

Summary

Asthma is an important disease for New Zealand in terms of prevalence and costs, both direct and indirect. The objective of this study was to determine if there were any differences in primary care medical costs between treatment of asthma with four corticosteroid inhaler drug delivery systems (Autohaler? [AUTO], Diskhaler? [DISK], metered dose inhaler [MDI] and Turbuhaler? [TURB]) in a general practice setting.

The retrospective observational data-based research completed for this study involved a large population and recorded actual general practitioner prescribing practice. The perspective taken was that of the funder of health care. Data were obtained from the computerised clinical records of 28 New Zealand general practices. Cost data were on a per year per patient basis.

The largest single cost item identified in this study was that of corticosteroid inhalers which ranged from 41% of total primary care cost for MDI to 52% for the TURB group. Total drug acquisition cost (inclusive of dispensing costs and wholesale and retail markups) was highest for TURB at $490 and lowest for MDI at $265, a difference of 85%. There was less variation in general practitioner consultations for asthma with total costs ranging from $104 for AUTO to $127 for DISK. Total primary care costs were lowest for MDI at $392 per annum and highest for TURB at $608, a difference of 55%. If the MDI total primary care costs are used as the base for an index (MDI total primary care costs set at 100) then AUTO becomes 116, DISK 134 and TURB 155.

The model was robust with respect to conclusions relating to cost differences between the treatment groups. In all but one instance TURB remains the highest cost group.     

Diffusion of organisational innovations: an empirical test of an analytical framework

Alänge, Jacobsson, and Jarnehammar (1998) presented an analytical framework for studying the diffusion of organisational innovations, based on the developments in literature on technical innovations and their diffusion. The aim of this paper is to examine the validity of the framework. Two exploratory case studies were carried out on the diffusion of the organisational innovation TQM. The case studies showed that the framework is a useful tool for studying the diffusion of organisational innovations. However, factors such as learning processes on a national and international level and the role of fads need further consideration. In addition, factors needed for a long-term commitment such as boards and owners and internal political and cultural systems need to be further investigated. The paper also presents a model for analysing the different phases in a diffusion process.     

Universality of Nash components

We show that Nash equilibrium components are universal for the collection of connected polyhedral sets. More precisely for every polyhedral set we construct a so-called binary game—a game where all players have two pure strategies and a common utility function with values either zero or one—whose success set (the set of strategy profiles where the maximal payoff of one is indeed achieved) is homeomorphic to the given polyhedral set. Since compact semi-algebraic sets can be triangulated, a similar result follows for the collection of connected compact semi-algebraic sets.We discuss implications of our results for the strategic stability of success sets, and use the results to construct a Nash component with index k for any fixed integer k.