Branding a B2B service: Does a brand differentiate a logistics service provider?

Existing research has shown that strong brands serve as an important point of differentiation for firms, assisting customers in their evaluation and choice processes. Although there is considerable research on the branding of consumer goods and an increasing literature on industrial and service brands, little is known about branding in the context of business-to-business services. This research extends existing brand theory to a new setting, namely B2B services. Drawing on the results of two mail surveys, we examine B2B services branding in the context of logistics services. Findings suggest that brands do differentiate the offerings of logistics service providers and that brand equity exists for this commodity-like B2B service. Findings also support the extendibility of Keller's [Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1-22] brand equity framework into the logistics services context. However, results of this study show that; logistics service providers and their customers have different perspectives on the relative influence of brand image and brand awareness on brand equity. Implications of these findings for managers and directions for future research are offered.     

Science & Technology,a Double-edged Sword for a Gallant Gladiator?

China's success in the global textile trade has long been amystery that was repeatedly unveiled by many critics or com-petitors who were all in choirs to reproach China for being un-fair in trade practices with reference to governmental subsidies,manipulation of its currency exchange rate, lack of sincerity inenforcing labor laws and what not, but few really realized theactual development in science and technological innovationsand applications in the industry that are really the core value int…     

The evolution of a cellular manufacturing system – a longitudinal case study

This paper describes the evolution of a cellular manufacturing system in a medium-sized company over a 13-year period. The objective of this paper is to analyze the arguments that gave rise to the nearly continuous readjustment of the design of the cellular manufacturing system of this company and the direction in which these adjustments took place. The study indicates that two interrelated factors played an important role in the decision to change the system: the market and manufacturing technology. Analysis of these factors offers important insights into the aspects that need to be taken into account in cell formation. It is argued that a cellular system should reflect market characteristics. New technology, furthermore, demands specialized cells, producing in a multi-shift situation. These two developments point in the direction of market-oriented, reasonably sized, functionally organized manufacturing units. It is argued that market developments, new manufacturing technology and modern production control systems will probably constrain the application area of cellular manufacturing.     

What is a CAR?

什么是一辆车?当汽车的外形和我们对汽车性能的要求发生碰撞;汽车外形代表其身上所被赋予的哪些含义;车的形态如何受到制造条件的限制。这些是汽车设计师们一直要解决的问题,那些世界上顶尖的汽车设计师们又是如何思考的呢?本期"设计"让我们一起走进世界著名三大汽车设计师之一,ChrisBangle的设计世界。     

Hope for a Better 2006

The Development of China Textile and Apparel Industry for the First 11 Months of 2005A realistic prediction for this blooming industry has indicated that by the end of 2005 its profit could reach 67 billion Yuan and the production rate of four major textile categories should all go upwards. In addition, the fig- ures for exports aren't very ambitious with less than 25% of growth rate and chemical fiber stays low with only 11 percent of increase in production, matching the oil price crisis i…     

Non-woven Industry Weaves a Beautiful Pattern

118 new facilities squeezed into the growing band of non-woven makers, aggrandizing the number of companies to 476 in 2005 as released by the State Statistics Bureau, outnumbering 2004 figure by 33%. With new makers in, the total sales income went up to around $2 billion, 35.9% higher than that in 2004, bringing forth a profit growth by 32.6%, indicating that the new comers made the greater contribution to this record high. Non-woven products have always been quota-free in outbound shipments t…     

Codetermination as a strategic advantage?

A theoretical model of codetermination is considered, where consistent with German institutions, firm owners bargain with employees’ representatives about employment but not about wages. A duopoly and a more general oligopolistic situation are analyzed. For some range of bargaining power a prisoner’s dilemma exists. Codetermination leads to increased profits if the other firm is a traditional profit maximizer. Bargaining is the dominant strategy, although joint profits would be maximized with unrestricted profit-maximization. The theory is tested with data from 22 German firms, who operate in the same markets over 23 years. Codetermined firms actually show a different behavior than other companies.     

Just a Question of Selection? The Causal Effect of Profit Sharing on a Firm's Performance

Using German firm panel data, we analyze the productivity effects of profit sharing. Because selectivity should pose a severe problem in this context, we combine matching with a difference‐in‐differences approach. This method enables us to rule out potential bias. Our results suggest that selectivity does indeed matter. Firms with very special characteristics apply profit sharing. We find that these establishments are already more productive before they decide to implement profit sharing. Nevertheless, after accounting for selection, our results show that the introduction of profit sharing leads to a significantly higher productivity in these firms.     

陕西榆林拟建10kt／a MTO试验装置和150kt／a醋酸装置

据英ACN报道，陕西榆林地区拟采用中国科学院大连化学物理研究所的MTO技术建一套10kt／a的甲醇制烯烃（MTO）试验装置。中国右化洛阳石化工程公司2004年底完成该项目的工程设计工作，基建定于2005年3月启动，甲醇原料来自于当地的甲醇装置。该项目将由陕西榆林天然气化工有限公司、陕西省投资集团以及陕西煤业集团合资组建的陕西煤化学技术开发公司负责经营。此外，陕西天然气化工有限责任公司拟在榆林地区建大型甲醇装置和醋酸装置。     

300 kt/a甲醇投资分析

结合南京化学工业园新增醋酸项目对甲醇产品的需求，分析国外内甲醇市场的价格变化，提出了投资甲醇生产的必要性。结合南京化学工业园周边市场资源，分析合成甲醇的两种工艺路线，即以煤为原料通过煤气化合成甲醇和以天然气为原料通过蒸汽转化合成甲醇的可行性和经济性。通过分析对比认为，在该区域用煤气化合成气同时供给合成氨装置和甲醇装置，投资省，生产成本低，扩容能力强，更有现实意义和经济性。     

How does working-time flexibility affect workers' productivity in a routine job? Evidence from a field experiment

We conducted an experiment in which we hired workers under different types of contracts to evaluate how flexible working time affects on-the-job productivity in a routine job. Our approach breaks down the global impact on productivity into sorting and behavioural effects. We find that flexible arrangements that allow workers to decide when to start and stop working increase global productivity by as much as 50%, 40% of which is induced by sorting, and 60% represents a motivational effect, mainly driven by more effective working time, with workers reducing the length of their breaks. Our findings also suggest that part-time contracts can enhance global productivity, – though not significant at conventional levels –, and that this effect is also driven by a significant drop in the length of breaks taken. We hence contribute to the literature providing causal evidence of flexibility in routine jobs leading to higher productivity.     

How many franchises in a market?

This paper studies how firms use their number of franchises as a strategic tool. Firms can commit to high output by creating many franchises. However, signing a single franchise contract with a low wholesale price is an equally effective way to generate output. The value of granting many franchises is undercut when firms can sign contracts afterwards, so firms place only a single franchise in a market. This finding reverses previous results which did not model contracts. The same issues arise in international competition policy, where countries use anti-trust policy to affect their number of exporters and use subsidies to affect the choices of exporters.     

What passes as a rigorous case study?

This article investigates the methodological sophistication of case studies as a tool for generating and testing theory by analyzing case studies published during the period 1995–2000 in 10 influential management journals. We find that case studies emphasized external validity at the expense of the two more fundamental quality measures, internal and construct validity. Comparing case studies published in the three highest‐ranking journals with the other seven, we reveal strategies that may be useful for authors wishing to conduct methodologically rigorous case study research. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A New Step up,a Double-digit Reward

A detailed report on the performance of China garment exports and imports in 2005 Surfing on the waves of the RMB revaluation, the unstableness of raw material prices and the trade disagreements with the EU and US, the hardworking China garment and accessory industry got its repayment of $75.52 billion for foreign trade in 2005, hiked 19.6% against 2004. Garment and accessory exports made 73.88 billion US dollar and $1.62 billion in imports, it also achieved US 72.2 billion of trade surplus and took up more than half of the share in the entire China textile foreign trade value in 2005.     

What Makes a Good Export Channel Relationship?

Within international business, distribution channel management is a key concern. Relationships between exporting firms and other members of the international distribution channel can significantly impede or enhance performance in export markets. This study adopts an inductive research approach to examine what makes a good relationship in distribution channels in Southeast Asian markets (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia). An extensive range of relationship elements are identified. The relationship between the two key elements of trust and mutual benefit is found to be reciprocal in nature and dynamic. Necessary conditions for, and influences on, development of trust and mutual benefit are identified.     

新疆近50a极端降水气候变化研究

利用新疆1961~2010年45个测站的逐日降水量,采用线性趋势、M-K突变检验等统计诊断方法,研究其极端降水的时空变化特征。结果表明:北疆地区和天山山区极端降水量总体上呈增加趋势;除南疆地区外,北疆、天山山区极端降水量分别于1982年、1990年发生显著的上升突变;极端降水量空间分布的区域差异性显著,在研究区西部表现为以天山山区大值为中心,呈现北高南低的特点。     

新加坡拟建800kt／a乙烯装置

Shell东方石油公司(SEPL)和ABB Lummus及其合资企业日本东洋工程公司签订合同,将在新加坡Pulau Ular新建一套大规模乙烯裂解装置。该装置将与Bukom炼厂集成,从而使SEPL在亚太地区更具竞争力。