美国制造业重振面临的人才储备挑战

当前美国为摆脱金融危机所实行的制造业重振战略正面临人才储备不足的困境。长期以来在去工业化的过程中,美国制造业就业人数持续下降,且制造业人才储备不断减少。为此,美国从重视理工科教育入手制订长期人才储备战略,通过改革移民政策与提高特殊专业人员临时工作签证上限留住高技能留学生,运用贸易、税收优惠等手段提升本国制造业竞争力,为制造业创造更多的吸纳人才空间。对我国而言,面对来自于美国制造业的长期挑战,需要高度重视工科人才的培养,并积极吸引留学生回国创业。     

Domestic Implications of a Global Labor Market

Conventional thinking about labor markets has been slow to adjust to the reality of labor in a context of a global rather than a closed, national economy. Liberalization of international trade and capital flows has made substitution of foreign for domestic labor increasingly feasible. This has put downward pressure on reservation wages of unemployed workers. Also, the relatively easy substitution of foreign and domestic manufactured products relative to services has led to a dual economy in which manufacturing employment has been severely impacted by foreign competition while service employment has not. This has been amplified by the U.S.’ comparative advantage in high education and skills, which tends to be more characteristic of services than of manufacturing. This implies that low-skilled workers will be increasingly left behind unless they upgrade their skills in an increasingly competitive global economy. JEL Classification J400,F410     

IM ＆ EX, A ROCKY ROAD

Subprime mortgage crisis, which was triggered by a dramatic rise in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures in the United States,has interrupted china＇s peaceful rise and has major adverse consequences for banks and financial markets around the globe. Although the direct impact of the subprime crisis is rather small to china＇s economy since the exposure of several national banks to the U.S. subprime lending market is relatively limited, there is no denying that the U.S. subprime crisis has been dragging down world＇s major stocks for months and making it difficult for china＇s foreign trade. It is predictable that the impact of this financial tsunami will shed its shadow on china＇s economy sooner or later. Experts are of the view that China may not be directly hit by the crisis as a result of its strong economic fundamentals, limited exposure to this particular variety of assets,     

The Unemployment Effects of Proposed Changes in Social Security's “Normal Retirement Age”

This paper identifies and analyzes an inherent conflict between some proposed U. S. Social Security reform measures, which would encourage delayed retirement decisions, and the objective of minimizing the economy's unemployment rate. Using recent demographic trends in the age composition of the U.S. labor force, the study suggests that such proposed U.S. Social Security reform measures may actually increase the economy's unemployment rate. It concludes that measures to encourage older workers would relieve labor market pressures (while also helping the Social Security system) if and only if unemployment was persistently near the non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU). However, in an economy with above NAIRU unemployment, which has been the case most often in recent years, the opposite Social Security policy logic would apply. JEL Classification H557     

美国经济波动影响中国经济的国际传导机制分析

作为世界上最大经济体的美国,其经济波动必然会对其它国家产生影响。利用1999—2009年的季度数据,运用向量自回归(VAR)模型以及H—P滤波分析法,研究发现:中国对美国出口贸易对中美经济波动经过半年的传导时滞后,会有明显的传导作用,并且大约持续一年半左右,之后的传导作用并不明显;中国从美国进口贸易对中美经济波动的传导作用会有一年的传导时滞,之后会有为期半年的传导作用,但其传导作用明显低于中国对美国出口贸易的传导作用;美国对华直接投资和中国对美直接投资对中美经济波动的传导作用无论在短期还是在长期都不显著。     

Resale Price Maintenance (RPM): The U.S. and E.U. perspectives

Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) is an important and very controversial pricing practice that describes attempts by upstream suppliers (often manufacturers) to control selling prices of their customers (often retailers or wholesaler). It was developed in the early 1900s to regulate and eliminate unfair trade practices within distribution channels in U.S. Although RPM has been analyzed from many different perspectives since it is inception, many questions remain. Whether RPM is good for competition and which forms are legal is still unclear. The study provides the historic evolution of the RPM concept and discusses some alternative strategies by which marketers have attempted to achieve the same ends. The study′s review includes landmark legal rulings and an overview of the relevant marketing and economic theory guiding the evaluation of RPM′s effect on markets and competition both in U.S. and E.U. The study, finally, addresses a road-map how to handle RPM rulings side effects for marketing patricians, academics and regulators.     

Toward lean management? international transferability of Japanese management strategies to Australia

There has been growing international interest in the “lean production” notion with present Japanese car plants as the paragon of this work system. Yet despite its Japanese origins many commentators have taken for granted that this Japanese notion can readily be transferred to other contexts and that it is a preferable alternative to Fordist mass production. Lean management involves continuous improvement, just-in-time techniques, total quality management, and team based work organization. These techniques have led to demonstrable major improvements in the efficiency of manufacturing enterprises in Southeast Asia, Japan, Europe, and the U.S., as shown by numerous studies. However, there has been little research on the possible transferability of such Japanese management strategies to Australia, which does not have a reputation for having highly committed workers or compliant unions. Therefore, the introduction of lean management in Australia deserves examination. After summarizing the context of the Australian car industry and the literature on lean production, we report on our study of a major car plant, which is based on interviews, observation, and a survey of employees. We were fortunate in having a high degree of cooperation from the company, unions, and government, because this independent study was initiated jointly by these three parties, which is relatively unusual for such research. Although we report several criticisms of lean production, we conclude that, especially when coupled with industry restructuring, lean production can potentially contribute to a substantial improvement in manufacturing competitiveness. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Company training in the United States 1970–2000: what have been the trends over time?

This study uses data from surveys of U.S. employees to determine whether any trends are apparent in the proportion who say they receive some form of training at work. Discussions of economic change in the U.S. and elsewhere have frequently asserted that work has become more intellectually demanding. This implies that training in workplaces should have become more prevalent. However, the survey data do not reveal any overall trend in the prevalence of workplace training between 1970 and 2000. There did appear to be a rising trend for women, evidently reflecting women's increased representation in professional and managerial occupations. Throughout this period, more highly educated workers are more likely to say they receive training at work.     

从历史视角看美国贸易政策的本质

美国的贸易政策是指能直接影响美国进出口地理方向和进出口商品结构、跨国投资的政府措施。必须从经济和政治结合的角度去理解美国的贸易政策,美国贸易政策的本质是实现美国国内外经济利益和政治利益的工具或手段。贸易保护主义和贸易自由化都是美国利益的实现方式。认识美国贸易政策的本质为认识中美贸易方面存在的问题提供一种思路。     

Understanding Retail Managers’ Role in the Sales of Products and Services

This research investigates the influence of retail chain-level activities (e.g., district supervisor directives and policies) and store manager behaviors on the sale of physical products versus services. Using data gathered within a U.S.-based retail automotive parts chain, the authors discover that to sell services, especially in competitive environments, store managers should focus on sales planning and transformative leadership behaviors, which accentuate both the long-term planning horizon and the effects of managerial actions. In less competitive environments though, a more transactional approach (e.g., selling orientation) can be effective for selling services. Alternatively, to sell products, store managers’ selling effort appears to be the most important driver of success, and a transformative leadership approach may be detrimental when the retailer faces a high level of direct competition. In total, the findings suggest that corporate chain activities, such as the level and clarity of store managers’ goals and supervisor monitoring, influence store manager behaviors, which in turn affect the sale of physical products and services.     

中国零售业如何应对金融危机的挑战

由美国引起的这场金融危机,已席卷全球,波及方方面面,从虚拟经济到实体经济、从国际到国内,从生产企业到流通企业,从进出口贸易到国内市场,无一不受波及和影响,都面临着考验和挑战。如何应付这场金融危机的冲击,是中国零售业必须面对的首要任务。     

Competing in the global marketplace: The case of India and China

As the world economy becomes increasingly integrated and globalized, U.S. companies face unprecedented opportunity, as well as challenge. In the global marketplace, China has made great strides in economic and commercial developments. The business community observes that China is becoming a manufacturing base for the world in providing quality products at low prices. As more business people turn their attention to China's progress, however, they are missing out on an important part of the equation: its neighboring country, India, which may deserve more attention than it has received. In this article, we attempt to present an argument that India could be a viable alternative in competition with other countries on the world stage. In spite of its problems, the Indian government and people are determined to increase Indian contribution to the world economy. As such, India may serve as its next frontier.     

The Labor Market in the Aftermath of the Great Recession

The Great Recession took a large toll on the U.S. labor market, reducing jobs and raising unemployment across most sectors and among workers of all skill levels. Although conditions have improved over the last five years, by most metrics the labor market recovery remains incomplete. The slow progress of recovery has raised concerns that some of the damage done by the recession will be permanent, and that a return to prerecession conditions is unlikely. This paper argues that although the recession coincided with, and even accelerated ongoing structural changes in the economy, most of the disruptions were cyclical and will likely be repaired over time. Should things evolve otherwise, the impact on the potential output and future growth of the economy could be profound.     

An institutional work view toward the internationalization of emerging market firms

Through the lens of institutional work – the institutionally embedded practice that aims to create, maintain, or disrupt the rules and shared meanings in social life, we discuss how an emerging economy’s governments establish policies and regulations to develop outward foreign direct investment, and how domestic firms seek to shape these institutional arrangements to suit their interests and needs as they expand overseas. This study underscores the importance of the home country to multinational enterprises. We argue, the policymaking that underpins the internationalization of firms is not only a top-down (state inspired) but also a bottom-up process.     

Live Broadcasting,Gate Revenue,and Football Club Performance: Some Evidence

This paper presents new evidence concerning the main argument of the English Premier League for collective arrangements in selling television broadcast rights. Matches that are broadcast live on television can be considered as a substitute for watching at the stadium. New panel-data show that broadcasting live has a small negative effect on gate revenue for the best performing clubs and a much larger effect for the worst performing clubs. However, the marginal cost is outweighed by the marginal revenue, concluding that restrictions on quantity stemming from collective arrangements are detrimental to the consumers, broadcasters, and clubs themselves.     

Spanish-speaking employees in american industry

Hispanics have a great respect for many aspects of life in the U.S. and are willing to work very hard. In order to take advantage of this work ethic and good will, American companies must learn something about Hispanic culture and psychology and meet their workers halfway.     

Participation in industrial training programs

Two questions suggested by the recent literature on the matching of workers and firms are examined. The first relates to differences in the proportion of workers that participate in industrial training programs in large and small firms. The second relates to the characteristics of workers who participate in such programs. The major finding of this study is that workers in large firms are more likely to participate in industrial training programs than similar workers in small firms; the large-small firm training program participation rate differential is less, however, among low productivity workers than among high productivity workers. Additionaly, workers with vocational training received outside of a work setting are just as likely to find employment in small firms as in large ones.This research was supported by the Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration under SBA award number 8487-AER-84. The findings and conclusions are the sole responsibility of the author.     

美国经常项目赤字的可持续性研究

近年来,美国巨额经常项目赤字和美元持续贬值引起了经济学界的强烈关注,一些经济学家发出了美元和国际货币体系崩溃的警告。在现行国际货币体系即以资产为本位的泛布雷顿森林体系下,中心国家美国和外围亚洲国家形成了双赢的局面。该体系与布雷顿森林体系相比具有更大的安全性和稳定性,美国能够承受更大规模的经常项目赤字,并由此获得了更为灵活的政策操作空间。在某种程度上,美国巨额经常项目赤字是其雄厚的金融和经济实力的体现。     

美国贸易逆差与经济增长相辅相成探析

美国的贸易逆差和美国经济增长相辅相成。美国贸易逆差持续扩大的背后是大量廉价商品的涌入和大量廉价资本的流入,它们降低了美国的通货膨胀率、增进了消费者的福利并加速了产业结构的升级,弥补了美国的投资-储蓄缺口,在一定程度上促进了美国的经济增长。而经济的稳定增长刺激了消费需求,又使美国贸易逆差进一步扩大。在经济全球化背景下,美国在发挥自己美元地位、资本市场以及信息技术等比较优势的同时,充分利用了他国的劳动力和资本要素并将其转化为自己的比较利益。     

"Selling America to the World"? The Rise and Fall of an International Film Distributor in its Largest Foreign Market: United Artists in Britain, 1927-1947

Few industries are as widely associated with the spread of Americanvalues, ideas, and products as the film industry. U.S. firmscertainly dominated the global market for feature films, butdid they do so simply by "selling America to the world" or wasthere more to be gained by catering to the diverse tastes ofinternational audiences? This article examines the operationsof a leading U.S. film distributor in its largest foreign market.United Artists, like other U.S. firms, was forced to offer aminimum proportion of British films for distribution in theUnited Kingdom in the 1930s and 1940s. Was this requirementa burden, or were the firm’s British films actually atthe heart of its success in the U.K. market?