Organizational Structure,Board Composition,and Risk Taking in the U.S. Property Casualty Insurance Industry

This study examines the impact of organizational structure and board composition on risk taking in the U.S. property casualty insurance industry, addressing different risk‐taking behaviors from different perspectives. The risk‐taking measures include total risk, underwriting risk, investment risk, and leverage risk. The evidence shows that mutual insurers have lower total risk, underwriting risk, and investment risk than stock insurers. In terms of board composition variables, we find that some board composition variables not only have impact on risk‐taking behaviors but also affect different risk measures differently. Thus, using different risk measures is better than using one risk measure to assess risk‐taking behavior. Finally, we conclude that an insurer can control its total risk through management of underwriting, investment, and leverage risks that determine an insurer's risk profile.     

A revisit to the dependence structure between the stock and foreign exchange markets: A dependence-switching copula approach

This paper develops a dependence-switching copula model to examine dependence and tail dependence for four different market statuses, namely, rising-stocks/appreciating-currency, falling-stocks/depreciating-currency, rising-stocks/depreciating-currency, and falling-stocks/appreciating-currency. The model is then applied to daily stock returns and exchange rate changes for six major industrial countries over the 1990–2010 period. The dependence and tail dependence among the above four market statuses are asymmetric for most countries in the negative correlation regime, but symmetric in the positive correlation regime. These results enrich the findings in the existing literature and suggest that analyzing cross-market linkages within a time-invariant copula framework may not be appropriate.     

Demand disruption and coordination of supply chain via effort and revenue sharing

This article explores the equilibrium behaviour of a basic supplier–retailer distribution channel under demand disruption via effort and revenue sharing contract. This differs from the traditional supply chain coordination model. Firstly, demand is simultaneously affected by retail price and nonprice marketing effort from manufacturers and retailers. Secondly, when the demand is disrupted, this article considers disruptions in the market scale and price sensitivity coefficient. Thirdly, the supply chain coordination model is proposed via effort and revenue sharing contract. In this way, the manufacturer reduces the wholesale price as an incentive for the retailer to share revenue. Finally, the total supply chain profit is greater with contract than no contract. This also constitutes another incentive for the players to follow the effort and revenue sharing contract.     

Location,Marketing, and the Financial Flexibility of Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations in Second Tier Cities

This article examines the effect of location relative to other marketing factors on the financial flexibility of nonprofit performing arts organizations (PAOs). While product development and promotional and pricing strategies are important marketing factors, locational advantages have become an important strategic asset for the arts industry. Yet very little research has been done on the locational dimensions of this industry. Based on a survey of PAOs in six second tier U.S. statistical metropolitan areas (SMAs), that is, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee, this article investigates the extent to which location and other marketing mix factors influence the financial flexibility, and thereby success of PAOs. All six SMAs have a population range of 1 million to 2.5 million. The statistical analysis suggests that location and product selection are particularly significant marketing mix factors that contribute positively to financial flexibility, and therefore organizational success of the PAOs in the cities.     

On the Value of Municipal Bond Insurance: An Empirical Analysis

Using a large sample of municipal bond data from 2001 to 2010 in the U.S., this paper documents the time variation of the value of municipal bond insurance, estimated from the insured and uninsured bonds yield at issue differentials. We find that insured municipal bonds carry significant lower yields at issue compared to those of the equivalent uninsured bonds before 2008. However, this cost saving disappeared with the aftermath of the subprime credit crisis. We find that the supply of bonds and the level of market interest rates to have significant positive impacts on the time‐varying value of bond insurance. We also detect asymmetric response of these yield differentials to rises and declines of market interest rates. Economic intuition suggests that the value of municipal bond insurance is a function of business cycles but our tests support the contrary, which may be explained by the habitat preference of municipal bonds issues.     

基于全寿命周期分析的电力设备费用模型

针对我国供电企业的实际情况,将电力设备费用分为一次投资费用和运行维护费用两部分,建立了电力设备全寿命周期费用定量模型。针对一次投资费用的特点,建立了基于时间分摊的一次投资费用模型;针对运行维护费用长期发生的特点,建立了基于灰色关联度确定分布类型的运行维护费用模型。同时,将两个费用模型综合考虑,建立了供电企业电力设备全寿命周期费用模型,据此可计算电力设备全寿命周期最小费用和最佳使用寿命。最后,以某变电站综合自动化项目为例,验证了该模型的有效性。     

Technological diversification, complementary assets, and performance

Most research on technological diversification or complementary assets has been carried out in isolation when assessing their effects on performance. In this study, we posit that technological diversification and performance are positively linked and that specialized complementary assets have a moderating effect on this relationship. This study also finds that different specialized complementary assets have distinctive moderating effects on the relationship between technological diversification and performance. We conclude that maintaining a coherent relationship between technological diversification and specialized complementary assets give firms generates competitive advantage.     

浅议高职院校理实一体化教学体系的构建

本文从管理模式、培养方案、课程体系、师资队伍、实训设施、教学方法、评价考核七个方面,浅议了高职院校理实一体化教学体系的构建。认为要保证"教、学、做"一体教学的有效开展和教学质量的提高,必须创建一个系统、配套、谐调、一体化的教学体系。     

基于生态足迹理论的宜居城市建设研究——以安徽省临泉县为例

运用生态足迹模型,以安徽省临泉县为例,测算了其生物资源、能源消费及建设用地的生态足迹。结果表明,临泉县生态足迹存在生物生产性土地面积供需总量失衡、矛盾突出、受"域间贸易"影响致生态足迹与生态承载力构成不对称等问题;与安徽省生态足迹平均水平进行对比分析,发现临泉县暂时属于弱不可持续发展等级,相当于安徽省1994年的状态;结合临泉县城市产业经济特点,基于生态足迹角度的分析,认为人口因素、产业结构和经济发展方式是临泉县面临的生态压力的主要根源。基于测算结果,提出了临泉县建设宜居城市的建议。     

Maximum likelihood estimation of seemingly unrelated stochastic frontier regressions

This paper explores the changes in value added (VA) of a sample of schools for cohorts of students finishing secondary education between 2005 and 2008. VA estimates are based on distance measures obtained from DEA models. These measures are computed for each pupil in each school, and evaluate the distance between the school frontier in a given year and a pooled frontier comprising all schools analysed. The school VA is then computed by aggregating the VA scores for the cohort of pupils attending that school in a given year. The ratio between VA estimates for two consecutive cohorts, that attended the school in different years, is taken as the index of VA change. However, the evolution of school performance over time should consider not only the movements of the school frontier, but should also take into account other effects, such as the proximity of the students to the best-practices, represented by the school frontier, observed over time. For that purpose we developed an enhanced Malmquist index to evaluate the evolution of school performance over time. One of the components of the Malmquist index proposed measures VA change, and the other measures the ability of all school students to move closer to their own school best practices over time. The approach developed is applied to a sample of Portuguese secondary schools.