Effect of supervisor–subordinate guanxi on supervisory decisions in China: an empirical investigation

As China is becoming an important market and there are a lot of foreign ventures operating there, different lines of research have been providing useful information for foreign ventures to manage effectively in China. In this paper, we discuss one of the critical factors leading to successful management of Chinese subordinates, i.e. building and maintaining good guanxi (i.e., interpersonal connection) with them. We conducted an empirical investigation to illustrate (1) the supervisor-subordinate guanxi concept is different and unique when compared to other similar concepts in the Western literature such as leader-member exchange (LMX) and commitment to supervisor; (2) the supervisor-subordinate guanxi will affect the Chinese supervisor's administrative decisions; (3) guanxi can be measured by concrete behaviour/activities. Data on 189 supervisor-subordinate dyads were collected in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Results indicated that supervisor-subordinate guanxi is a distinct concept from LMX and commitment to supervisor. It also has additional explanatory power over supervisory decisions on promotion and bonus allocation after controlling for performance. Implications for foreign ventures and expatriates are discussed.     

TECHNICAL NOTE : THE VARIABLE FINANCIAL INDICATOR IRR AND THE CONSTANT ECONOMIC INDICATOR NPV

The IRR (internal rate of return) and the NPV (net present value) are the two most common and important indicators in investment decisions. These two indicators, however, have intrinsic differences between one another. The IRR is a financial indicator and the NPV an economic indicator of a capital investment. The former gives the private investor's point of view and the latter the society's point of view. The value of ERR varies with the change of Financial arrangement of an investment. The NPV, however, does not but remains constant no matter how the financial arrangement changes. This paper uses an illustrative example to show their intrinsic differences and then describes a mathematical proof to substantiate the different natures of IRR and NPV.     

The Closing Frontier: Agrarian Change, Immigrants and the 'Squatter Menace' in Gokwe, 1980-1990s

‘Squatting’ in the communal areas of Zimbabwe has been largely ignored in the literature because it is assumed that it does not exist in a ‘communal’ land tenure system. This article argues that ‘squatting’ in Gokwe villages has become a common strategy by landless immigrants to access land. Gokwe has been a frontier region for many immigrants in search of land since the 1950s with intense pressure on land by the 1990s. As the frontier closed, the question of citizenship in Gokwe villages became more signi?cant than ever before. Those who are not formally registered as residents are de?ned by local government authorities and established villagers as ‘squatters’ who should be evicted. The article traces how local authorities and established villagers have responded to what they perceive as the ‘squatter menace’. It further examines the means used by ‘squatters’ to lay claims to land and to defend those claims in Gokwe villages.     

Boekbesprekingen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Forecasting the region’s household income and demand by the input-output model (Case study of the Republic of Bashkortostan)

Methods of interrelated forecasting of the regional outputs of individual branches, household income, and consumption are considered. The instrument for the analysis and prediction for the parameters of the region’s economic system is a closed input-output model based on endogenous indicators of household income and demand.     

On the efficiency of sampling with varying probabilities and the selection of units with replacement

Summary In this paper the efficiency of sampling with varying probabilities is being compared with the efficiency of some alternative methods, such as simple random sampling, ratio estimate, regression estimate, difference estimate, and stratified sampling with proportionate allocation. The variance formula of the estimated arithmetic mean in the case of sampling with varying probabilities (3) was transformed into (5) and (6) by expanding (3) in Taylor series and the comparisons between the above methods are obtained in Table 1. It was also shown that similar comparisons are possible with multi-stage designs.

---

Zusammenfassung Die Wirksamkeit des Stichprobenverfahrens mit ver?nderlichen Wahrscheinlichkeiten wird verglichen mit der Wirksamkeit einiger anderer Verfahren, u.z. der uneingeschr?nkten Zufallsauswahl mit einfacher Hochrechnung und bei Verwendung der Verh?ltnis-, Regressions- und Differenzensch?tzung und der geschichteten Auswahl mit proportionaler Aufteilung. Zu diesem Zweck wurde die Formel für die Varianz des gesch?tzten arithmetischen Mittels im Fall des Verfahrens mit ver?nderlichen Wahrscheinlichkeiten (3) mithilfe einer Taylor-Entwicklung in (5) und (6) transformiert. Die Ergebnisse des Vergleichs sind in Tabelle 1 gegeben. Abschlie?end wird gezeigt, da? ?hnliche Vergleiche auch mit mehrstufigen Verfahren m?glich sind.