Mechanisms to improve labor productivity by performing telework

This study investigates mechanisms underlying the influence of telework on labor productivity in Japan. First, this study finds that appropriate telework hours increase labor productivity, but when telework hours are too long, telework decreases labor productivity. Second, telework increases life satisfaction, and life satisfaction improves labor productivity. However, telework increases the stress of balancing work and domestic chores, contrary to Japanese governmental expectations, and the stress decreases life satisfaction. The stress, fortunately, does not directly reduce labor productivity. Although telework increases happiness and work satisfaction, these factors do not influence labor productivity. Third, this study clarifies that telework is more efficient for improving labor productivity if workers commute more than 1 h or commute by trains or buses that are usually very crowded during rush hours in Japan. Finally, the effect of telework for workers who have a greater number of potential trivial duties is insignificantly larger. Supervisors and colleagues often ask others to perform trivial, extra tasks without regard for schedules. Telework may help workers avoid such trivial duties and increase labor productivity. However, the importance of trivial duties is also demonstrated in this study.     

Service load balancing,task scheduling and transportation optimisation in cloud manufacturing by applying queuing system

Recently, there is a great deal of attention in Cloud Manufacturing (CMfg) as a new service-oriented manufacturing paradigm. To integrate the activities and services through a CMfg, both Service Load balancing and Transportation Optimisation (SLTO) are two major issues to ease the success of CMfg. Based on this motivation, this study presents a new queuing network for parallel scheduling of multiple processes and orders from customers to be supplied. Another main contribution of this paper is a new heuristic algorithm based on the process time of the tasks of the orders (LBPT) to solve the proposed problem. To formulate it, a novel multi-objective mathematical model as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) is developed. Accordingly, this study employs the multi-choice multi-objective goal programming with a utility function to model the introduced SLTO problem. To better solve the problem, a Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) algorithm is developed to tackle this optimisation problem. Finally, a comparative study with different analyses through four scenarios demonstrates that there are some improvements on the sum of process and transportation costs by 6.1%, the sum of process and transportation times by 10.6%, and the service load disparity by 48.6% relative to the benchmark scenario.     

社会主义过渡时期上海纱布市场的综合治理

1949年5月～1954年9月,从解放初期平息纱布市场恶性涨风,到棉纱统购令,棉花统购、棉布统购统销令的相继颁布,上海纱布市场完全纳入计划经济体制,中央和上海市政府采取了一系列政策措施,对上海纱布市场展开了深入、持续的综合治理,并获得巨大的成效.这场综合治理的特点表现为工商并举,既有如价格政策、行政管理等对市场直接治理措施,也有如纺织工业加工订货、控制货源对市场的深层治理措施,还有纱布统购统销,棉布计划供应对市场的彻底控制措施.本文即通过梳理、分析中央及上海市政府相关政策、措施的制定、施行情况,探讨此时期上海纱布市场综合治理的基本状况和成效.     

以科技创新促进城乡统筹发展对策研究——以成都为例

2007年,国务院正式批准四川省成都市成立全国统筹城乡综合配套改革试验区,经过几年的探索和实验,成都市在城乡统筹发展的进程中取得了显著的成效,但目前仍面临不少问题和挑战,本文从构建适应科技促进统筹城乡发展的管理体制机制、以科技创新为支撑改造传统农业、发展现代农业、推进农业产业化等方面探讨了通过科技体制的创新推进成都市的城乡统筹发展的实现路径和对策建议。     

Electoral Balancing in Federal and Sub-national Elections: The Case of Canada

The major premise of this study is that in federal countries voters can balance and moderate national policy by dividing electoral support between different parties in federal and sub-national elections. We compare the non-concurrent federal and provincial elections in Canada to assess the balancing properties of sub-national elections. The balancing hypothesis implies that the federal incumbent party may suffer additional electoral losses in provincial elections. We use several statistical tests - ordinary OLS, fixed effect and unbalanced random effect cross-section time series - to analyze Canadian electoral data for the period of 1949-1997. All tests sustain that the incumbent party at the federal level loses votes in provincial elections.     

论我国国有商业银行的宏观功能

从计划经济时期至今,我国国有商业银行都在履行着提高动态效率及平衡总量的宏观功能.虽然这都是以牺牲配置效率为代价的,但为国民经济带来了正的外部性;其私人收益小于社会收益的部分,就是商业银行的政策性负担.由于在目前以及今后一定时期内需要国有商业银行履行宏观功能的制度环境依然存在,故其产权改革不可能摆脱国家控股格局.     

生态约束条件下的一种可持续发展道路选择——以新时期三峡库区的挑战与机遇为例

重庆库区是受生态约束的人口密集区域,在作为彻底的生态控制区域暂时尚不具有现实可能性的情况下,重庆经济增长方式及其区域差异化战略选择尤其重要.库区作为被统筹发展的对象,追求与新重庆直辖市建设步伐协调一致具有合理性,但老重庆的整体技术创新能力提升机制和技术扩散机制才是三峡库区实现集约经济增长的根本途径.产业集群是克服库区产业"空心化"并保护生态环境的希望所在.激发"缺位城市"的区位功能,有望产生"区位连锁效应".在生态约束条件下,主动引导发展路径而不是被动选择,既可降低生态灾难发生的可能性,更有希望构筑"和谐库区".     

Exploding net errors and omissions as a capital flight phenomenon: the case of Slovakia

This article empirically explores determinants of net errors and omissions (NEO) of Slovakia during the 1997–2014 period, with emphasis on the 2008–2014 sub-period when a distinct downturn in the NEO time series is observed. Given the statistically significant link between the evolution of foreign direct investments and NEO, we cannot rule out possible prevalence of tax optimization as a part of capital flight phenomenon in developed countries. Our findings also suggest that services sector plays a pivotal role in determining the adverse NEO development in the post-2008 period. However, given the absence of detailed bidirectional data for trade with services, role of misinvoicing practices in the Slovak balance of payments statistics might not be further investigated. Our results further strengthen the call for a deeper understanding of forces driving the NEO evolution in other developed and developing countries suffering from capital flight phenomenon.     

Sustainability in Practice

Should business lead on environmental sustainability? The article argues that while there are some environmental initiatives that support the mission of the business, such as energy savings that also reduce costs, business should not go too far. On the one hand, its ability to do so is limited since most of the carbon footprint is outside its four walls, and even where it can make substantial changes, it should not do it until consumers will be willing to pay for it and incur minor inconveniences.     

河北省耕地后备资源开发利用分析

简述了河北省耕地资源现状以及耕地资源面临的形势：数量不断减少、质量不断下降、新开垦的耕地质量低；提出合理开发耕地后备资源的重要性；分析了河北省耕地后备资源的结构组成、类型分布；在衡量各区域的自然地理条件及耕地后备资源开发的有利和不利条件，对河北省耕地后备资源的开发方向和开发潜力分区域做了初步探讨；预计到2030年河北省的人均耕地将在0．78bm^2左右；提出耕地后备资源开发应注意因地制宜、合理有计划地进行开发、严格控制非农建设用地规模、开发利用与整治保护相结合等问题。