The impact of vertical integration on inventory turnover and operating performance

This paper investigates how vertical integration may influence inventory turnover and firm operating performance. A causal model is developed to investigate the effects of vertical integration on three types of inventory, namely raw materials inventory (RMI), work in progress inventory (WIPI) and finished goods inventory (FGI). The model tests the interactions between inventory types and the consequences of inventory turnover performance on various aspects of firm performance including costs and profitability. In particular, path analysis supports systematic differences with respect to how vertical integration affects RMI, WIPI and FGI. Vertical integration has a positive effect on RMI and FGI turnover but no significant effect on WIPI turnover. FGI contributes to a reduction in supporting processes costs which causes an improvement in return on sales (ROSs). Vertical integration impacts ROS directly.     

Determinants of holistic passenger experience in public transportation: Scale development and validation

Transportation literature is shifting its focus from passengers’ perception of transit quality to understanding passenger experience from a holistic perspective. Few studies have investigated passenger experience factors from a holistic perspective; however, they are explored independently. A holistic approach can help the transport service providers to understand the complete journey of the passenger. This study proposes the concept of holistic passenger experience (HPX) and identifies the determinants of HPX in the context of public transportation with specific reference to Indian Railways. The study develops a comprehensive scale that measures the influence of these determinants on HPX to address this gap. Following a systematic scale development process, this study identified and validated (content, construct, convergent, and discriminant validity) a seven factor structure scale that determines HPX. Of these seven factors, four factors (vehicle maintenance, comfort & security, off board service, and travel information) constitute the core services offered by the transport service provider. Interestingly these four factors can be effectively managed by the service provider. The other three factors (social environment, supporting services, and accessibility) cannot be entirely managed by the transport service provider effectively, as these factors fall beyond the scope of the service provider.Nomological validity results are explained by constructing a matrix (holistic passenger experience Matrix) which reveals that most of the constructs that are can be managed by the transport service provider can be mapped to the cognitive component of customer experience, whereas most of the factors which go beyond the scope of the transport service provider could be mapped to the emotional component of customer experience. The findings can assist the transport sector executives to identify the key determinants to deliver superior passenger experiences throughout the journey.     

水资源资产负债表编制主体及作用研究

从水资源资产负债表编制及水资源资产管理的需求出发,探讨了现行以区域为主体编制水资源资产负债表的局限。在此基础上,根据我国的水行政管理体制,从国家(水利工程管理部门、河道及流域)、区域、企业3个层面出发,系统探索多元水资源资产负债表编制主体,并从反映水资源资产开发与管理目标、揭示水资源资产供给与需求之间的关系、提升水资源资产化水平、决策区域未来产业规划及发展方向等方面分析不同主体编制水资源资产负债表的作用。该研究有利于进一步推动水资源资产负债表的编制工作,满足提升我国水资源资产化管理水平、完善国民经济核算体系、引入领导干部自然资源资产离任审计及生态文明建设的需求。     

自然资源资产全民所有权的实现逻辑及机制完善

研究目的：围绕新时代人民日益增长的美好生活需要，揭示自然资源资产全民所有权的实现逻辑，提出完善全民 所有权实现机制的建议。研究方法：归纳法，演绎法。研究结果：自然资源资产生态属性决定生态产品是自然资源资 产所有权实现的重要内容；全民所有权行使主体直接行使所有权意义上的资源资产管理权利，实现自然资源资产保值 增值；通过自然资源保护和市场交易实现生态产品供给及经济收益最大化，通过公益支出实现公共服务均等化，从而满 足人民日益增长的美好生活需要，构成自然资源资产全民所有权实现的基本逻辑。研究结论：自然资源资产全民所有 权实现，需在改善自然资源资产本底基础上，通过权利赋予、市场流转、收益分配和配套制度建设，为全体公众谋利益。     

Impacts of trade liberalization in Canada's supply managed dairy industry

Trade is an integral part of the Canadian economy. The main institutional drivers governing trade are bilateral and multilateral agreements outlining permissible trade distorting measures. Since its inception in 1972, Canada's supply management system has remained protected throughout trade negotiations. The system appears, by any economic measure, to be having an increasingly disproportional influence in recent trade negotiations. However, trade agreements serve not only to maximize social surplus, but also to maximize some measure of political welfare. Canada has recently negotiated three prominent trade agreements: the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) came into effect in the latter part of 2017; the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) came into effect at the end of 2018; and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) could come into effect in 2020. Collectively, these agreements have guaranteed increased market access for fresh and processed dairy products. We build a spatial partial equilibrium model of the Canadian dairy industry consisting of three regions and 10 commodities to assess the individual and cumulative effect of these trade agreements. We pay particular attention to the institutional drivers within today's dairy sector: milk protein isolates; component pricing, including Class 7; and differential demand growth. We find that the aggregate impacts are: (a) a 1.4% decrease in the marginal retail price; (b) a 4.8% decrease in the blended producer price; and (c) an overall increase in social welfare of 7.8%. Worth noting, the decrease in producer surplus varies from 0.7% in the western region to 1.5% in Ontario. Our results may be relevant to future negotiations as well as the publicly promised compensation package for dairy producers.     

Landslide risk perception survey in Angra dos Reis (Rio de Janeiro,southeastern Brazil): A contribution to support planning of non structural measures

The increasing magnitude and frequency of landslide-related disasters exposes weaknesses in disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy. One of the underlying reasons is that DRR policies tend to focus only on the physical aspects of the problem (i.e. mass movement processes) while neglecting the level of vulnerability of exposed populations to landslide threats, which affects the types and magnitude of adverse consequences. This neglect is a typical symptom of the remoteness that can exist between public administrators and local communities and undermines the implementation of participatory risk management. Certain dimensions of vulnerability depend on how communities relate to the issue of disasters based on their intuitive or rational judgment, i.e. their perception of risk. This paper seeks to shed light on the need for an understanding of risk perception based on the findings from a survey of residents in the city of Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to be taken into account in aiming at a more efficient landslide risk management policy. The survey was carried out through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with residents of three typical hillside communities in this municipality. In general, the study found that residents will often weigh landslide risks against other threats and opportunities existing where they live. It also found that community members find it difficult to see themselves as agents of change in the environment where they live and in mitigating landslide risks, and that better communication is needed between the government agencies involved in risk management and local residents.     

逆周期因子决定了人民币汇率走势吗*

2017年5月26日，中国外汇交易中心人民币兑美元中间价报价机制中引入逆周期因子。本文利用引入新因子以来外汇市场交易数据，通过新的人民币汇率中间价定价机制，测算了逆周期因子数值。在此基础上，本文通过构建VAR模型和EGARCH模型研究了逆周期因子对人民币汇率走势和人民币汇率波动性的影响。研究表明，引入逆周期因子降低了人民币汇率波动性，但对人民币汇率的走势没有显著影响。逆周期因子修正了投资者对汇率变动顺周期性的过度反应，有利于引导市场预期，完善人民币汇率宏观审慎管理。     

Information technology developments of logistics service providers in Hungary

The objective of this research is to examine the role of sector-specific information technology (IT) developments and their significance in terms of the revenue and earnings before tax of Logistics Service Providers (LSPs), as well as the impact of these developments on the flexibility and integration of LSPs. A survey questionnaire was conducted with 284 LSPs participants. The data provided by the 51 responding enterprises provided a representative sample for the analysis of the sample population and the drawing of general and relevant conclusions related to basic population. It can be concluded that their revenue, earnings before tax and degree of integration into the supply chain depend on the sector-specific IT developments carried out by the given enterprise. IT investments will remain important in the future and the introduction and leveraging the best technologies may yield competitive advantages and higher financial rewards for LSPs.