The importance of understanding different complaint themes' impact on commitment

The research establishes that different complaint themes do not impact commitment with the same intensity. In other words, managers should not give the same amount of attention to all of the complaints received by the company. Thirty‐five complaints were recorded and eventually categorized into four groups. These groups were: (1) high price; (2) lacking a sense of community; (3) firm procedures; and (4) other. The fourth theme was labelled ‘other’ because of the heterogeneity that existed among the complaints that did not fit with the other three themes. These four themes were compared with each other concerning their effect on commitment. Because of the small sample size, a Kruskal‐Wallis test was used to analyse the data. Next, a post hoc test was conducted using a series of Mann‐Whitney tests. The results show that the theme with the most complaints (high price) did not have the biggest impact on commitment. Rather, another complaint (lacking a sense of community) demonstrated the largest impact on commitment. This research highlights the importance of analysing complaint groups with other relationship variables, and not just choosing the most frequently stated complaint as the area to improve an organization.     

面向大规模定制的散热器产品集成平台优化设计系统

为解决散热器企业的快速设计问题,根据大规模定制模式的设计特点,提出面向大规模定制的散热器产品集成平台优化设计方法。阐述了散热器产品快速设计的实现过程,重点解决散热器产品参数化过程、平台模型库的建立、关键技术和总体功能等问题。设计并开发面向大规模定制的散热器产品集成平台优化设计系统。最后,以顾客参与的NVP3型散热器设计为例,验证了该系统在散热器产品快速设计方面的可行性。     

货币政策、融资约束与现金股利

股利分配不仅是上市公司财务管理的核心内容,也是投资者获取回报的重要方式。以中国1999-2012年沪、深A股盈利上市公司为样本,本文检验了宏观货币政策和微观融资约束对公司现金股利发放的影响。研究发现:(1)紧缩的货币政策抑制了公司现金股利的发放;(2)公司面临的融资约束进一步强化了紧缩货币政策对现金股利的抑制作用;(3)银企关联有助于缓解紧缩货币政策对现金股利的抑制作用。进一步研究发现:出于再融资考虑,半强制分红政策的实施使得上市公司在货币政策紧缩期反而发放了更多的现金股利,体现出一定的政策导向作用。本文的发现不仅丰富了现金股利影响因素和货币政策经济后果的相关研究,同时也为我国股利监管政策的完善提供了一定启发。     

梯形螺纹分层切削宏程序编程方法

为提高刀具的适用性与刀具寿命,方便不同牙型梯形螺纹的加工,将梯形螺纹各尺寸参数进行参数化设计。采用分层加工,先用宏程序进行粗加工,然后根据刀具起刀点的变化进行左、右、中间牙型的加工。给出了用小刀具加工较大牙型的宏程序。     

Productivity and Environmental Performance in Marketing Cooperatives: An Analysis of the Spanish Horticultural Sector

The paper analyses the productivity of marketing cooperatives incorporating environmental inputs/outputs. In the European agriculture, expectations for attaining sustainable and competitive agriculture rely to a great extent on the cooperative sector's ability to adapt to new market conditions. These challenges have led marketing cooperatives in the fruit and vegetables sector to consider improvements in productivity and sound environmental performance. The study analyses the total factor productivity related to environmental variables in this sector using a parametric‐stochastic approach and panel data on Spanish cooperatives over the period 1994–2002. Additionally, the determinants of environmental productivity are examined econometrically. The estimates obtained show an increase in efficiency for the period under study and a relationship between productivity changes and management factors, such as labour quality, capital intensity and environmental spillover.     

甘蔗区域产量保险纯费率厘定方法的比较研究——基于广西甘蔗单产数据

农作物保险产品设计的关键环节是厘定费率,准确、合理的保险费率将有助于实现作物保险“农民买得起、保险公司赔得起、政府补得起”。使用参数分布法（包括正态分布、Weibull分布、Logistic分布等）和非参数核密度分布法对甘蔗单产损失率的概率分布进行了拟合,并分别厘定了不同分布下的纯费率,同时用经验费率法厘定了甘蔗产量保险的纯费率。研究结果表明,经验费率法厘定的纯费率最低,为2.043%;在参数法下,正态分布厘定的纯费率最低,为4.2666%;Weibull分布下的纯费率最高,为4.7431%;总体上,参数法与非参数法拟合出的纯费率结果比较接近,非参数法厘定的结果略高于参数法,研究还表明纯费率的合理厘定在很大程度上依赖于农作物产量损失率分布模型的合理选择。     

A Mathematical Programming Approach for Measuring Technical Efficiency in a Fuzzy Environment

A three stage approach is proposed to measure technical efficiency in a fuzzy environment. This approach uses the traditional data envelopment analysis framework and then merges concepts developed in fuzzy parametric programming (Carlsson and Korhonen, 1986). In the first stage, vague input and output variables are expressed in terms of their risk-free and impossible bounds and a membership function. This membership function represents the degree to which a production scenario is plausible. In the second stage, conventional efficiency measurement models (Banker, Charnes and Cooper, 1984; Deprins, Simar and Tulkens, 1984) are re-formulated in terms of the risk-free and impossible bounds and the membership function for each of the fuzzy input and output variables. In the third stage, technical efficiency scores are computed for different values of the membership function so as to identify uniquely sensitive decision making units. The approach is illustrated in the context of a preprint and packaging manufacturing line which inserts commercial pamphlets into newspapers.     

Environmental Production Factors and Efficiency of Smallholder Agricultural Households: Using Non‐parametric Conditional Frontier Methods

External environmental factors play a significant role in the agricultural production of smallholder farmers. This is especially the case in developing countries where production is less technologically intensive. These factors are mainly exogenous and affect both the farmers’ input choices and the final output levels. However, previous studies of technical efficiency of smallholder agricultural production either ignore these factors or assume separability between environmental factors and input choice, which is often not the case in developing counties. Using data on smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, we relax this separability assumption and investigate the importance of external environmental factors in farmers’ performance and efficiency variation across regions. The empirical analysis is based on a non‐parametric conditional order‐m estimation method that relaxes some of the traditional strong assumptions in efficiency modeling and, more importantly, the separability between environmental factors and the choice of physical inputs. Using data from four major agricultural regions of Ethiopia, we show the extent that environmental factors contribute to the technical efficiency and the significance of environmental factors in farmers’ performance.     

Bribery and firm survival in Vietnam: Moderating effects of market competition,credit, and institutional constraints

This paper examines the relationship between bribery and firm survival when facing different levels of market competition, credit constraints, and other institutional limitations. Using panel data from surveys of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam over a 10-year period and a semi-parametric Cox proportional hazards model approach, we provide empirical support for the “greasing-the-wheels” hypothesis of firm survival. Effects are found to be more pronounced for formally registered and larger firms, explained by their greater bargaining power vis-à-vis public officials. Moreover, bribery as a “risk-of-exit” reducing strategy is found only for firms not institutionally or financially constrained and for firms operating in sectors with low levels of competition.     

基于Rhino+Grasshopper的风景环境 复杂地形道路选线设计算法模型研究

在风景园林规划设计中，当前使用ArcGIS作为道路自动选线工具的研究较多，但该方法在小区域内无法取得较为精准的选线结果。基于Rhino+Grasshopper平台，对Dijkstra最短路径算法、遗传算法及道路选线影响因素进行研究，构建了参数化风景环境道路自动选线模型。使用参数化设计生成的路径符合风景区低影响开发和低成本建设的原则，且路径曲线最大限度满足风景区道路极限平曲线现行规范值。构建的参数化模型可以解决所有同类型问题且便于调整和优化，为风景环境道路选线提供了新的解决方法。