Usefulness of Value Added and Abnormal Economic Economic Earnings: An Empirical Examination

This paper investigates the usefulness of two alternative measures of performance: value added and abnormal economic earnings. Using earnings as the benchmark, firm value analysis, levels analysis, and changes analysis were performed to evaluate their explanatory power. Results show that value added is a statistically significant variable; its explanatory power is higher than that of earnings. Abnormal economic earnings, however, are not a significant variable.     

Critical levels and the (reverse) repugnant conclusion

It is well-known that there is a trade-off among the properties of population principles that are used to make social evaluations when the number of people in the society under consideration may vary. The commonly used principles either lead to the repugnant conclusion (which is the case for classical utilitarianism), or they violate the Pareto-plus principle and related properties (average utilitarianism is an example of such a principle). This paper examines the nature of this trade-off and shows that the incompatibility between avoiding the repugnant conclusion and the Pareto-plus principle is fundamental and not restricted to the commonly used population principles.     

加强城市公共物品供给的对策探讨

在我国城市化加速发展的今天，切实加强对于城市公共物品的供给，必将对国民经济发生重要的拉动作用。在此，笔者从对城市公共物品的理论界定、供给主体的选择、城市公共物品的效应等方面进行论述的基础上，提出了加强城市公共物品供给的对策     

The Role of Price in Consumer Quality Judgments for Professional Services

Abstract

Classifying services according to their level of search, experience and credence properties can help professional service providers better understand their customers. This research uses an experiment to study the influence of price information on consumer judgments of service quality and patronage intentions for professional services. The conceptual framework predicts that consumers believe in a price-quality relationship for search-based services but not necessarily for professional services that are high in credence properties. The study findings provide support for this proposition and suggest that professional service providers should carefully consider how consumers view their services when using price as a promotion tool.     

Solving the futures challenge - all you need is a 3LA

In this article, the author responds to a number of claims regarding the Integral Operating System, Causal Layered Analysis and the field of Futures. In particular, the author takes aim at those who claim that the reason the futures field has been lacking in influencing change towards more positive world is the result of not having an effective tool kit. To the contrary, the author suggests that the Futures community's failure at changing the existing ‘market driven paradigm’ has more to do with “… an unwillingness to get our hands dirty and to play in the same sandbox as our clients.” To that end the author targets in particular, a piece suggesting that making the Causal Layered Analysis more complex, exclusionary and ‘new and improved’ is the best way to make inroads into the economic liberalism model now in control. In counterpoint the author suggests that not only is this a flawed approach, it is unlikely to assist those with greatest need - the wider Futures Community.     

The Drivers of E-tailers' Price Levels

One of the most important topics in online pricing is understanding the drivers of online price levels for different types of retailers, in order to better understand competition across retail channels. We developed a conceptual framework and conducted an empirical analysis on price levels in the books category among different e-tailers (pure play and multichannel) in Italy and obtained a dataset comprising 5,400 price quotes during 2002. We ran a correlation analysis that showed that e-tailer graphics, branding and trust, and shipping services are highly correlated to price levels. Moreover, we developed a regression analysis that showed that first impact attributes like graphics and navigability are the most important drivers of online price levels. We identify some areas of future research and offer some managerial insights.     

GJB5000A从二级到三级的升级策略

本文介绍了GJB5000A《军用软件研制能力成熟度模型》成熟度二级和三级的基本内容,分析了二级实施现状及其固有不足,以及三级成熟度所带来的改进,并对如何二级升级三级的策略给出了建议。     

A retail failure prediction model

Retailing is a labour-intensive industry, and one which relies heavily on the employment of women. The gender and occupational structure of one major mixed retail company is analysed. This reveals that men and women ocuupy different positions within the company structure. Although recruited equally to management trainee positions, the evidence suggests women in retailing may be encountering a glass ceiling. Achieving senior management positions is clearly more difficult for women than men. Some explanations for the lack of women in retail management are proposed and among the strategies to enable their more equal participation are: readdressing personnel policies, recognizing the benefits of women's values and management style to the company, identifying training needs to allow women to pursue management careers successfully and flexible working at all levels within the company. To be successful it is crucial these strategies are supported by top management.     

Trade openness,income levels,and economic growth: The case of developing countries, 1970–2009

This paper attempts to investigate the extent to which trade openness has had an impact on the levels of income and rates of growth in a sample of 115 developing countries for the period 1970–2009. Additionally, to assess whether there is an income level threshold for a country to benefit from international trade, the sample is broken down into three mutually exclusive groups of countries: low-income, lower middle-income, and upper middle-income countries. The main novelty of the paper lies on the use, on the one hand, of a new and better trade openness measure and, on the other hand, of non-stationary heterogeneous panel cointegration techniques to cope with the problem of cross-sectional dependence. The results show a positive bi-directional relationship between trade openness and income level in the long run, thus suggesting that trade openness is both a cause and a consequence of the level of income. The results for the short run, that is, the link between openness growth and economic growth, go in the same direction.     

基于农户收入异质性视角的农村道路供给效果评估——来自晋、陕、蒙、川、甘、黔农户的调查

农村道路设施及其服务体系是农村居民必需的功能性基础公共产品。中国自实施新农村政策以来,农村道路建设的规模和水平不断提高,对促进农村经济发展、城乡社会协调发挥了重要的作用。文章采用Heckman-Probit两阶段模型,对不同收入水平的农户关于农村道路供给效果的影响因素进行了分析,结果表明,道路的维护状况是影响不同收入水平的农户评价农村道路供给效果的关键因素,村庄类型、村庄距县城的距离、是否是村干部、政策支持、农户参与满意度、村内道路类型、能否满足经济发展需要、变化情况、比较优势及农户交通状况满意度对部分收入组农户评价农村道路供给效果的影响也比较显著。因此,各级政府对农村道路的投资不仅要关注道路设施建设,更要关注体制建设。