Accounting practice,fiscal decentralization and corruption

In prior studies, accounting and decentralization corruption solutions have so far been analysed in isolation. In this article, we connect these two strands of literature on corruption. Understanding this connection is important because weak financial accounting and reporting systems can inhibit monitoring incentives and thus reduce decentralization benefits in countering corruption. We argue that the effectiveness of decentralization as an anti-corruption barrier is complemented by the quality of the accounting practice in a country. Using multiple sources of data, we find that decentralization has a positive and increasing effect on reducing corruption among countries with a high-quality accounting practice. In contrast, decentralization has a negative and decreasing effect on reducing corruption among countries with weak-quality accounting practices. These findings are robust to alternative measures of accounting, decentralization and corruption and to endogeneity tests. Our findings demonstrate the crucial information role of accounting in enhancing decentralization monitoring mechanisms and in thereby reducing corruption.     

Forecast quality improvement with Action Research: A success story at PharmaCo

There is a gap in the forecasting research surrounding the theory of integrating and improving forecasting in practice. The number of academically affiliated consultancies and knowledge transfer projects that there are around, due to a need for improvements in forecast quality, would suggest that many interventions and actions are taking place. However, the problems that surround practitioner understanding, learning and usage are rarely documented. This article takes the first step toward trying to rectify this situation by using the specific case study of a fully engaged company. A successful action research intervention in the Production Planning and Control work unit improved the use and understanding of the forecast function, contributing to substantial savings, enhanced communication and improved working practices.     

老子“无为”思想在管理实践过程中的应用

老子的“无为”思想在管理实践中的应用,应该考虑到组织管理内部的实际情况,特别是组织的管理者应该坚持“有所为,有所不为”,任用真正具备才能的管理人员参与到组织的管理过程中,帮助管理者形成核心管理能力,顺应人的天性制定管理的策略与方式,这样才能够把老子“无为”的思想贯彻于组织管理实践的始终,帮助组织管理实现可持续发展的机制与动力,推动组织在日益激烈的社会竞争中获得核心管理的竞争力。     

石油化工专业群顶岗实习问题及对策研究

高职院校顶岗实习是学生将理论知识付诸于生产实践的重要环节,因此,完善学生顶岗实习机制对于学校人才的培养具有重要意义。论文以广州工程技术职业学院石油化工专业群为例,根据学生在顶岗实习过程中的实际情况,分别从学生、学校和企业三个方面剖析了广州工程技术职业学院专业学生顶岗实习所存在的种种问题,并提出了相应的改进措施,为同类院校提供了参考与借鉴。     

The effects of board structure on corporate performance: Evidence from East African frontier markets

The effectiveness of the well-known corporate governance practices may not be universal due to fundamental differences in the environments under which firms operate. By using hand-collected data from all the non-financial firms listed on the unexplored East African frontier markets (i.e., Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), we examine the effect of board characteristics on the performance of firms. Our results show that board size has a negative and significant effect on firm performance. The presences of foreigners and civil servants on the board play positive roles on financial performance, where the agency and resource dependence theories apply. Further, we find that board members with higher education also contribute to firm performance. These findings still hold when we consider the 2008–2009 financial crisis period. Overall, we show that in a business climate where ownership is largely dominated by few shareholders, the conventional governance mechanisms do not work effectively.     

人力资源管理与组织绩效关系的实践——国外四大理论的阐释

通过对国际经典文献的梳理和分析，从如何建立对人的管理与组织绩效间的有效联系入手，分别从起源、代表性、重大贡献和主要局限性等角度对研究人力资源管理与组织绩效关系的主要实践方法——最佳实践法、权变法、结构形态法和资源论展开讨论，发现近三十年来，人力资源管理实践方法的研究几乎都围绕着上述这些主流理论展开，推动了上述理论的形成与发展，形成了不同但具有包容性的学说体系。     

Board faultlines and the value of cash holdings: Evidence from Chinese listed companies

Faultlines can affect a board of director’s effectiveness in supervising senior managers, which in turn affects the value of a company’s cash holdings. Based on sample data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2004 to 2016, we examine the relationship between board faultlines and the value of cash holdings. The empirical results indicate that board faultlines have a significant inhibitory effect on cash holding value. This inhibitory effect is stronger for board faultlines resulting from deep-level attributes. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of board faultlines is stronger in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) than in non-SOEs. As an important governance mechanism, management shareholdings can reduce agency costs and mitigate the negative impact of board fissures on cash holdings. Overall, we enrich the literature on the economic consequences of board faultlines and their influence on cash holding value. We also offer companies practical suggestions for improving the supervisory mechanism of their board of directors.     

The impact of hard discounter presence on store satisfaction and store loyalty

Hard discounters, such as Aldi and Lidl, have become more important in the last decade. Recent research suggests that the presence of a hard discounter (HD) decreases customers’ share of wallet. In this study, we aim to understand why this occurs, by considering how HD presence affects store attributes and store satisfaction. In particular, we investigate whether HD presence affects store satisfaction formation as well as the effect of store satisfaction on share of wallet. We analyze Dutch data on store attribute evaluations, store satisfaction and share of wallet. Our results show that HD presence decreases convenience evaluations of a store, satisfaction and share of wallet. Moreover, we show that the relationship between convenience and store satisfaction becomes more important when a HD is present, while we then also find a stronger positive relationship between satisfaction and share of wallet. Simulations based on our model estimations show that especially price-oriented retailers should fear decreases in share of wallet when a HD is present.     

新时代大学生知行合一问题研究

我国已从高速增长阶段进入高质量发展阶段,新通信技术、新媒体、互联网的迅速发展,不同价值理念传播速度前所未有,对大学生的冲击力度巨大,一定程度上造成大学生认知上的模糊和混乱。大学生知行不一的问题应当引起高等院校管理部门及师生的高度重视。大学生知行不一主要表现在两个方面:一是思想认识上的模糊和错误;二是行为表现距离社会规范的要求差距比较大。造成大学生知行不一的原因有三:一是道德认知本身存在众多分歧和争议;二是道德选择与现实利益之间的冲突和矛盾;三是情感在道德选择中的作用。要不断完善促进大学生知行合一的基本路径:一是落实思想政治理论课“立德树人”的目标;二是创新教学方式方法;三是改革和完善教学科研管理制度;四是加强校园文化能力建设。