新冠肺炎疫情对中小微外贸企业的影响及对策

突如其来的新冠肺炎对全球经济造成了很大的影响,我国对外贸易当然更是无法幸免。但总体而言,笔者认为,短期影响虽然十分严重,但正在逐步消弭;中期影响需要认真对待,损失基本可控;长期影响更加深刻,但是依然可以化解——我国以及我省对外经济贸易总体向好的态势有望保持。然而,面广量大的中小微外贸企业原本就身体单薄,这场突如其来的疫情,无疑又是雪上加霜,日子更加艰难,亟待关注与帮扶。     

Survival of full versus partial acquisitions: The moderating role of firm’s internationalization experience,cultural distance,and host country context characteristics

The high divestment rates of acquired foreign units indicate challenges connected to planning and management of foreign acquisitions. In this paper we analyze the moderating effect of internal and external variables on the relationship between acquirers’ ownership strategy and survival of acquired foreign units. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 1275 acquisitions conducted by Finnish firms in various countries during the period 1980–2005. The results indicate that the probability of survival does not differ significantly between full and partial acquisitions. We further find that the likelihood of survival in full, relative to partial acquisitions, is positively associated with the acquisition-specific experience, but inversely related to general international and target country experience. The results also reveal that the positive impact of full acquisitions is stronger if the acquisitions are made in culturally similar countries, in less developed economies, and in markets where the country risk has increased after entry.     

Forecasting artificial intelligence on online customer assistance: Evidence from chatbot patents analysis

The main goal of this research is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the actual progresses in artificial intelligence, with emphasis on chatbots as emerging forms of customer assistance in online retailing. Drawing upon an analysis of the chatbot patents in the past 20 years, our findings show the increasing technology push towards the adoption of new conversational agents based on natural language. Findings also highlight the extent to which the research and development efforts are attempting to improve artificial intelligence systems that characterize chatbots. To this end, technology advancements are mainly focusing on: (i) improving chatbot ability to automatically draw inferences on users starting from multiple data sources, and (ii) using consumers’ knowledge adaptively to provide more customized solutions. Finally, results show the tight relationship between the digital assistants’ analytical skills and their ability to automatically interact with the users.     

Labor issues and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted Canada and several other countries to impose an economic shutdown to prevent a deadly public health crisis from becoming much deadlier. In the agriculture and food sector, several hundred thousand restaurant workers have lost their jobs. The rise in unemployment, the closing of restaurants and schools, and social distancing have triggered demand reductions for certain commodities and foods and demand increases for others, bringing along changes in demand for inputs including labor. Canadian employers of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) are facing delays and additional constraints in recruiting, but so have US and European employers of TFWs. Rising food security concerns are making protectionist trade policies popular. Domestic and foreign firms may export less and do more foreign direct investment, inducing trade in jobs.     

Gender,Decent Work,and Global Production Sharing in Indonesian Manufacturing

Abstract:

Global commodity chains reflect and affect gendered labor markets. This article uses the Decent Work framework from the International Labour Organization to analyze employment outcomes for Indonesian workers in manufacturing. This research investigates trends in feminized manufacturing sectors in variously sized firms. Regression analyses is used to evaluate how firm characteristics related to global production sharing effect decent work outcomes for women and men, as well as female share of employment itself. The results suggest that exports and FDI affect men and women differently and that feminization and decent work outcomes depend on how the sector is positioned along the global value chain.     

自贸区背景下海南现代物流与对外贸易耦合量化研究

从“海南自贸区(港)建设”战略、链接国家“一带一路”倡议视角出发,建立海南现代物流与对外贸易指标评估体系,根据协调发展度模型对海南2009-2018年现代物流和对外贸易发展的协调性进行测评。结果显示:海南现代物流综合发展指数高于对外贸易综合发展指数,海南对外贸易发展滞后于现代物流发展;海南现代物流与对外贸易发展逐渐呈协调发展趋势,二者协调发展水平不断提高。在此基础上提出强化国际物流协同建设、拓展对外贸易新业态与新模式等促进海南现代物流与对外贸易协调发展的建议。