Frustration-driven process improvement

When employees are empowered to continuously record their employment-related frustrations—doing so on accessible, visually prominent media—process improvement becomes upgraded to operate in a truly continuous mode. Frustrations are a superior target of process improvement in that they get at deep-seated concerns of people who have first-order process awareness and are most directly impacted by process failings. Recording frustrations not only provides a sound basis for pressing on to solutions, but it is also cathartic. The act of recording frustrations prominently on company-sanctioned media provides a positive outlet for the frustrations themselves.     

Does the Eco‐Management and Audit Scheme Foster Innovation in European Firms?

This paper studies whether environmental management systems can spur eco‐innovation, analyzing EMAS (Eco‐Management and Audit Scheme) adoption and patented innovations (at the European Patent Office) at firm level. It uses an original panel database of 30 439 European firms belonging to all sectors from 2003 to 2012. An original instrumental variable is implemented to control for potential endogeneity. The analysis reveals that EMAS adoption is conducive to more innovation at the firm level. The results vary across countries and sectors. In particular, EMAS is positively related to green patents for medium and low technology manufacturing. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

新时代耕地占补平衡的逻辑根源、模式探索与管理创新——基于“新时代耕地占补平衡方式改进与管理创新研讨会”的思考

研究目的:对耕地占补平衡的发展阶段与政策绩效、存在问题与逻辑根源进行分析,对改进方式进行探讨,进而提出管理创新建议,为新时代耕地占补平衡政策实施提供科学依据,为促进城乡融合、扶贫攻坚和乡村振兴提供参考。研究方法:综合分析与系统推理。研究结果:(1)耕地占补平衡存在实质性不平衡、时空性不平衡、政策性弱化等微观、中观及宏观层面问题;(2)在数量方面,通过盘活宅基地增量、存量和完善易地调剂方式,统筹城乡和区域平衡来实现数量占补平衡。(3)在质量方面,通过优化建设用地约束指标、完善耕地质量评价、规范耕作层保护与再利用等促进耕地质量占补平衡。(4)在生态方面,通过完善指标调剂的价格内涵、扩大耕地补偿标准范围、转变耕地补充途径等实现耕地生态占补平衡。研究结论:建议做好顶层设计,抓好规划引领,构建耕地占补平衡与城乡要素流动的平衡机制,建立耕地占补平衡后续生态管护长效机制,提升软硬实力等。     

我国公民水素养评价指标体系的构建

为准确描述我国公民水素养水平,有针对性地加强水资源宣传教育,提高公民水素养,在科学素养、环境素养的研究基础上,设计包含有水知识、水态度、水行为3个一级指标、10个二级指标、29个三级指标的公民水素养多层级评价指标体系,运用层次分析法和李克特量表分别确立各级指标权重和设计调查问卷,并以北京市为例对公民水素养评价指标体系进行通用性分析。结果表明,水知识、水态度、水行为在水素养评价中各自的权重为9.14%、21.76%和69.10%;水知识、水态度得分相对较高,而水行为得分则相对较低,表明以水行为核心的水素养提升任务任重而道远。     

Interpoint Distance Test of Homogeneity for Multivariate Mixture Models

Finite mixtures offer a rich class of distributions for modelling of a variety of random phenomena in numerous fields of study. Using the sample interpoint distances (IPDs), we propose the IPD‐test statistic for testing the hypothesis of homogeneity of mixture of multivariate power series distribution or multivariate normal distribution. We derive the distribution of the IPDs that are drawn from a finite mixture of the multivariate power series distribution and multivariate normal distribution. Based on the empirical distribution of the IPDs, we construct a bootstrap test of homogeneity for other multivariate finite mixture models. The IPD test is applied to mixture models for matrix‐valued distributions and a test of homogeneity for Wishart mixture is presented. Numerical comparisons show that IPD test has accurate type I errors and is more powerful in most multivariate cases than the expectation–maximization (EM) test and modified likelihood ratio test.     

Telling and selling the value of diversity and inclusion—External consultants' discursive strategies and practices

On the basis of a qualitative study of a subgroup of diversity professionals, external diversity and inclusion (D&I) consultants, we explore D&I consultants' discursive strategies and practices situated within organisational structures, relations, and interactions of power and knowledge. Theoretically, the research reveals how D&I consultants' own discursive strategies interact with existing organisational and societal discourses of diversity, incrementally shaping their continual evolution. A classification is developed, which sets out four approaches taken by consultants with regard to their discursive strategies in relation to clients. The findings suggest that HR practitioners need to work in tandem with external consultants to develop strategies to improve the status and legitimacy of diversity work if the field is to progress the organisational D&I agenda.     

Persistence of Price–Cost Margin and Technical Efficiency in the Indonesian Food and Beverage Industry

Abstract

This research investigates the persistence of price–cost margin (PCM) and technical efficiency (TE) of firms and the relation between these two factors in 44 subsectors of the Indonesian food and beverage industry in the period 1980–2014. Data envelopment analysis with a bootstrapping approach is applied to estimate TE. An autoregressive model, accounting for endogeneity, is applied to estimate the persistence coefficients of PCM and TE. A cross-sectional regression model is also applied to estimate the relation between the persistence of the PCM and the persistence of TE. The results show that for these food and beverage firms, high PCM and low TE persist. Furthermore, the persistence of PCM negatively affects the persistence of TE in the industry.     

Reverse Payments and Risk of Bankruptcy Under Private Information

Abstract

In the pharmaceutical industry, a reverse payment (pay-for-delay) is a payment from an originator to a generic producer to delay her entry. In some recent cases, the US and EU antitrust authorities have banned these agreements per se, while in others they have used a rule of reason. This paper analyzes their dynamic effects and shows that a ban per se may reduce consumer surplus when the generic producer may go bankrupt and her financial situation is private information. Reverse payments are more beneficial when competition among few players is soft, the economy is in a downturn, and the period of drug usage after patent expiry is long. Results suggest that a rule of reason is more suited than a ban per se.     

Effects of state-sponsored human capital investment on the selection of training type

Since the 1990s, firms in Japan have reduced their human capital investment in the workplace to minimize costs. Moreover, in response to the increase in the number of non-regular employees and turnover rates, workers need to have greater incentive to make the self-motivated investment in themselves for their self-protection. In this study, we first estimate the effects of workers’ self-motivated investment in themselves on wage rates. Next, we explore who is likely to participate in which training type and accordingly estimate the effects of the self-motivated investment on wage rates by training type. Our estimates controlling for individual-level fixed-effects indicate that the return is significantly positive and particularly high for practical training related to workers’ current jobs, and regular workers tend to self-select these higher-returns programs, while non-regular workers are more likely to enroll in lower-returns programs, such as schooling. This trend in investment in oneself could potentially increase the wage inequality between regular and non-regular workers through the self-selection of training types. Our estimates reveal that receiving the training and education benefit raises the likelihood for workers to participate in a high-return training program regardless of whether they are non-regular or regular workers. This suggests that government benefits on self-investment change workers’ self-selection of training type and serve to promote practical trainings that lead to high returns.     

水生态系统服务供需视角下的水网乡村 适应性规划策略——以吴江张鸭荡片区为例

苏南乡村地区一直是中国乡村建设的先行区域，特殊的纵横交错的水网结构构成了一个错综复杂的系统，呈现出其他地区不具有的复杂性和生态特殊性。随着城镇的扩张，乡村的发展建设使其水网空间的平衡发展面临极大的挑战。传统单一静态的规划方法逐渐显示出无法适应经济、社会等发展要求的缺陷。苏南乡村地区以水为核心，从水生态系统服务供需关系的视角下探究水网乡村的适应性规划策略更加适应当前的乡村现状和需求。以传统水网乡村空间形态转译为基础，建立水生态系统供需服务评估体系，在评估水生态系统服务供需能力的基础上，分析供需分异模式及供需矛盾。从构建乡村水域空间生态格局、乡村水域空间功能分区规划，以及乡村水域空间多情景预判3个方面，提出苏南水网乡村的适应性规划策略，并为水网乡村的生态实践提出新思路。