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.     

A REVIEW OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE ON FARMER COOPERATIVES: PERFORMANCE,OWNERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE,FINANCE, AND MEMBER ATTITUDE

The empirical literature on farmer cooperatives is now fast emerging and developing in the areas of performance, ownership and governance, finance, and member attitude. We discuss 56 peer‐reviewed publications to illustrate the main findings and conclusions while outlining challenges and opportunities for future research. Generally, cooperative membership is found to positively impact price, yield, input adoption, income, and other indicators of member performance, yet there is growing evidence of an uneven distribution of benefits for small and large producers. In terms of structure, evidence of a causal relationship of ownership and governance to performance has been elusive, yet there are now many findings of inherent equity and long‐term debt constraints, often in the context of consolidation to drive scale and scope economies. Further inefficiency is observed to be driven by increased heterogeneity in member attitudes and objectives, in particular in terms of commitment and participation. Thus, overall, empirical work portrays farmer cooperatives as flawed and complex business organizations which nonetheless have a strong positive impact on its members. While applied research may progress in various directions, a general improvement in empirical methodologies is needed to allow robust analysis of mixed objectives in dynamic environments.     

昆明市工程招投标监管的探索与发展研究

针对工程招标投标领域存在的突出问题,昆明市近几年在工程招标投标监管方面进行了许多新的探索.从昆明市招标投标监管机构设置、标前监管、标中监管、标后监管4个角度对昆明市工程招标投标监管现状进行分析,并对工程招标投标监管领域的一些新趋势进行探讨,提出强化招标投标监管的建议.新技术为招标投标监管提供了新工具,需要进一步探索新技术在招标投标监管领域的应用.     

杭州湾都市圈利用FDI的地域差异分析及其对策研究

近年来外商直接投资(FDI)已经成为带动杭州湾都市圈出口增长,推动区域经济发展的重要因素。但由于各个地方利用外资的市场基础和投资环境的差异,杭州湾各个城市利用FDI很不平衡。本文通过运用因子分析的方法,对杭州湾都市圈利用FDI的水平进行综合评价,并提出了相对的对策建议,对促进杭州湾经济的平衡发展具有一定的现实意义。     

Robust consumption‐investment problem under CRRA and CARA utilities with time‐varying confidence sets

We consider a robust consumption‐investment problem under constant relative risk aversion and constant absolute risk aversion utilities. The time‐varying confidence sets are specified by Θ, a correspondence from [0, T] to the space of the Lévy triplets, and describe a priori drift, volatility, and jump information. For each possible measure, the log‐price processes of stocks are semimartingales, and the triplet of their differential characteristics is almost surely a measurable selector from the correspondence Θ. By proposing and investigating the global kernel, an optimal policy and a worst‐case measure are generated from a saddle point of the global kernel, and they constitute a saddle point of the objective function.     

How store managers can empower their teams to engage in constructive deviance: Theory development through a multiple case study

In this paper, we explore how leaders enable constructive deviance in teams they manage. We report on a qualitative field study of two hierarchical layers of store management in 17 supermarket store teams. We focus on the emergence of constructive deviance – better ways of creating value by departing from common ways of working – and how store leaders can enable this behavior. Our inductive analysis from the multiple case data suggests that store management can enable constructive deviance by combining empowering leadership behaviors with adequate levels of contingent reward and monitoring behaviors. These findings allow us to develop new hypotheses about the linkages between constructive deviance, psychological empowerment, and leadership. We detail implications for store management and we describe several future research opportunities on the concept of constructive deviance, its enablement through empowering leadership, and the relationship between organizational norms and constructive deviance.     

利用频移动态特征的辐射源目标盲分选

利用辐射源目标的频移动态特征进行盲分选时，针对已有的分选方法不能很好解决非合作接收数据非周期、间断、交叠的问题，提出了一种改进的逻辑回归分选算法,将信号分选转化为轨迹分类的问题来处理。首先，借鉴多目标航迹起始模型中的M/N逻辑法的框架，设计新的数据关联门限，以建立目标起始曲线；其次，采用最小二乘拟合方法替代卡尔曼滤波，设计新的外推规则，建立载频变化预测曲线；分析新的接收数据与预测曲线的关联性，不断迭代回归或形成新的分支，最后获得目标分选结果。仿真与实测试验表明，利用逻辑回归分选算法，对不同运动目标搭载的同频辐射源可进行自动分选，4个仿真目标与2个真实目标的分选正确率达到100%。同时，该方法拓展了辐射源目标盲分选中的动态频移特征应用，为辐射源个体识别提供了新的支持。     

京津冀城市群能源代谢时空特征及优化调控研究

随着中国经济的快速发展,能源消费也快速增长。随着节能减排的压力越来越大,能源的代谢需要根据需求进行更替。论文就京津冀城市群能源代谢时空特征分析并对能量代谢进行优化和调控提出建议。     

Firm performance and corporate finance in New Zealand

Low productivity growth in New Zealand has been a paradox. We study New Zealand firms’ profitability, in terms of profit margin and return on assets (ROA), from the viewpoints of productivity enablers using firm-level panel data. We find that tangible fixed investment and a research and development (R&D) tax incentive are associated with higher profitability performance. In addition, the firm size is found to be a key determinant of profit margin. By contrast, we do not find any evidence that intangible investment can improve the profitability. The global financial crisis has not changed the leverage effect on ROA in New Zealand, while the impact of R&D became more prominent after the crisis.