What influences firms’ perceptions?

Perceptions-based indicators are sometimes used to measure the quality of the business environment. For instance, firms are asked about the major constraints on business operations and expansion. Little is known, however, about what shapes their responses. In this paper, using perceptions-based indicators from 38 countries (84 country-year pairs) from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys, we argue that firm responses are critically influenced by macroeconomic conditions. Paradoxically, we find that perceptions worsen during periods of high GDP growth. We also examine other indicators from the Enterprise Surveys that are objective measures of constraints, and find mixed evidence on how business constraints vary with the business cycle. Finally, we find that firms that introduce new product lines, which are likely those with the most interactions with regulatory agencies, have particularly bad perceptions of the business environment. We conclude that changes in firms’ perceptions over time may not reflect changes in the business environment.     

A Second-hand Shoppers’ Motivation Scale: Antecedents, Consequences, and Implications for Retailers

In view of growing interest in alternative consumption channels and critiques of conventional retailing, this study proposes a scale of second-hand shopping motivations. After defining the concept, we present the characteristics of second-hand shopping and explain the importance of a motivation-based approach. Through qualitative and quantitative studies and two data collections carried out in France with 708 subjects, we propose a reliable, valid, eight-factor scale that includes motivations related to products and distribution channels. A second-order hierarchical structure supports the tripartite nature (critical, economic, and recreational) of this form of shopping. Furthermore, the measure reveals, through a typological analysis, four consumer segments: “polymorphous enthusiasts”, “thrifty critics”, “nostalgic hedonists”, and “regular specialist shoppers”. We discuss the applications of this new scale and their implications for both research and retailing strategies.     

A Monte Carlo study of growth regressions

Using Monte Carlo simulations, this paper evaluates the bias properties of estimators commonly used to estimate growth regressions derived from the Solow model. We explicitly allow for measurement error, country-specific fixed effects and regressor endogeneity. An OLS estimator applied to a single cross-section of variables averaged over time (the between estimator) performs best in terms of the extent of bias on each of the estimated coefficients. Fixed-effects and the Arellano–Bond GMM estimator overstate the speed of convergence under a wide variety of assumptions, while the between estimator understates it. Finally, fixed effects and Arellano–Bond bias towards zero the slope estimates on the human and physical capital accumulation variables, while the between estimator and the Blundell–Bond system GMM estimator bias these coefficients upwards.      

A theory-based measure of acculturation: The shortened cultural life style inventory

This paper describes a model of acculturation for classifying minority consumers into distinct categories depending on their attitudes and behaviors toward their minority culture and toward the majority culture. These categories are assimilation, segregation, and integration. The model differs from previous models of acculturation in consumer research in that it does not assume a linear progression toward assimilation. The acculturation categories identified by the model can be used to segment minority markets. A reduced version of a previous scale based on that acculturation model is developed and validated in two empirical studies in a consumer research setting. Our scale can be used by managers to segment minority populations.     

Proportional structural effects of formative indicators

Formative constructs must influence two or more distinct outcome variables for meaningful tests of the formative conceptualization. Because the construct mediates the effects of its indicators, the indicators must have effects on the outcomes that are proportional to their effects on the formative construct itself. This constraint has important implications for developing and testing formative models. This study demonstrates the existence of the constraint, shows that researchers must consider proportionality as a criterion for evaluating the formative conceptualization, provides examples of indicators having different effects and interpretations depending on the outcome variables used, discusses the selection of outcomes to provide rigorous rather than trivial tests of the formative conceptualization, and contends that the formative nature of constructs cannot be justified in isolation from the consideration of outcome variables. In addition, the study demonstrates the importance of considering how the scaling of the formative construct influences the significance of the effects in the model.     

Reviewing half a century of measuring cross-cultural competence: Aligning theoretical constructs and empirical measures

We provide a comprehensive review of how cross-cultural competence (CCC) has been measured over the past half-century in order to more closely align theoretical constructs and empirical measures. Based on a content analysis of 68 academic and commercial CCC instruments and a supplemental survey of 160 experts, we review the approaches used in these instruments to conceptualize and quantify CCC, discuss their limitations, and recommend best practices and directions for future researchers and practitioners when selecting and using CCC instruments or developing new alternatives.     

DEA efficiency in agriculture: Measurement unit issues

The selection of inputs and outputs in DEA models represents a vibrant methodological topic. At the same time; however, the problem of the impact of different measurement units of selected inputs is understated in empirical literature. Using the example of Czech farms, we show that the DEA method does not provide consistent score estimates, neither a stable ranking for different popular measurements of labour and capital factors of production. For this reason, studies based on DEA efficiency results for differently measured inputs should be compared only with great caution.     

Tracing the regional dual value chains: Measurement on the production position and evidence from China

When there is insufficient internal and external impetus for developing countries’ economy, building a domestic and international dual circulation is conducive to promoting the regional industrial growth. On the basis of regional embedded international input-output tables, this paper extends the measurement framework of production position and proposes the concept of the dual value chain, which measure production position that unifies the national and global value chains from forward and backward industrial linkages. We decompose the national and global value chains into three categories and investigate the production position characteristics of China with a multi-dimensional perspective. Consistent evidence shows that a feasible path of technological progress in optimizing the production in value chains in which technological progress plays a crucial role on the pure national value chain across the high-tech manufacturing sector, the eastern and central regions. Their posterior probabilities are 0.96, 0.21and 0.86, respectively. Moreover, the impact on the dual production is nonnegligible that the posterior probability of technological progress on the eastern and central regions is 0.40 and 0.92. In addition, the impact of the Chinese economic stimulus program and technological progress on the economic crisis has a certain moderating effect. Our proposed evaluation framework sheds new light that national value chain production can boost economic growth，and further promote the coordinated of regional industries for developing countries.     

全球价值链视角下我国制造业生产长度与产业动态调整

伴随着世界贸易格局的多极化发展,尤其在制造业层面,自由与多样化分工的产业制造与要素资源的流动特性,正逐步取代传统贸易体系。在推行制造业升级与新兴产业发展的背景下,我国制造业如何在全球价值链体系下实现价值链地位的攀升,得到了学界的广泛关注。基于全球价值链核算理论,利用世界投入产出数据库,测算我国制造业生产长度,研究发现:我国制造业整体在全球价值链中参与度持续增加;技术密集型制造业生产长度要高于劳动密集型;从制造业生产所创造的增加值流向来看,技术密集型行业生产专业化程度有所提升,而劳动密集型行业则相对较弱。在数字化发展背景下,提出创新制造业技术,引领制造业服务化转型等对策建议。     

中国绿色技术创新效率异质性环境规制影响与时空跃迁研究

引导环境规制政策对绿色技术创新效率变革产生推动作用，可为经济高质量发展提供重要支撑。将命令控制型、市场激励型与公众参与型环境规制视为不可控制变量，构建动态SBM-DEA模型，考察异质性环境规制对绿色技术创新效率的影响，分析其动态演化特征及时空跃迁路径，揭示考虑和未考虑环境规制影响绿色技术创新效率的时空差异。结果发现：①异质性环境规制对2001-2018年中国绿色技术创新效率具有正向影响，影响作用存在地区差异性；②东部地区环境规制政策可以有效发挥市场机制和公众监督作用，中西部地区环境规制政策可以更好地发挥政府调控作用；③绿色技术创新效率时空演变具有持续优化、空间差异缩小等特征。为推动中国绿色技术创新均衡、高效发展，应重点制定相关策略以缩小南北地区绿色技术创新发展差距。