Understanding conflicting perspectives in event planning and management using Q method

There is a need to better understand the interests of actors in the planning and management of major events. The diversity of actor perspectives about an event creates a wicked problem set that event organisers and public officials find difficult to understand, let alone address. This paper focuses on problem identification as one stage in the event planning and management process. It explores how problem structuring can contribute to more effective planning and management of actors' interests. The value of Q methodology is explored through a case study of the Australian World Rally Championship. Four perspectives are identified in the problem structuring process: the Skeptics, the Materialists, the Middle-grounders and the Supporters. The findings demonstrate that Q methodology is effective in identifying the depth and breadth of different problem perspectives, providing insights into the importance of different perspectives, and can be used reflexively to anticipate and manage potential conflict.     

The commercialisation of subsistence farms: Evidence from the new member states of the EU

For selected regions of five EU Member States (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia), this paper examines the determinants of the commercialisation of (semi)subsistence farms. While subsistence farming has become an important feature of the EU, there is a lack of evidence on its spatial distribution, importance and reasons for persistence. The analysis utilises cross-regional survey data and qualitative interviews. Results suggest the absence of a subsistence poverty trap driven by either farmer perceptions or transactions costs although capital endowment appears to play a significant part. On the other hand the degree of market engagement depends on access costs, which vary with location, households’ productive assets, specialisation, and risk propensity. Implications for land use policy are discussed.     

论工程造价结算审核的方法与技巧

工程竣工结算审核是工程造价控制的核心部分,也是一个最为关键的环节,在具体的造价结算审核过程中,需要不断总结经验,取长补短,根据工程的实际情况选择最适宜的审核方式。本文主要分析工程造价结算审核的方法与技巧。     

Building a better literature review: Looking at the nomological network of the country‐of‐origin effect

Due to a rising pace of knowledge production, reviewing extant knowledge on mature topics has become increasingly challenging. Researchers often need to account for hundreds of references with little guidance on how to proceed. Taking the phenomenon of the country‐of‐origin effect (COE) as an example, this paper proposes a solution to tackle this challenge. By adopting the principles of integrative literature reviews and using online databases, bibliography management software, and literature‐mapping techniques, I organize 355 papers about the COE. As a result, the nomological network of the COE is drawn while establishing links between the phenomenon, its antecedents, and its outcomes. This methodological article contributes to building better literature reviews. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constructive deviance as a driver for performance in retail

A growing body of research is concerned with deviance in the workplace. While much research has explored negative forms of deviance, we examine constructive deviance: behaviour that deviates from salient norms and benefits the reference group. We empirically explore manifestations, determinants and performance outcomes of constructive deviance in standardised work processes. We do this through a mixed-methods study in bakery trading departments of an Australian retailer. We illustrate that constructive deviance occurs in these settings and show that some manifestations of constructive deviance improve organisational performance and pave the way for applying constructive deviance as a strategic tool in retail.     

Asset prices in affine real business cycle models

I describe a tractable way to study macroeconomic quantities and asset prices in a large class of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models. The proposed approximate solution is analytical, log-linear, and adjusted for risk. Therefore, it is well suited to investigate economic mechanisms, describe the time series properties or estimate the model, and deal with stochastic volatility. I explain the pitfalls encountered by previous attempts to use simple approximation techniques, in particular with models featuring recursive preferences. Finally, I show the theoretical relationship between my solution and higher-order perturbation methods.     

Capital Market Integration in the Middle East and North Africa

This paper studies capital market integration in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries and its implications for international portfolio investment allocation. Starting with four cointegration methodologies, we significantly reject the hypothesis of a stable, long-run bivariate relationship between each of these markets and the European Monetary Union (EMU), the United States, and a regional benchmark. This indicates the existence of significant diversification opportunities for three categories of investors (EMU, world, and regional investors). A recursive analysis based on Barari (2004) suggests that recently, the MENA markets have started to move toward international financial integration. Investigating the effect of selected financial, economic, and political events on such a process, we extend the methodology and find that the markets react heterogeneously to the different categories of shocks. They should therefore not be treated as a bloc for global allocation purposes. Finally, after adjusting the integration levels by relative market capitalization, Israel and Turkey are the most promising markets in the region, followed by Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. Tunisia and Lebanon seem to be lagging behind.     

高职院校职业道德教育方式研究

中国的职业道德教育方式与西方发达国家相比较为滞后。为培养高素质的劳动者,高职院校应该本着以人为本,讲求实用的原则,努力深化对职业道德教育的理解,不断探索内化的,系统的职业道德教育方式。     

利用FDI促进我国自主创新的思路探讨

改革开放以来的30年时间里，外资经济已成为我国经济的一个重要组成部分，它为推动我国的经济发展做出了十分重要的贡献。然而。“利用FDI”与“自主创新”之间究竞存在怎样的关系，一直是学术界争论的焦点。文章从我国利用FDI的现状入手，分析了利用FDI对我国自主创新的影响，得出事实上利用FDI与自主创新之间并不矛盾的结论，并剖析出当前制约我国利用FDI提高自主创新能力的因素，进而提出我国应当如何提高FDI利用率来促进自主创新的思路。