A two-generation new product model by considering forward-looking customers: Dynamic pricing and advertising optimization

Nowadays, one of the challenges of the firm managing multi-generation products is the forward-looking behavior of customers. Anticipating the introduction of a newer generation affects the demand and sales volume of the current generation and next generation. In this research, we investigated how to efficiently structure the pricing and advertising strategies of a firm that launches a two-generation new product to a market populated by forward-looking customers. Two thresholds were determined on the advertising expenditure of Generations 1 and 2. Our analysis proposed that the optimal pricing path of Generation 1 was monotonically decreasing or increasing and, then, decreasing. The optimal pricing of Generation 2 followed a concave curve. A heuristic solution method was proposed to solve the numerical examples. Findings revealed that, with increasing the customers' forward-looking behavior, the firm's profit would decrease. In the presence of forward-looking customers, it is beneficial for the firm to reduce the price of Generation 1 and allocate more budget to advertise Generation 2. Among other results, the advertising expenditure was shown to be positively affected by the number of potential customers and advertising effectiveness. Also, the length of the planning horizon had a negative effect on the advertising expenditure. A higher discount rate could lead to lower price, while higher advertising effectiveness and length of the planning horizon would result in higher price. Further, the results showed that, with increasing the word-of-mouth advertising effectiveness, the firm should increase the advertising expenditure and decrease the price firstly and, afterwards, decrease the advertising effort and increase the price.     

The micro-foundations of strategic ambidexterity: Chinese cross-border M&As,Mid-View thinking and integration management

Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) display several unique properties in relation to the ways in which their international business operations are organised and managed. Their seemingly puzzling ‘light-touch’ integration approach can be significantly understood from a strategic ambidexterity perspective: on the one hand, the ‘light-touch’ enables the exploitation of the targets’ existing knowledge bases; on the other hand, elements of the ‘light-touch’ facilitate the exploration of the new knowledge arising from the collaboration between targets and acquirers. However, an important theoretical gap remains: why do Chinese companies deploy such a strategic ambidexterity approach in their post-acquisition integrations? This paper aims to fill this gap by proposing Mid-View thinking as a micro-foundation of strategic ambidexterity in integration management from a cultural and philosophical perspective. To illuminate our conceptualization and argument, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with CEOs/high-level managers of acquired German companies. Communication approach and organizational control—as two critical aspects in integration management—reveal how Mid-View thinking can serve as a micro-foundation of strategic ambidexterity. We conclude this paper by presenting its theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and future research directions.     

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。     

混凝土箱梁质量通病治理和施工质量控制策略

所谓混凝土箱梁质量通病的治理,简单来讲就是工程在施工期间会普遍存在并且反复出现一些施工问题,所以需要采取相关措施解决其中存在的质量通病和具体问题,并且对箱梁进行施工质量控制。为此,论文从多个角度分析了混凝土箱梁的质量通病,提出相应的施工质量控制策略,希望为相关从业者提供参考性的建议。     

财务公司的风险管理与内部控制

财务公司是一类特殊的金融机构,既有风险内生性特点,也易受外部风险传导。在风险管理与内部控制上,要坚持业务发展与内部控制相平衡的原则,一方面要遵循普适性、规律性的银行业规则(巴塞尔协议),另一方面也要充分考虑所属集团的具体实际情况,服务于集团和财务公司战略目标的实现。     

控制技术在钢管自动化生产中的应用

钢管自动化控制系统在钢管生产中的有效应用极大地提升了钢管的生产效率和生产质量,减少了人力资源的投入,降低了钢管的生产成本,对于钢铁行业的发展具有至关重要的作用。论文主要针对控制技术在钢管自动化生产中的实际应用进行探究,指出控制技术在钢管自动化生产中应用的效果和作用,希望为钢铁行业的运行提供一定的参考。     

浅谈泵送产品的公告试验检测

论文针对泵送产品公告试验检测的现状,详述了公告试验检测方案中的关键控制点,并就目前检测过程中存在的问题提出了建议。     

机关运行经费基金化管理的战略构想

政府机关事务的高绩效管理是维护政府高效有序运行的关键,更是实现政府职能、促进社会经济发展、维护社会稳定和提升政府公信力的重要保障。许多先发国家如美国、英国等对机关运行实行了价值化管理改革,以基金作为撬动政府机关运行资金的杠杆,达到了机关服务高效优质、规范有序、监督有效和战略明确的目标。中国机关事务运行正处于由传统的事务性实物管理向现代化的价值治理转变的关键期,借鉴英美等国的基金管理和运行经验对于中国建立机关运行普遍服务基金制度,提高政府效能,实现国家治理体系和治理能力现代化具有重要意义。     

"利剑斩污"行动下石家庄市挥发性有机物的污染特性变化研究

为研究石家庄市在"利剑斩污"行动管控期和非管控期挥发性有机物(VOCs)的污染特性变化,在2个时间段内对石家庄市3个国控点进行采样分析。通过苏玛罐(SUMMA罐)进行样品采集,利用气相色谱/质谱联用(GC/MS)仪对石家庄市区3个国控点的VOCs进行定性定量检测分析。结果表明,监测期间主要的特征污染物是二氯甲烷、二氯丙烷、苯和甲苯。与非管控期间相比,管控期间各污染物的质量浓度均有所降低,总VOCs平均质量浓度降低45.107μg/m~3,二氯甲烷质量浓度降低8.796μg/m~3,二氯丙烷质量浓度降低3.750μg/m~3,苯质量浓度降低18.285μg/m~3,甲苯质量浓度降低16.895μg/m~3。大气环境调控策略的实施,有效降低了VOCs浓度,减少了空气污染程度,空气质量改善效果显著。"利剑斩污"行动期间采取的相关举措,对于制定常态化下VOCs的防治对策具有一定的参考价值。     

Are international environmental policies effective? The case of the Rotterdam and the Stockholm Conventions

This is the first paper to show that participation in an international environmental agreement has some effectiveness. Our identification strategy consists of applying difference-in-differences techniques in a panel data framework to various levels of data aggregation. We find that ratification of the Rotterdam Convention (RC) and the Stockholm Convention (SC) leads to a reduction in trade of hazardous substances from OECD to non-OECD countries. In particular, we find that when the exporter ratifies the RC, there is a reduction in the import of hazardous chemicals of about 7 percent. In the case of the SC, the results show significant reductions of around 16 percent in trade shipments of persistent organic pollutants. This reduction is more than double the effect found for the RC, which was expected due to a more restricted obligation imposed by the SC convention.