Why are Small Firms Different? Managers’ Views

Do incentives differ between large and small organizations? Results from a representative survey of compensation managers are used to shed light on the issues. I find that (i) small establishments rely less on pecuniary incentives, and have a significantly more hostile attitude towards incentive schemes based on competition and relative rewards; (ii) large units are more vulnerable to mechanisms of efficiency wages, effects that remain even after controlling for differences in monitoring ability; (iii) large units are more prone to indicate that negative reciprocity is important, and that their employees care about relative pay. I argue that these findings fit with behavioral stories of incentives and motivation, in particular those stressing group interaction effects, inequity aversion and gift exchange.     

BUILDING CARS TO CUSTOMER ORDER — WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR INBOUND LOGISTICS OPERATIONS?

The automotive industry is undergoing a strategic transition. Cost pressure from rising stock levels in the market and increasing incentives needed to sell these vehicles are forcing vehicle manufacturers to rethink their prevalent “stock‐push” approach, building vehicles against a forecast and selling from stock, in favor of a stock‐less “build‐to‐order” order fulfillment strategy. More responsive order fulfillment at the vehicle manufacturer level however will not only require flexible and responsive component supply, but will also have wide ramifications for the logistics operations. Based on three case studies of major inbound logistics operations, this exploratory study assesses their ability to support such a build‐to‐order approach, as well as the potential implications of such transition. The paper concludes with a set of general strategies for how these implications could be mitigated.     

Changes in the Finnish Wage Structure: Will Demand and Supply Do?

This study addresses changes in the wage structure in Finland between 1977 and 1995, and provides a simple explanation based on the demand for and supply of skills. The single index model of Card and Lemieux (1996) is augmented by incorporating changes in the supply of skills. The augmented model adequately accounts for the changes in relative wages between groups of different education and experience, but does not capture the changes in the within-group distribution.
JEL classification : J 31     

THE LAST MILE: AN EXAMINATION OF EFFECTS OF ONLINE RETAIL DELIVERY STRATEGIES ON CONSUMERS

The Internet has increased the level of importance of the end‐consumer market to transportation carriers. In two between subject experiments, carrier disclosure on retail merchant websites is examined as a strategic differentiation strategy. Predictions are offered concerning effects of carrier disclosure strategies on product delivery‐related expectations, consumer attitudes, and intentions to purchase a product online. Results from Study 1 reveal significant differences between disclosure and nondisclosure of the carrier for numerous product delivery‐related variables, as well as many differences between the six carriers examined in this first study. Study 2 extends these findings by showing that providing consumers with a choice of carrier leads to increased levels of satisfaction with the online experience and greater willingness to buy, relative to nondisclosure and disclosure strategies.     

Futures and forward price differential and the effect of marking‐to‐market: Australian evidence

The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of marking‐to‐market of futures contracts on the price differential between futures and forward contracts based on the predictions of the Cox, Ingersoll and Ross (1981) (CIR) model. Cox et al ., (1981) derive a series of propositions with respect to the relationship between futures and forward prices and a set of testable implications. These are tested empirically in this paper using Australian data from November 1991 to June 1997. The results provide evidence of the presence of significant futures and forward price differences, where the futures price is consistently below the forward price. Only partial support is found for the Cox et al ., (1981) propositions, implying that the effect of marking‐to‐market is not able to fully account for the price differential. Therefore, it is not possible to rule out the influence of other institutional factors on the futures‐forward price difference.     

露天边坡工程及FLAC数值分析

以高西沟露天煤矿的西北边帮作为研究对象,运用FLAC3D数值模拟软件,经过数值计算得到边坡安全系数为1.57,其与工程类比法计算得到的数值差不多,知该数值分析方法不仅能快速、准确的算出边坡的稳定性系数,还能够形象的描绘边坡的滑移临界场,是一种有效的边坡稳定性分析的方法。     

论债转股

我国银行与企业之间的不良债务越来越多。如果这种情况继续下去,将导致企业破产,也会将银行拖垮,最终导致金融危机。债转股作为一种延缓矛盾和风险爆发时间应急性措施的债务重组手段,成功的关键在于是否能以此为契机,彻底转变企业经营管理机制和治理结构,使企业的产权明晰,将企业推向市场,在市场中生存和发展。     

论法务会计的行为边界及其职业领域

确立法务会计行为边界具有十分重要的理论意义;法务会计的本质体现为一种专业会计行为;法务会计行为由法务会计判断、法务会计诉讼支持、法务会计鉴定三部分构成;依据法务会计行为内容界定法务会计的职业领域。     

就业难的背后——大学生“有业不就”现象的解读

就业困难而＂无业可就＂与部分大学生＂有业不就＂是当前社会关注的焦点。然而,＂有业不就＂所凸显的是就业环境的失范,＂有业不就＂其实是＂被有业不就＂。解决大学生＂有业不就＂的关键在于以提高大学生的就业能力为主线,以创新人才培养模式为前提,以国家合理调控为保障。     

论企业商业秘密权与劳动者自主择业权的冲突与平衡

对于现代企业发展而言,商业秘密权是一项尤为重要的财产权利,它类似于企业的知识产权,是企业的巨额无形资产,具有很高的市场价值。在商战中,保护企业的商业秘密非常重要。在我国,企业往往通过与员工签订竞业禁止协议的方式,要求离职员工保守其商业秘密。但是自主择业权是宪法赋予劳动者的一项基本权利,关系到劳动者的生存及发展,属于基本人权范畴,具有宪法权利的属性,应该予以很好的保护。因此,需要解决好劳动者的自主择业权与企业的商业秘密权二者之间的冲突关系。