The term structure of CD rates and monetary policy transmission

The paper investigates the term structure of CD rates and its relationship with the federal funds rate or monetary policy. The term structure derived in this paper is governed primarily by the federal funds rate and secondarily by banks’ income smoothing behavior. It is consistent with the estimation results and differs significantly from the standard term structure of interest rates. The downturn phase of business cycles appears to be accompanied by more aggressive income smoothing by banks (compared with the upturn phase) due to their pessimistic expectations of future profits. The compositional shift in banks’ liabilities during the downturn phase away from CDs toward transaction deposits may pose a greater withdrawal risk for banks.     

Pareto-improving social optimal pricing schemes based on bottleneck permits for managing congestion at a merging section

Akamatsu, Sato, and Nguyen (2006 Akamatsu, T., Sato, S., &; Nguyen, X. L. (2006). Tradable time-of-day bottleneck permits for morning commuters (in Japanese). JSCE Journal of Infrastructure Planning 62(4), 605–620.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) proposed a first-best pricing scheme based on the concept of bottleneck permits. The scheme allows permit holders to pass a bottleneck at specified times and is shown to be able to minimize social cost. However, the scheme is not always Pareto-improving in that it may harm some drivers. The objective of this study is to design Pareto-improving pricing scheme with bottleneck permits for a V-shaped two-to-one merge bottleneck. First, the paper formulates the morning commute model in the network and describes the arrival time choice equilibrium in the network with merging bottleneck. Secondly, we show that the first-best pricing scheme with bottleneck permits for this V-shaped network does not always achieve a Pareto improvement, with the cost of one group of drivers is increased by the permit pricing, a phenomena akin to the bottleneck paradox of Arnott, de Palma, and Lindsey (1993 Arnott, R., de Palma, A., &; Lindsey, R. (1993). Properties of dynamic traffic equilibrium involving bottlenecks, including a paradox and metering. Transportation Science 27(2), 148–160.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We propose three implementations of bottleneck permits for Pareto-improving: (1) merging priority rule is included in the bottleneck permits scheme by creating different market for each origin; (2) the permit revenues are refunded as monetary compensation to drivers whose cost is increased; and (3) the permit revenues are used to expand bottleneck capacity. For each implementation, we derive their equilibrium solutions and demonstrate that the Pareto improvement is achieved and social cost is decreased by using the permit revenues for expanding the bottleneck capacity.     

Assessing the Effects of Service Quality,Past Experience,and Destination Image on Behavioral Intentions in the Spring Training Camp of a Japanese Professional Baseball Team

This study aimed to examine the theoretical relationships between service quality, past experience, destination image, and behavioral intentions in the spring training camp of a professional baseball team in Japan. The results indicate that the service quality of spring training camps was divided into five factors: (1) place, (2) enjoyment, (3) information, (4) fan interaction, and (5) operating time. The findings suggest that service quality and past experience had positive effects on both destination image and behavioral intentions. Behavioral intentions were also highly influenced by destination image. Future research and managerial implications are also discussed.     

Health Status Risks and the Efficiency of Social Security Systems

We studied the allocative efficiency of a social security system with earning tests focusing on the leisure–work choices of older men. Given empirical findings that health status and social security benefits are the most important determinants of such choices, we incorporated risks with respect to health status into an overlapping–generations model, and analysed how allocative efficiency was changed by the introduction of social security systems. It was found that the effects of a social security system can be broken down into particular categories and that a social security system improves efficiency when the pension system is small. JEL Classification Numbers: H55, I10, E40.     

Implications of firm experiential knowledge and sequential FDI on performance of Japanese subsidiaries in Brazil

A foreign firm investing in a culturally different market usually faces a certain level of uncertainty. This study proposes that as a multinational company accumulates experiential knowledge, it develops more capabilities and know-how and consequently reflects on subsidiary performance. Based on a subsidiary level sample of Japanese firms located in Brazil, the empirical findings of this study demonstrate that the accumulation of both international and local experiential knowledge can positively affect subsidiary performance. Moreover, a firm’s sequential foreign direct investment decision in the local market is a key strategy to achieving a higher level of subsidiary profitability in comparison with a first-time investment firm.

中国物流国际化与物流企业

本文认为,随着改革开放的不断深入,物流需求逐步扩大,基本建设加速发展,中国物流业与全球化市场的关系越来越紧密。从行业整体来看,运输方式的转换及服务面积的扩大和高水平发展引起了结构性变化,并最终波及到企业,物流企业活动范围迅速扩大,各种物流企业相继出现。文章指出,近年来,国际产业分工越来越细,工序间的分工也越来越普遍,对物流服务提出了更高的要求,要求国际物流与国内物流相结合,以多种运输方式进行国际物流运输。要实现国际国内物流的结合,需要解决规格不统一、基础设施发展不均衡、物流市场结构不合理、统一物流行政缺失等问题。文章提出,需求的变化直接影响着物流业的发展,为应对这种变化,物流企业必须不断改变经营组织和经营战略,而外资企业在其中起着先导作用。从企业层面来看,外资企业在末端物流上必须与民营企业进行合作;而民营企业以这种合作为契机不断积蓄力量,也会产生飞跃,物流市场上既有尖端物流需求,也有简单运输需求。从行业整体来看,一方面,以外资企业为中心,为满足国际市场高端需求,大中型企业群逐渐成长;另一方面,为满足简单运输需求,小企业群也继续生存。     

THE INFLUENCE OF THE GREAT HANSHIN-AWAJI EARTHQUAKE ON THE LOCAL HOUSING MARKET

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake destroyed a huge number of houses and caused housing problems in the disaster area. This paper investigates the influence of the earthquake on the related housing market, mainly in terms of changes in house prices and housing rents, and analyzes the machanism of the changes. Empirical results by Hedonic analyses indicate the influences are different between house prices and housing rents and also between the disaster district and the surrounding area. Those differences are explained by the factors of the earthquake that would affect the housing market, such as decrease in income, diversity of damage among the districts and others.     

A Bank Panic Model with a Bond Market

We have constructed a model of bank failure with monetary assets (bonds), adopting the overlapping-generations model. In it, monetary assets play a role in dispersing the credit crunch from a single bank run into a nationwide bank panic. As established by Diamond and Dybvig (1983), a single bank run is explained by a model without any monetary assets. In our model, however, the bond market is introduced to describe the process in which a bank run spreads. As a result, our model describes a general phenomenon—credit market failure—rather than a single bank run.
JEL classification numbers: G21, E40.