NEW FORMS OF PROVIDER IN THE ENGLISH NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

ABSTRACT 1 : A wide ranging set of reforms is being introduced into the English National Health Service (NHS). They are designed to increase the market‐like behaviour of providers of care with a view to improving efficiency, quality and responsiveness of services. This paper is concerned with one aspect of those reforms: namely the policy to increase the diversity of types of providers of care to NHS patients. In this context, increasing diversity means that providers will not all be standard publicly owned NHS organizations. They can be publicly owned but autonomous, or independent (both in for‐profit and not for profit). The paper discusses the wide range of organizational forms available, analyzing their governance structures It then discusses the small amount of evidence currently available about the performance of diverse providers of health care.     

多伦多大学的OTA:历史及一个核心问题的讨论

多伦多大学的OTA（教学促进办公室）成立于2002年1月，其职责是改变多伦多大学传统的科研主宰型文化、帮助教师开发教学技能、并通过科学的晋升和薪酬机制确保科研型大学的教师在教学和科研之间建立有效的平衡。这必然涉及到一个最根本的问题：在高级职称的晋升中，卓越的教学业绩是否能与一流的科研成果相提并论？对这一问题，学生、教师、管理层持有不同的观点，西欧、澳洲、北美地区也有不同的做法。     

国际贸易计价货币的选择——兼论人民币国际化

本文以出口商预期利润最大化为视角，介绍和归纳了出口商计价货币选择的有关模型。得出结论：一国货币作为国际贸易发票货币取决于货币汇率的波动性；该国占据的出口市场份额以及该国出口产品的差异性程度，并利用经验数据检验了以上结论，展望了人民币国际化的前景。     

Price dynamics in limit order markets

This article presents a one-tick dynamic model of a limit ordermarket. Agents choose to submit a limit order or a market orderdepending on the state of the limit order book. Each traderknows that her order will affect the order placement strategiesof those who follow and the execution probability of her limitorder is endogenous. All traders take this into account which,in equilibrium, generates systematic patterns in transactionprices and order placement strategies even with no asymmetricinformation.     

重庆市统筹城乡战略思路及成效分析

重庆市城乡居民收入差距不断加大,二元经济结构显著,呈现“大城市大农村”的二元城乡结构。自获批全国统筹城乡综合配套改革试验区以来,以三个试验区为突破口,配套推进六个方面的相关改革,确定“一圈两翼”的发展格局,实施土地流转及大力发展劳务经济等相关政策措施,城乡统筹全面铺开,取得相当大成效,但距离目标存在一定的差距。     

New challenges for Japanese multinationals: Is organization adaptation their achilles heel?

As the number, size, and complexity of Japanese multinational companies' (MNCs) overseas operations increase, many of them have begun to realize that they face some fundamental and difficult organizational challenges. Drawing on research undertaken with several large and successful Japanese MNCs, the authors define the nature and source of some of these organizational challenges, and describe some approaches that can be taken to resolving them. The article starts with a brief assessment of the traditional organizational capabilities and existing managerial approaches of Japanese companies, comparing them to the emerging challenges in the international environment. Then, after identifying some constraints and barriers to an effective response to the new demands, the authors propose a series of actions to overcome the problems.     

Small Firms and Economic Transformation in Bulgaria

The pace of transition to a market economy has been slower in Bulgaria than in some other east European countries in the 1990s. Output levels in the state owned sector, which has not yet been subject to mass privatisation, have fallen sharply and there has been a dramatic increase in unemployment. There has however also been a rapid growth in the number of small firms, and the ability of this sector to generate new jobs will be an important component of labour market dynamics in the future. Some of the main characteristics of this emergent sector are identified on the basis of a sample survey of nearly 400 small Bulgarian firms, covering competitiveness, entrepreneurship, innovation, networking, labour relations and business performance of the small firms. Key features of a subset of small firms with an orientation towards employment growth are identified.     

Accountability and Role Effects in Balanced Scorecard Performance Evaluations When Strategy Timeline Is Specified

Abstract

This study experimentally examines if fixation on lagging financial measures (relative to leading non-financial measures) as reported in prior balanced scorecard literature is mitigated when evaluators are provided with a strategy implementation timeline (a non-manipulated variable). The experiment manipulates whether or not evaluators are subject to process accountability as well as the role to which evaluators are assigned (i.e. supervisor or subordinate). We predict and find that, in general, the provision of an implementation timeline results in evaluators placing more weight on strategically linked, leading non-financial measures within a subordinate's time span of control compared to strategically linked, lagged financial measures beyond the subordinate's controllable time horizon. However, we also find that evaluators in the role of a supervisor differentiate less between strategically linked non-financial measures that fall within the subordinate's control and strategically linked financial measures beyond the subordinate's control when held accountable compared to supervisors not held accountable. On the other hand, participants in the role of a subordinate were able to differentiate appropriately between these measures when held accountable. Our results extend prior research by considering how linking a timeline to strategy implementation may assist evaluators when assessing performance in the presence of both leading and lagging strategic measures. Further, reference to an implementation timeline may influence role and accountability effects. Implications for future research in multidimensional strategic performance evaluation are discussed.