The major determinants of logistic performance in a global perspective: evidence from panel data analysis

The global logistics industry has grown significantly and logistics has become an important sector of the business economic system and a major global economic activity in recent years. Logistics activities accelerate economic and productivity growth. Efficient logistics is also important to a country’s competitiveness and source of employment. The purpose of this paper is to uncover and understand the major determinants of logistics performance (LP) to further lift the LP of countries. Using unbalanced panel data of 93 selected countries from 2007 to 2014, the present research attempts to critically investigate the major determinants of LP. In estimating the model, this study prefers to use static panel data approach owing to limited data. The findings of the present study reveal that (a) countries with low level of corruption and stable political environment are likely to yield a high level of LP; (b) improvement in resources supply such as infrastructure, technology, labour, and education also have a significant positive effect on LP. Therefore, institutional reforms and upgrading resources will effectively accelerate LP.     

关于中部六省旅游联动共谋中部崛起的探讨

中部崛起关系我国经济发展的全局，具有重要战略意义。借鉴长三角地区成功发展的启示，中部地区要实现崛起必须在发挥六省各自优势的同时，充分进行区域协作，实行区域联动。在目前六省竞争有余，协作不足的情况下，有必要利用六省旅游资源丰富、互补性强，旅游产业发展态势良好的有利条件，充分发挥旅游业关联带动作用明显、区域协作性强的产业持质，以旅游业为中部六省联动的首选行业，进行六省区的协作，实现六省旅游资源、客源市场共享，域内各级政府与旅游企业间的联动。并以此为范例，带动其他产业的协作与联动，开创六省上下一条心、紧抓机遇共谋崛起的良好局面。     

Informational Networks, Entrepreneurial Action and Performance

This paper develops a model that incorporates personal and business networks, firm action, and performance based on the existing literature. It explores the links between information and entrepreneurial-type action, and action and performance. Survey data was collected from a sample of 100 manufacturing firms in Thailand. Results show that entrepreneurs value the information they receive from their networks. However, there is little statistical support for tangible links between personal or business networks and entrepreneurial action and performance, or between action and performance.     

Maintaining a Reputation for Consistently Beating Earnings Expectations and the Slippery Slope to Earnings Manipulation

This paper investigates whether maintaining a reputation for consistently beating analysts' earnings expectations can motivate executives to move from “within GAAP” earnings management to “outside of GAAP” earnings manipulation. We analyze firms subject to SEC enforcement actions and find that these firms consistently beat analysts' quarterly earnings forecasts in the three years prior to the manipulation period and continue to do so by smaller “beats” during the manipulation period. We find that manipulating firms beat expectations around 86 percent of the time in the 12 quarters prior to the manipulation period (versus 75 percent for control firms) and that manipulation often ends with a miss in expectations. We document that executives of manipulating firms face strong stock market and CEO pressure to perform. Prior to the manipulation period, these firms have high analyst optimism, growing institutional interest, and high market valuations, along with powerful CEOs. Further, we find that maintaining a reputation for beating expectations is more important than CEO overconfidence and is incremental to CEO equity incentives for explaining manipulation. Our results suggest that pressure to maintain a reputation for beating analysts' expectations can encourage aggressive accounting and, ultimately, earnings manipulation.     

Do Asian stock market prices follow martingales? Evidence from spectral shape tests

This paper examines the martingale hypothesis for five Asian stock markets using the spectral shape tests of Durlauf (1991). Unlike the variance ratio test employed in previous studies (eg, Panet al, 1991), the spectral shape tests are consistent againstall stationary alternatives to the martingale null.The spectral shape tests were applied to daily and weekly returns on the stock indices of Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan over a period of 17 years. The results show that the martingale null is rejected for most markets. There is some evidence that the rejections may be due to low frequency or long memory influences.The authors are lecturers, Department of Finance and Banking, National University of Singapore. This paper was presented at the Third International Conference on Asian-Pacific Financial Markets, September 9–11, 1993 in Singapore. We have benefited greatly from the comments of Y K Tse and other conference participants.     

Further Evidence on Insider Selling Prior to Seasoned Equity Offering Announcements: The Role of Growth Opportunities

Previous research documents significant abnormal net selling by insiders prior to seasoned equity offering announcements. This study documents that the abnormal net selling is significantly greater for growth firms than for mature firms. It also shows that growth firms experience poorer post-issue long-term price performance, which suggests greater overpricing for growth firms. Further analysis shows that greater insider selling prior to the offering announcement is associated with a greater price run-up prior to the announcement and is not associated with a more negative market reaction to the announcement. Overall, the results suggest that investors may be overly optimistic about future prospects of growth firms.     

新中国成立以来上海城市经济发展研究

新中国成立60年以来,上海城市经济取得了令人瞩目的成就.从背景条件、战略定位、政策措施等视角出发,论述了上海不同时期经济部门结构、空间结构的特点及其演变过程.从产业部门结构演变来看,受对外开,放与经济联系程度不同的影响,上海第三产业呈现"V"字形发展轨迹,现已初步形成较为发达的"三、二、一"产业体系;从产业空间布局变动来看,受城市功能定位的影响,工业布局也经历了集中、分散、再集中的过程,目前已经形成了比较明显的圈层分布格局,内环线以内以服务业为主,内外环线之间服务业、高新技术产业交相辉映,外环线以外以工业为主.都市化、国际化对上海经济发展的影响日趋显著.