Outsourcing and firm performance nexus: An analysis using the conventional and panel double-bootstrap procedure

Industrial performance is an essential element of economic progress. In this study, we examine the impact of outsourcing on industrial performance using the firm-level data of 191 textile companies in India over the period 2000–2015. First, we follow the conventional non-parametric two-stage procedure and analyse the nexus between outsourcing and firm performance under a single-objective setting. We then test the influence of outsourcing on the performance of multiple-objective firms using reverse directional distance function scores. To address the bias in efficiency estimation and the serial correlation issue in the second-stage regression, we use truncated regression and the double-bootstrap procedure for panel data analysis. Our results show an improvement in industrial performance over the study period. Our analysis following the conventional two-stage procedure shows that the outsourcing of manufacturing activities and professional jobs contributes to industrial performance. The relation between outsourcing and firm performance essentially remains the same in a more reliable analysis using a panel double bootstrap procedure.     

The Spanish Textile Industry Sans ATC Quota Protection

The Spanish textile and apparel manufacturing sectors have been badly impacted by the global recession as well as the removal of quotas that were in place with the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC). This study employs a cost function to investigate the presence of scale economies and the interrelationships among inputs of domestic capital, labor, and intermediate goods as well as outsourced (imported) intermediate products for the Spanish textile industry in a global environment that has become increasingly competitive. While there is evidence of scale economies at low output levels, there is also some evidence consistent with diseconomies of scale at the highest output levels. All of the inputs appear to be substitutes for one another except for domestic capital and outsourced intermediate goods. An important finding is that the demands for both labor and domestic intermediate goods have become increasingly sensitive to the prices of outsourced inputs. The estimated coefficients of dummy variables indicate that reduced international trade restrictions have put downward pressure on unit cost for the industry in recent years. These results suggest that the Spanish textile industry and its domestic suppliers will be increasingly challenged by international competitive pressures.     

我国纺织品出口对经济增长贡献的实证研究

出口贸易是影响经济增长的重要因素。本文采用1980-2004年的数据,描述了我国纺织品出口的特点,并借助协整模型实证研究了纺织品出口对经济增长的影响,指出二者之间存在长期的动态关系。通过定量分析,发现纺织品出口对经济增长的直接拉动度和贡献率都较低,这是因为我国纺织服装行业一方面受宏观环境影响,另一方面自身竞争优势不足。本文经过研究,形成了对我国纺织品出口与经济增长之间关系直观而清晰的认识,并为无配额时代我国纺织业发展的后续研究提供了参考。     

Factors motivating and influencing clothing disposal behaviours

This study of 232 college students was framed by Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action and examined factors that motivate and influence college students' clothing disposal behaviours. Using survey questionnaires, we investigated four different clothing disposal options (resale, donation, reusing and discarding) and examined five motivational factors (environmental, economic, charity and convenience concerns and information unavailability). The influences of attitudes towards the environment and subjective norms of family and friends on clothing disposal behaviours also were examined. Results indicated that resale and donation behaviours were explained by environmental concerns and that reuse and resale behaviours were explained by economic concerns. Charity concerns motivated donation behaviours and convenience motivated discarding behaviours. Further, findings indicated that family subjective norms influenced environmentally motivated resale and donation behaviours.     

Indian textile suppliers' sustainability evaluation using the grey approach

Textile supply chains consist of multinational garment retailers (customers), garment manufacturers (suppliers), and ancillary suppliers (suppliers to manufacturers). This paper evaluates suppliers' within the Indian textile and clothing industry (both garment manufacturers and ancillary suppliers) using sustainability criteria. Examining a sample of sixty-three suppliers and six sustainability criteria (i.e. discrimination, abuse of human right, child labor, long working hours, unfair competition, and pollution), we categorize suppliers into the three categories of ‘good performer’, moderate performer’, and ‘performance not up to expectation’. Since all the criteria are potentially subjective, we have employed the grey approach for analysis. The results indicate that the criterion of long working hours is a critical one for both categories of suppliers; in the case of garment manufacturers, we found that pollution and unfair competition were the most important criteria. In addition, employing child labor was found to be a critical criterion in the case of ancillary suppliers.     

行为组织经济学综述

行为组织经济学是以行为经济学的相关理论为基础去研究组织行为的，该领域出现了一大批有指导性的研究成果，这样为组织实践带来更好的指导，文章通过对菜宾斯坦的x效率理论和卡梅拉和马尔门迪尔的委托代理复杂化模型作介绍，以求对行为组织经济学这本学科作出综述。     

国有纺织服装外贸企业应对“后配额时代”的SWOT分析

国有纺织服装外贸企业曾经是中国纺织服装出口的主力军。随着“后配额时代”的到来,国有纺织服装外贸企业的生存、发展环境发生了重大变化。运用SWOT方法,深入分析国有纺织服装外贸企业的内外部环境,得出以下结论：在其企业内部环境中,行业经验、人力资源、管理和资金等方面具有一定优势,但在新产品开发及创新能力、产品科技含量、自主品牌创建等方面存在劣势;而在其外部环境中,存在外部机会的同时也要面临诸多威胁。为此,国有纺织服装外贸企业应通过制定S0战略、WO战略等有效的经营战略来应时“后配额时代”的竞争。     

Walk Through Unusual Five Years—— An Exhibitor＇s Canton Fair Course

When the 103rd Canton Fair is approaching, an old friend of Canton Fair, Li Ying from Jiangsu prov-ince recollected his past five years＇ experiences to the grand trade meeting. Each year is special, with some unforgettable memories colored by the year.     

Export Growth Slows Down

In November of 2005, China and the U.S. signed a bilateral agreement on textiles, launching the three-year quota control for 21 sorts of textile products. In 2007, the second year for the implementation of the agreement, China＇s textile export to the U.S. underwent several changes.     

欧盟特保措施法对我国纺织品的影响及应采取的对策

本文对欧盟针对中国纺织品服装出口的特保措施法及实施细则进行了详细的介绍。主要分析了欧盟对于纺织品服装贸易特保措施法,提出我国相关企业应加快产业调整和产品升级,积极发挥我国政府和行业协会的作用,中欧之间的纺织品服装贸易就将朝着积极的方向发展。