发展我国企业对美国直接投资的策略

美国是我国企业对外投资的最大目标国,加入世贸组织为我国企业对外投资提供了极好的发展机遇。通过分析我国企业二十多年来在美国投资的状况及其特征,得出了我国企业在美国投资的策略选择:投资于具有领先优势的产业、加强各投资企业间的相互合作、采取灵活的投资方式、支持民营企业的对外投资等。     

中国企业如何应对美国零关税的挑战

美国提出的零关税计划将对发展中国家的工业造成很大冲击,对于加入世贸组织仅一年多的中国也不例外。本文论述了中国工业企业和进出口贸易将受到的影响和应对之策。     

EC standards process: Why U.S. firms should participate

New European Community product standards and certification rules will have a major impact on US. sales there in coming years. With stronger European growth and the lower US. dollar creating broad opportunities for US. exporters, businesspeople must actively participate in the standards-setting process by commenting upon technical positions and draft proposals, both in the national standards organizations and in Europe-wide standards bodies.     

美墨卡车跨境运输争端案及其启示

卡车跨境运输争端是美国与墨西哥在《北美自由贸易协定》下发生的涉及卡车跨境运输的服务贸易争端。该争端前后历时16年之久,全面展现了美国国内利益集团在对外贸易政策制定方面的影响力,更凸显了美国“实用主义”的国际法观及其对外贸易政策制定的国内政治博弈特点。而该争端的解决为世界各国如何在多边贸易体制中处理与贸易相关的社会问题提供了有益的借鉴。     

二战后美日两国国际技术贸易的发展概况及对我国的启示

加入世贸组织必将对我国开展国际经济技术交流与合作带来深远的影响,一方面合作与交流的机会将不断增多,另一方面面对的竞争也将更为激烈。如何把握机会应对挑战,是我国发展国际技术贸易的一个非常现实的问题。而关日两国在二战后发展国际技术贸易中成功的经验为我国提供了可资借鉴之处。本文通过对美日两国发展技术贸易的概况及特点的分析比较,并结合目前我国技术贸易的发展状况,得出了一些对我国开展国际技术贸易有益的结论。     

The new EU merger regulation: Implications for EU‐U.S. merger strategies

This article examines the implications of the new EU merger regulation (EU 139/2004) on international merger strategies. Important changes in the new regulation on both a substantive and procedural level are analyzed in the comparative context of EU and U.S. merger‐control policies. In particular, the article evaluates whether the “substantial impediment to effective competition” (SIEC) test in the new regulation implies convergence with the U.S. “substantial lessening of competition” (SLC) benchmark. In this context, the article develops scenarios for convergence between EU and U.S. merger‐control policies. The EU merger process has emerged against a background of significant political and institutional development in the European Union, and this is an important explanatory element in the development of competition policy in general and for the new merger regulation in particular. It also has implications for merger strategies examined at the end of the article. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Firm Characteristics and Managerial Perceptions of NAFTA: An Assessment of Export Implications for U.S. SMEs

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may present significant opportunities or significant threats for small and medium–sized firms based in the U.S. Arguments are developed that explore the relationship among four internal firm characteristics and managers' perceptions of NAFTA. Managers' perceptions of NAFTA are measured as either favorable or unfavorable. The firm dimensions examined are strategy, performance, export experience, and size. The findings imply that managers' exhibiting favorable perceptions of NAFTA are related positively to differentiation strategy, performance, export experience, and size. A cost–leadership strategy demonstrated no discernable relationship with regard to perceptions about NAFTA. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Relationship between Written Business Plans and the Failure of Small Businesses in the U.S.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of planning on U.S. small business failures. A "failure" was defined as a bankruptcy with losses to creditors; firms with fewer than 500 employees were considered "small." Recently failed firms were selected randomly and matched with non-failed firms on the basis of age, size, industry, and location. The sampling frame was businesses listed in the Dun & Bradstreet credit reporting database. A paired-sample t -test was used to investigate differences between the failed firms and matched non-failed firms. The main conclusion was that very little formal planning goes on in U.S. small businesses; however, non-failed firms do more planning than similar failed firms did prior to failure.     

Financial Literacy and Retirement Preparedness: Evidence and Implications for Financial Education

Economists are beginning to investigate the causes and consequences of financial illiteracy to better understand why retirement planning is lacking and why so many households arrive close to retirement with little or no wealth. Our review reveals that many households are unfamiliar with even the most basic economic concepts needed to make saving and investment decisions. Such financial illiteracy is widespread: the young and older people in the United States and other countries appear woefully under-informed about basic financial concepts, with serious implications for saving, retirement planning, mortgages, and other decisions. In response, governments and several nonprofit organizations have undertaken initiatives to enhance financial literacy. The experience of other countries, including a saving campaign in Japan as well as the Swedish pension privatization program, offers insights into possible roles for financial literacy and saving programs. JEL Classification A2, G2     

Evaluative criteria for purchasing leisurewear: Taiwanese and U.S. students in a U.S. university

The purpose of this research was to provide exploratory information relating to the young consumer market in terms of purchase criteria for leisurewear. Data were obtained from 105 Taiwanese and 126 U.S. students at a major mid-western U.S. university. Direct hand-in questionnaires were employed to obtain a higher usable questionnaire rate. Purchase criteria used for this survey were price, style, brand, fabrication, size/fit, media exposure, colour, country of origin, and quality. Several factors under each criterion were provided. Students were asked to rank the importance of each criterion/factor. Results indicated that much similarity existed between these two groups of students in purchasing leisurewear. However, U.S. students rated highest (in descending order) price, size/fit, style and quality while Taiwanese students ranked highest (in descending order) price, style, quality and size/fit.     

The Effect of Management Policies on Plant-Level Productivity: A Longitudinal Study of Three U.S. and Mexican Small Businesses

To determine the influence of various management policies on productivity, various production functions of three small firms in labor-intensive, production-oriented industries are estimated econometrically and compared. Results from modified Cobb–Douglas functions indicate that the most important management-influenced factors are those related to job specialization, asset maintenance and technology policies, and changes in organizational structure. In addition, the results indicate that productivity is significantly related to a firm's overall profitability.     

Why is the bishops' letter on the U.S. economy so unconvincing?

This paper evaluates the rhetoric of the U.S. bishops' pastoral letter on the U.S. economy from two perspectives. Is the letter convincing? Does it conform to the “conversational norms of civilization?” The paper argues that the bishops' letter fails by both standards because it ignores serious research on the U.S. economy, it misstates important facts about the economy, and it sneers at professional economists. The paper concludes that the bishops' letter will not be convincing to well informed readers.     

Looking Ahead: Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Manufacturers

Manufacturing has received increased attention in recent years, as it has enhanced its importance in the economy with output and employment gains and as a driving force of U.S. exports. Nonetheless, the sector faces serious challenges as well as opportunities. The challenges are weak global economic growth, burdensome taxes and regulation, and a labor force that is unprepared to meet twenty-first century needs. Opportunities, however, are likely to more than offset the challenges. These are an improving energy environment, an improved climate for international trade, strong productivity growth, and continued strength in innovation.     

Why CIBERs matter to the competitiveness of U.S. businesses in the 21 century

Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBERs)—located at 33 institutions of higher education across the U.S. and administered by the U.S. Department of Education under Title VI of the Higher Education Act—serve as regional and national resource centers for the business community, and as conduits for major initiatives to support and strengthen the international components of curricula in K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. This article argues that CIBERs are well-positioned to not only address current needs, but also drive innovative thinking and leading-edge activities toward longer-term challenges. Herein, exemplary activities from CIBERs serve as examples to support this claim, and Indiana University's CIBER strategic trajectory for the 2010-2014 grant cycle is explored within the context of the current global situation.     

谈美国的经济现象与美元的财富效应

众所周知，美国是世界上经济实力最强的国家，同时也是贸易逆差最大的国家。那么，长期以来美国的巨额贸易逆差与经济增长却能同时并存，依然维持着美国经济的强势，这在世界上也是绝无仅有的经济现象。这里尽管原因很多，但从国际金融的角度分析，笔者赞同这样一种观点，即美元作为国际上流通量最大、流通范围最广的币种，其货币的特殊利益所带来的财富效应，已成为支撑美国经济发展的重要因素。现在，我们暂且不从理论上进行探讨，而只对美国经济现象的一系列数字加以分析，就会发现其中的奥妙，值得深入思考。在国际金融领域中，美国的国…