欧盟的东扩与标准化进程

作为欧洲单一市场保障的重要因素，标准化在欧盟东扩中发挥着重要作用。为帮助候选国达到入盟标准并采用欧盟的立法框架，欧盟、欧洲标准化委员会及欧盟各国均采取了一些措施。在各方的共同努力下，欧盟标准的一体化工作取得了明显进展。     

从欧盟《电子垃圾处理法》的出台看国际贸易技术壁垒

世界贸易组织成立后，国际贸易中的保护措施发生了较大的变化。其中关于技术方面的贸易保护措施日益引起各国的高度重视。最近通过的欧盟《电子垃圾处理法》就是其中的一例。笔者在此主要讨论了该法的由来、对中国电子行业产生的影响及其带来的启示。     

The politics of Europe 2003: differences and disagreements

The European Union (EU) was supposed to make a great leap forward in 2003. In many ways, it did. The European Convention presented its draft constitutional treaty. The 10 candidate countries signed and ratified their treaties of accession, and the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) agreed to share institutional resources. However, the year was marked more by division than by achievement. A series of crises over Iraq, the Stability and Growth Pact and the intergovernmental conference together shook confidence in the future of Europe. This essay examines what the implications of these crises are for Europe’s future. It argues that they represent important disagreements––but not lasting differences––between the member states. The politics of Europe remains on track at the intergovernmental level. If there are problems in Europe’s future, they are more likely to arise between elites and voters than between the member states.     

CONTAINING SINO-EUROPEAN PROTECTIONISM

The trade politics of EU–China commercial relations have sharply deteriorated in the last year. Obsessed by the EU's trade deficit with China, European leaders have become shrill and confrontational in their approach. China has contained its irritation over the EU's China-bashing, but has slowed down its trade liberalisations. The EU and China must find a new way to contain protectionist threats in their trade and investment relations.     

Toward Monetary Union of the European Community

A bstract . European Community monetary integration has received periodic attention often as a result of financial crises but has now evolved into its major aim. To achieve this goal the European Monetary System was established in 1979. It was designed to provide a tool, the Exchange Rate Mechanism , for exchange rate stabilization and convergence of economic and monetary policies. To give further impetus to monetary integration the Maastricht Treaty was approved in December 1991. Experiences with the operation of the European Monetary System show that there is no conclusive evidence that it has disciplined the monetary and fiscal policies of all its members. More recently, Germany's insistence on a tight monetary- policy, to fight the inflation that resulted from unification costs, has brought turmoil in European financial markets and has dealt a serious blow to the system. Furthermore, the ensuing recession and its impact on the European economies make improbable that the timetable of the Maastricht Treaty will be met.     

Measurement Bias in the HICP: What do we know and What do we need to know?

Abstract. The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) is the primary measure of inflation in the euro area, and plays a central role in the policy deliberations of the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB defines its Treaty mandate of price stability as '… a year‐on‐year increase in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for the euro area of below 2%[…] to be maintained over the medium term.' Among the rationales given for defining price stability as prevailing at some positive measured inflation rate is the possibility that the HICP as published incorporates measurement errors of one sort or another that may cause it to systematically overstate the true rate of inflation in the euro area. This paper reviews what currently is known about the scope of measurement error in the HICP. We conclude that given the vague conceptual framework of the HICP, the scant research on price measurement issues in the EU and the ongoing improvements in the HICP, there is very little scientific basis at this time for a point (or even an interval) estimate of a positive bias in the HICP.     

International Business Environment in Mercosur Nations

Abstract

Mercosur is the latest common market in Latin America with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as its full members, along with Bolivia and Chile as associate members. Mercosur is an acronym for Mercado Comun Del Sur meaning the Southern Cone Common Market. Mercosur, with its original four member nations, has a total population of 200 million and a combined GDP of $1,000 billion (Fidler 1997, Pilling 1997). If Mercosur were a single country, this would make it the world's fourth most populous nation with the seventh largest economy.

Since the Treaty of Mercosur, also known as the Asuncion Treaty, the four full members have made tremendous strides towards achieving most of their objectives within the specified time periods. However, the agreement which called for the full implementation of a customs union by January 1, 1995, has not been fully realized. This has given rise to some concern among foreign investors about the practicality, and the attractiveness of the proposed Customs Union. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the general business environment of the four Mercosur-member nations through an examination of the agreement itself, followed by a brief investment risk assessment using a country risk assessment model, and conclude with some implications for prospective investors. The analysis is limited to the economies of the four full member nations mainly because of two reasons: (1) the study focuses on issues concerning this group's transition to a customs union and eventually to a common market, and (2) there are continuing negotiations with countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela for their accession into Mercosur as associate members. Therefore, the term Mercosur Nations in this paper refers to the four nations who are full members of Mercosur.     

DEVELOPING A CONSTITUTION FOR A LIBERAL EUROPEAN UNION

In many ways the EU Reform Treaty represents an advance over the status quo: it streamlines decision-making and makes institutions more accountable. However, the Treaty ignores opportunities for important institutional reforms and is unlikely to provide strong constraints on institutional power or halt centralisation.     

制度视角下中国OFDI区位选择的路径研究 ——基于模糊集的定性比较分析(FsQCA)

以2015年为基期,将54个国家的中国对外直接投资(OFDI)存量作为样本,利用模糊集定性比较分析法(FsQCA),从东道国制度环境、东道国与中国之间的制度距离以及双边投资协定(BIT)三个方面考察了制度视角下中国OFDI区位选择的路径。选择了5个指标作为前因变量——母国与东道国文化距离、经济制度距离、政治制度距离、双边投资协定以及东道国制度环境,分析前因变量之间的何种组态可以最终导致结果变量——中国对东道国高OFDI投资规模的产生。研究结果表明:中国与东道国之间的文化距离小是中国对其进行OFDI投资的必要条件;东道国与中国之间签订的双边投资协定与两国之间较小的正式制度距离,包括政治制度距离和经济制度距离存在替代性;良好的东道国制度环境会对中国对其OFDI规模产生正向的影响。     

The Swedish model and the future of labour standards after Laval

This article reflects on the European Court of Justice ruling in the case of Laval, involving Latvian posted workers in Sweden. It analyses the implications of the ruling and ensuing debate over the Laval case for the future of the ‘Swedish model’ and labour standards. It suggests that profound dilemmas now face trade unions both at Swedish national and European level as to appropriate strategies to adopt to defend national pay and working conditions in the light of the European Court decision and especially in the Swedish context due to the subsequent ruling by the Swedish Labour Court. Nevertheless, a human rights discourse is emerging in which the European Court of Human Rights may act as a counterbalance to the European Court of Justice, especially in the context of the Lisbon Treaty.     

Optimal seismic monitoring for event location with application to On Site Inspection of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Seismic networks are used to monitor seismic activity including explosions and natural events such as earthquakes. Data from a seismic network are used to identify the occurrence of an event and to determine the source location. The precision of the location estimates is highly dependent on the network configuration. In this article we apply the statistical theory of optimal design to derive network configurations that maximize the precision of location estimates. We derive theoretical characterizations of optimal networks and bounds that can be used to benchmark networks when practical constraints are present. We also discuss practical issues that often arise in seismic monitoring. An application of particular importance for our results is On Site Inspection (OSI) of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Suspected violations of the Treaty may lead the Treaty Organization to send an OSI team to investigate. One of the first tasks of the OSI team will be to deploy a mobile seismic network that can help pinpoint the source of the suspected blast from aftershock activity. Rapid deployment of an efficient network will be critical to the success of the mission. Our results provide a theoretical basis and practical guideline for configuring such a network.     

The coffee-machine system: how international selection really works

The literature on expatriate selection tends to present lists of criteria, with the implicit assumption that the process is formal and rational. The limited empirical work there is in this area suggests that these criteria have little impact on selection in practice. This paper argues that a deeper understanding of selection systems is needed and presents research showing the outcomes of different kinds of systems, suggesting that closed, informal systems predominate and outlining the practical and research implications of such systems.     

Progress hindered: the retention and advancement of women in science,engineering and technology careers

Over the last two decades rates of women's participation in science, engineering, and technology careers has greatly increased. However, to date little research exists on how women, especially those in management positions, are performing within these fields. Using data obtained from over 2,493 survey respondents and 28 focus groups, we seek to understand the barriers that hinder the retention and advancement of women in managerial positions in these career fields. Paying particular attention to for‐profit science, engineering and technology firms, we argue that there are significant barriers to female retention and advancement within these fields related to the norms of professionalisation, and that from a human resources perspective firms could do a much better job of leveraging the existing female talent pipeline in these occupations. In addition, we highlight the implications of our findings and provide our policy recommendations to address them.     

Employee relationship management — Realizing competitive advantage through information technology?

Employee relationship management (ERM) constitutes an emerging trend of managing human resources by building and maintaining individualized and mutually valuable relationships with employees based on information technology. However, given the early and still emerging state, there is little knowledge and agreement regarding ERM. Hence, the current paper attempts to clarify the concept and derive research implications. The formation and the strategic, processual and technological components of ERM are derived and discussed based on the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) concept that preceded it. As a result, a first general outline of an interesting and ambitious concept is presented. Based on the outline, major implications for further conceptual elaboration, theoretical foundation and empirical evaluation of ERM are derived to propose directions for future research.     

HISTORICAL LESSONS FOR EUROPE'S FUTURE IN THE WAKE OF THE EU CONVENTION

The EU's leaders are not taking constitutional reform seriously. An analysis of the history of the development of federal states suggests that they are unlikely to do so until a crisis precipitates action. The current constitutional arrangements and those proposed by the constitutional convention are a recipe for continued integration. Paradoxically, a brief, well-drafted federal constitution might stop the process of integration.     

欧盟茶叶农药残留限量新规定及我国对策

本文主要讨论了欧盟对茶叶农药残留限量的新规定、我国茶叶出口及农药残留情况以及我国应采取的策略。     

Mobile supply chain management: Challenges for implementation

Mobile supply chain management (mSCM) is fast gaining recognition as a major source of cost reduction and supply chain performance. However, there is little published academic literature on the application and implementation of mobile and/or wireless technology in SCM. This article attempts to explore the challenges of mobile technology for successful implementation of mSCM. The implications of mobile or wireless technology for successful implementation of mSCM are examined with reference to three critical areas of SCM: (1) competitive advantage based on the notion of value chain analysis in SCM; (2) relationship management for successful collaboration along the supply chain and strategic partnerships; and (3) coordination and integration of disparate functions and activities to enhance overall supply chain performance. The article identifies the implications of mobile technology for SCM and develops propositions that have important consequences on the likelihood of a successful implementation of mSCM.     

The Constitution that never was: is there anything worth salvaging from the wreckage?

In the aftermath of the rejection of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in referendums in France and the Netherlands this article analyses the complex messages delivered by the voters and evaluates key elements of the Constitution from the perspective of European Union (EU) employment law. On the basis of this evaluation the author seeks to establish whether there is anything worth salvaging from the wreckage of the Constitution and, if so, to identify the main priorities in the area of EU employment law and the means to make progress by amending the Treaties or otherwise.     

Patterns of telecommuting and their consequences: Framing the research agenda

While there are over 7 million telecommuters in the U.S. today, there has been little empirical research and virtually no theoretical work on telecommuting. Drawing from the literatures on contingent employment, job design and social isolation, this article presents a theoretical framework for understanding how different constellations of telecommuting arrangements and job characteristics lead to different patterns of employee attitudes and behaviors. After presenting a series of propositions, the article concludes with suggestions for the empirical testing of these propositions and a discussion of the implications for management practice.     

Refashioning Organizational Boundaries: Outsourcing Customer Service Work*

abstract In recent years there has been a discernible trend towards the outsourcing and subcontracting of work. However, there has been very little empirical research on employees' attitudes to work in outsourced firms. This study is conducted in the area of call centre services where there has been a substantial growth in the provision of external market suppliers. It examines employees' perceptions of their work and employment arrangements in both an in‐house producer and an external service provider and identifies and compares the factors that shape their organizational commitment and intentions to quit. The research found that the character of the internal labour market and the nature of the work regime were more important explanations of organizational commitment and intentions to quit in the external market supplier than in the in‐house producer. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for the quality of customer service provided under subcontracting arrangements.