What Is the Economy Really Doing,and Where Is It Going?

China's official GDP statistics say the economy grew 8.9％ in Q4-2011,and 9.2％ for the year -pretty quick.Given widely held expectations of a slower Q4 and general scepticism on Chinas economy,some might wonder whether these numbers are accurate.At times of stress,we know that Chinas GDP numbers can appear a little weird.     

What Is the Economy Really Doing, and Where Is It Going?

China's official GDP statistics say the economy grew 8.9％ in Q4-2011,and 9.2％ for the year -pretty quick Given widely held expectations of a slower Q4 and general scepticism on Chinas economy,some might wonder whether these numbers are accurate.At times of stress,we know that China's GDP numbers can appear a little weird.In late 2008,we recommended a number of growth proxies to watch in case the GDP numbers became less reliable,including electricity production,freight traffic,and production of key industrial goods.All of these proxies suggested a deeper downturn in late 2008 and early 2009 than the official GDP numbers showed.In this note,we check in on those proxies,and they suggest that the economy is indeed continuing to expand,albeit at a more moderate pace than in 2011.     

NCR推出功能强大的POS技术

满足全球零售商的需求NCR最近推出全新POS产品──Real－POS 7456。该产品是业界第一部配备1千兆英特尔奔腾三处理器的POS终端机，同时还配有最新的高速热敏打印机和先进的多媒体显示器。除了能够满足全球零售商对低成本、高可靠性和保障投资的需求外，更进一步推动了未来高性能应用的发展。     

Is It Nocossary To Implemont Compulsory Certification?

Due to SARS,the deadline for adopting China's CompulsoryCertification, or CCC,had beenextended by three months. The newdeadline was set for August 1st,2003By this date,all related inspection andsurveillance agencies were in fulloperation. Products without the CCCmark are forbidden to be marketed orimported. This news has puzzled a lotof enterprises,especially small andmedium sized enterprises. With the     

Where Is the Economic Center of the West?

The China Western Forum 2000was held from 20 to 22 Octoberin Chengdu. Twenty policiesencouraging investment in the west wereput forward, and the western developmentwas further accelerated.Will Chengdu the No.4 City inChina?There are three generally acceptedmetropolises in China: Beijing, Shanghaiand Guangzhou.In a new round of competition, whichcity will become the No.4 after Beding,Shanghai and Guangzhou?Western cities are longing for thisposition.On the vast 56% of Chinese land inthe…     

Is It Ethical to Use Ethics as Strategy?

Increasingly research in the field of business and society suggests that ethics and corporate social responsibility can be profitable. Yet this work raises a troubling question: Is it ethical to use ethics and social responsibility in a strategic way? Is it possible to be ethical or socially responsible for the wrong reason? In this article, we define a strategy concept in order to situate the different approaches to the strategic use of ethics and social responsibility found in the current literature. We then analyze the ethics of such approaches using both utilitarianism and deontology and end by defining limits to the strategic use of ethics.     

金山软件推出《金山书信通2002》

现代书信格式越来越繁杂,商务信函、求职简历、情书、留学申请……让人无所适从。这一切,金山软件公司最近推出的《金山书信通2002》完全可以轻松解决,为用户提供数百种中英文对照式书信模板,可进行直接修改。不仅如此,还有好多人们所关注的内容,而且从构思、查资料、书写,再到发送能够一气呵成。《金山书信通2002》界面焕然一新,主色调采用淡蓝色,给人以清新的感觉。公共模板中有法律、留学导航、公文全书,社交礼仪、亲戚朋友、书信范例、精彩祝词、幽默风趣的手机短信系列、爱情密码等精彩内容。附录收录了三字经、名人名言、旅游指南、热门网址、中国大学、全     

Caller ID – Whose Privacy Is It, Anyway?

Caller ID or CND (Calling Number Display) is an internationally-available telecommunication service first introduced into the United States about ten years ago. Caller ID utilizes a new form of technology which enables telephone subscribers to identify the numbers (and/or names) of callers before picking up their telephones. This service has been widely assailed as an invasion of the caller's right to anonymity, a right which allegedly subsists as an important component of the caller's right to privacy. However, if privacy is defined from the perspective of the British philosopher John Stuart Mill, it can be argued that, even though anonymity is in fact an implication of genuine privacy, placing an unsolicited telephone call does not constitute a private act. Indeed, many callers who routinely block their numbers from Caller ID display units (such as telemarketers and telecharities) falsely assert a right to place anonymous calls in order to expedite their own intrusion into the privacy of others. This conclusion will be strengthened by contrasting anonymous telephone calls with the much more legitimate appeals to anonymity made by Usenet bulletin boards in cyberspace.     

Temporal Reframing of Prices: When Is It Beneficial?

Prior studies provide mixed results pertaining to the effectiveness of temporal reframing of prices. This study examines the conditions in which such temporal reframing to a shorter period of time is more or less beneficial than aggregate prices. Investigations of the role of four moderating variables—price endings, price level, time periods, and calculation affinity—show that reframed prices are more beneficial than aggregate prices for high-priced products, especially in combination with even price endings, an aggregate price that normally refers to a comparatively short time period, or customers with poor calculation affinity. Aggregate prices offer more benefits than reframed prices for low-priced products, odd price endings, aggregate prices that refer to longer periods, and customers with excellent calculation affinities.     

另类的电子邮件软件 《飓风邮件通》V3.21

电子邮件是互联网的最主要功能之一。目前,大部分中国用户使用的电子邮件客户端软件不外乎微软的OutlookExpress,或是Foxmail。这里,我们特意为大家介绍一款国人自己开发的电子邮件软件——《飓风邮件通》。其实,一般人在使用过OE或者Foxmail后,如果再使用《飓风邮件通》的话,很多用户会觉得它是一款非常“另类”的软件,因为无论从界面形式上,还是从操作上来说,它都显得与众不同。从网上下载的《飓风邮件通》是一个体积为630KB的可执行文件,在邮件管理软件中,它可算是最小巧的一款了。软件的安装过程很规范,安装完成后没有邮箱配置向导,用户需要在进入程序后手动进行配置。《飓风邮件通》的界面很特别,与其他邮件管理软件不同,它的收邮件、发邮     

Marketing Research With Telephone Surveys: Is It Time to Change?

ABSTRACT

Telephone surveys have been an important mode for collecting primary data in the marketing field in recent decades. However, the scenario of telephone coverage is changing mainly due to a massive increase in mobile phone-only usage, which can put the quality of telephone survey estimates at risk. The advance of mobile phones as the preferred telecommunication is a global phenomenon occurring in every country, although at varying speeds. This article examines the relationship between telephone coverage and the coverage bias of telephone survey estimates in the current scenario of telephone coverage across European countries. Findings reveal that the capacity for fixed-line telephone-based sampling frames to represent the overall adult population is becoming critical, especially in countries with declining fixed-line-telephone penetration rates.     

The Proposed Guarantees Directive: Is It Fit for the Purpose?

The purpose of this article is to critically analyse the provisions of the proposed Directive on the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees as it will apply, in particular, in the UK. The Directive addresses two perceived problems for the European consumer; the variation in the minimum legal guarantee currently provided by individual Member States, and the lack of clarity and difficulties in enforcement of additional guarantees provided by sellers and manufacturers. The article considers the detailed provisions of the Directive as to both the "legal guarantee" and the "commercial guarantee" and sets these provisions in a UK context in order to assess, specifically, their potential significance for consumers and consumer law in the UK.     

The Fed's New Communication Strategy: Is It Stealth Inflation Targeting?

Business Economics - Along with the minutes of the October 30-31, 2007, meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee released a summary of its members' forecasts of key economic variables, a...     

Deception in Business Networks: Is It Easier to Lie Online?

This article synthesizes research presented in several models of unethical behavior to develop propositions about the factors that facilitate and mitigate deception in online business communications. The work expands the social network perspective to incorporate the medium of communication as a significant influence on deception. We go beyond existing models by developing seven propositions that identify how social network and issue moral intensity characteristics influence the probability of deception in online business communication in comparison to traditional communication channels. Remedies to detect and discourage deception in online business networks are also offered, as well as limitations and future research directions.     

If Time Is Money Is It a Common Currency? Time in Anglo,Asian, and Latin Cultures

ABSTRACT

Social time affects the timing and frequency of purchases, the hours consumers patronize businesses, and how long consumers expect products to last. Understanding how culturally based social time attitudes differ will help marketers tailor their offerings and messages to consumers whose concepts of time differ. This exploratory study combined related streams of time literature to examine constructs of social time differences across cultures. Drawing upon a sample of 1377 respondents from six countries representing three cultural groups (Anglo, Latin, and Asian), the study explores the similarity and differences of cultural social time differences among these three groups.     

How Much More (or Less) Is a Brand Worth When Made in a Low Labor-Cost Country? It Depends Upon Who and Where You Ask

ABSTRACT

This multinational adaptive conjoint study measures how much more, or less, consumers might be willing to pay for different brand/manufacturing country combinations. Chinese, South Korean, and US respondents were asked about their preferences for laptop computers carrying different combinations of price, country of manufacture (CM), and country of brand (CB) cues. For all three respondent groups, price was the most salient attribute, followed by country of manufacturing, and then CB. Nonetheless, respondents from different countries differed in their preferences for price/country of manufacturing/brand combinations. The findings suggest that brands having both positive CB and CM images can charge premium prices in their home countries and abroad. Brands with weaker CB and CM images may enjoy home court advantages domestically; however, they may have to price their products lower when competing in countries with stronger CM and CB reputations.     

Credit Where None Is Due? Authorized‐User Account Status and Piggybacking Credit

“Piggybacking credit” is a new practice that helps consumers improve their credit scores by paying to become “authorized users” on established accounts. Authorized users are not liable for paying an account, but because of Regulation B (which implements the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act), the account's history factors into their credit scores. As a result piggybacking can be used to manipulate the signal of creditworthiness that scores provide and may help borrowers obtain credit for which they would not have otherwise qualified. This article investigates the policy questions raised by piggybacking. First, we evaluate whether the credit history disparities that motivated these provisions of Regulation B have persisted since they were written. Then, we assess the potential for score improvement through piggybacking. Finally, we evaluate the likely score effects of allowing credit scoring models to exclude authorized‐user accounts, the most widely proposed policy response to the emergence of piggybacking.