Market structure,risk taking,and the efficiency of Chinese commercial banks

We investigate the impacts of market structure and bank risk taking on the efficiency of Chinese commercial banks, employing a two-stage semi-parametric data envelopment analysis model. Our empirical results show that the intense market competition compels Chinese commercial banks to develop advanced technical experience and skills, thus improving their technical efficiency. Besides, the technical efficiency is positive associated with the risk taking. Since more risk taking implies a credit expansion of Chinese commercial banks based on the soft risk constraint, the improvement of technical efficiency may accompany an accumulation of banking risks in the current financial system of China.     

要素、技术能力与技术赶超方式的演变

技术能力决定了后发技术赶超的成败,而技术能力又是由企业要素所决定的。通过拓展的A-J模型,建立基于技术能力的后发技术赶超方式演变模型,比较模仿创新、合作创新和自主创新的绩效后发现:企业的技术赶超方式是随着企业的要素和技术能力而变化的,当要素有限、技术能力参数较低时,企业应该采取模仿创新的技术赶超方式;当要素和技术能力上升到一定的程度之后,企业可以采取合作创新的赶超方式;只有要素和技术能力上升到较高的程度时,企业才有可能实施自主创新的赶超方式。     

技术董事、研发投入与可持续增长

文章基于“特征——行为——经济后果”的研究范式，以2008-2015年中国披露了研发费用的上市公司为研究样本，采用中介变量方法对技术董事通过影响企业研发投入而作用于企业可持续增长的情况进行研究，并量化了这种中介作用的大小。研究结果显示：（1）技术董事对企业可持续增长的实现程度具有显著的正向影响；（2）技术董事对企业研发投入具有显著的正向影响；（3）技术董事对企业可持续增长的促进作用有一部分是通过研发投入实现的，企业研发投入是技术董事与企业可持续增长之间的部分中介变量。本文的研究对构建支持企业可持续发展的董事会治理结构具有重要启示，也为技术董事的创新驱动效应提供了经验证据。     

产品垂直差异、产品内分工与南北贸易

存在产品垂直差异和产品内分工的贸易模型可以更为深刻地考察南北贸易的模式及影响因素。其中,生产技术仍然是决定生产分工格局的重要决定因素,当其他条件保持不变时,如果南方生产技术水平提高,其将扩大生产范围,在保持生产原有质量产品的情况下,向更高质量产品的生产领域进军。而北方发生技术进步时,其生产范围将缩小,抛弃低质量产品的生产,专攻高质量产品的生产。当两国分别在不同的生产阶段发生技术进步时,基本变化趋势是使本国发生技术进步的生产阶段趋向高质量产品的生产。     

技术效率、技术进步与中国流通业生产率增长

文章运用基于数据包络分析的Malmquist指数方法测算了中国流通业全要素生产率增长状况,并将其分解为技术效率变化和技术进步.研究表明,1993-2008年中国流通业全要素生产率的平均增长率为0.6%,其中技术效率改善0.4%,技术进步率为0.2%,不同时期生产率增长的特点存在一定差异.同时,东、中、西部地区之间和地区内部全要素生产率的增长率也存在显著差异.全要素生产率对流通业的作用还有待进一步提高.     

Trompe l'œil: architects,consumers, and the need to rediscover technical function for ecologically sustainable housing

One challenge facing the need for ecologically sustainable housing is that it must cope with change over time. However, the flexibility required for housing to cope with change needs to be limited, as frequent change may offset the economy of resource use provided by durable housing stock. We describe two distinctly different but crucial aspects of housing services – social and technical functions – and briefly discuss how consumers and architects, who influence what consumers value in housing, have shifted design practices away from technical function and towards enhancement and growth of social function. Specifically, psychological obsolescence, which began in consumer products, is now emerging in housing, potentially accelerating demand for change as a result of fashion trends (an approach to the social function of identity expression) in housing. Four potential approaches to inspire consumer recognition of technical function in pursuit of ecologically sustainable housing are briefly discussed. These include promoting a ‘green’ fashion trend and three approaches that aim to restore the balance between social and technical function within housing design: regulatory tools, internalization of unaccounted costs, and incentives to move consumers from assumed to explicit recognition of technical function. Because they address the core problem of missing technical function, not just the increased demand for social functions, only these latter three approaches, possibly in combination, appear likely to contribute to a paradigm of ecologically sustainable housing.     

FDI、出口密集度与环境技术效率——基于产业数据的分位数回归方法分析

运用数据包络分析(DEA)技术测算行业环境技术效率后发现:一般清洁型行业的技术效率相对较高,污染密集型行业的技术效率最低。接着,利用分位数估计外资进入对中国36个工业行业环境技术效率的影响,结果发现:外资进入会通过直接渠道和间接渠道总体增加行业环境技术效率,但这种影响会随着技术效率的不断增加而逐渐增加。当以内资企业出口密集度作为吸收能力的表征时,溢出效应会随着环境技术的不断增加由先升后降最后变为不显著,并且外资也会通过溢出以外的渠道呈现出逐渐增加的正向影响。     

The critical relationship between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs: Planning,decision-making,and control

On the basis of preliminary interview and survey data, evidence suggests that venture capitalists (VCs) are less involved with their affiliated new venture organizations than may be necessary for long term survival. The dual core model of innovation that emphasizes the need of a technical and administrative core for continued innovation is used as the foundation of this perspective. In the post investment relationship between the venture capitalist and the new venture, it is expected that the new venture has a well developed technical core. However, the administrative needs are often ignored by the new venture entrepreneurs. Therefore, it is recommended that VCs become more involved in the administrative component of the new venture organization (NVO) through either direct involvement or through the recruiting of key personnel. As the NVO moves through its life cycle the addition of an administrative component to its technical core provides for continued innovation necessary for long term survival and growth.     

Trade,Technical Change,and Labour Market Adjustment

This paper empirically examines three possible reasons for the high and rising unemployment of low‐skilled employees in Germany: (i) an upsurge in inter‐industry trade, (ii) a skill‐biased technical change, and (iii) a failure of labour market adjustment. The empirical analyses indicate that an exogenous wage‐setting process as well as a bundle of factors, including a skill‐biased technical and structural change, have contributed to the decline in relative demand for low‐skilled employees in Germany. Thus, economic policy in Germany should focus on improving the employability of workers in the lower segment of the labour market and on raising the adjustment flexibility, above all the flexibility of the wage structure, of the German labour market.     

Skill bias, trade, and wage dispersion

Wage ratios between different percentiles of the wage distribution have moved in parallel and then diverged in the U.S. in the last 50 years. In this paper, I study the theoretical response of wage ratios to skill-biased technical change and trade integration. I build a simple model of heterogeneous technology and heterogeneous workers that features complementarities between the quality of ideas and abilities. I show that changes to the skill bias of technology and to trade costs can both reproduce the observed pattern since (i) they have similar asymmetric effects on productive vs. unproductive firms, and (ii) positive assortative matching in the labor market transmits this asymmetry across high and low skill workers. Focusing on the different channels through which skill-biased technical change and trade integration operate suggests ways to disentangle the magnitude of each.     

技术标准战略、技术贸易壁垒与出口竞争力的关系——基于浙江出口美日欧的实证研究

本文在量化技术标准战略和技术贸易壁垒的基础上,利用浙江1995-2007年出口美日欧三国的数据构建了时间序列/截面数据模型,实证研究了浙江技术标准战略以及国外技术贸易壁垒的实施对浙江出口美日欧市场竞争力的影响程度。研究结果显示:浙江技术标准战略、国内技术获取、国际市场购买能力等因素与浙江产品出口美日欧市场的竞争力存在显著正相关关系,同时来自美日欧FDI的负向影响和技术贸易壁垒的正向影响都与传统观点不符。在此基础上,本文对提高浙江出口竞争力提出了具体的政策建议,包括将技术标准战略和外国技术贸易壁垒分别作为提高出口竞争力的内部动力和外部动力,以及高度重视从省外的技术获取等。     

我国出口产品遭遇新型非关税壁垒的对策研究

在经济全球化形势下,贸易壁垒从内容到形式不断更新。由于我国企业出口产品技术含量较低,价格低廉,对相关标准与规则了解不够,缺乏自我保护意识,致使其在国际贸易中遭遇到日益频繁的技术性贸易壁垒、反倾销等新型非关税壁垒。文章提出,我国企业应积极进行技术创新,与国际标准接轨,建立产业预警机制,组建出口企业行业战略联盟,以应对技术性贸易壁垒。应加强行业自律,重视非价格竞争;加强成本控制,转换国际市场进入方式;招聘专业人才,加强市场信息管理;健全财务制度,充分利用世贸组织争端解决机制,以应对反倾销。     

推进节能减排DNV联手打出组合拳

节能减排，是海事界多年来追求的目标。近年来，挪威船级社（DNV）联合设计单位、船厂、船东打出一系列船舶节能减排组合拳，在艰难的市场环境中共同创造竞争力。针对新船型设计、燃料电池的应用、燃油效率指南的颁布以及LNG船等话题，记者采访了DNV有关人士及相关合作伙伴。     

环境管制、区域差异与中国FDI工业企业技术效率

本文运用随机前沿生产函数模型,根据中国2001-2009年30个省区的相关面板数据,对包含环境管制在内的影响FDI工业企业技术效率的因素进行了实证研究。研究发现基于效果衡量的环境管制对FDI工业企业的技术效率有着显著的正的影响,基于污染治理投入的环境管制对FDI工业企业的技术效率有着显著的负的影响,而且企业投入在污染治理投资中的比重越高则负面影响越大。区域技术创新能力、市场自由化程度以及对外开放程度,对FDI工业企业的技术效率也有着显著的正的影响。全国FDI工业企业的平均技术效率水平不高,虽然呈现出整体上升的趋势,但增长率却呈现出波浪下降的特点,并且在东部、中部与西部地区间呈现从高到低的阶梯性。     

FDI、技术进步与技术壁垒形成 ——基于中国1992~2012 年的经验数据分析

FDI能够促进东道国的经济发展和技术进步,而技术的进步可能会带来技术监督标准的衍生和提高,映射在国际贸易领域就是技术壁垒的形成。FDI与技术进步的关系学界基本达成共识,即FDI能够促进东道国技术进步,而FDI、技术进步与技术壁垒之间是否存在联系尚待研究检验。基于我国1992~2012年相关数据的实证分析表明:FDI引起的技术进步对我国技术壁垒形成的贡献率较大,且随着时间推移,这一贡献率呈现平稳上升趋势,但上升的趋势逐渐减缓,即边际贡献率递减。     

Antecedents of customer loyalty in residential energy markets: Service quality,satisfaction, trust and switching costs

A conceptual framework is proposed that analyses the effect of perceived service quality, customer satisfaction, trust in the energy provider and perceived switching costs on customer loyalty in residential energy markets. Three distinct dimensions of perceived service quality are identified: technical quality of core services, technical quality of peripheral services and service process quality (functional service quality). The proposed model is tested within the scope of a representative survey of Spanish residential energy customers. Regarding the dimensions of service quality, the results indicate significant effects only of service process quality on satisfaction and, indirectly, on customer loyalty. Loyalty effects of further variables in the model are significant.     

Symbolic consumption,signification and the ‘lockout’ of electric cars, 1885–1914

The paper analyses the sources of meanings attached to consumption of the early automobile to inform analysis of the lockout of electric automobiles in the UK, mindful of related developments in France, and the USA. Data are gathered from archive sources, and include social and technical histories and popular newspapers and magazines from the period investigated (1885–1914). The paper asserts that the association of the early car with specific and particular cultural meanings, as defined by class and gender, led to it becoming an untenable choice for early consumers contributing to the ‘lockout’ of the electric car before it had a chance to establish itself as a viable socio-technical system. The conclusion highlights the limitations of an analytical focus privileging technical accounts of lockout and identifies the contribution of the concepts of symbolic consumption and signification.     

Fintech: Ecosystem,business models,investment decisions,and challenges

Fintech brings about a new paradigm in which information technology is driving innovation in the financial industry. Fintech is touted as a game changing, disruptive innovation capable of shaking up traditional financial markets. This article introduces a historical view of fintech and discusses the ecosystem of the fintech sector. We then discuss various fintech business models and investment types. This article illustrates the use of real options for fintech investment decisions. Finally, technical and managerial challenges for both fintech startups and traditional financial institutions are discussed.     

Big data: Dimensions,evolution, impacts,and challenges

Big data represents a new technology paradigm for data that are generated at high velocity and high volume, and with high variety. Big data is envisioned as a game changer capable of revolutionizing the way businesses operate in many industries. This article introduces an integrated view of big data, traces the evolution of big data over the past 20 years, and discusses data analytics essential for processing various structured and unstructured data. This article illustrates the application of data analytics using merchant review data. The impacts of big data on key business performances are then evaluated. Finally, six technical and managerial challenges are discussed.     

Integration of standardization and customization: Impact on service quality,customer satisfaction,and loyalty

The basic objective of this study is to analyse the direct and indirect impacts of standardization and customization on customer satisfaction and loyalty through service quality. The service quality has two dimensions: technical quality and functional quality. A framework is developed by extending Grӧnroos’ model of service quality by including the antecedents of service quality. A questionnaire-based survey collected data from 315 customers of three service industries: healthcare, hospitality, and education. The data was analysed and the model validated using PLS-SEM. The findings show that: (1) integration of standardization and customization of service offerings is critical for improved service quality; (2) standardization has higher impact on service quality when compared to customization; (3) functional quality has higher impact on customer satisfaction when compared to technical quality; and (4) customer satisfaction has a significant effect on customer loyalty. The contribution of this study is the development of an integrated framework to analyse the roles of standardization and customization on service quality.