Clustering at the Movies

Weekly box office revenues for approximately 100 successful motion pictures are analyzed by use of a finite mixture regression technique to determine if regular sales patterns emerge. Based on an exponential decay model applied to market share data, four clusters of movies, varying in opening strength and decay rate, are found. Characteristics of the clusters and implications for future research are discussed.     

Ethics at the workplace

Are facts the only criteria that should determine an arbitrator's decision but are there other ethical criteria that ought to be used? Arbitrators are often faced with deciding issues like whether a person discharged already by a company for arson, should be reinstated or not to his old job. The problem, however, may not be the facts but that the company has discharged him to get rid of him so that it no longer has a problem while society does with the arsonist at work elsewhere. Another problem involves the teaching of human resources management. Most of the current literature dealing with modern management reflects the belief that participatory management is good for management. Most of the evidence supporting such a claim is weak; there surely is very little evidence that such participation should include nonsupervisory employees. The discussion concerning the issue of participatory management could be raised if the participants stopped talking about the increased productivity that is supposed to result, but rather deal instead with the issue that such participation is a form of industrial democracy and therefore is good or bad depending upon a person's ethical judgments concerning such an issue.     

Arriving at the high-growth firm

This study explores heterogeneity in how firms have achieved high growth. Using the population of all firms in Sweden with more than 20 employees in existence in 1996 (N=11,748), we analyzed their development for each year of the previous 10 years (1987 to 1996). From this population of all firms in Sweden, multiple criteria were used to define a sample of high-growth firms (n=1501). Using 19 different measures of firm growth (such as relative and absolute sales growth, relative and absolute employee growth, organic growth vs. acquisition growth, and the regularity and volatility of growth rates over the 10-year period), we identified seven different types of firm growth patterns. These patterns were related to firm age and size as well as industry affiliation. Implications for research and practice are offered.     

面临选择的银行业

加入世贸组织后,我国银行业的分业经营还是混业经营成为近期讨论的热点。银行业进行分业或混业经营选择依赖于银行业的自身素质和银行业面对的外部环境,服从于国民经济发展的要求,在现阶段主要实行分业经营,逐步过渡到混业经营,是目前银行业必然的选择。     

Business ethics at the crossroads

During the last decade, the intensity of interest in the subject of business ethics has surprised even the most ardent defenders of the movement. It is easy to become euphoric over such developments. Yet, we should not be lulled into believing that such growth has no limits. The fact is that the movement stands at a watershed where certain alternative courses of action are available. In this paper, I outline what some of those crossroads are and what the consequences will be if certain actions are or are not taken. The key to success is dependent upon a multidisciplinary approach that relies on dialogue and cooperation among colleagues in the academy and in business. This will ensure a true mix of theory and practice.     

在上海对外贸易学院“入世研创学会”(SWORD)3月15日成立大会上的讲话致词

<正> 各位嘉宾,各位朋友:我非常高兴今天应邀参加上海对外贸易学院“入世研创学会”成立大会。首先我代表中国复关和入世谈判代表团的新老成员,对上海外贸学院“入世研创学会”的成立表示衷心的祝贺。该学会的成立不仅标志着上海有关入世和 WTO 研究跃上了一个新台阶,而且也表明全国高等经贸类院校对入世和 WTO 科研的重视,正在从酝酿筹备转入了行动实施,从一般性的学术研     

Exploring globalization and marketing performance at the 2012 Global Marketing Conference at Seoul

This special issue of the Journal of Business Research features sixteen articles selected from papers presented during the third Global Marketing Conference held in Seoul, July 19–22, 2012, hosted by Korean Scholars of Marketing Science, European Marketing Academy, Japan Society of Marketing and Distribution, International Textile and Apparel Association, and Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy. The articles offer readers an interesting mix of topics and methods in complex and global marketing environments. They offer marketing practitioners new ideas and approaches for dealing effectively with the increasingly challenging marketing world and provide marketing researchers insights that may inspire future research.     

The world economy at the crossroads

The dramatic changes presently taking place in the world economic environment involve considerable risks, but at the same time offer significant opportunities which should not be ignored. Some of the major challenges the world economy is facing in the 1990s are discussed in the following article.     

Looking at the "Toshiba Storm

Afterfindingpossiblestorageproblemsnotebookcomputers,twoUSToshibanotebookcomputersusersappealedtothelocalcourtagainsttheThshibabranchintheUSAinMarchlastyear,andtheToshibaCochosereconciliationoutsidethecourtinOctober.FinallyToshibashoulderedalossofUS$1billion.ButToshiba'streatmentoftheChineseconsumersfacingsimilarproblemswas:toissuea"patch"softwareattheToshibawebsitewhichcanbedownloadedfreeandinstalledontheirownnotebookcomputers.InMay8thisyear,aChinesenewswebsitereportedtheincidentof"co…     

快速通关大盘点

8月25日上午9点,上海环亚化工进出口公司报关员李涛走进位于黄浦江边的报关大厅,办理涤纶短纤的进口转关手续.报关大厅里像往常一样熙熙攘攘.李涛从事报关工作已经四年了,对这种情况已经司空见惯.按照以往的经验,办结全部手续至少需要一天的时间,因此当一个多小时后他拿着办结的全部单据走出报关厅大门的时候,李涛在惊讶的同时感到有些兴奋:以后再也不用中午在外面吃那难吃的快餐了.     

China''''s Auto Industry at the Crossroad

The century-old world automobileindustry has experienced two majorreorganizations.The first one tookplace during the industrialized countries'internal merger that started in the early yearsof the 20th Century.Scores or hundreds ofautomobile factories in these countries weremerged into three or four large groups;thesecond one was a new round of a worldwidemajor reorganization happened in the late1990s,which was initiated by the GermanDaimler-Benz's purchasing the US Chryslerthree years ago.For today's world autoindustry pattern,authoritative persons give     

零点行动

2000年10月16日,午夜零点…… 连日的阴雨让人倦怠,惹得人的心情也和天气一样黯淡.我们的三菱吉普正在深汕高速公路上风驰电掣般地行驶.车内是深圳海关机动查缉科王科长和他的几名科员.打开车窗,任由风雨肆意地吹进车里,或是为了驱赶浙有的睡意,或是为了松驰一下紧张的心情.这样的雨夜,这样的环境,看来,又有一场斗智斗勇的战斗即将打响.     

Succeeding at the Chinese Business Banquet

Unless you are a veteran of Chinese business dinners and an expert on local society and culture there will almost certainly be the occasional misunderstanding.Some can be planned for and avoided whereas others will naturally be unforeseen. Status and respect for example,is always key in China.It is important to understand on every level and can range from addressing someone by their organisational position such as ‘director' to an informal situation ‘lao' where you acknowledge their older age as a sign of their wisdom.It is important to plan for this when conducting business in China.