V. E. Gamborg

Abstract

A glance at the numerous papers dealing with the influence of the rate of interest on the value of premiums will show that most authors aim at computing annuity values for a new rate of interest without first re-calculating the commutation columns, It is only in exceptional cases that they derive premiums or policy-values directly, i.e. without first finding annuity values.² Apart from the fact, that both premiums and policyvalues are implicitly given by a set of annuity values, the reason for the usual procedure lies in the type of calculations which is contemplated, since they cannot conveniently be applied to such ratios as premiums and policy-values. In the following lines we show how the method developed by A. J. Lotka ³ for the calculation of the rate of increase of a stable population is capable of generalisation and of successful application to our problem; thus the detour via the calculation of annuity values can be avoided.     

A tax-free exploitation of the turn-of-the-month effect: C.R.E.F.

By applying knowledge of the “turn-of-the-month” effect investors will improve the risk-adjusted performance of their retirement accounts by using a simple and easily implemented “switching” strategy. Our exploitation of the turn-of-the-month anomaly achieves a 17.7 percent average annual rate of return by switching between a money market account and a broad market indexed stock account. This is compared to a 15.6 percent average annual rate achieved by simply buying and holding the stock account, or a 5.8 percent rate on the money market account. Additionally, volatility is cut in half and there are no tax consequences or transactions fees when the switching strategy is used within a retirement account. Our results suggests that this strategy might be successfully implemented, under current tax laws, in qualified retirement plans and in variable annuities.     

A P.D.E. approach to Asian options: analytical and numerical evidence

We first derive a one-state-variable partial differential equation, easy to implement, which characterizes the price of a European type Asian option. This result is explained and related to previous literature. We then derive new results on the hedging of an Asian option and propose analytical and numerical analysis on the comparison between Asian and European options. Our methodology which applies to “fixed-strike” Asian options as well as to “floating-strike” Asian options completes and clarifies various results in the literature. In this paper we focus on “backward-starting” Asian options. Our approach is quite general however, and we explain how to adapt our main results to the case of “forward-starting” Asian options.     

Sense and reliability. A conversation with celebrated psychologist Karl E. Weick. Interview by Diane L. Coutu

Most of us see the organizations we operate in--our schools or companies, for instance--as monolithic and predictable, subjecting us to deadening routines and demanding dehumanizing conformity. But companies are more unpredictable and more alive than we imagine, according to Karl Weick, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan and an expert on organizational behavior. Weick says executives can learn a lot about managing the unexpected from organizations that can't afford surprises in the workplace--nuclear plants, firefighting units, or emergency rooms, for instance. In this conversation with HBR senior editor Diane Coutu, Weick examines the characteristics of these high-reliability organizations (HROs) and suggests ways that other organizations can implement their practices and philosophies. The key difference between high-reliability organizations and other companies is the mindfulness with which people in most HROs react to even very weak signs that some kind of change or danger is approaching. For instance, nuclear-plant workers Weick has studied immediately readjust dials and system commands when an automated system doesn't respond as expected. Weick contrasts this with Ford's inability to pick up on weak signs in the 1970s that there were lethal problems with the design of the Pinto gas tank. HROs are fixated on failure. They eschew plans and blueprints, looking instead for the details that might be missing. And they refuse to simplify reality, Weick says. Indeed, by cultivating broad work experiences and enlarging their repertoires, generalist executives can avoid getting paralyzed by "cosmology episodes"--events that make people feel as though the universe is no longer a rational, orderly system.     

反倾销锐：美国、欧盟与中国的比较

我国的反倾销立法刚刚起步，很多方面的规定都不够细致、全面，借鉴欧美国家的反倾销做法，增强我国倾销法的可操作性，尤其是细化正常价格、出口价格和倾销幅度的认定，在我国目前非常主要。     

借鉴美欧经验思考中国的反倾销法

通过比对研究发现，美国、欧盟反倾销法在“非市场经济国家出口产品正常价值的确定”、“公共利益的考虑”、“对出口商替进口商交纳反倾销税的作弊行为的制裁”、“反规避的措施”和“承诺”问题上存在微妙差异，而这几个问题在我国反倾销法中或未涉及，或阐述较为粗略。研究这些差异。将有助于完善我国反倾销法以及更好地应对美国、欧盟反倾销调查。     

阿德莱·斯蒂文森点评财经热点

阿德莱·斯蒂文森(Adlai E.Stevenson)先生是著名的国际金融问题专家,曾担任美国太平洋经济合作委员会主席及金融市场发展委员会联合主席等职。在1970年至1981年间,他连续两次以破记录的高票当选美国联邦参议员,并在数个委员会担任领导职务,由他主持起草的法律议案,不少被批准施行,其中包括如《国际银行法案》、《斯蒂文森技术革新法案》、《出口管理法修正案》以及《出口企业法》等。 阿德莱·斯蒂文森先生对中国的发展一直十分关注,早在1975年就曾访问过中国并受到邓小平的接见,此后又多次来访。今年他不顾70多岁的高龄,再次来华访问。2003年9月22日下午,阿德莱·斯蒂文森先生在下榻的香格里拉饭店接受了本刊的独家采访,就银行风险管理、吸引风险投资、中美贸易、人民币汇率等问题回答了记者的提问。     

论我国“互联网金融”人才的培养

互联网金融的快速发展为中国金融业尽快缩小与西方金融业的差距提供了契机,互联网金融是个发展迅速的新兴事物,互联网金融专业人才的培养更是迫在眉睫。文章通过传统金融与互联网金融特点的差异比较,提出要建立高瞻远瞩的人才培养观,高校应从课程设置、培养方法、培养师资和开放式国际联合办学方式等方面构建互联网金融人才的培养模式。