Food crisis detection: Going beyond the balance sheet

There is a disquieting tendency for agencies and governments involved in food crisis monitoring to neglect both the practical lessons of the past and widely disseminated recent academic research. One result of this is our inability to tackle adequately Africa's current food crises and famines. This article argues that we already know enough to devise viable strategies to deal with crisis, and that governments should be able to implement these without serious practical difficulty. The real difficulty lies in persuading officials in agencies and governments to view food crises as socioeconomic events, rather than purely as a result of climatological and agricultural catastrophies.     

中国企业全球化思考

中国企业最近的几宗大型兼并与收购案备受世界瞩目:TCL收购汤姆逊彩电业务和阿尔卡特手机业务、联想收购IBM个人电脑业务、中国石油天然气集团收购哈萨克斯坦石油公司、海尔竞购美泰克     

国内外纸业巨头抢滩中国市场

今年以来，中国市场成为造纸企业活跃的大舞台，国外纸业巨头布局中国的企业相继投产，国内企业争上的项目接连上马。一场“没有硝烟的商战”在神州大地拉开序幕，一部充满悬念的“大片”在中国开机。中国再一次为世界所瞩目，中国造纸业将如何演绎？让我们共同关注，拭目以待……[编者按]     

纸箱生产企业必须杜绝安全隐患

根据笔者所在企业存在的安全隐患和近几年一些纸箱企业发生的事故,深深感到纸箱企业的有关领导对各类事故切不可掉以轻心,麻痹大意,必须高度重视,安全工作要有力度,措施要落到实处.危险因素主要是：     

A theory of global strategic alliances: The case of the global auto industry

The theory articulated in this paper suggests that the desire to reduce demand and competitive uncertainty are two separate, important motives for alliance formation. Taking this as a starting point, we predict the configuration of horizontal alliances that we might expect to observe within an industry when firms experience these uncertainties to different degrees. An empirical test of this theory using data from the global auto industry yields results consistent with the view (1) that alliances are a device for reducing both the uncertainties that arise from unpredictable demand conditions and those that arise from competitive interdependence, and (2) that variation of demand uncertainty and competitive uncertainty across firms explains differentials in both the intensity and structure of their horizontal alliance activity.     

Industrial global brand leadership: A capabilities view

We examine the global branding programs of five New Zealand industrial firms and identify the salient components and capabilities underpinning these programs. The cases built their respective brand identities around adaptability to customer needs and the provision of a total solution. This identity was built around five capabilities: relational support, coordinating network players, leveraging brand architecture, adding value, and quantifying the intangible. Underpinning these identity promises were five organizational level supportive capabilities: entrepreneurial, reflexive, innovative, brand supportive dominant logic, and executional capabilities. This approach resulted in global brand leadership, but also reflected the fundamental differences between the B2C and B2B realms.     

世界炼油行业发展状况与趋势

2008年,世界炼油能力平缓增长,比2007年增长0．3％,达到42．8亿吨／年;炼厂规模继续扩大,平均规模提高到653万吨;炼厂深度加工能力增长迅速,加氢处理能力占炼油总能力的份额从1997年的35％增至2008年的51．9％;炼油装置适应能力逐步增强,利用率明显下降。同时,经济减速导致油品需求出现自1983年以来的首次下降,且供需依然不平衡。炼油毛利在持续多年保持较高水平后转而下行,炼油工业持续数年的景气高峰期结束。政府对可替代燃料的大力支持以及全球经济衰退威胁到全球炼油项目的投资前景,预计2015年全球油品生产能力可能将低于需求。各国对清洁燃料的标准要求日趋严格,导致炼油行业整体灵活性下降。     

2009年全球汽油市场分析

因经济恶化,2008年全球汽油需求出现负增长。2008年全球汽油供应为2196万桶／日,需求为2207万桶／日,缺口由上年的34万桶／日缩小至10万桶／日。北美、中东、拉美和非洲存在汽油缺口,欧洲和欧亚地区供应过剩。2008年美国汽油需求由上年的929万桶／日降至897万桶／日,净进口量也由上年的100万桶／日以上下降至90．3万桶／日。预计2009年美国汽油消费将微升0．7％,至903万桶／日,但汽油市场依旧疲软。关国是欧洲汽油的传统出口市场,受前者市场低迷影响,欧洲汽油将不得不寻求其他出口市场。预计2009年欧洲汽油将过剩117万桶／日。2009年亚太地区炼厂新增一次炼油加工能力将达201万桶／日,这些新增炼油能力将对炼油毛利构成压力,并不得不寻找新的出口市场。中东地区成品油需求的快速增长成为汽油消费的新增长点。预计2009年全球汽油供应量将持平或略低于去年的水平,而需求将持续疲软,全年NYMEX RBOB与WTI价差将在8关元／桶左右的较低水平运行。全球汽油贸易格局将不再是简单的单方向路径。