Statistical portraits of American business elites: a review essay

Since the early twentieth century, scholars have conducted statistical studies of groups of business leaders. These have often been extensive undertakings, calling for the collection of large quantities of information about business executives through the use of surveys, personal interviews, dictionaries, obituaries and biographies. The scholars who have carried out these studies have come from a range of disciplines, including sociology, history and economics. The questions they have asked have varied over time. Some have sought to uncover common characteristics among the executives themselves. Others have studied groups of businessmen in order to learn about society (especially the extent of social mobility), or about particular industries and the people who ran them. While the variety of approaches has led some to conclude that these studies present no coherent picture, this article shows an underlying pattern in these efforts and suggests a framework for future study.     

Genetic Testing and the Demand for Cancer Insurance

There has been an expansion of the availability of disease-specific insurance policies in the United States over the past decade. At the same time, recently developed medical tests are providing consumers with new information regarding their risk of contracting particularly serious diseases. This exploratory study makes use of data from two groups of women to examine the demand for one type of disease-specific policy, cancer insurance. Members of the first group have been tested for a BRCA1 gene mutation that is associated with an 88% risk of contracting breast and/or ovarian cancer by age 70. The other group consists of women from the general population who have not been tested for any BRCA1 gene mutation.The study results indicate that women who have been tested for the BRCA1 gene mutation are more likely than untested respondents to have purchased cancer insurance and to have recently thought about purchasing cancer insurance. The results also indicate that older women and women who have modest household incomes are more likely to have purchased cancer insurance. Women who have minor children, who are more highly educated, who have no health insurance, who have had cancer, or who report that they are in poor health are more likely to have recently contemplated purchasing cancer insurance. Our discussion of the findings highlights several issues that merit further consideration on the part of consumer policy makers working in the area of insurance regulation.     

手机出口渐入佳境

今年1—8月，中国累计实现手机出口16．2亿台，同比增长13．3％。2011年全年出口量有望突破10亿台。     

Learning to Compete: Transforming Firms in the Face of Radical Environment Change

Over the last decade, Latin American economies and companies have witnessed substantial changes as their economies have been reformed and opened to world markets. Firms that have adapted to these changes may have useful lessons to offer to companies in other countries as they face economic transformation and expanding competition.     

Multinational firms and the extractive sectors in the 21st century: Can they drive development?

Historically, extractive sector MNEs have been seen as an obstacle to sustainable development, because they operated in enclaves with limited local engagement. Import-substitution policies aimed to increase the local benefits of these resources, restricting FDI. Since liberalisation, extractive MNEs have re-engaged with developing countries through looser governance structures with greater potential for linkages. Despite the increased potential, few host countries have seen meaningful MNE-led development because of weak domestic firms and poor location advantages. New MNEs from emerging economies have also not shown a greater propensity to local linkages. Only countries that have continued to invest in location advantages have seen substantial benefits.     

Strategic Assortment Decisions in Information-Intensive and Turbulent Environments

Recent trends in the environment have caused changes in consumers’ store patronage, price sensitivity, and need for variety. These changes have led retailers to reconsider some of their assortment options. Specifically, we discuss how they may have led some retailers to move from a single-format to a multiple-format channel portfolio, how they may have contributed to the growth of the discount format, and how they tend to influence the private-label portfolio of many retailers. We end by showing how these assortment changes may, in turn, have various welfare, logistical, and tactical implications.     

Strategic Planning in the Law Firm: Managing Practice Areas

ABSTRACT

Successful organizations depend on good leadership. But today we need a new definition of leadership and a new approach to providing it.

In the past, the CEO (leader) was the person with all the answers. Today, if an organization is going to be successful we have to understand that no leader can have all the answers. Leaders have to have a vision and a strategic plan. But the actual solutions about how to meet the current challenges have to be made by employees (teams) closest to the action.

Today leaders have to empower their employees, to challenge them, give them resources, and then hold them accountable. If they struggle with this empowerment, the leader has to be there as a facilitator, teacher, and coach. Once employees truly believe the leaders have empowered them, and they own the problem, they will improve things very rapidly. Employees that are closest to the action are very creative and have a lot more ideas than the old style of leadership that handed down or directed employee participation and commitment!     

US Economic Sanctions Against China: Who Gets Hurt?

The United States maintains a broad spectrum of economic sanctions against China ranging from export controls to prohibitions on certain imports. Our study finds that, although from a macroeconomic perspective, US sanctions have had no significant adverse effect on China's overall economic growth and trade between the two countries, they do have a negative impact on producers and consumers in both countries. US economic sanctions have hindered technology transfer to China and US investment in China. US restrictions on imports from China have caused deadweight losses for the US due to higher domestic production costs for import substitutes and a reduction in consumption. US export controls have hindered US exports to China and contributed to large US trade deficits with China. The export controls have also caused losses of high‐paid jobs in the United States and benefited competitors from other countries. In addition, US economic sanctions against China have had significant third‐party effects. China's diversification of imports to sources other than the United States may have a long‐term effect on US exports to China even after US economic sanctions against China are lifted.     

A blueprint for green marketing

Companies have rushed to market environmentally acceptable products. But according to the author, many have ignored the planning considerations that should have preceded the development and promotion of these "green" products.     

Tobacco smoking's changing trajectory in Australia

This paper examines data from four Australian National Health Surveys and shows that decline in tobacco smoking prevalence experienced in Australia since World War II may not have continued as might have been inferred from the Lopez et al. model. The decline may have stabilized at approximately 20% of the adult population despite active anti-smoking campaigns. The data also suggest that changes in smoking status have not been consistent across all segments of the population despite all segments being exposed to the same fear-based campaign strategy. The data also suggests that while this health-scare approach may have coincided with improvements in the proportions of some groups of smokers who successfully quit the habit, an increase in the proportion of young females who have, at some stage, commenced to smoke has begun. If smoking prevalence is to be eradicated in Australia or other similar markets, campaigns must address cessation and prevention.     

R&D投入、科技成果产出和高新技术产业增长关系实证研究——以江苏为例

本文通过实证数据检验江苏省R&D投人与科技成果产出的关系。研究表明,研究与发展经费内部支出对于江苏专利和科技论文具有显著的正效应,科技活动人员对江苏科技论文没有显著的正效应:专利对于江苏高新技术产业产值没有显著的正效应,而科技论文对江苏高新技术产业产值具有较显著的正效应,还需要指出的是,专利产出、科技论文产出对高新技术产业的经济绩效贡献率存在地域差异,专利对于苏中、苏北高新技术产业产值具有较显著的正效应,对苏南高新技术产业产值没有显著正效应,科技论文对于苏南和苏中高新技术产业产值具有较显著的正效应,而对苏北高新技术产业产值没有显著正效应。     

Progress in pedestrian safety research

Abstract

This paper looks at the pedestrian safety issue and the research that has followed to understand and solve the problem of pedestrian safety in the last 120?years - since the time of the first reported pedestrian fatality in 1899. Researches have studied the epidemiology of pedestrian crashes, pedestrian behaviour, pedestrian movements and pedestrian flows. The suggested strategies to reduce pedestrian crashes have ranged from controlling vehicular speeds to controlling pedestrian behaviour. This study presents a summary of the progress we have made in understanding pedestrian crash patterns. Pedestrian behaviour observed in different regions of the world tend to have similarity in pedestrian behaviour: gap acceptance, preferences of route choice and location for crossing roads. High income countries(HIC) have reported reduction in pedestrian fatalities as compared to low and middle income countries(LMICs), however pedestrian trips have also reduced in these countries leading to concerns about the effectiveness of ‘known’ strategies. Speed control through active measures have been found to have themaximal benefit and education and training programs for altering pedestrian behaviour on the road the least benefits. Low and middle income countries face pedestrian exposure on high speed roads. New research efforts are required to address pedestrian safety in both HIC and LMICs.     

Dual organizational identification impacting client satisfaction and word of mouth loyalty

This research applies social identity theory to the project manager-client relationship in the service sector to examine the impact of dual identification and client co-location on the satisfaction and word of mouth (loyalty) of the client. The research is conducted in the information technology industry with a sample of project manager-client dyadic relationships. The results show that project managers that have identification to their own organization and the client organization have significantly more loyal clients compared to project managers that do not have identification to their organization or the client organization. Project managers that only have client organization identification and not service organization identification have significantly more client loyalty compared to project managers that only have service organization identification. Further, the results show that being co-located with a client results in greater client satisfaction, but does not increase a project manager's identification to the client organization.     

在华投资跨国公司弱化社会责任的问题探析

我国改革开放以来,引进了大量的跨国公司投资。跨国公司的到来不仅为我国带来了大量的资本、先进的技术和管理经验,也推动了我国的改革和经济发展。但是,近些年来跨国公司在华投资的企业出现了社会责任弱化的倾向。这既与我国相关的法律制度和监管体系的建设不完善以及过于追求经济发展的制度安排有关,也与跨国公司放弃职业操守过度逐利的功利心态有关。为实现跨国公司与我国的互利共赢,我国需要采取相应的手段和措施予以调整。     

Reasons for not volunteering: overcoming boundaries to attract volunteers

ABSTRACT

Research on volunteering has mainly focused on the explanatory demographics and functional motives to volunteer, but little is known about the reasons that people might have not to volunteer. However, these reasons need more academic attention, as they form the barriers that organizations have to overcome when attracting new volunteers. We examine a sample of 1248 respondents on whether they volunteer, are interested in volunteering, or have no interest to volunteer. We verify whether demographic differences exist between these groups. By means of an exploratory factor analysis, we analyze the reasons not to volunteer for those who have no interest to volunteer. This complements earlier research by focusing on the barriers that people might have, instead of the benefits of volunteering that have extensively been documented.     

中美贸易摩擦转向升级与对策研究

在当前经济全球化的背景下,国家间的贸易摩擦成为国际经济交往中的一种普遍现象.近年来,随着中关双边贸易的迅速发展,中美贸易摩擦也频繁发生.尤其是最近,中关贸易摩擦出现了转向和升级的趋势,开始由反倾销措施更多地转向反补贴以及知识产权领域的纠纷.     

失独父母的社会支持体系现状及优化策略

基于社会支持理论,探讨失独父母的社会支持现状及其影响因素。2018年3-4月以多阶段分层整群抽样的方法,在我国西部某地级市抽取失独父母样本量108,分析失独父母的社会人口学特征、欧洲五维健康量表(EQ-5D)和社会支持评定量表(SSRS)等。失独父母的主观支持分、客观支持分、对支持的利用度和社会支持总分的中位得分低于国内常模及普通老年人的分数,线性回归分析结果显示,是否有第三代,是失独父母主观支持分、对支持的利用度和社会支持总分的影响因素;婚姻状况和月收入是失独父母客观支持分的影响因素。对失独父母须建立长期、固定的帮扶机制;政府应加大对患有大病、有第三代、退休金较少甚或没有的失独父母的经济帮扶力度;应夯实家庭医生重点签约对象的服务内容;须构建多种形式的特殊养老政策,引导失独父母自励互勉,构建多元化的社会支持体系,帮助失独群体早日融入社会。     

纳米氧化铜制备与应用研究进展

纳米氧化铜有重要的性质和广泛的用途.本文综述了制备纳米CuO的各种方法及应用研究,分析了它们的优缺点,并提出了今后研究的方向.     

政策资源获取对农民工返乡创业绩效的影响——基于江西调查数据

基于江西省438份返乡创业农民工调查数据,实证分析了政策资源获取对农民工返乡创业绩效的影响,结果表明:政策资源获取对农民工返乡创业绩效有重要影响,并且对初始创业的农民工影响较大,而对达到一定创业水平的农民工影响较小;年龄、文化程度、电话费支出、兄弟姐妹数、创业年数等因素对农民工返乡创业绩效有显著正影响,性别、婚姻状况的影响不大。研究还发现,与其它经营形式相比,个体户创业的农民工取得的创业绩效较低。     

The impacts of the U.S.–China trade war

Business Economics - The trade war has received an enormous amount of attention. Its impacts today have been limited because the U.S. and China have been a bit restrained. Lots of firms have gotten...