Labor Flexibility,Ownership and Firm Performance in China

Developed and developing countries alike areprivatizing or corporatizing state owned enterprises(SOEs), often citing the flexibility to hire and shedlabor as an advantage. However, there is littleempirical evidence on the extent to which thisimproves firm performance. This paper investigates thelinkage between labor flexibility, ownership and firmperformance using China as a case study. We find thatSOEs are much less able to adjust quickly to demandshocks than are other ownership forms and that thedegree of worker input into hiring and firingdecisions slows the ability of firms to adapt,negatively affecting firm performance.     

Per capita grain output in China and India

Difficulties and complications beset any attempt to compare the performance of the economies of India and China as Prof Donnithorne illustrates in her examination of their per capita grain output. She shows that Chinese per capita grain output has been consistently higher than that of India, a fact which she attributes to the greater natural resource endowment of China, the recycling of wastes and the higher processing factor for grain. This basic difference in productive capacity should not be overlooked when examining the differences in the distributive systems and food availability at the village level.     

我国制造业的对外开放与国家经济安全

随着商品、技术和投资等方面对外开放程度的不断扩大，我国制造业日益融入国际分工体系之中。即使是在经济全球化不断深化的今天，国家仍然是最重要的经济利益主体，由于制造业在国民经济中无可替代的重要地位，制造业对外开放必然会对国家经济安全产生深刻影响。     

产业转型与中国经济增长

本文对改革开放以来中国产业转型指标进行分析，揭示了中国经济增长的速度和质量与产业转型之间的相关关系，为产业政策的制定和实施提供一些有益的启示。     

Differentiating Major and Incremental New Product Development: The Effects of Functional and Numerical Workforce Flexibility*

This study seeks to explain the differential effects of workforce flexibility on incremental and major new product development (NPD). Drawing on the resource‐based theory of the firm, human resource management research, and innovation management literature, the authors distinguish two types of workforce flexibility, functional and numerical, and hypothesize differential effects on NPD outcomes. A large‐scale sample of 284 Dutch firms across various manufacturing goods and business services industries serves to test these hypotheses. The results suggest that functional flexibility positively influences incremental NPD only, internal numerical flexibility negatively influences incremental NPD only, and external numerical flexibility positively influences major NPD only. Thus, differences between major and incremental NPD are grounded in the human resource flexibility of the firm. This complements research that found that such differences lie in critical development activities, learning processes, and capabilities. It also complements product innovation research on flexibility in NPD processes and on flexibility in organizational structures and routines. It extends the resource‐based theory of the firm suggesting that human resource flexibility is part of the dynamic capabilities that allow firms to reconfigure existing competencies. The conclusions imply that managers of manufacturing and service firms may use training and education and create a functional flexible workforce that can progressively enhance incremental NPD outcomes. They may want to avoid paying overtime, because such internal numerical flexibility hampers incremental NPD, but use fixed‐term contracts to expand external numerical flexibility to enhance major NPD.     

Opening the Black Box of Upper Echelons in China: TMT Attributes and Strategic Flexibility

Many scholars have suggested that strategic flexibility is a critical firm capability to survive in today's competitive arena. The decision to take strategic actions to make the firm more strategically flexible typically originates in the top management team (TMT). As the principal decision‐making unit of the firm, TMT members' information acquisition and processing capabilities and subsequent interpretation of environmental changes critically influence the decision to make the firm more strategically flexible to achieve a better fit with its market environment. Therefore, in order to understand how firms can adapt to environmental changes, scholars must study the sociopsychological processes of interaction among members of the TMT. This study examines the relationships between TMT's sociopsychological attributes (shared vision, social integration, and political ties) and strategic flexibility, which is decomposed into organizational flexibility and technological flexibility. The study further investigates how the level of competitive intensity can moderate the relationships. All the hypotheses are tested using structural equation models based on the survey data from 227 firms in China. The results show that organizational flexibility mediates the impact of TMT's social integration and political ties on technological flexibility. Surprisingly, a TMT's shared vision for the firm neither impedes nor facilitates the firm's effort in attaining the desired degree of organizational flexibility. However, TMT's shared vision does have a positive and direct impact on technological flexibility. Moreover, intense competition amplifies the positive impact of TMT social integration on the degree of organizational flexibility, but there is no significant moderating effect of competitive intensity on the relationship between a TMT's political ties and organizational flexibility. The results extend previous research by highlighting the importance of TMTs' sociopsychological attributes in driving technological flexibility, through the mediating impact of organizational flexibility.     

互补发展对中印都有利B.K.帕托狄亚先生坐客《中国纺织》

印度在全球纺织服装贸易中扮演重要角色,出口达125亿美元,占全球贸易总额的3.54%,棉纺织业的地位更为突出,出口(不包括服装)3.5亿美元,占全球棉纺织品贸易总额的14%(仅次于中国),同时也是全球棉纱最大供应商,占全球供应总额的25%,而棉制品在17%的市场份额(全球第二).     

中国经济波动分析

作者认为,中国１９９１年开始的第９轮经济波动,到１９９年底已进行９年,呈现“高起缓落”态势。期间,经济增长率连续了７年回落,“十五”时期,中国经济有可能进入一个稳定的增长时期 动有可能在一个相对较高的平均位势上出现一种微波化的新态势,并表现为“长起短落”格局。这一时期关于经济较稳定地快速增长的需求基础问题,产出基础问题、区域基础问题、政策基础问题和外在冲击问题,值得重视。     

Flexibility and quality in logistics and relationships

This research focuses on supplier-buyer relationships in a distribution channel. It uses a contingency theory to claim that, under different environmental conditions, logistics flexibility and relationship flexibility for a focal firm (a manufacturer in this study) will have distinct effects on logistics service quality (when treated as a controllable mediator) and the firm's satisfaction in its relationship with its key downstream account. Using data from a survey of manufacturers in China, it uses structural equation modeling to test the main effects and moderated regression together with moderated path analysis to examine the contingent effects of environmental uncertainty. The results show that, as distinctive capabilities, both logistics flexibility and relationship flexibility have significant positive effects on the level of logistics service quality that the manufacturer offers, which, in turn, enhance how much it values and is satisfied with its relationship with its key account. However, the direct effect of logistics flexibility on relationship satisfaction is stronger under an uncertain environment, while the direct and total effect of relationship flexibility on relationship satisfaction is stronger under a stable environment.     

中国可持续发展油气资源安全态势

本文对可持续发展油气资源安全系统进行了界定，建立了相应的评价模型与评价指标体系，并就中国可持续发展油气资源安全态势进行了系统分析，提出了适合中国国情的提高油气安全程度的战略措施和对策。     

对我国劳动保障监察工作的几点思考

本文通过调查分析,认为当前我国劳动保障监察存在的主要问题有:劳动保障监察覆盖面不宽;劳动违法严重,违法种类多,劳动保障监察任务重;劳动保障监察缺少强制手段,处罚措施难以完全到位;劳动保障监察执行过程中各部门协调配合缺乏力度等。对其原因进行分析,进而提出6条对策:强化劳动保障法律、法规宣传,提高对构建和谐劳动关系意义的认识;加强劳动者教育,提高其维护合法权益的意识和能力;强化劳动保障监察手段,赋予劳动监察相应职权;大力推进劳动保障监察机构队伍建设;创新劳动保障监察管理和执法模式;完善劳动保障监察维权工作协调机制。     

中国经济形势分析

2005年，如果我们能够继续较好地把握宏观调控的方向和力度，主动而及时地进行宏观政策调整以适应国际经济环境和国内宏观经济形势发展中出现的各种新的变化，国际经济政治环境不发生有重大影响的突发事件，国内不出现大范围的严重自然灾害和其它重大问题，在宏观调控措施的影响下，据预测，GDP增长率将有所回落，     

Flexibility and rigidity in customization and build-to-order production

This paper deals with the efforts of firms to tailor their products to the needs of individual customers. The overall aim is to analyse the features of the evolving activity structures where customized offerings are created with ‘near mass production efficiency’. The paper begins with a literature review outlining modularity and build-to-order production as key features of customizing. The empirical setting of the case study is Volvo Cars' activity structure for build-to-order production. This structure is compared with previous means of making products available. The conclusion of the study is that activity structures for build-to-order production require extensive coordination, exchange of information, and interaction across company boundaries. The analysis shows that these structures rely on flexibility in some dimensions, while in others they build on rigidity. The paper concludes with implications for suppliers regarding how to combine flexibility and rigidity in order to be able to customize at reasonable costs.     

印度、越南制造与中国制造抢巴西市场

"同样一个玩具,中国制造的成本只是巴西的十分之一。"一名来自巴西的采购商在广交会现场表示。由于将要举办世界杯和奥运会,巴西国内的进口需求空前旺盛。不过,印度、越南制造也在与中国制造争夺市场。在全球经济疲软的形势下,新兴市场的潜力备受关注,特别是巴西、印度、南非等市场,更因对周边地区的强大辐射能力,成为国内制造商化解出口压力的缓冲     

区域人力资本与经济增长研究

利用面板数据对人力资本与经济增长的关系进行了实证分析。结果表明,人力资本对经济增长产生正向影响．且这种影响程度自东部向中西部依次递减。只有增加教育投资、提高教育回报率、提高劳动者受教育机会等措施才能进一步提升人力资本的作用。     

经济园区在中国的发展与现状分析

历经30年的发展,经济园区成为我国的投资热土,在经济园区发展日趋成熟的过程中也出现了各种问题,造成对自身发展的束缚和周围环境的影响。本文阐述了经济园区的发展历程和模式,分析问题产生的原因,以及对企业竞争和可持续发展带来的不利影响,并结合我国经济园区的发展特点,提出政府应不断完善创新体制,加强规范管理的政策建议。     

经济转型中的地方政府经济行为变异分析

本文围绕我国经济转型期相对“软化”的制度约束环境、中央与地方政府之间的委托一代理关系以及地方政府间“准联邦式”竞争关系这三条分析线索，应用“激励变异”和“代理变异”两个概念，结合中国改革路径的渐进式特点，对地方政府经济行为的变异进行描述、分析和概括。基本结论是：转型期地方政府所面临的相对“软化”的制度约束环境导致其产生激励变异；缺乏微观主体有效监督和约束的上下级政府间直接的委托一代理关系导致其产生代理变异；“准联邦式”政府间竞争强化和放大了地方政府上述行为的变异程度。     

我国煤炭产业经济发展趋势研究

一、煤炭产业演化规律1 .煤炭产业位置呈下降趋势随着经济的发展、产业结构的不断调整与升级 ,石油、天然气以及核电、水电等其他能源建设与发展速度越来越快 ,煤炭在能源结构中的比例呈现逐步下降的趋势 ,且这种趋势还将进一步加剧。在能源消费构成中 ,2 0世纪 5 0年代占 90 %以上 ,6 0年代占 80 %以上 ,70年代以来占70 %以上 ,八九十年代占 75 %左右。 1 998年 ,我国能源消费构成中 ,煤炭的比例下降为72 .9%。据预测 ,2 0 0 0年煤炭占一次能源消费总量的 6 7.5 % ,2 0 0 5年将下降到 6 3%。随着我国工业化进程推进 ,单位制成品所消费的煤…     

西部地区经济现状与大开发的对策

改革开放20年来，我国西部地区与沿海地区发展水平的差距进一步扩大，实施西部大开发战略，具有重大的经济，政治和社会意义，在此基础上，作者提出了西部大开发的战略重点，政策评价和前景展望。     

中国经济增长的新特征及其近期发展态势

进入2001年以后，中国经济继续保持了2000年的增长态势，但增长的基础仍然还不稳固，调控的空间还很狭小，要充分注意中国经济增长的新特点，高度重视世界经济放缓对中国经济的影响，努力使经济增长率稳定在7%以上，同时不失时机地加大改革和结构调整的力度，从根本上改善经济增长工的基础。