Financial Integration Among the ASEAN 5 ＋ 3 Stock Markets： A Preliminary Look at the First 10 Years of the New Millenium

The purpose of this study is to investigate the financial integration of the stock markets of the ASEAN 5 ＋ 3 countries. These countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, Japan, and South Korea. The research determined the stock return volatility for each country＇s index during the first decade of the new millennium. The findings showed that there is the presence of integration and co-integration with Philippine index＇s return with the index＇s returns of the following countries： Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Furthermore, there is evidence of volatility clustering in these stock markets. The study concluded with the policy implications of greater integration in light of the planned cross trading among four ASEAN bourses, namely, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia by 2012.     

Competition in Marketing： Survival Yardstick for Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs） in Nigeria

The topic investigated competition in marketing as a survival yardstick for small and medium enterprises （SMEs） in Nigeria. The objectives addressed by this study were： （1） identifying different types and intensity of competition that SMEs are exposed to along the life-cycle portfolio in Nigeria; （2） quantifying the strength of SMEs vis-a-vis some foreign enterprises in terms of market competition; and （3） proffering solutions on how best they could match competitively these foreign enterprises. Relevant models and theories were employed in literature to evolve detailed analysis of issues relating to the variables used in terms of competition in marketing and survival of juice-producing SMEs. Two hypotheses were investigated through the survey of 20 prominent Ikeja based SMEs using Cluster sampling, 5-points Likert summated rating scale was adopted, while Yard＇s formula with 95% confidence level and 5% error tolerance was used. Alternative form validity of the instrument was measured at 0.63 while its reliability was measured at Cronbach＇s alpha of 0.70. Pearson＇s product-moment correlation was used in testing hypothesis 1 while standard multiple regressions were used to test hypothesis 2. Findings revealed that there was strong relationship between survival of juice-producing SMEs with forms of competition on a firm＇s life-cycle; while competition had positive effects on survival components for the enterprises. It was concluded that since competition subsists in any firm＇s life-cycle, strategies to support operations for survival must be adopted. It was recommended that operators of SMEs have to monitor and manage competition as it affects their businesses positively and/or negatively.     

Cooperation Between Co-operative Business Organization and Investor Owned Firm to Stimulate Economic Growth of a Country： A Cooperative Advantage Approach

This study elaborates that the economic growth of a country depending on not only the business performance of the investor owned firms （IOFs）, but also the business surplus of the cooperative organizations （Co-ops）. The policy maker should have the level of understanding and competence to blend five different factors related to organizational structure and business model of the Co-ops and the IOFs to the five similarities factors on the managerial approach of them into one marked. The study investigated five similarities factors and included into a conceptual structural model with its six measurement models, economic growth model, general national factor model, market and industry factors model, Co-ops/IOFs opportunities/threat model, Co-ops/IOFs strength /weakness model, and lastly the Co-ops/IOFs firm dynamic/active： sales, profit, and lost model. Reliability of the six similarities measurement models was tested by the Delphi technique with a sample of 33 respondents. The study found that, apart from the six measurement models, it also has two intervening factor variables that will reduce the power and magnitude of the economic growth which will come from mismanagement of policy maker： These factors are the different in intemational culture among countries, and the global warming and natural disaster from the excess consumption and excess production. These selfish, competition and economic greedy of people will lead to economic, social, and natural disaster problems. To reduce the socioeconomic disadvantages and global disaster, board＇s committee, and Co-ops manager as well as chief executive officer （CEO） of the IOFs must have a good understanding on these five similarities factors. Appropriate management of these five similarities factors will lead the firms to reach their high managerial efficiency, customer value, firm value, and finally economic growth.     

2011年1-8月我国国际经济合作统计北大核心CSSCISSCI

据商务部统计,2011年1－8月全国新批设立外商投资企业18006家,同比增长7．68％;实际使用外资776．34亿美元,同比增长17．71％。8月,全国新批设立外商投资企业2406家,同比增长6．37％;实际使用外资84．46亿美元,同比增长11．11％。1-8月,亚洲十国／地区（香港、澳门、台湾省、日本、菲律宾、泰国、马来西亚、新加坡、印尼、韩国）对华投资新设立企业14496家,同比增长8．66％,     

A comparative analysis of Japanese firm productivity： Solow residual and Malmquist productivity index

For some time, two major kinds of Total Factor Productivity （TFP） have existed independently of each other： the Solow residual and the Malmquist Productivity Index （MPI）. The Solow residual was introduced in macro economic growth models, and the MPI has been used in micro economics and management studies. As both indices were developed independently, few studies utilize both together and compare the results. This paper uses the same data to compare the two productivity indices by setting to determine the economic implications of combining the two indices. We discovered that we could decompose TFP with each aspect of the Soiow residual and MPI. We could then interpret their relationship in the business cycle. Our results indicated that the frontier shift in MPI of Japanese firms often occurred when the Solow residual increased, meaning that improving oroductivitv with the Solow residual could be generated by a firm that could shift new production frontiers.