Employment trends in the USA,Japan and the EC

Since 1973, the underlying tendency in most industrial countries has been for unemployment to increase strongly; the rate of unemployment rose noticeably in almost all instances. Nevertheless, trends in employment were much more varled, with significant differences visible between individual countries. The following article is a summary of the findings of a report concerning the reasons underlying differences between employment trends in the USA, Japan and the EC since 1973.¹     

The Butter and Margarine Debate from the Consumers' Perspective

This empirical study examines consumers' perceptions of butter and margarine. The study shows that consumers are not well informed about the differences between the products. Some differences between male and female respondents concerning butter and margarine were also discovered. Butter and margarine producers both have work to do in better educating the consumer about their products.     

NAFTA Students’ Whistle-Blowing Perceptions: A Case of Sexual Harassment

Business students from the three NAFTA countries were shown a possible Sexual Harassment scenario from Arthur Andersen’s Business Ethics Program. They were asked to respond to a pre-questionnaire concerning the three characters’ behaviors and possible actions and a post-questionnaire after writing a report from the points of view of the three characters in the scenario. The students were asked to consider whether the characters should report the possible harasser to their supervisor, and thus engage in whistle-blowing behavior, as well as directly confront the harasser. Hypotheses are formulated for the three NAFTA countries based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. There were significant differences, but in some cases not in the direction expected. Gender differences are also explored, but there were few significant differences.     

Exploring customer sentiment regarding online retail services: A topic-based approach

User-generated content is a valuable source for understanding online shoppers' emotions. Using text-mining techniques, this study identifies seven topics regarding online retail services in online posts: product, retailer promotion, delivery, payment, communication, return/refund, and price. The topics are associated with the sentiment polarity of online shoppers' posts. This study further explores whether the emotional responses from domestic and cross-border online shoppers differ with regard to these topics. The results show that differences exist in these two groups' sentiments concerning product and payment. Furthermore, there are differences in the two groups’ respective negative emotions (i.e., anger, sadness, and fear) concerning delivery, communication, and return/refund. The findings of this study provide online retailers with important managerial implications.     

80年代以来中日妇女生育观变化比较研究——以北京和东京为例

试图从历史研究的方法出发,以北京和东京妇女的婚姻观念和生育观念变化为例,比较80年代以来中日妇女生育观念变化的同一性与差异性,探索产生差异的不同社会制度、经济发展程度,以及关于妇女社会作用的不同观念及不同的社会心理影响。     

山东省19－35岁育龄人口优生知识与态度调查

本研究对山东省6个县区的19-35岁育龄人口的优生知识与态度作了调查,调查结果表明:不同性别、不同文化程度、不同地域的人口,优生知识的掌握程度和对待优生的态度有明显差别。绝大多数育龄人口有学习和掌握优生知识的需求。在优生方面,男性有义不容辞的责任。     

The Political Dimension: Added Value for Cross-Cultural Analysis. Nozawa and Smits,Two CEOs and Their Public Statements

Work-related cultural differences, which were familiarized by scholars such as Hall and Hofstede, offer important concepts to help us understand various forms of cooperation and communication. However, the predominant focus of cultural analysis on collectivistic harmony prevents us from gaining an understanding of strategy and conflict. In an attempt to grasp how conflicts are handled, a political analysis can provide new insights. This is illustrated by a comparative study of two CEOs who gave public statements concerning management failure: Shouhei Nozawa of Yamaichi and Paul Smits of KPN. Their statements were strikingly different in several ways, but the classical insights of cross-cultural analysis can only partly explain the differences. This is where political analysis comes in, focusing on interest relationships, responsibilities and virtues, tactics and strategy.     

Exporting American Managerial Ideas to the Far East

The author, in this article, describes his experiences while teaching about management at various locations in the Far East. He points out thal when he taught Asian managers about the dominant views held by American managers (and their teachers) concerning motivation, productivity, appraisals, individualism, and participation, his students reacted and stated that many of these ideas were irrelevant in Far Eastern cultures. But the author points out that some of the Asian students were troubled by what they viewed as the differences between American management style and the style of the managers for whom they worked and these troubled feelings may well affect productivity In these increasingly productive countries.     

Defaults, Framing and Privacy: Why Opting In-Opting Out1

Differences in opt-in and opt-out responses are an important element of the current public debate concerning on-line privacy and more generally for permission marketing. We explored the issue empirically. Using two on-line experiments we show that the default has a major role in determining revealed preferences for further contact with a Web site. We then explore the origins of these differences showing that both framing and defaults have separate and additive effects in affecting the construction of preferences.     

The career reasons of nascent entrepreneurs

This paper explores the reasons that nascent entrepreneurs offered for their work and career choices and compares those responses to the reasons given by a group of nonentrepreneurs. Six separate factors accounted for 68% of the variance: self-realization, financial success, roles, innovation, recognition, and independence. The factor scores of nascent entrepreneurs and nonentrepreneurs were not significantly different on self-realization, financial success, innovation, and independence. Nascent entrepreneurs rated reasons concerning roles and recognition significantly lower than nonentrepreneurs. Finally, gender differences in reasons also emerged; male nascent entrepreneurs and nonentrepreneurs rated financial success and innovation higher than did females, regardless of their group of origin.     

虚拟企业盟友管理研究

在虚拟企业的运作过程中,对盟友的管理是其中最为关键的一环,它直接关系到虚拟企业发展的方向和效果。在其管理中,各个方面均与传统企业有着很大的区别,对它的管理进行研究将会对当前虚拟企业的发展提供理论支持,促进其合理运作。     

Identifying trainers' knowledge of training transfer research findings – closing the gap between research and practice

Training professionals were surveyed concerning their knowledge of transfer of training research. Survey items were developed from an integrative literature review based on empirical findings of factors that directly or indirectly (through learning) influence training transfer. Survey results suggest that training professionals are in agreement with empirical transfer findings in the areas of training design and the work environment, but differ in their agreement of how individual differences impact transfer success and of relevant transfer evaluation findings. Training professionals were more familiar with academic transfer research when they occupied higher job positions within their organization, held a training certification and had a college degree. The results of our study and the implications for addressing the research‐to‐practice gap among training professionals are also discussed.     

Regulative institutions supporting entrepreneurship in emerging economies: A comparison of China and India

China and India are touted as new entrepreneurship powerhouses. The two countries’ different institutional history and characteristics have led to differences in environments related to entrepreneurship. There are some well-founded rationales as well as a number of misinformed and ill-guided viewpoints about the friendliness of the environment to support entrepreneurship in each country as well as the China–India differences concerning entrepreneurial environment. This article contributes to this debate by offering theoretical and empirical evidence regarding the differences in regulative institutions in the two economies. Specifically, we compare the state’s regulative, participative, and supportive roles from the standpoint of entrepreneurship in the two countries.     

Risk‐taking propensity in supplier choice: Differences by sex and decision frame in a simulated organizational buying context

Past research concerning decision framing has found that buyer's choices tend to be risk averse for decisions framed as a gain and risk seeking for choices framed as a loss. Attribution theory suggests that women may be less likely to take risk than men when faced with similar decision‐making problems. The present study sought to determine whether there would be differences between men and women with respect to their supplier choices based on how the purchasing decision was framed. Two experiments were conducted: one using a price‐based purchasing scenario and the other using a price‐based and a quality‐based purchasing scenario. For the price‐based scenario women tended to make more risky supplier choices than men when the purchasing decision was framed as a loss, and less risky supplier choices than men when the purchasing decision was framed as a gain. No differences between the sexes were found for the quality‐based scenario. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Consumer Risk Perception Profiles Regarding Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rbGH)

This study examines individual differences in risk perception typologies, specifically for recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH). Results indicate diverse consumer profiles across risk perception categories. Awareness of rbGH is significantly affected by education and ethnicity. Risk perceptions concerning rbGH are significantly affected by age, gender, and education. Self-protective behavior is significantly affected by household size and identification with environmental groups. Identifying and understanding these profiles would enable risk communicators to design more effective risk communication strategies.     

可转让信用证与对背信用证之比较

从业务流程、性质、信用证的数量与当事人、内容及各当事人面临的风险等方面对可转让信用证与对背信用证进行了详细的比较，旨在避免混淆，为读者提供对两证的全面理解。     

Please,let's get an answer—any answer: Need for consumer cognitive closure

Conceptually, it is argued that individual differences in need for cognitive closure, which stem from Kruglanski's theory of lay epistemics, provides a framework for studying various aspects of consumer judgment and decision making. However, methodologically, the need for cognitive closure scale has not demonstrated good measurement properties and has generated controversy. To improve the measurement quality of the scale for individual differences in the need for cognitive closure, the authors carry out a large‐scale data collection and measure validation exercise. To demonstrate the usefulness of this individual difference variable in a consumer context, the authors test hypotheses concerning consumer search behavior for cars and televisions. The results are encouraging and provide initial support for the utility of this framework in consumer judgment and decision making. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Design-relevant ergonomic data on Dutch elderly

The design of daily-life products that can be used in a safe and comfortable way by many consumers requires ergonomic data concerning these users. With regard to the elderly, hardly any ergonomic data were available. In this study, measurements were done on about 79 physical, psychomotor, sensory and cognitive variables. The sample consisted of 750 persons: 123 in the age between 20 and 30 years and 623 aged 50 years and over. The results reveal different patterns of level and variation with age. Generally speaking, the physical data exhibit a relatively small variation with age; in other words, the variation within age groups is much larger. For the psychomotor and sensory variables variance generally increased with age. Especially after the age of 65 or 70 the level of performance decreased compared to that of younger subjects. As far as differences between the sexes are concerned, it is concluded that there are marked differences in the physical variables between males and females. Body build and the amount of force exerted differ. The psychomotor variables also show systematic differences between men and women. For the sensory and cognitive variables, few systematic differences between the sexes were found. People with capacities in the lower percentiles of the frequency distribution appear to have difficulties in performing daily-life activities. However, they still manage to live independently. This is possible because they use all kinds of solutions to compensate for the lower level of ability.     

新疆南北疆区域经济差异预警研究

当前,对新疆南北疆区域经济差异进行分析并及时进行预警有着极为特殊的政治、经济和社会意义。从对目前新疆南北疆的经济规模、地区经济影响力的差异分析来看,南北疆区域经济发展水平不平衡,地域差异性较为显著,而且北疆地区内部差距均小于南疆地区;从对南北疆地区区域经济差异预警分析来看,南北疆区域经济的绝对差异已经出现过大的特征,南北疆整体经济相对差异也十分明显,而且南北疆内部各地、州、市之间的经济绝对差异和相对差异也不一致。因此,须对新疆南北疆区域经济差异进行调控,促进区域经济协调发展;利用各省市对口支援的机遇,加快落后地区经济快速发展;组织区域经济合作,加强南北疆地、州、市之间的相互支援与合作。     

THE LAST MILE: AN EXAMINATION OF EFFECTS OF ONLINE RETAIL DELIVERY STRATEGIES ON CONSUMERS

The Internet has increased the level of importance of the end‐consumer market to transportation carriers. In two between subject experiments, carrier disclosure on retail merchant websites is examined as a strategic differentiation strategy. Predictions are offered concerning effects of carrier disclosure strategies on product delivery‐related expectations, consumer attitudes, and intentions to purchase a product online. Results from Study 1 reveal significant differences between disclosure and nondisclosure of the carrier for numerous product delivery‐related variables, as well as many differences between the six carriers examined in this first study. Study 2 extends these findings by showing that providing consumers with a choice of carrier leads to increased levels of satisfaction with the online experience and greater willingness to buy, relative to nondisclosure and disclosure strategies.