我国房产税试点的经济伦理意蕴

上海和重庆试行的房产税政策体现了公平正义、社会责任、义利关系的经济伦理意蕴。首先，房产税有利于降低房价，调节收入分配差距，实现公平正义；其次，房产税可以稳定我国各级政府的税收来源，使其更好地承担社会责任；最后，通过房产税政策，有利于购房者形成理性的住房消费观，规范开发商的投机行为，杜绝各级政府权力寻租的发生。此外，社会法治环境的完善也是包括房地产市场在内诸多市场良性发展的重要保障。     

Cultural identities of Chinese business: networks of the shark-fin business in Hong Kong

From a global standard, shark-fin consumption certainly violates international norms on bio-diversity and endangers the existence of the shark species. Furthermore, the commercial shark-fin industry generates additional adverse environmental impacts. Nevertheless, shark-fin consumption has served an important role in the cultural aspect of Chinese ‘foodway’. More importantly, the business relations and networks behind this industry have never been comprehensively studied. In so doing, this paper employs first hand interviews with the traders and processors, as well as official statistics from the government of Hong Kong, to come up with one of the most comprehensive and in-depth pieces of research on the business relations and the cultural aspects of shark-fin business in Hong Kong. In addition, we will explore the theoretical as well as the cultural dimensions of shark-fin business in trying to question the meaning of Chinese business networks. One of the key findings of this piece of research is that the collective activities of shark-fin consumption, business relations and networks are embedded along the historically, socially and culturally constructed Chinese identity. The implication is that such orchestration between culture and business can have far-reaching consequences to other Chinese businesses.     

Öffentliche Wohnraumförderung — auf dem richtigen Weg?

In Germany, in times of extreme low interest rates there is a boom in housing construction, housing demand and housing prices. In order to relieve the housing market, the Federal Government is planning to expand the funding for social housing considerably. Affordable housing has been decreasing in German metropolitan areas in recent years, the same applies to social housing. Meanwhile, the demand for dwellings in the lower and middle price segment is rising, partly due to an increased migration rate. This is why a strong social housing promotion needs to be combined with an effective direct subsidy, such as a dynamic housing allowance. However, the targeting of social housing is highly inaccurate. Thus, it would be better to strengthen housing allowances and to help lowincome households to purchase homes in order to reduce living costs. Nowadays, property credits stabilize the banking sector. However, just a small increase in interest rates could result in a new financial crash. Ever since their foundation, housing cooperatives have created affordable private dwellings and a safe living place for their members. They are able to produce not only tenants but owners of the dwellings. Thus public assistance schemes and subsidies should not exclude housing cooperatives.     

Grassroots Diplomacy Wielding Clout

In recent years Sino-Japanese relations have been delicate and even once hit the rock bottom, since the two countries restored diplomatic relations. On the surthce, controversies over Yasukuni shrine and Japanese history textbook seem to be the major barriers undermining the bilateral relations. But it should be noticed that China and Japan have been holding different views about the history for many years. Then why is it in the late years that the divergence looms to sabotage relations between the two countries？ It may help to resolve the problem by taking heed of what＇s under the surface.     

Bundesbeteiligung an den Kosten der Unterkunft als Sammelbecken der Kommunalentlastung?

Social benefits amount to one quarter of municipal expenditures in Germany. Since 2005 the federal government has supported local governments by participating in the cost of housing for the unemployed at a fixed share. Since its conception, the instrument has been employed also for general financial relief. In the article each case is historically portrayed. The current federal government has pledged to relieve the municipalities by an additional amount of 5 billion euros a year. A simple way for achieving this relief would be to increase the federal share of subsidised housing costs. Alternatives are therefore presented.     

中国土地制度的进一步改革和修法

本文从我国土地体制改革和立法的目的入手,阐述了土地体制改革中应调整好政府管理与市场调节的关系、粮食安全与房价等社会安全的关系、土地改革和立法与财政体制改革的关系以及农民土地保障与推进城市化与农业现代化的关系,并提出了改革和形成合理的地方政府房地财政收入渠道、延长土地使用年期、形成稳定的土地物权以及开征房地产交易增值税、房产税、土地使用税等建议。     

加拿大公共住房PPPs模式实践与启示

PPPs模式被世界上许多国家应用于公共住房建设领域,为增加公共住房供给提供了一条新的途径。选择加拿大三个PPPs模式的公共住房建设案例,从供给对象、参与主体、资金来源、运营与管理等方面进行比较,归纳加拿大住房PPPs模式的特征,指出加拿大住房PPPs模式对我国的启示。     

Organizational learning as a situated routine-based activity in international settings

A large body of research has extensively studied the mechanisms behind organizational learning processes. However, there have been few studies of the learning process that explore the influences of history, context, and social meaning in international settings. Rather, the focus within the international management field has been on knowledge transfer. This study adopts a situated routine-based view of organizational learning to highlight the influence of national institutional characteristics on the acquisition and enactment of new knowledge. It is based on in-depth case studies that systematically compare the ways in which Japanese parent company knowledge diffuses to subsidiaries in the UK automotive industry. It concludes that organizational learning within the context of multinational corporations is shaped by actors’ enactment of new practices that are embedded in broader institutional contexts, where the links between knowledge transfer and the reinforcement of or change in routines are important in determining the level at which a subsidiary learns.     

Trompe l'œil: architects,consumers, and the need to rediscover technical function for ecologically sustainable housing

One challenge facing the need for ecologically sustainable housing is that it must cope with change over time. However, the flexibility required for housing to cope with change needs to be limited, as frequent change may offset the economy of resource use provided by durable housing stock. We describe two distinctly different but crucial aspects of housing services – social and technical functions – and briefly discuss how consumers and architects, who influence what consumers value in housing, have shifted design practices away from technical function and towards enhancement and growth of social function. Specifically, psychological obsolescence, which began in consumer products, is now emerging in housing, potentially accelerating demand for change as a result of fashion trends (an approach to the social function of identity expression) in housing. Four potential approaches to inspire consumer recognition of technical function in pursuit of ecologically sustainable housing are briefly discussed. These include promoting a ‘green’ fashion trend and three approaches that aim to restore the balance between social and technical function within housing design: regulatory tools, internalization of unaccounted costs, and incentives to move consumers from assumed to explicit recognition of technical function. Because they address the core problem of missing technical function, not just the increased demand for social functions, only these latter three approaches, possibly in combination, appear likely to contribute to a paradigm of ecologically sustainable housing.     

After Henry: Continuity and Change in Ford Motor Company

Since 1979 the Ford Motor Co. has attempted to introduce fundamental changes in its corporate strategy, management structure and labour relations. This article focuses on the impact of corporate restructuring on the management of Ford UK. Significant changes in industrial relations and work organisation have been tempered by strong continuities with Ford's maintenance of its traditional management prerogative. The most profound changes have been achieved in product development which has moved from functional hierarchy towards project management. Ford's interpretation of Japanese ‘lean production’ has been a significant factor shaping Ford's corporate agenda in America and Europe.     

Will the U.S. Auto Market Come Back?

In the Great Recession, the automotive industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors, along with the housing and financial industries. As the largest and most cyclical consumer spending sector, the automotive sector has historically been important for economic recovery after every postwar recession. Will it be the same this time? Will consumer demand for new vehicles stay depressed in a prolonged deleveraging process? In this paper, we present an analysis of the fundamental factors that determine long-term vehicle demand, together with the factors that drive its cyclical fluctuations. We believe the recovery of the auto industry is inevitable and that it will again become an important driver of the mid-term U.S. recovery. However, a quick return to the precrisis peak is unlikely, given the slow recovery of employment and housing markets and higher energy prices.     

Demand‐side housing policy in Costa Rica: a response to the housing deficit

The purpose of this study was to establish what the housing needs of Costa Rica are and to assess what policies have been implemented to respond to their housing deficit. In order to answer these questions, a combined methodology consisting of primary and secondary data was used. Using open‐ended questions and a topic schedule, face‐to‐face interviews with Costa Rican housing authorities were conducted at the interviewee's work place in Costa Rica in May 2003. The most recent secondary data available in the country was used to compute the housing deficit and to study the effects of demographics on current housing needs. Sources of the secondary data were the Costa Rica Ministry of Housing and Human Settlements, and the National Institute of Statistics and Census. The Costa Rican government has made great progress in reforming the housing finance system in order to meet the housing demand of its citizens. In 2002, Costa Rica had a 75.6% home ownership rate. Yet, even in light of the housing system's current success, many social, economic and political barriers threaten to undermine its accomplishments and the peoples’ ability to obtain safe and affordable housing. The paper considers the strengths and weaknesses of the current housing finance system as well as the government strategies for addressing difficulties.     

加拿大社会保障住房的发展及其启示

大力发展社会保障住房,尤其是非盈利性住房是加拿大成功解决中低收入居民住房问题的基本经验,也是作为福利国家政府社会福利措施的重要体现。本文对加拿大社会保障住房的发展历程进行了概括介绍,对加拿大社会保障住房的主要形式包括公共住房、非盈利住房、合作住房等从供给主体、融资来源、租赁对象、运作管理等进行了梳理与概括,对政府在加拿大社会保障住房发展中的作用及其政策实际效果进行评价,并结合我国住房保障事业发展的实际思考加拿大经验对我们的启示。     

政策性住房银行建立的构想

政策性住房金融是一国住房金融的重要组成部分,是实现＂居者有其屋＂,维护社会稳定的有效调控手段。实行住房公积金制度是我国住房制度改革的一项重要举措。但是近年来,住房公积金制度在保障性、互助性、公平性等方面受到了质疑,表现为住房公积金受益面窄、资金使用率不高、对中低收入缴存者支持力度不够等。可建立政策性住房银行来解决这些问题。     

Values and value related strategies in Japanese corporate culture

In the context of the widening trade gap between Japan and the U.S.A. and the increasing numbers of missions visiting Japan aimed at a better understanding of the Japanese market and Japanese business, topics such as Just in Time and TQC have received the most prominence, along with discussions of Japanese-style management and labor relations. The weakness of most discussions has been their inability to set these into the context of the highly complex Japanese value-system that runs through both business and society. Once understood, it becomes apparent that there is a system of values and value-related strategies at work that have a re-inforcing effect in the directions of cooperation and efficiency. The paper will identify a number of these and indicate their areas of influence. Four are discussed: (1) the formation of corporate philosophy (2) management philosophy (3) corporate work ethic (4) supplier/customer relations.Stuart D. B. Picken is Professor at the International Christian University of Japan since 1972 and Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of Stirling, Scotland. He is the author of a number of books on Japanese culture and is currently working on the role of traditional values in contemporary Japanese society with special reference to managerial ideology and structure in Japan.     

Gross national accumulation

Low birth rates, longevity, family disintegration, and other factors have reduced the size of the average household. At the same time household size is shrinking, new housing offers twice the floor space per occupant of old housing. Small households are inefficient users of space, utilities, furniture, and equipment. As these factors converge, the result is over consumption of durables and vast stockpiles of possessions just awaiting disposal when the baby boom generation passes on. The rightful heirs to these possessions are themselves accumulators, and will most likely have little use for what is left to them. What does the future hold for consumption, savings, and demand for housing? Booming flea markets, bigger homes as warehouses, a decline in consumption, or an epidemic of display and collection? Public policies have limited leverage on private behavior.     

Confucian ethics and Japanese management practices

This paper proposes that an important method for understanding the ethics of Japanese management is the systematic study of its Confucian traditions and the writings of Confucius. Inconsistencies and dysfunction in Japanese ethical and managerial behavior can be attributed to contradictions in Confucius' writings and inconsistencies between the Confucian code and modern realities. Attention needs to be directed to modern Confucian philosophy since, historically Confucian thought has been an early warning system for impending change.Dr. Marc J. Dollinger is an Assistant Professor of Management at Indiana University. He received his Ph.D. from Lehigh University in 1983. His current research is focused on the strategic management of small firms and entrepreneurship     

US Fiscal Policy and Asset Prices: The Role of Partisan Conflict

Fiscal policy shocks exert wide‐reaching effects, including movements in asset markets. US politics have been characterized historically by a high degree of partisan conflict. The combination of increasing polarization and divided government leads not only to significant Congressional gridlock, but also to spells of high fiscal policy uncertainty. This paper adds to the literature on the relationships between fiscal policy and asset prices in the US economy conditional on the degree of partisan conflict. We analyze whether a higher degree of partisan conflict (legislative gridlock) reduces the efficacy of the effect and response of fiscal policy on and to asset price movements, respectively. We find that partisan conflict does not significantly affect the relationships between the fiscal surplus to gross domestic product (GDP) and housing and equity returns. Rather, if important, partisan conflict affects the actual implementation of fiscal policy actions.     

Changes in an Urban Public Service System in Response to Population Dynamics

This article analyses the relationship between urban population dynamics and changes in public services. The first section is conceptual, presenting the effects of changes in the size, structure and composition of a city's population, and in the housing market, upon changes in consumption patterns of public services, in terms of their location and type. Two levels of analysis are discussed: the macro, city-wide level, and the micro level - the individual neighbourhoods which make up the urban whole. In the second section of the article the spatial dynamics of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population in Jerusalem serves as the background for a discussion of changes in the city's educational system, over a period of 15 years (1970/1 -1985/6). The data point to a massive increase in ultra-Orthodox education in the city. While the ultra-Orthodox population comprises about 27 per cent of Jerusalem's population, nearly half of the elementary schools in the city are included in the ultra-Orthodox educational network, and over 35 per cent of the city's elementary school pupils attend these schools. The spatial and social implications of these dynamic processes are presented and discussed.