The effects of innovation–cost strategy, knowledge, and action in the supply chain on firm performance

Despite the importance of supply chains within today's economy, we know little about how the knowledge of supply chains can contribute to superior performance at the firm level. Building on the resource-based view, knowledge-based view and strategic choice theory, we develop hypotheses linking two knowledge-driven supply chain phenomena (i.e., knowledge development capacity and intellectual capital), innovation–cost strategy, and action to firm-level performance. Using survey and archival data from 489 firms, we found that performance is influenced by how well knowledge development capacity and intellectual capital efforts complement alternative chain strategies. More specifically, each strategy type requires different constellations of knowledge development capacity and intellectual capital to enhance action and create superior firm performance. These results highlight the importance of supply chain phenomena for firm-level performance, and more broadly, the value of supply chains as a competitive weapon in contemporary firms.     

Public service restructuring in the UK: the case of the English National Health Service

This article overviews welfare state retrenchment in the UK under the Conservative‐led coalition government that formed in May 2010 and has centred its response to economic crisis on rapid public deficit reduction through public expenditure austerity targeted increasingly on the welfare benefits budget. It locates the coalition's reforms of public services and public sector employment relations in the long trajectory of public sector restructuring in the UK: the policies of New Right governments in the 1980s and New Labour from 1997 to 2010 that installed marketisation and privatisation in a permutation of forms, intensifying challenges for trade union organising. Focusing on the English NHS, the article identifies the respects in which the coalition's reforms continue and depart from New Labour's.     

Evaluating performance-related pay for managers in the National Health Service

This paper evaluates the scheme of performance-related pay facing NHS managers, using both quantitative and qualitative date from a questionnaire survey. We find that the scheme is modestly successful. On the basis of self-reported data from managers covered by the scheme, there are clear indications that it has raised motivational levels, and induced more effort, albeit for only a minority of the managers. These results stand in some contrast to those from a number of earlier UK studies, and may show what happens in relatively mature PRP systems. In seeking to understand why the scheme was not more successful, we found that motivational and behavioural change was less likely among those who thought that certain aspects of the objective-setting process were done badly, or that assessments were conducted inappropriately, or that the subsequent rewards were unattractive. We finish by drawing out some implications for HR policy.     

基于SWOT分析理论提升社区卫生服务水平

本文在我国社区卫生服务发展过程及现状研究的基础上,基于SWOT分析理论分析社区卫生服务的优势、劣势、机会和威胁,并依此提出提升社区卫生服务水平的发展策略:SO策略、ST策略、WT策略、WT策略。     

On the cost-benefit of the regionalisation of the National Health Service

In this paper we analyse in formal terms the desirability of the regionalisation of a National Health Service. The policy consists of a devolution process, i.e. the increase in the health services provision to be decided by a region and financed by an increase in its revenues. The change is a marginal one, as it regards the part of supply of the health services exceeding a minimum standard, which for purposes of equity is maintained uniform in the national territory. As the central government is responsible for this component of the provision of health care (a federal “mandate”), the level of the said component is chosen by this authority and financed by federal taxation. Moreover, the government also applies an equalisation scheme based on the difference between a standard level of tax revenues and the revenues which the region is deemed able to raise for this purpose. Within the theoretical context of welfare improving reforms with distortionary taxation, we derive two conditions which focus on the regional, as well as the social, convenience of regionalisation. Received: May 5, 1999 / Accepted: January 21, 2000     

Managerial Values and Rationality in the UK National Health Service

The reforms of the National Health Service arising from the White Paper Working for Patients , were predicated on a particular view of management and the implementation of the changes heralded by this act relied heavily on the actions of the managers charged with carrying them through. This article reports on work undertaken to discover how middle managers responded to this challenge. The views of middle managers concerning the values that guide their work are explored in the context of managing in the reformed NHS. Data were collected by means of a focused ethnography and analysed thematically. This process was informed, in part, by recourse to Weber's conceptualization of rationality. It was found that managers are struggling to reconcile the demands inherent in their role that arise from contrasting and often competing rationalities, which is a reflection of conflict over priorities in the wider health policy environment.     

对城市科学研究的几点认识

20多年来,城市科学为探索城市发展规律,促进我国城市的建设和发展发挥了重要的作用.作者从城市科学的研究内容、研究方法和当前关注的重点问题三个方面谈了对城市科学的一些认识.     

英语教育产业化引发的思考

英语教育在中国方兴未艾,英语教育正成为一项巨大的新兴产业。但在其呈现出蓬勃发展的过程中存在着诸如目标功利化、质量意识差等诸多问题,只有尽快解决这些问题才能促进英语教育产业化的健康发展。     

关于农村公共服务设施建设的几点思考

现阶段我国农村公共服务设施建设不健全,是城乡经济社会发展不平衡的主要表现之一。加速推动农村公共服务体系建设,构建较为完善的农村公共服务体系,是当前各级政府面临的重要课题。本文通过对我国农村公共服务体系建设中存在的问题进行分析并提出改进方案,探讨构建农村公共服务体系的对策思路。     

基于复杂自适应供应网络脆弱性的突发风险研究

本文将全球化背景下的供应链系统视为复杂自适应供应网络,以复杂自适应供应网络脆弱性分析为视角,对当前供应链突发风险管理这个热点问题展开了研究,采用微观与宏观相结合、定性分析与定量分析相结合的方法对突发风险进行了分析,建立了突发事件条件下复杂自适应供应网络的脆弱性评价模型,并结合具体实例进行了验证。结果表明,供应链突发风险管理策略应该尽可能使得供应链各子系统脆弱性以及子系统各脆弱性因素之间的相互影响保持均衡,不存在相对脆弱的短板。这为企业从全局考虑改善供应链系统性能提供了的最佳途径。     

高职院校图书馆服务创新的思考

作为高职院校中的重要场所,图书馆的管理质量和服务质量直接关系到学生和教师的学习与工作。因此,需要加强对高职院校图书馆服务的重视,明确高职院校图书馆服务创新的相关对策以及有效措施,充分发挥高职院校图书馆的服务功能。论文主要针对高职院校图书馆服务创新进行思考和探究。     

大数据时代统计工作思考

大数据为统计工作提供技术支持,能在数据挖掘、分析等方面,全面提高数据统计质量与效率,提高统计工作效能。为此,大数据时代提高统计工作效能,既要创建数据收集、共享数据平台,做好数据分析工作,又要关注非传统数据的运用,提高辅助决策水平,全面提升统计工作人员专业素养,推动大数据时代统计工作实现又好又快发展。     

中小企业经营战略思考

随着时代的发展,中小企业如何制定经营战略成为当前需要重点研究的问题。中小企业的发展需要以明确的战略定位为基础。具有预见性、前瞻性的营销战略是企业生产决策的关键性引导。但是目前很多中小企业在构建经营战略时都面临诸多问题,导致企业发展受阻。因此,了解中小企业经营战略现状,通过合理有效的途径制定中小企业经营战略,这能帮助中小企业实现可持续发展,为其占据市场一席之地奠定基础。     

Assessing supply chain risks with the analytic hierarchy process: Providing decision support for the offshoring decision by a US manufacturing company

This paper reports the process used by a US manufacturing company to assess supply chain risks within the context of an offshore sourcing decision. The case study company was faced with the objective of finding a new supplier for two of its major product lines. Five alternatives were considered: (1) sourcing finished goods from Mexico; (2) sourcing finished goods from China; (3) sourcing parts from China and assembly in the US; (4) sourcing parts from China, assembly in a Maquiladora in Mexico with investment; and (5) sourcing parts from China, assembly in a Maquiladora in Mexico with no investment in the venture. To find the best solution, action research methodology was combined with the application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Through iterative and structured discussions, 17 risk factors were identified, which were subsequently grouped into main and sub objectives. AHP was then used to evaluate the importance of each risk factor, and to determine the best alternative. This study makes several contributions to the field of purchasing and supply management. First, it provides a comprehensive framework of empirically derived risk factors to be considered in an international sourcing context. Second, it shows how AHP can be used to assess these risk factors and alternatives as part of the framework to facilitate and support the final offshoring decision. And third, it illustrates the successful application of the approach by a US manufacturing company. As such, this paper contributes to the research streams of offshoring and risk management in purchasing and supply, as well as to decision-making under uncertainty and AHP. In addition, it serves as a practical methodology for firms in similar situations.     

需求确定型多级库存优化模型研究

多级库存管理对于企业来说具有重要的意义,在需求确定的情形下对库存模型进行了分析,建立了基于确定需求的多级库存数学模型,包括一个单目标模型和一个多目标模型,使供应链的效率得到了有效提高。     

Methodological problems associated with research on unfair discrimination against racial minorities

Despite the passage of civil rights legislation, racial and ethnic minorities continue to experience unfair discrimination in the workplace. Therefore, considerable research in human resource management and social psychology has examined the factors thought to affect unfair discrimination in organizations [Cox, T. (1993). Cultural diversity in organizations: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler]. Although research has focused on unfair discrimination, researchers have argued that the construct and external validity of the results have been adversely affected by methodological problems [e.g., Stone, E.F., Stone, D.L., & Dipboye, R.L. (1992). Stigmas in organizations: Race, handicaps, and physical unattractiveness. In Kelly, K. (Ed.). Issues, theory, and research in industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 385–457). Amsterdam: Elsevier]. Given this critique, the present paper (a) examines the degree to which recent research suffered from a number of methodological problems (e.g., obtrusive measures, non-representative samples, and demand characteristics), (b) identifies strategies for overcoming these problems, and (c) offers recommendations for advancing our understanding of unfair discrimination in organizational contexts.     

基于PPP模式工程项目融资风险管理的思考

近年来,我国的经济发展较为迅猛,呈现出繁荣的景象。在此基础上,推动项目融资风险管理的出现与成长,而PPP模式较为突出,不同于暗含经济风险的传统型风险管理,能够在一定程度上助力政府财政支出压力的降低。但是需要多加关注的是,PPP模式的工程项目融资本身就具备一定的风险因素。为此,论文着眼于实际情况,充分考虑其基本特点,提出行之有效的防患策略,为我国顺利推进PPP模式工程项目管理工作提供一定的借鉴意义。     

多元文化背景下高校民族团结教育研究

立足于高等学校开展民族团结教育的重要意义,深入探究在多元文化背景下当前高校开展民族团结教育的现状,分析在当前形势下高校民族团结教育存在的主要问题。在此基础上,寻求开展与加强民族团结教育的有效途径与方法,为高校有效开展民族团结教育提出合理建议。     

关于慕课背景下大学公共英语教师队伍建设的思考

各高校只有在慕课(MOOC)背景下从减少数量、加强研究、提升质量等方面进行思考和行动,就有可能解决大学公共英语教师队伍中存在的问题。     

基于不可分割性的服务营销策略探讨

服务具有不可分割性,从而对服务营销带来了一些挑战和机遇。对此,服务企业可从三个方面采取措施加以应对:一是分割服务生产与消费,二是化解服务不可分割性带来的挑战,三是利用服务不可分割性带来的机遇。