Measuring quality in international trade

Product quality plays a vital role in international trade flows, but the measurement of quality remains to be a challenge because true quality is usually unobserved in trade data. In this study, we propose a straightforward measurement of quality—the weighted-income index—and compare it with the unit-value proxy in a microeconomic model with quality choice. Then we compare the two measurements in the automobile industry. The empirical result shows that the weighted-income quality index performs better than the unit-value quality proxy in ranking true quality.     

Efficient forecast tests for conditional policy forecasts

Central Banks regularly make forecasts, such as the Fed’s Greenbook forecast, that are conditioned on hypothetical paths for the policy interest rate. While there are good public policy reasons to evaluate the quality of such forecasts, up until now, the most common approach has been to ignore their conditional nature and apply standard forecast efficiency tests. In this paper we derive tests for the efficiency of conditional forecasts. Intuitively, these tests involve implicit estimates of the degree to which the conditioning path is counterfactual and the magnitude of the policy feedback over the forecast horizon. We apply the tests to the Greenbook forecast and the Bank of England’s inflation report forecast, finding some evidence of forecast inefficiency. Nonetheless, we argue that the conditional nature of the forecasts made by central banks represents a substantial impediment to the analysis of their quality—stronger assumptions are needed and forecast inefficiency may go undetected for longer than would be the case if central banks were instead to report unconditional forecasts.     

The impact of employee satisfaction on quality and profitability in high-contact service industries

The extant operations management literature has extensively investigated the associations among quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability. However, the influence of employee attributes on these performance dimensions has rarely been examined. In this study we investigate the impact of employee satisfaction on operational performance in high-contact service industries. Based on an empirical study of 206 service shops in Hong Kong, we examined the hypothesized relationships among employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability. Using structural equations modeling, we found that employee satisfaction is significantly related to service quality and to customer satisfaction, while the latter in turn influences firm profitability. We also found that firm profitability has a moderate non-recursive effect on employee satisfaction, leading to a “satisfaction–quality–profit cycle”. Our empirical investigation suggests that employee satisfaction is an important consideration for operations managers to boost service quality and customer satisfaction. We provide empirical evidence that employee satisfaction plays a significant role in enhancing the operational performance of organizations in the high-contact service sector.     

基于组织认知水平的知识质量研究

从知识效用的角度探讨知识质量问题,给出基于组织认知水平的知识相对质量定义。通过分析构建基于组织认知水平的知识质量转移模型和知识测定模型,提出知识相对质量的测定方法,为进一步研究高效知识管理提供方法支持。最后,选取模具设计知识作为知识范围,以模具概要设计为示例给出说明知识相对质量的测定步骤。     

水工建筑物的外观质量控制

为了保证水工建筑物的外观质量控制,在施工中应进行事先控制,探讨水工建筑物常见外观质量缺陷的防治办法,并论述外观质量控制中其他几点相关事项。     

Problems of Incentives for Employees in the Quality Management of the Service Sector

The paper presented below concentrate on worker’s motivation problems in quality management of the services sector. The problem with motivation is particularly important in management of services. In our publication, we analyze motivation system in McDonald’s restaurants form quality of services point of view.     

军工企业精益质量链管理

为了适应和满足军工供应链质量管理全生命周期、全过程、集成化、敏捷化的需求,本文提出了以质量单元为管理核心、以组织群协调为重点的军工企业精益质量链管理,从内涵和实施框架两方面进行了深入探讨,最后指出了构建军工企业精益质量链需要解决的关键问题。     

Group-based judgmental forecasting: An integration of extant knowledge and the development of priorities for a new research agenda

We review and integrate the extant knowledge on group-based forecasting, paying particular attention to the papers included in this special issue of the International Journal of Forecasting. We focus on the relative merits of different methods of aggregating individual forecasts, the advantages of heterogeneity in group memberships, the impact of others’ opinions on group members, and the importance of perceptions of trust. We conclude that a change of opinion following group-based deliberation is most likely to be appropriate where the group membership is heterogeneous, the minority opinion is protected from pressure to conform, information exchange between group members has been facilitated, and the recipient of the advice is able — by reasoning processes — to evaluate the reasoning justifying the proffered advice. Proffered advice is least likely to be accepted where the advisor is not trusted — an evaluation which is based on the advisor having different perceived values to the recipient and being thought to be self-interested. In contrast, the outcome of a group-based deliberation is most likely to be accepted when there is perceived to be procedural fairness and the participants in the process are perceived to be trustworthy. Finally, we broaden our discussion of group-based forecasting to include a consideration of other group-based methodologies which are aimed at enhancing judgment and decision making. In particular, we discuss the relevance of research on small-group decision making, the nature and quality of the advice, group-based scenario planning, and public engagement processes. From this analysis, we conclude that, for medium- to long-term judgemental forecasting, a variety of non-outcome criteria need to be considered in the evaluation of alternative group-based methods.     

建筑外墙氟碳涂料施工的质量监控

建筑外墙氟碳涂料克服了以往氟碳涂料不能常温固化的缺点，能应用于混凝土等无机材质的表面。由于其具有超耐候性等卓越性能，已受到业主、设计的关注和市场的认可，在外墙饰面中将得到广泛应用。文章浅析了外墙氟碳涂料的材料特性，阐述了外墙氟碳涂料施工阶段的质量事前控制、事中控制和事后控制；对某工程外墙氟碳涂料施工质量缺陷产生的原因进行了分析，提出了相应的预控措施。     

对试卷质量的常规统计分析

目前对于教学质量进行的评估,主要采取的手段是考试。而试卷的命题是否合理,则是能否真实检验学生成绩的一个重要指标,本文通过对试卷的常规指标阐述来阐明各个指标的应用方法。     

Weighted majoritarian rules for the location of multiple public facilities

We consider collective decision problems given by a profile of single-peaked preferences defined over the real line and a set of pure public facilities to be located on the line. In this context, Bochet and Gordon (2012) provide a large class of priority rules based on efficiency, object-population monotonicity and sovereignty. Each such rule is described by a fixed priority ordering among interest groups. We show that any priority rule which treats agents symmetrically — anonymity — respects some form of coherence across collective decision problems — reinforcement — and only depends on peak information — peak-only — is a weighted majoritarian rule. Each such rule defines priorities based on the relative size of the interest groups and specific weights attached to locations. We give an explicit account of the richness of this class of rules.     

关于混凝土施工中的几点意见

简述混凝土强度及主要影响因素,分析混凝土标号与混凝土平均强度及其标准差的关系,并探讨混凝土质量控制的关键环节。     

质量模式和方法论的演化及进展——纪念泰勒发表《科学管理原理》100周年

质量方法论经历了泰勒制、福特制、统计质量控制、日本式全面质量管理、美国式全面质量管理、国际通行质量标准和卓越绩效模式等演化过程。近年来，全面质量取代全面质量管理已在美国得到响应；愉悦质量的概念得到世界认同；以人为先的质量回归思想在世界兴起；六西格玛和其他工具的融合如火如荼；澳大利亚学者甚至提出了第三代质量管理的概念。     

Calling recessions in real time

This paper surveys efforts to automate the dating of business cycle turning points. Doing this on a real time, out-of-sample basis is a bigger challenge than many academics might assume, due to factors such as data revisions and changes in economic relationships over time. The paper stresses the value of both simulated real-time analysis — looking at what the inference of a proposed model would have been using data as they were actually released at the time — and actual real-time analysis, in which a researcher stakes his or her reputation on publicly using the model to generate out-of-sample, real-time predictions. The immediate publication capabilities of the internet make the latter a realistic option for researchers today, and many are taking advantage of it. The paper reviews a number of approaches to dating business cycle turning points and emphasizes the fundamental trade-off between parsimony — trying to keep the model as simple and robust as possible — and making full use of the available information. Different approaches have different advantages, and the paper concludes that there may be gains from combining the best features of several different approaches.     

会计师事务所审计质量分析——来自2003年中国上市公司的经验证据

本文以2003年所有A股上市公司的数据,采用回归的方法,通过加入inverseMillsratio变量,控制会计师事务所选择的自选择偏误,对国际与国内会计师事务所审计质量进行分析。研究结果发现:国际四大会计师事务所审计报告的可操控性应计,显著低于国内十大会计师事务所审计报告的可操控性应计,即国际四大会计师事务所的审计质量高于国内十大会计师事务所。实证结果表明,公司在选择国际还是国内会计师事务所有显著的选择倾向即内生性,表明控制自选择偏误的必要。     

高层建筑框架结构施工质量管理探究

随着我国基础建设的加快,多层和高层建筑的使用越来越广泛,而框架结构的施工技术也得到了长远发展。文章阐述了当前形势下,高层建筑框架结构施工质量现状,基于存在问题,提出了施工质量优化管理措施。     

项目分包质量管理的策略与方法

项目分包是一种重要的生产合作方式,已为越来越多的企业所采用。研究项目分包质量管理的策略与方法,具有重要的理论和实践意义。本文首先根据项目分包的特点与分包过程,提出了项目分包质量管理的三阶段策略;其次,应用分包管理理论、项目质量管理方法,研究了项目分包各阶段质量管理的方法。     

Economic rents and mutual fund performance: An empirical investigation

We investigate the monthly returns of 377 open-end mutual funds during the September 1981–1994 period to learn whether economic rents can be garnered through the judicious selection of the advertising and sales method in the mutual fund industry. Specifically, we seek to learn whether direct sales or mass marketing produces economic rents under the assumption that those rents would be passed on to consumers to build a “high quality” image to differentiate the product line. Results suggest that no-load funds produce superior net returns except in the aggressive growth category.     

Patent indicators for macroeconomic growth—the value of patents estimated by export volume

This paper examines the linkage between patenting and export performance for selected countries at the level of technology fields. Some empirical studies show considerable correlation between the patenting behavior of countries and their economic success in international markets. Adding to the existing literature, the aim of this analysis is to assess whether the indicators that are supposed to reflect patent value—such as patent citations or family size—have any explanatory power in estimating the export value of countries by technology fields.     

论优质猪肉供应链合作伙伴间的竞合关系

实施供应链管理是解决目前我国猪肉质量安全问题的有效途径,合作伙伴间有效的合作与竞争是优质猪肉供应链生存与发展的关键。论文论述了优质猪肉供应链中养猪场、生猪屠宰加工企业和超市之间合作的动机、内容与方式以及竞争的内容、根源与作用,提出了有效竞合的理念和状态。