Industry and Regional Patterns in Sequential Foreign Market Entry

This study empirically investigates industry and region of origin patterns of sequential foreign market entry by multinational corporations (MNCs) at the line of business level. We use event history analysis to study sequential foreign direct investment in the United States by European and Japanese firms in the chemical and electronics industries from 1975 to 1992. Results show that European firms as well as Japanese firms first enter in their largest and strongest lines of business, and over time extend their positions by entering in lines of business that are smaller and less strong. As for industry effects, sequential entry is observed more strongly among electronics firms than among chemical firms, reflecting differences in the speed and extent of globalization of these two industries. Our findings confirm that foreign market entry is a sequential process, and show that industry effects are more important than region of origin effects.     

Estimation of proportion and sensitivity of a qualitative character

In this paper, a simple and obvious procedure is presented that allows to estimate π, the population proportion of a sensitive group, in addition to T, the probability that the respondents belonging to the sensitive group tell the truth whenever questioning directly. Properties of the estimators of π and T as well as sample size allocation are studied. And, efficiency comparisons are carried out to investigate the performance of the proposed method. It is found that the proposed strategy is more efficient than Warner's (1965) strategy, and has an additional advantage of deciding the optimal survey technique for practical situations. Received: October 2000     

On a study of the exponential and Poisson characteristics of the Poisson process

Based on the exponential and Poisson characteristics of the Poisson process, in this work we present some characterizations of the Poisson process as a renewal process. More precisely, let γ_t be the residual life at time t of the renewal process A={A(t),t≥0 }, under suitable condition, we prove that if Var(γ_t)=E ² (γ_t),∀t≥0, then A is a Poisson process. Secondly, we show that if Var (A(t)) is proportional to E (A(t)), then A is a Poisson process also, and Var (A(t))=E (A(t)). Received: August 1999     

An application of six sigma methodology to enhance leisure service quality

Thanks to flourishing development of the service industry for the past few years, its GDP output value is over 73%, which accounts for 58% of the employment population. The leisure service industry, in particular grows by multiple revealing its significant importance. As there is a feature of high homogeneity and substitution in the same trade, the core issue lies on enhancement of service quality in an environment of keen competition. As a result, six sigma (6σ) is applied in this research to improve service quality and increase competitiveness of the leisure industry. First, the service quality model proposed by Parasuraman, A., V. A. Zeithaml, and L. L. Berry (PZB model for short) is utilized to design the items in the service quality questionnaire. Importance and satisfaction of each service item perceived by customers are based for the scale, whose means are further converted to indexes. Thus, a scale-based service performance evaluation matrix with indices of importance as the Y-axis and those of satisfaction as the X-axis is defined. Then, service factors of high importance and low satisfaction are located and defined for improvement in accordance with the index location of each service factor. A measurement model based on the difference between customers’ importance and satisfaction is proposed and a measurement index is defined for an objective evaluation method and procedures. Next, factors of customer dissatisfaction are analyzed and improvement methods are devised. Finally, leisure service quality is monitored by the performance control model.     

Creating technology candidates for disruptive innovation: Generally applicable R&D strategies

In this paper, we first examined the importance of technology creation in technological disruptive innovations (DIs), and found both academic scholars and industrial practitioners have underestimated the challenging nature and importance of technology at least in technological DI. We then moved upstream to study empirically how technology candidates could be created purposefully for potential technological DI. Four generally applicable R&D strategies were abstracted from intensive studies on 37 technological DIs, by applying the central thoughts of principal component analysis which transforms many correlated variables into a small number of uncorrelated ones. The four R&D strategies abstracted are miniaturization, simplification, augmentation and exploitation for another application. Their creation of DI was examined, postulated and then demonstrated by means of the Delphi method. The frequencies of their utilization were also compiled and the implications discussed. This study has further advanced the knowledge at the front-end of R&D, i.e. the technology perspective of DI. It hopes to facilitate more purposeful creation of technology candidates for potential technological DI in future.     

Simulation estimation of two‐tiered dynamic panel Tobit models with an application to the labor supply of married women

In this paper a computationally practical simulation estimator is proposed for the two‐tiered dynamic panel Tobit model originally developed by Cragg ( 1971 ). The log‐likelihood function simulated through procedures based on a recursive algorithm formulated by the Geweke–Hajivassiliou–Keane simulator is maximized. The simulation estimators are then applied to study the labor supply of married women. The rich dynamic structure of the labor force participation decision as well as hours worked decisions that are conditional on the participation of married women are identified by using the proposed simulation estimators. The average partial effects of the participation and hours worked decisions for married women in response to fertility decisions and increases in the husband's income are also investigated. It is found that the hypothesis that the fertility decision is exogenous and the hypothesis that the husband's income is exogenous to married women's labor supply function are both rejected in the dynamic and static two‐tiered models. Moreover, children aged between 6 and 13 years old may have a negative impact on the hours worked decision for married women that is conditional on their participation. However, these children may provide some positive incentives for married women to participate in the labor force. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

国外零售商新采购模式下中国生产企业的应对策略

在新旧采购模式对比分析的基础上,为我国生产企业提出了快速响应、供应商管理库存、电子商务应用和国际标准化生产四个应对策略,以适应国际采购行为发生的巨大变化,从而提高我国生产企业的核心竞争力。     

无粘结预应力等效荷载的力学特性

利用脱离体的方法说明无粘结预应力筋的等效荷载并对其特性进行论述、确定其荷载数值;分析该预应力技术在工程应用中可能遇到的问题。     

Application of DMAIC process to enhance health effects in caring institution

Amid the rise of the caring and nursing industry, more and more service institutions for the aged start operation and to provide the healthy and comfortable environment for the aged is literally the object that the operators pursue. Hence this article introduces the six-sigma DMAIC methodology to enhance the health benefit of the nursing and caring institution. Here, performance evaluation matrix is used to define the key problems and give the index P for evaluating health benefits; cause and effect diagrams are used to analyze the causes of poor health benefits of caring institutions. Lastly, Taguchi method is employed to identify the optimal combination of health benefits of operation environment in caring institutions to serve as reference for the industry to upgrade the health benefits of operation environment in the institution.