Responsible supply chain management – an analysis of Taiwanese gutter oil scandal using the theory of constraint

Food safety is one of the main concerns in many countries throughout the world. Failure to ensure food safety would result in significant health concerns to the general public. Despite much effort to improve food safety, many cases of food safety issues or even crises have happened around the world from time to time; it results in undesirable health problems. One of the recent food safety scandals that happened in Taiwan in 2014 was related to the usage of gutter/tainted oil by several oil suppliers. The series of food safety incidents affected 1256 businesses. In order to ensure a responsible supply chain, we analysed the problem using the theory of constraint. Some issues towards the root cause of the problem are suggested. The objective of our study emphasises on building a responsible supply chain and food safety regulation in order to improve food safety in Taiwan.     

军工企业竞争战略对技术创新的影响——股权激励视角

军工企业技术创新能力既影响着国民经济发展,又关乎国防安全。以2013—2017年80家上市军工企业数据为样本,分析军工企业竞争战略对技术创新的影响,以及股权激励在其中的作用路径。研究结果表明,差异化战略和成本领先战略对技术创新均有直接正向影响,差异化战略影响更大,且股权激励在差异化战略对技术创新的影响中发挥部分中介作用。     

Market segmentation of fresh meat shoppers in Taiwan

Fresh meat product retailing at traditional markets in Taiwan causes concerns over meat safety issues.The agricultural administration has established programmes to raise consumer awareness of potential risks of fresh meat that have remained at room temperature for several hours. Although supermarkets sell chilled and frozen meat products, the majority of grocery shoppers in Taiwan still prefer purchasing fresh meat products at traditional markets where meat is displayed on counters or hung on hooks. This study utilizes survey data to segment meat shoppers in Taiwan. Results indicate the shoppers who purchase meat products at supermarkets tend to continue shopping at that location. Potential shoppers of supermarkets, who may switch from traditional markets to supermarkets for meat products, are identified and the major concerns of this group are the meat safety issues. Factors that influence the possibilities of selecting supermarkets for meat products are examined.     

International competition and wage differentials - the case of Taiwan

This paper documents and investigates the structure of relative wages among skill groups (distinguished by gender, education and potential experience) in Taiwan over the period 1978 to 1990. To account for these changes, I construct a model of wage determination in which demographic groups are treated as separate inputs into the production process. Thus, the changes in relative wages are determined by (i) changes in the relative supply of input factors; (ii) changes in the product composition; and (iii) biased technical changes that shift the relative demand for inputs. Analysis of OECD trade statistics shows that manufacturing imports from Taiwan to OECD, the main source of derived demand for the unskilled labour, exhibited a time pattern that matches the overall relative demand shifts.     

Configural paths to successful product innovation

This study offers an integrated framework involving antecedent paths to successful product innovation. The study explores conditional models leading to high product-innovation performance using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Based on relevant literature, this study categorizes relevant antecedents including organization-related, project-related, process-related, product-related, and market-related categories, and the newness of product innovation, into causal recipes. To assess the applicability of this conceptual model, researchers collected data from R&D managers and members of high-tech firms in Taiwan. The study includes dividing sampled firms into three groups according to the extent of within-firm agreement on responses by executives to questions about antecedents (in surveys that they answered independently). The findings include model routes to high product-innovation performance for each group. The findings indicate that no one simple antecedent is sufficient or necessary for high performance; no one path is necessary for high performance. However, there is only one avenue to successful product innovation for low-agreement cases. This study also finds some common rules behind these paths across groups. The strategy implication is to think through alternative paths and not key success factors for achieving high product-innovation performance.     

Globalization,Real Output and Multiple Structural Breaks

Abstract

This paper adopts an advanced panel cointegration method which incorporates multiple structural breaks to examine the long-run relationship between real output (RGDP) and the Konjunkturforschungsstelle (KOF) index of globalization (overall and its three main sub-indices), employing annual data of G7 countries from 1970 to 2006. Our empirical findings provide strong evidence that overall globalization and its social dimension are cointegrated with RGDP, and most of the structural break points are discovered during the period of the oil crisis (the mid-1970s) and the process of European Union integration. In addition, in evaluating whether or not the structural breaks affect the RGDP through globalization, we discover that both the overall globalization index and the social globalization index have a directly positive impact on RGDP but indirectly exhibit negative impacts on real output via the channel of social globalization.     

制度环境、技术创新与传统产业升级

基于2008-2015年中国省际面板数据,构建门槛效应模型,将制度环境设为门槛变量,实证分析技术创新对传统产业升级的影响。结果发现,各区域制度环境差别会导致技术创新对传统产业升级表现出明显的门槛效应,即市场化处于较低水平时,技术创新对传统产业升级的作用不显著;伴随着市场化水平的不断提高,技术创新对传统产业升级的促进作用逐渐显现,并且促进强度呈倒U型结构。研究结论为传统产业升级提供了新理论视角,对如何更有效地通过技术创新促进传统产业升级具有重要指导意义。     

The Relation between Physical and Risk‐neutral Cumulants

Variance swaps are natural instruments for investors taking directional bets on volatility and are often used for portfolio protection. The empirical observation on skewness research suggests that derivative professionals may also desire to hedge beyond volatility risk and there exists the need to hedge higher‐moment market risks, such as skewness and kurtosis risks. We study two derivative contracts – skewness swap and kurtosis swap – which trade the forward realized third and fourth cumulants. Using S&P 500 index options data from 1996 to 2005, we document the returns of these swap contracts, i.e., skewness risk premium and kurtosis risk premium. We find that the both skewness and kurtosis risk premiums are significantly negative.     

我国权力寻租的博弈分析

对我国权力寻租的现状特征进行了总结,并结合国内外寻租的研究现状,建立了我国权力寻租博弈模型,根据结果提出了我国权力寻租治理的对策。