Managing supply chain risk and disruption from IT security incidents

Supply chain practices often put companies and their supply chains at risk. One of the most serious risks is disruptions. While many types of disruptions have been considered, little attention has been given to disruptions caused by information technology (IT) security incidents. Partner cooperation can assist in preventing or mitigating damage from IT security breaches in supply chains, where breaches can disrupt production, cause loss of essential data, and compromise confidential information. We develop a generalizable mathematical model that quantifies IT security risk in the supply chain. We then show how to find solutions for optimal risk reduction under several definitions of optimality: minimizing upstream risk, minimizing downstream risk, and minimizing global (supply chain) risk. We show how to develop curves for each of the above scenarios that indicate when extra funds should be spent on security, which security controls should be implemented, and when subsidies among partners are beneficial.     

Hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B e antigen

Hepatitis B e antigen serum persistence in an individual chronically infected with the Hepatitis B virus may be associated with a greatly increased risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. This article presents an overview of the Hepatitis B e antigen and discusses the findings of a recent study evaluating its associated risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. A gross photographic image of hepatocellular carcinoma is provided.     

Tenure,land rights,and farmer investment incentives in China

The goal of this paper is to understand the nature of the property rights associated with China's land tenure systems and to study the impact of these property rights on agricultural production efficiency. The results show that land tenure and associated property rights in rural China affect the production behavior of farmers. The most robust finding is that the right to use land for long periods of time encourages the use of land-saving investments. While the results show that land tenure affects agricultural production decisions, the difference between collective and private plots, however, is small compared to the private plot - communal productivity gap that existed in the pre-reform period.     

Estimation of Treatment Effects of Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin Using Matching Samples

The production and profit impacts of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) on select New York dairy farms were estimated using data over the years 1994 through 2004, by comparing matching farms that use and do not use rbST. The use of rbST increases milk production per cow and decreases the cost of production per hundredweight of milk. The cost penalty (cost reduction) is $0.39 per hundredweight for those currently using rbST to stop using rbST, while the average treatment effect is $0.73.     

Service Failure,Tipping Behavior,and the Effect of Service Industry Experience

The relationship between tipping and the service provided is not always linear. Factors such as demographic profile of the consumer, industry norms, and social norms affect the amount of tip. Results from the current study reveal that tipping varies when service failure occurs due to servers’ fault or organizational failure. Consumers with prior professional experience in the restaurant industry can distinguish between causes of failure, and tip accordingly. Consumers with prior professional restaurant experience were found to tip significantly more than those consumers that do not have prior hospitality experience. Tip rates for service failure due to organization failure tend to be higher compared with the service failure due to servers’ mistakes indicating that consumers do not penalize a server when the organization has caused the service failure.     

Ethics in International Value Chain Networks: The Case of Telenor in Bangladesh

The spotlight in the CSR discourse has traditionally been focused on multinational corporations (MNCs). This paper builds on a burgeoning stream of literature that has accorded recent attention to the relevance and importance of integrating small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the CSR debate. The paper begins by an overview of the CSR literature and a synthesis of relevant evidence pertaining to the peculiarities and special relational attributes of SMEs in the context of CSR. Noting the thin theoretical grounding in the literature on offer, the paper then presents relevant CSR theoretical perspectives that could be useful in conducting further research on SMEs. In light of this framework, the paper outlines the findings of an empirical study highlighting the peculiar CSR orientations of SMEs in a developing country context in comparison to some of their MNC counterparts. The study is qualitative in nature, capitalizing on a comparative research design to highlight differences in CSR orientations between SMEs and MNCs. The findings are presented and implications are drawn regarding the peculiar relational attributes of SMEs in the context of CSR generally, and developing countries more specifically, and how this inclination can be further nurtured and leveraged.     

Factor market distortions across time,space and sectors in China

In this paper, we measure TFP losses in China?s non-agricultural economy associated with labour and capital misallocation across provinces and sectors between 1985 and 2007. We also decompose the overall loss into factor market distortions within provinces (between state and non-state sectors) and distortions between provinces (within sectors). Over the entire period, misallocation lowers aggregate non-agricultural TFP by an average of twenty percent. However, after initially declining, these losses increased appreciably beginning in the mid-1990s. This reversal can be attributed almost exclusively to increasing misallocation of capital between state and non-state sectors within provinces, while losses from between province misallocation remained fairly constant. We argue that the recent increase in capital market distortions is related to government policies that encourage investments in the state sector at the expense of investments in the more productive non-state sector.     

为什么政府要私有化?

基于所搜集的1998年到2000年的数据,本文从理论和实证角度考察了私有化的决定因素。理论模型清楚讨论了银行在决定私有化中的角色。我们发现改进的人力资本和银行经理层激励和/或弱化的银行流动性限制导致私有制。我们也分析了在何种情况下,倒闭将是一种更好的办法。并且实证证据和我们模型的预期相一致。     

Food literacy competencies: A conceptual framework for youth transitioning to adulthood

Objective : The modern foodscape has changed dramatically in recent decades in terms of where, what, how and with whom we eat. This has been facilitated by a transition from traditional, healthy and basic foods prepared in the home to ultraprocessed, unhealthy foods requiring little planning and preparation prior to consuming. Consequently, many youth lack the food literacy (knowledge, skills and critical perspectives) necessary to be well and minimize their risk of obesity and chronic diseases, in the context of a complex food system. The specific dimensions of these knowledge, skills and dispositions, however, are unknown. This study identified critical food literacy competencies required by youth as they transition to independent adulthood. Design : This study employed a Delphi methodology to achieve consensus statements on critical food literacy competencies within a framework encompassing cognitive, psychomotor and affective dimensions. Participants : A panel of 41 experts including dietitians, teachers and college/university students participated in in‐depth interviews. Analysis : Results were thematically analysed and incorporated into two subsequent surveys completed by panel members. Rater agreement was set at 75% agreeing/strongly agreeing with survey items. A panel subgroup further delineated results into competency statements. Results : Within the themes of “confidence and empowerment,” “joy and meaning” and “sustainable and equitable food systems,” 16 broad competency areas, and 59 specific competencies were identified. These were assembled into a Food Literacy Framework. Conclusion : Results can be used to support food and nutrition education in community settings as well as the formal school system, and to advocate for resources to support food literacy education programmes.