Do People Always Pay Less Than They Say? Testbed Laboratory Experiments with IV and HG Values

Hypothetical bias is a long‐standing issue in stated preference and contingent valuation studies—people tend to overstate their preferences when they do not experience the real monetary consequences of their decision. This view, however, has been challenged by recent evidence based on the elicitation of induced values (IV) in the lab and homegrown (HG) demand function from different countries. This paper uses an experimental design to assess the extent and relevance of hypothetical bias in demand elicitation exercises for both induced (IV) and homegrown (HG) values. For testbed purpose, we use a classic second‐price auction to elicit preferences. Comparing the demand curve we elicit in both, hypothetical bias unambiguously (i) vanishes in an IV, private good context and (ii) persists in HG values elicitation context. This suggests hypothetical bias in preference elicitation appears to be driven by “preference formation” rather than “preference elicitation.” In addition, companion treatments highlight two sources of the discrepancy observed in the HG setting: the hypothetical context leads bidders to underestimate the constraints imposed by their budget limitations, whereas the real context creates pressure leading them to bid “zero” to opt out from the elicitation mechanism. As a result, there is a need for a demand elicitation procedure that helps subjects take the valuation exercise sincerely, but without putting extra pressure on them.     

浅析会计信息失真的文化根源及其对策

会计信息失真几乎是所有的企业都需要面对的问题。造成企业会计信息失真的原因很多,我们着重分析导致会计信息失真的执行主体———人的因素和造成信息失真文化根源以及解决这方面问题的治理措施。造成中国会计信息失真的重要原因在于作为会计制度执行主体的人的因素,而人的思想观念又无时无刻不受各自民族文化的影响,中华传统文化对中国会计人员的思维方式、处世方式和行为方式的影响是深刻的,其负面影响是造成中国会计信息失真现象的文化根源所在。就此提出了解决会计信息失真问题的有关对策。     

An exploratory study of organizational politics in Kuwait

Because politics is a way of life in organizations, organizational politics has been studied by several scholars over the past 40 years. Few studies, though, have examined organizational politics outside of the United States and Europe. This study is a further step toward closing that gap. In particular, we (1) examined the applicability of the Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale (POPS) instrument in Kuwait, (2) examined the perceived existence of organizational politics in a public organization in Kuwait, and (3) sought to determine if perceptions of organizational politics seemed to be influenced by the same variables in Kuwait as in Western societies. The study found that the perception of organizational politics is relatively strong and that the POPS instrument was applicable in the Kuwaiti culture and could lead to an expanded understanding of organizational politics. The gender of the respondents, their tenure, and their current positions had some influence on perceptions of organizational politics. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

浅圆仓环流降氧工艺研究

本文主要对环流充氮工艺进行研究,结果表明：以氮气95%和98%两种浓度比以90%、95%和98%三种浓度进行阶段环流充氮可以节能40%左右;氮气浓度95%保持35天能够抑制锯谷盗、赤拟谷盗和书虱等的生长发育甚至死亡;在密闭保持期间氮气在粮堆中以相似的速度进行自由扩散,而且当仓内氮气浓度大于95%后继续进行补氮成本将大幅增加。     

日本粮食业现状概述——强烈地震使日本粮食业面临挑战

日本领土狭小,资源缺乏,人口众多,因此保障国内粮食安全是历届政府优先考虑的事项。长期以来,政府高度补贴和保护国内农业,特别是粮食的生产与配送。尽管如此,日本仍然是世界上最大的粮食进口国,食物需求（按照热量计算）的约60%依靠进口。尽管强烈地震对日本粮食业的影响低于人们的预期,但还是给其带来了巨大的挑战。     

江苏省区域物流业发展水平的比较分析

近年来,江苏省现代物流业整体得到了快速发展,但区域物流发展水平不平衡现象较为明显。本文采用多元统计分析的因子分析和聚类分析对江苏省13个地级市物流业发展水平进行了比较分析,从中找出各地区自身的优劣势以及地区间的差距,最后就提升江苏省区域物流业发展水平提出了相应的对策建议。     

基于时变Copula的我国股票市场联动性研究

通过运用Copula技术,构建4种Copula-GARCH模型,讨论金融市场的相关模式问题得出的结论是Joe-ClaytonCopula比正态Copula好,动态模型比静态模型要好。表明沪港股市确实存在非对称的相关变化规律。同时表明沪、港股票市场股市相关程度较小,两个市场联动性较弱,上海股市的波动具有相对的独立性,通过组合上海股市和香港股市的方式可以较好的降低投资风险。     

Local competition, entry, and agglomeration

This paper analyzes competition between two spatially differentiated multi-product retailers who encounter entry from a low-cost discounter. We assess how entry affects the pricing of the incumbent stores and the role played by the location of the entrant. Our primary objective is to identify how traditional retailers respond to new forms of low-cost retailing. Results show that post entry, the prices for some products are higher than the pre entry. However, which product prices increase depends on the incumbent’s location. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find that the store closer to the entrant is better off compared to the incumbent located further away. We empirically demonstrate the main workings of our theory using sales data from several grocery stores that saw entry by discount stores in their trading areas.     

Chinese dietary culture influences consumers' intention to use imported soy‐based dietary supplements: an application of the theory of planned behaviour

The over‐saturated dietary supplement (DS) market in developed countries such as the US spurs the need for foreign market expansion, and the Chinese market provides a great potential for the foreign soy‐based DS industry. This study examined Chinese consumers' intention to use imported (US‐made US‐brand) soy‐based DS based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Two alternative models were also examined in which Chinese dietary culture variables, including soyfoods favourability and dining‐out sociability, as well as their interactions with attitudes, were integrated into the TPB model. A cross‐sectional, self‐administered survey was conducted with a sample of 215 subjects (137 females; 78 males) in Shanghai, China. The TPB variables attitude, subjective norm, perceived behaviour control and behavioural intention, as well as the Chinese dietary culture variables: soyfoods favourability and dine‐out sociability were measured. Multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the three models. The statistical results indicated that all three models were statistically significant to predict intention (Model 1: R² = 0.473, P < 0.001; Model 2: R² = 0.505, P < 0.001; Model 3: R² = 0.525, P < 0.001). The results also showed that attitude, perceived behavioural control, and dine‐out sociability were significant (positive) determinants of intention. Soyfoods favourability acted a significant (negative) moderator of the relationship between attitude and intention. Subjective norm had no significant impact on intention. In conclusion, the TPB model was useful to predict Chinese consumers' intention to use imported soy‐based DS, but not all the TPB components weighed significantly in exploring DS consumption in China. The selected Chinese dietary culture variables were much more important predictors than subjective norm. This study makes a significant contribution in the application of the TPB model and in market strategy development for imported dietary supplements in China.     

Clothing as an environment for older adults' successful ageing

This research tested a conceptual model for proximity of clothing to self (PCS) in relation to age identity, self‐actualization, psychological well‐being, self‐assessed health, sex and chronological age among older adults, aged 65 and over, within the human ecological perspective. A mail survey was sent to a national random sample of 1700 older adults in the US resulting in 195 usable respondents in the final sample. The respondents returned two completed questionnaires, which were (1) Clothing: A Resource for Successful Aging? (to measure PCS, age identity and demographic variables) and (2) Personal Orientation Inventory (to measure self‐actualization). The results indicated that older adults' psychological well‐being, one component of successful ageing, was directly affected by their self‐assessed health, age identity and self‐actualization. PCS indirectly influenced individuals' psychological well‐being in a slightly negative way in later life. In sum, clothing may be used as a needs satisfier for different levels of needs or related more closely with needs in addition to self‐actualization needs for older adults. Further research should be conducted to explore relationships among PCS, different levels of human needs, clothing‐related variables and psychological well‐being for this age group. In practice, the effort should be given to teach the use of clothing (or other human‐built objects) as a tool or need satisfier to contribute to success in a person's later life by offering some educational or training programmes through local senior community centres or universities.