Investigating the Structural Relationships Between Food Image,Food Satisfaction,Culinary Quality,and Behavioral Intentions: The Case of Malaysia

This study was designed to test a theoretical model determining the relationships among tourists' perceived food image, food satisfaction, culinary quality, and behavioral intentions. The structural relationships between the variables were examined by adopting a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, and the empirical data was collected in Malaysia. Analysis of findings revealed that (a) tourists' perceived food image played a role in directly influencing food satisfaction and quality of culinary experience (culinary quality); (b) food image influenced tourists' behavioral intentions through culinary quality; (c) tourist satisfaction with their food experience directly affected perceived quality of their culinary experience and behavioral intentions; and (d) tourists' behavioral intentions were directly affected by their evaluation of culinary quality. This study concluded that food was an imperative contributor in destination tourism due to its capability in influencing tourists' perceived image, food satisfaction, culinary quality, and consequently impacting tourists' behaviors in the selection of a travel destination.     

论长株潭城市群社区服务信息生态体系构建

长株潭城市群社区服务面临着社区在线服务能力弱、服务需求压抑、服务信息生态环境不佳等发展背景,其信息生态功能存在弱化或缺位的现象。构建长株潭城市群社区服务信息生态体系的关键包括实现长株潭城市群社区信息资源高效整合、明确社区信息化服务的目标和原则、专门研制具有长株潭街道和社区工作和环境特点的街道/社区信息化系统,以及解决＂体制性障碍＂等形成的协同服务困境等。     

Impacts of International Greenfield Investment on Firm Valuation

Our study examines the announcement effects of 343 international greenfield investments by 289 U.S. firms for their impact on shareholder wealth. This paper develops five hypotheses based on the positive‐multinational‐network hypothesis. The evidence indicates that market reactions to announcements by firms entering developing countries are more favorable than those entering developed countries. In addition, the results show that the wealth effect for firms entering a host country for the first time is greater than for those that are already operating within the country. As for the long run, greenfield firms have shown improvement in their operating performance and stock performance. Copyright © 2012 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wages and skills utilization: effect of broad skills and generic skills on wages in Singapore

Many people go for training to upgrade their skills which is hoped to pave the way for better pay. But what are the kinds of skills that really affect wages? Employers have emphasized the value of generic skills such as interpersonal and communication skills, teamwork and problem solving. Does possession of these skills translate to at least the same or better wages as compared with having broad skills represented by educational qualifications and job‐related training? This paper, arising from the research project on the Skills Utilisation in Singapore, aims to answer which skills can have more influence on wages and which job‐related training in terms of training duration can have more impact on wages. Using ordinal logistic regression, our findings show that educational qualification and initial training time can influence wages as well as utilization of leadership, planning and problem‐solving skills.     

中国“富矿带”塔里木盆地对外资开禁

油价疯狂上涨将会持续多久？对于原油消费大国的中国来说，如何改变国内油气开发的模式已成至关重要的问题。目前，被认为是“富矿带”的塔里木盆地首次向外资开放开采权，此举拉开了中国油气开发变革的大幕。[编者按]     

盛大借力米奇加速打造“网上迪士尼”

“打造网上迪士尼”，这个曾经让全体盛大互动娱乐有限公司（Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd，，简称：盛大）员工热血沸腾的梦想，在经历了公司转型的阵痛之后，现在似乎变得更加触手可及了。虽然今年一季度财报仍然不够理想，但是盛大在纳斯达克的表现依然抢眼，而与华特一迪士尼公司（Walt Disney Co．，简称：迪士尼）的联姻，则意味著米奇等脍炙人口的经典卡通人物将为陈天桥的“网上迪士尼”提供强劲的支持。[编者按]     

Comparative study on the relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants

This study analyzes the differences in approaching JIT production across countries in order to identify alternative paths to high manufacturing performance. We applied ANOVA and regression techniques to the database of High Performance Manufacturing Project to examine the similarities and differences across countries in JIT implementation and the effect of JIT production practices on operational performance. The results indicated that JIT production practices were implemented in different ways across the countries. We found that the relationship between JIT production practices and plant performance is contingent on the national context and infrastructure practices in quality and workforce management. JIT delivery by suppliers, JIT layout, and setup time reduction were found to be the most effective approaches to improve cost, delivery, and flexibility. This study highlights the important role of shop-floor communication and information sharing, which should be focused for maximizing the benefits of JIT implementation.     

论黑龙江省县域经济发展中的政府职能转变

转变政府职能是全国百强县发展起来的重要条件之一,要改变在市场经济发展当中黑龙江省县级政府职能存在的缺位和越位的问题,加快县级政府职能转换十分重要.为此要深化政府机构改革;转变政府职能,优化政府的经济引导与调控能力;创新发展理念,创建发展平台,培植发展后劲;政府要营造信用、法制、服务、社会环境;塑造有特色的区域经济.