An Analysis of Trade Patterns and the Effects of the Real Exchange Rate Movements in East Asia

This article investigates the patterns of vertical specialization in trade among China, Japan and Korea, and the effects of real exchange rate fluctuations under a multistage production process. By extending the models of Yi (2003, 2010), we derive two distinct features of vertical specialization and test them using Time-Varying Parameter (TVP) VAR. We find that a positive shock to China’s final good consumption increases the intermediate goods trade between Korea and China, with expanding magnitude over time. In addition, the positive effect of a real exchange rate depreciation on intermediate goods trade is strengthened through the competitiveness-enhancing channel, with this effect being more pronouncing in Korea-China trade than in Korea-Japan trade.     

Factor pricing in commodity futures and the role of liquidity

This paper empirically investigates the pricing factors and their associated risk premiums of commodity futures. Existing pricing factors in equity and bond markets, including market premium and term structure, are tested in commodity futures markets. Hedging pressure in commodity futures markets and momentum effects is also considered. This study combines these factors to discuss their importance in explaining commodity future returns, while the literature has studied these factors separately. One of the important pricing factors in equity and bond markets is liquidity, but its role as a pricing factor in commodity futures markets has not yet been studied. To our knowledge, this research is the first to study liquidity as a pricing factor in commodity futures. The risk premiums of two momentum factors and speculators’ hedging pressure range from 2% to 3% per month and are greater than the risk premiums of roll yield (0.8%) and liquidity (0.5%). The result of a significant liquidity premium suggests that liquidity is priced in commodity futures.     

An SAO‐based text‐mining approach for technology roadmapping using patent information

A technology roadmap (TRM) links technologies with a company's strategic objectives and so supports acquisition of required technologies in advance of needs. It is a powerful tool for strategic planning and technology management. Because technology is changing rapidly and market competition is fierce, the role of a TRM is becoming increasingly important. To support the role of a TRM, many firms and governments that use roadmapping are becoming interested in reducing costs while retaining objectivity during TRM development. One suggestion to achieve these goals is to use the keyword‐based quantitative approach to creating a TRM, but the information provided by the approach is limited because of the characteristics of keyword information. To solve this limitation, this research uses the concept of ‘function’ to support quantitative analysis for developing a TRM. The concept of function can provide information on the uses and purposes of a technology. To represent a function, a subject–action–object structure is commonly used. The suggested approach allows research and development (R&D) managers to extend the views of product and technology during development of a TRM. In addition, by reducing the time required to develop a TRM, the proposed approach supports quick and accurate decision‐making by R&D managers.     

裂缝性潜山变质岩油藏的合理生产技术对策——以鸭儿峡油田志留系油藏为例

裂缝性潜山变质岩油藏的生产特征复杂,以鸭儿峡油田志留系为例对该类油藏的开发特征进行了分析。结果表明,油藏开发过程中高产井产量递减速度快、累积产油量高、持续时间长,低产井生产状态不稳定,注水初期油井见效明显,油藏含水变化复杂。油井转注、分层酸化压裂、卡水和深抽提液措施实施后油井含水下降,产油量明显上升,显示出良好的开发效果,为后期稳产提供了坚实的技术保障。     

Public-Private Partnerships and Prices: Evidence from Water Distribution in France

We use an original database of 5000 French local public authorities to explore the impact of organizational choice and performance as measured by consumer prices. In quantifying the impact of the choice of public-private partnerships (PPPs) on performance, we consider the related issue of the determinants of organizational choice. We estimate a switching regressions model to account for the endogeneity of organizational choice, and find that in our sample, (i) the choice by local public authorities to engage in a PPP is not random, and (ii) conditional on the choice of a PPP, consumer prices are significantly higher on average.     

企业组织变革中的冲突管理研究

中国的企业面临前所未有的复杂的市场环境。组织重组,组织流程再造,公司股权体制改革……企业或多或少都在进行这样或那样的组织变革,在变革过程中,冲突的产生是不可避免的。对于变革中的冲突应该怎样进行有效的管理是关系到变革成败的重大问题。本文指出应该区分变革过程中的建设性冲突和破坏性冲突,并针对不同类型的冲突采用与之相适应的冲突管理方式。     

Has the IASB Been Successful in Making Accounting Earnings More Useful for Prediction and Valuation? UK Evidence

When producing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), one of the main goals of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was to create a set of standards which were more useful to investors as a predictive tool. We assess the success of the IASB in achieving this goal by investigating the effects of the introduction of IFRS on the relative information content of reported earnings and forecasted earnings under UK generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP) and IFRS. Results indicate that the value relevance of forecasted earnings is significantly lower under IFRS while the value relevance of reported earnings is significantly larger. These findings suggest that IFRS substitutes price‐relevant information previously provided to the market in the form of analyst forecasts with information encoded by companies in their reported earnings. This implies that the IASB was indeed successful in its stated goal and points towards IFRS forecasts being more accurate and less dispersed than UK GAAP forecasts. This, in turn, implies that analysts are able to provide more informative forecasts under IFRS than under pre‐IFRS regimes and that the aforementioned substitution effect is not a consequence of any decrease in the quality of forecasts under the new regime.     

关于人民币汇率弹性增强背景下完善银行资产负债管理的思考

随着我国调节国际收支效果的显现与人民币汇率形成机制市场化程度的不断提高,近年来人民币兑美元即期汇率走势曲折反复,人民币汇率逐渐向均衡水平靠拢,促使企业转变长期以来的汇率预期,着手修复自身资产负债货币错配。这一过程也给商业银行的资产负债货币结构带来显著变化,增加了商业银行本外币流动性管理和资产负债管理难度。对此,商业银行应通过完善自身资产负债管理方式,积极应对这一挑战。     

Hyperbolic Discounting and Consumer Patience: The Case of Korea

ABSTRACT

In this article, we test whether the consumption pattern in Korea exhibits a time-inconsistent discounting behavior compared to the conventional exponential discounting. We derive the quasi-hyperbolic Euler equation and estimate it using the generalized method of moments (GMM). The estimation results show that Korean consumers exhibit a time-inconsistent quasi-hyperbolic discounting behavior in general, but the pattern of inconsistency in consumption behavior, in particular the degree of impatience, depends on the estimation period, in particular whether it includes financial crisis periods in 1997–98 and 2008–11.     

Managing low‐skill workers: a study of small UK food manufacturing firms

Low‐wage work is of growing significance in the UK. This article tests the model of the low‐skills equilibrium (LSE) through a study of 27 small firms in a sector, food manufacturing, widely identified as being in an LSE. Three hypotheses are tested. (1) There will be a single, fixed equilibrium. We find more variety, reflecting the specific circumstances of firms. (2) An equilibrium is sustained by weak support institutions and a product market dominated by low value‐added goods. The expectation about institutions is supported, but the product market permitted some, albeit weak, opportunities to escape the LSE. (3) Skills will be low, and workplace regimes will be characterised by work intensification. Some firms were developing employee skills. Work intensification was rare, reflecting the absence of Taylorisation and the importance of face‐to‐face relationships. Overall, some firms had the will to escape the LSE, but weak institutional support and a ready supply of labour substantially reduced the incentives to do so.