中非贸易问题研究——基于引力模型的分析

利用中国与155个国家1995年～2009年间的进口数据,以引力模型分析中非贸易特征。在模型中引入两个与中国对外贸易紧密相关的制度变量——是否承认"一个中国"和是否承认中国市场经济地位来考察政治因素对于中非贸易的影响,并将非洲国家分为资源丰富国、沿海资源贫乏国和内陆资源贫乏国三类进行研究。结果表明:中国对于资源丰富国具有显著的过度进口倾向,而对于沿海资源贫乏国和内陆资源贫乏国存在不同程度的进口不足。这一结论可以为中国政府旨在改进中非贸易而提出的"扩大中非贸易规模并优化贸易结构"提供政策依据。     

Consumer acceptance and physicochemical quality of osmodehydrated carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) slices

Consumer acceptability and physicochemical properties of candied osmodehydrated (OD) carambola were evaluated in an effort to increase consumption of the fruit. Fresh carambola slices (Averrhoa carambola L.) were soaked in either 15% or 20% or 25% NaCl brine for 18 h, then in 40 °Brix sucrose for 18 h, followed by 60 °Brix sucrose for 18 h and dried at 55°C for 18 h. Slices soaked in 15% NaCl were most preferred by a focus group. Decreases in pH, total soluble solids (TSS) and increase in salinity were recorded in sucrose solutions after soaking carambola. During osmosis, carambola became less green and more orange‐yellow (P < 0.05). The pH of candied OD products varied between 3.62 and 4.16, salinity 16–28 ppt, TSS of 67–70 °Brix and 18.8–20.8% moisture. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in flavour or texture for products brined in 15% NaCl and soaked in either refined white sucrose (RS) solutions or brown unrefined sucrose (URS) syrups, but differences (P < 0.05) in appearance, colour and overall acceptability. Candied RS carambola had higher (P < 0.05) overall acceptability (6.2 – liked slightly to moderately) to products from URS (5.6 – neither liked nor disliked to liked slightly), which was also supported by paired preference testing. Flavour was most liked (P < 0.05) of all sensory attributes.     

Securities regulation,household equity ownership,and trust in the stock market

Review of Accounting Studies - Using aggregate data from national accounts, we study whether strengthening and harmonizing securities regulation across the European Union increases household equity...     

The economic burden of switching targeted disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs among rheumatoid arthritis patients

Aims: To estimate real world healthcare costs and resource utilization of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients associated with targeted disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (tDMARD) switching in general and switching to abatacept specifically.

Materials and methods: RA patients initiating a tDMARD were identified in IMS PharMetrics Plus health insurance claims data (2010–2016), and outcomes measured included monthly healthcare costs per patient (all-cause, RA-related) and resource utilization (inpatient stays, outpatient visits, emergency department [ED] visits). Generalized linear models were used to assess (i) average monthly costs per patient associated with tDMARD switching, and (ii) among switchers only, costs of switching to abatacept vs tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) or other non-TNFi. Negative binomial regressions were used to determine incident rate ratios of resource utilization associated with switching to abatacept.

Results: Among 11,856 RA patients who initiated a tDMARD, 2,708 switched tDMARDs once and 814 switched twice (to a third tDMARD). Adjusted average monthly costs were higher among patients who switched to a second tDMARD vs non-switchers (all-cause: $4,785 vs $3,491, p?p?p?p?=?.021), and numerically lower all-cause costs ($4,444 vs $4,741, p?=?0.188). Switchers to TNFi relative to abatacept had more frequent inpatient stays after switch (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.85, p?=?.031), and numerically higher ED visits (IRR = 1.32, p?=?.093). Outpatient visits were less frequent for TNFi switchers (IRR = 0.83, p?Limitations and conclusions: Switching to another tDMARD was associated with higher healthcare costs. Switching to abatacept, however, was associated with lower RA-related costs, fewer inpatient stays, but more frequent outpatient visits compared to switching to a TNFi.     

Infrastructure Disruption in ‘Silicon Savannah’: Exploring the Idea of the Creative Class and their Relation to Quality of Place in Nairobi,Kenya

Debates around urbanization, infrastructure disruption and the creative class rarely appear alongside each other in research on African cities. This article connects these different narratives, which are currently exerting their influence on the future direction of these cities. The economic value of the creative class is that their work centres on innovation—a quality seen as essential to ‘new-economy’ urban growth. Quality of place (that which makes ‘New York New York’) is said to attract the creative class to certain cities, as lifestyle amenities are valued as much as employment opportunities. Nairobi is an example of an African city currently attracting both Kenyan and expatriate creative class workers, particularly in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. In this article we take Richard Florida's creative class theory as a departure point to offer insights into why this group chooses to live in Nairobi and to describe Nairobi's quality of place, with a particular focus on infrastructure disruption. The case study reveals that Nairobi's quality of place differs fundamentally from the normative attributes prescribed by creative class theory and, in some instances, it is considered to be highly frustrating and unattractive.     

Quality Competition and Pricing‐to‐Market: A Unified Framework for the Analysis of Bilateral Unit Values

This article presents a unified framework for analyzing two factors that have been independently studied as determinants of unit values in international trade: product differentiation by quality (which suggests that unit values should be positively correlated with exporters' per capita income) and pricing‐to‐market (which suggests they should be positively correlated with importers' per capita income). No previous work has considered both exporter and importer income effects and allowed these effects to vary by product. On a large sample of bilateral unit values for 2005, we find that about 56% of all Harmonized System (HS)‐6 products demonstrate both significant exporter‐income effects and importer‐income effects, with the former predominating in prevalence and magnitude. Distance‐related effects appearing directly in prices appear significantly larger than one would expect as a result of shipping margins.     

The differing effects of technology on inside vs. outside sales forces to facilitate enhanced customer orientation and interfunctional coordination

This paper presents a study designed to examine outcomes of different workplace structures. Specifically, using a sample of 156 sales organizations, we review how sales force structure, eLearning, and technological tools can influence coordination and the level of customer orientation within an organization. While current literature touts the benefits of an outside sales force, our results suggest that this type of structure, when coupled with eLearning and technological tools, leads to even greater positive outcomes of an outside sales force. By utilizing different forms of technology in conjunction with an outside sales force, this research offers a new dynamic technological environment to further improve salesperson performance.     

Why buy new when one can share? Exploring collaborative consumption motivations for consumer goods

The notion of collaborative consumption or sharing economy—where consumers share access to ownership of properties such as cars, clothes and accommodations—has gained tremendous popularity in recent years. Development of communication technologies and peer‐to‐peer communities has enabled consumers to coordinate sharing activities through various online platforms. Collaborative consumption involves sharing of both intangible (e.g., music, space and car rides) and tangible assets (e.g., household items, clothes and furniture). Activities such as renting, swapping, trading and purchasing/selling used consumer goods are included in the latter. Despite increasing academic attention on collaborative consumption, little research has been pursued in the context of consumer goods. The nature of consumption for tangible goods can be entirely different from that of intangible goods because people can exercise greater control over tangible goods, which results in greater psychological ownership than that for intangible goods. To address this gap, the objective of this study is to develop a scale that examines consumer motivations for collaborative consumption of consumer goods. Following Churchill's paradigm of scale development, the procedures of scale item generation, purification and validation were conducted via in‐depth interviews, literature review and surveys. The study identified five underlying dimensions of collaborative consumption of consumer goods: concern‐for‐sustainability, social, variety‐seeking, fun and cost‐saving. Study findings and implications are discussed, and future research avenues are suggested.