Linking Consumers’ Food Choice Motives to their Preferences for Insect‐based Food Products: An Application of Integrated Choice and Latent Variable Model in an African Context

Consumers’ attitudes, perceptions, personalities and motives play important roles in shaping their food choices. These factors are not fully observed by analysts, so they should be treated as latent variables. A number of economic studies treat such variables as direct measures of consumers’ food choice behaviour, even though this might introduce measurement error and endogeneity bias. We investigate the latent link between consumers’ preferences and food choice motives (FCMs) in an African context. We use an integrated choice and latent variable (ICLV) model specification for data analysis to recognise the latent nature of the FCMs and address the measurement and bias problems. The data originate from an incentivised discrete choice experiment conducted in Kenya to elicit consumers’ preferences for insect‐based foods. Our findings show that consumers’ preferences and choices are influenced by their latent motivational orientation. The results illustrate the benefit of the ICLV approach in accounting for consumers’ latent preference constructs in food choice and valuation research.     

Tolerance for workplace incivility,employee cynicism and job search behavior

Workplace incivility is a source of predominant stress in organizations, and a vital cause for job search behavior (JSB). Drawing upon conservation resource theory, this paper examines the relationship between tolerance for workplace incivility (TWI), JSB and cynicism among employed individuals. Utilizing data obtain from n?=?331 hotel employees in Jordan, a structural equation modeling was applied. The data revealed that (1) TWI has a positive impact on JSB; (2) that cynicism has a positive impact on JSB and (3) and that cynicism does not moderate the relationship between TWI and JSB. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

“陕西苹果”品牌运作策略研究

从"陕西苹果"的品牌运作现状及在运作中存在的问题出发,分析"陕西苹果"存在的标准化生产水平低.各地苹果品牌各自为战,品牌营销力度不够等问题.提出了通过战略目标的确定、目标市场的定位、核心理念的建设等方面进行"陕西苹果"品牌运作策略,对"陕西苹"果的发展有积极的意义.     

高新技术企业资本要素配置效应影响因素实证分析——基于A股高新技术上市公司的财务数据

以我国A股上市的制造业中高新技术企业2013-2015年的财务数据为样本,采用多元线性回归方法,构建上市公司资本要素配置效应影响因素模型并进行实证分析。研究发现：各个资本要素与企业资本要素配置效应正相关。人力资本、财务资本、物质资本和技术资本在企业价值创造中发挥了重要作用,是企业发展必需的资本要素。其中,技术资本是企业成长性的重要体现,企业要素资本的投入产出及其结构状态直接影响着企业的核心竞争力。总资产净利率与资本要素配置效应存在显著正相关,这表明资本要素配置效应随着企业盈利能力的提高而提高;总资产周转率与企业资本要素配置效应正相关,总资产的周转速度越快,企业资本的流动性越好,资本要素配置效应越高;净利润增长率与资本要素配置效应显著正相关,说明在发展能力好的企业中资本配置的效率也更高;资本要素配置效应在一定程度上还受企业规模等因素的影响。回归分析得出企业规模与企业资本要素配置效应正相关。针对实证分析提出了解决对策,旨在提高企业的资本要素配置效应,促进企业健康发展。     

Monetary Aggregates Targeting,Inflation Targeting and Inflation Stabilization in Ghana

The central bank of Ghana (BoG) has operated monetary aggregates targeting and inflation targeting since the 1980s, to ensure enhanced output growth, low unemployment and stable, low inflation. Under inflation targeting, the inflation rate averaged 13.26 per cent per annum between 2007 and 2015, compared with 29.22 per cent per annum under monetary aggregates targeting. The relatively lower inflation rates notwithstanding, an average inflation rate of 13.2 per cent per annum is far above the medium‐term target of 8 per cent. This paper has examined the effectiveness of monetary aggregates targeting and inflation targeting in keeping inflation at moderate levels. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was applied to the data covering the period 1970–2015. The results show that monetary targeting has steered inflation to moderate levels only in the short run while inflation targeting has maintained low inflation rates in both short run and long run. But neither regime has kept inflation at stable levels and within the target band, due to the sluggish transmission of broad money supply and prime rate changes to inflation. We implore the monetary authorities to strengthen the institutional setup for steering short‐term interest rates in Ghana. They should also enhance the BoG Act 2002 (Act 612), to develop secondary anchors and rules around output, money supply and fiscal deficit. Finally, the monetary policy committee should monetary policy credibility and transparency through strengthening its communication framework.     

引黄输水工程水质变化特征分析及污染控制对策

随着城镇化进程的加快,华北地区缺水问题愈加凸显,河北省从1972年开始实施了引黄输水工程,旨在缓解华北地区水资源的紧缺状况。通过对典型年引黄济津输水水质时空变化特征分析,探讨引黄输水沿线水质变化程度及其影响因素,并结合实施过程中的水污染具体问题,提出了引黄输水工程中水资源质量的保障措施。     

基于模糊可变模型的白洋淀水环境质量评价

针对水质表现出的模糊性,采用模糊可变集合理论的模糊可变模型,对白洋淀水体的环境质量进行了综合评价。通过科学确定与地表水水质相关的各参评因子处于标准区间值的相对隶属度,根据二元比较模糊决策分析法,计算各参评因子的权重,得出白洋淀水体的环境质量级别。并与采用单因子评价法的评价结果进行了对比分析。表明模糊可变模型评价的水质结果更加合理、可信。     

复杂系统态势下商业银行转型创新战略研究——基于130家银行的fsQCA组态效应分析

在复杂系统理论视域下,构建商业银行转型创新四要素分析框架,并以130家商业银行为样本,运用模糊集定性比较分析方法 (fsQCA),从组态视角分析商业银行盈利能力影响因素,并得出其背后的规律。研究发现：实现商业银行高盈利能力的10种组态,其中风险因素成为最关键,创新因素为其次,而物理网点等传统规模因素贡献度最低。最后为商业银行转型创新提供了理论参考和实践指向。     

High‐commitment human resource practices and employee outcomes: The contingent role of organisational identification

In this paper, we examine whether the relationship between high‐commitment human resource (HR) practices and two employee outcomes, quit intentions and organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs), is contingent on organisational identification. Incorporating insights from both social exchange and social identity theories, we propose that the relationship between high‐commitment HR systems, intention to quit, and OCBs is attenuated when employees strongly identify with their organisation. This proposition was tested and supported with employees of a Swedish relocation company and a Greek shipping organisation. For high identifiers, as perceptions of HR practices deteriorated from high to low, they were associated with smaller increases in quit intentions and smaller decreases in citizenship behaviours. But overall, high identifiers always had lower quit intentions and higher citizenship behaviours than low identifiers, which is managerially reassuring.     

Corporate environmental performance and financing decisions

We investigate the financing strategies of environmentally responsible firms to understand how they set target capital structures and make incremental financing decisions. Literature shows that firms with better environmental performance have lower risk and better access to financing. However, it is not obvious how these firms choose to finance their investments. Using an extensive data set of U.S. firms, we find that firms with superior environmental performance have significantly lower debt ratios and use mostly short‐term debt for temporary financing needs. In doing so, environmentally responsible firms are able to achieve more tax savings and experience lower costs of financial distress. Our results provide new empirical facts about environmental performance and financing decisions, and they help explain the observed relationship between environmental performance and economic performance.