Measuring rural consumers’ willingness to pay for quality labels using experimental auctions: the case of aflatoxin‐free maize in Kenya

Aflatoxins are a common health hazard in tropical countries, especially in rural areas. New methods to reduce aflatoxin levels in food staples, as well as cheaper test methods, are being developed, but consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for these improvements is unknown. A survey was conducted with a representative sample of rural consumers (1,344 in total, 63% women) in all major maize‐production zones of Kenya. The survey included an experimental auction with maize products of different qualities. The results showed that many rural consumers were aware of aflatoxins, but few understood their health risks. Respondents were willing to pay a premium for maize tested for aflatoxins and labeled, but asked a high discount for maize that was visibly contaminated with moldy grain. The premium was higher for respondents with education and in regions with aflatoxicosis outbreaks. Knowledge of aflatoxins substantially reduced the overall WTP, but did not increase the WTP for tested maize. Welfare analysis indicates that mandatory testing would result in substantial benefits if the cost of testing can be lowered to below the premium.     

Consumer sorting and hedonic valuation of wine attributes: exploiting data from a field experiment

This article uses a novel experimental approach to measure consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for wine attributes. We invited customers of a local supermarket who had selected a bottle of wine to purchase to participate in a valuation experiment. Integrating their original wine choice into the experiment, each participant evaluated six alternative wines, generating a rich set of data on willingness to pay and consumer characteristics. The data from the experiment allow us to compare standard shelf price‐based wine attribute valuation estimates with estimates using WTP data and an increasing amount of information about individual consumers. The full model employs individual fixed effects to estimate WTP parameters without bias from consumer sorting or supply side influences. Our WTP estimates for wine attributes differ markedly from previous attribute value estimates. Consumers in our sample display clear and stable preferences for wine varieties, but less clear preferences for appellations. Our results suggest caution is needed in using market prices to estimate parameters of the consumer valuation function for product attributes.     

刍议中国劳动力价格与经济增长路径转变

改革开放以来,中国经济取得了令世人瞩目的成就,与此同时,经济运行中不和谐的因素也日益增加.投资和消费的比例关系失衡,表现为投资率偏高而消费率偏低.从劳动者收入入手研究投资、消费比例问题,在研究中国劳动力价格的现状后得出结论:相对于居民生活密切相关的粮价、油价、水电费、通讯费、教育费、医疗费来说,中国劳动力价格太低,因此,提高劳动力价格,增加其收入才是破解投资消费失衡的"密钥",也是促进中国经济从依赖投资的增长方式向依靠消费拉动经济增长方式的增长路径转变的"治本之道".     

薪酬分配公平与OCB之间关系的作用研究——价值认同的调节作用

薪酬管理的公平始于对组织分配公平的研究,文章具体考察了薪酬分配公平分别对于指向个体的与指向组织的公民行为的影响作用,并从价值观契合的理论视角解释了员工对组织的价值认同对其组织公民行为所产生的影响,并在此基础上进一步构建了价值认同对薪酬分配公平感与组织公民行为之间关系的调节效应模型。本研究的结果表明,薪酬分配公平与组织公民行为(包括指向个体的与指向组织的)都具有显著的正相关关系,而且员工个体对组织的价值认同能够负向调节这二者之间的关系,降低由于薪酬分配不公平所导致的组织公民行为投入减少的负面效果。依据研究结果,指出未来的薪酬管理实践可以通过改善员工对组织价值观的认同状态,以使组织得到期望的产出。     

美国GE公司CEO继任规划的启示

继任规划在企业追求长期战略和持久业绩的过程中起着关键作用。而CEO继任规划则是企业最重大的战略决策。美国GE公司由于建立了一套行之有效的CEO继任规划程序,从而保证企业能够培养合适的CEO候选人。公司CEO继任规划包括内部接班继任、内部竞争继任、突然政变继任和广泛选择继任等4种方式。每一种继任方式都有其优势和劣势。不存在适用于所有公司的继任方式。不同的公司如何选择适合的继任方式取决于公司本身的条件。目前,我国企业正在进入经营者大换班高峰期,可以借鉴美国GE公司CEO继任规划的成功经验,进一步完善继任机制。     

Transition to market economics: Employment and informal activity in rural areas

According to the neo-liberal model, the high levels of unemployment and collapsing real wages of transition will reallocate labor to new activities. But whether and how households actually reallocate labor is the subject of growing debate. We use survey data from Bulgaria to develop a typology of rural households based on their labor allocation characteristics. We find a diversity of outcomes. A significant share of households experience no change in labor allocation, some shift labor to own commercial enterprises, but a significant minority are displaced from the emerging market economy. Potential for informal activity among these households appears limited. Of great concern is the regional concentration of such households.     

Incentives and the Sorting of Altruistic Agents into Street‐Level Bureaucracies*

Many street‐level bureaucrats have the dual task of helping some clients, while sanctioning others. We develop a model of a street‐level bureaucracy, and we study the implications of its personnel policy on the self‐selection and allocation decisions of agents who differ in altruism towards clients. When bureaucrats are paid flat wages, they do not sanction, and the most altruistic types sort into bureaucracy. Pay‐for‐performance induces some bureaucrats to sanction, but it necessitates an increase in compensation, which can result in sorting from the top and bottom of the altruism distribution. We also explain why street‐level bureaucrats often experience an overload of clients.     

论跨国破产的财产清偿问题

跨国公司在快速兴起的同时也面临着跨国破产问题.作为跨国破产问题的一部分,破产财产的清偿问题已成为业界关注的热点问题.本文首先阐述了跨国破产的定义、破产财产的范围及相关原则,随后以雷曼兄弟的破产案件为例,对跨国破产财产清偿原则作了进一步说明.     

World Heritage Site: an effective brand for an archeological site?

This study examines whether branding archeological sites as World Heritage Sites (WHSs) will affect potential demand patterns. The study's research objectives are (1) to explore awareness of potential visitors to the brand and logo of WHS; (2) to investigate the effects of the designation on tourists' future behaviors; (3) to clarify whether the number of sites designated (3 versus 10) has an effect on future visitation patterns; and (4) to reveal possible relationships between the perception of a site as part of the world heritage and UNESCO's designation. This study commenced with an exploratory stage followed by administration of structured questionnaires focusing on inbound tourists to Caesarea, an archeological historical site in Israel. The findings indicate only moderate visitor awareness of the WHS title and logo, implying low brand equity as well as insignificant effects on future demand patterns. Moreover, visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) as well as overall motivation to visit seems to decline following the designation. However, visitors' perception of the site as world heritage is positively linked to WTP. The number of designated sites within a particular state is found to have a positive effect on future demand patterns. Based on the findings specific recommendations are offered.     

Top pay transparency in Europe: codes,convergence and clichés

Following the waves of corporate scandals and the increasing attention to corporate governance, the transparency of reporting on director-level pay has increased across Europe. This article examines the extent of convergence in laws, codes and corporate reporting practices in regard to director-level pay in France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. The paper analyses annual reports and the websites of 23 companies, using institutional theory to discuss the coercive, normative and mimetic pressures for convergence that are revealed, not just in the laws and codes in each country, but also in the standardized wording in the relevant sections of reports which have become clichés.