International trade,pollution, and economic structure: evidence on CO2 emissions for the North and the South

This study investigates the mechanics of international trade and CO₂ emissions in two blocs of countries (‘North’ and ‘South’) by analyzing data from the World Input–Output Database. We adapt the Miyazawa technique to estimate the linkages between international trade and the environment at a global scale. Therefore, this study is in line with the idea of highlighting the role of feedback effects as well as the nature and extent of extra-regional influences on an economy in response to an additional stimulus. This is a contribution that, to our best knowledge, has not yet appeared in the literature. Our results suggest that both the North and the South have become less pollution-intensive (technique effect) over the years. Interestingly and in contrast to much of the literature, we also find support to the hypothesis that the South has specialized in relatively more pollution-intensive activities (composition effect).     

Utilizing and teaching data tools in Excel for exploratory analysis

In this article we offer Excel as an introductory tool to high end business intelligence (BI) and decision support system (DSS) applications. Because it is ubiquitous, Excel can be used by all managers and business students for exploratory data analysis. We provide three key points in this utilization of Microsoft^® Excel 2003: (1) manipulating records using Excel as a database, (2) creating PivotTables^® and PivotCharts^® using Excel for analysis, and (3) importing data using Excel as an automation container. The basic skill set defined by the above three items allows users to begin to use Excel to its full potential in finding information in business data, and it offers a key tool for future research in improving the utilization of information across organizations.     

中国投入产出核算的缺陷及其改进路径

本文首先概述了中国投入产出工作的历史与贡献,继而从现阶段中国投入产出表的编制流程及部分特点出发,借鉴国际标准及部分发达国家的实践经验并考虑我国统计与核算的现实需要,研究了中国投入产出核算存在的主要缺陷。最后,针对这些缺陷和不足,本文提出了从部门分类、核算价格、调查对象、调查方案设计和编表方法等方面改进我国投入产出核算工作的积极并具有针对性和建设性的建议。     

增值税全面“扩围”的税率设定探讨

增值税税率的设定是我国实现增值税全面“扩围”必须解决的关键问题,它直接关系到结构性减税的政策目标能否真正实现。本文根据结构性减税的政策目标,利用2007年投入产出表数据进行了模拟测算,得出增值税全面“扩围”的标准税率取值应当在9%~13%之间。在此基础上,本文考虑了全面“扩围”带来的税收减收因素和税制的国际竞争因素,提出标准税率应确定为13%或略低于此的水平。同时,税率档次应在现有税制基础上进行简化。     

生产者服务业发展的知识化问题——基于上海投入产出表的实证分析

制造业服务化是生产者服务业知识化的前提,生产者服务的蓬勃发展促进了服务业的知识化。上海经济发展对知识密集型服务业的推动作用比较大,其中商务服务业、专业技术服务业和物流业对经济有一定的拉动作用,信息、金融、研发等生产者服务业在上海的产业发展中作用逐渐增大,但尚未起到支撑作用。提升上海乃至全国产业在微笑曲线的地位,可行的办法是大力发展"微笑曲线"右上端与销售及售后服务相关的生产者服务业,如金融业、信息服务业等。     

中国的对外外包与出口——基于制造业行业数据的经验研究

依据1997～2007年三张投入产出表的数据计算了我国28个制造业行业的对外外包水平,并以固定效应模型和随机效应模型估算了外包对制造业出口的影响,此外还计算了对外外包对制造业就业的影响。检验结果表明:我国工业品出口数量增长和产品结构提升部分得益于高质量中间投入品的进口。我国的对外外包具有"节约劳动"的特点,降低了制造业的劳动需求。这主要是因为高质量中间投入品的进口替代国内中间品生产,使最终产品生产链条中的劳动需求下降。     

RIDIT ANALYSIS, A REVIEW

In ridit analysis scale values are assigned to the categories of an ordinal response variable, the ridits. Ridit analysis is described as a technique to compare groups of observations and to measure the association between ordinal and nominal variables by mean ridits. By their definition mean ridits are closely related to distribution-free methods. Mean ridits are also used as a tool to test the main and/or interaction effects of factors on an ordinal response variable.     

Ownership structure, contingent-fit, and business-unit performance: A research model and empirical evidence

This study investigates the influence of contingent-fit on the relationship between ownership structure and business-unit performance. We predict that contingent-fit between business strategy and its contextual variables will have a positive relationship with business-unit performance. We also predict that widely-held companies will perform better than their closely-held counterparts but that the magnitude of the performance differential will decrease with the increasing level of contingent-fit.Overall, the results are consistent with our predictions. We found that contingent-fit is positively related to business-unit performance and widely-held business-units perform better than their closely-held counterparts. The performance advantage, however, was mitigated by the level of contingent-fit.     

Delivering the goods at TNT: the role of the performance measurement system

This paper explores the characteristics of the performance measurement system atTNT (UK) Ltd.which facilitate the translation of strategy into action.TNTis a successful and growing service organization and a market leader in the overnight distribution of parcels within the U.K. The performance measurement system and how it is used atTNTare described in detail. The authors then draw on the management accounting literature to provide an analysis framework which answers three central questions for performance measurement systems: whatdimensionsof performance to measure, how to setstandardsfor those measures and whatrewardsare to be associated with the achievement of those standards. The performance measurement system atTNTis appraised against this framework. AtTNTthere are five properties of the performance measurement system which have facilitated the translating of strategy into action. Three of these relate to the framework above; the company measures the right things in that dimensions are consistent with corporate strategy, it provides standards for performance through internal benchmarking, and adopts a mixture of financial and non-financial based rewards. In addition, however, there are two further properties of the system; the use of league tables to report the relative performance of the depots, and the presence of a strong corporate champion who drives the message and importance of the performance measurement system from the centre to the depots.     

Asymptotic confidence intervals for the effect of closing an area upon the number of birds' nests

Abstract  The methodological discussion in D e R oos -S chaafsma (1981) Section 6 is continued by proposing asymptotic methods as a substitute for laborious confidence interval computations.