The relationship between national culture and the use of professional services: Evidence from two cross-country studies

Each year, clients spend large sums on professional services, such as accounting services, legal services and consulting services. While research has found significant cross-country differences in organizations’ spending on professional services, we do not know why they occur. Inspired by the organizational buying behavior literature, this paper investigates the influence of national culture on the use of professional services, particularly management consulting services. As the use of professional services involves considerable uncertainties—particularly for the buyer—it can be assumed to be influenced by cultural differences regarding the level of Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism and Masculinity. By drawing on two independent cross-country studies, we show that organizations in high uncertainty avoidance and individualistic cultures use professional services less than organizations in low uncertainty avoidance and collectivist cultures. We found no relationship between Hofstede's dimension of Masculinity and the use of professional services. The findings contribute to the theorizing on how the cultural context influences organizational buying behavior and the purchasing of professional services.     

城市化进程中的乡村衰落现象：成因及治理——“乡村振兴战略”实施视角的分析

党的十九大报告提出了“实施乡村振兴战略”。乡村振兴是“中国梦”不可或缺的组成部分,城市化进程中的乡村衰落现象不容忽视,乡村问题的解决关系到乡村振兴战略能否实现和现代乡村能否建成。为此,剖析了我国乡村衰落的成因,探索了乡村振兴战略落实的办法,提出了现代乡村建设的可能路径。     

Reducing visitor car use in a protected area: a market segmentation approach to achieving behaviour change

This research uses a market segmentation approach to reducing transport-related environmental burdens from visitors, while maintaining economic benefit. The approach was tested in the Lake District National Park (UK). It aimed first to explore visitor transport behaviour using a social psychological framework, to understand what might best predict desired behaviour change (i.e. reduced visitor car use). Second, it developed and tested different types of marketing messages to reduce car use, based on persuasive communication theory, establishing marketing propositions appropriate to different visitor types and market segments. Third, it identified market segments with both a high propensity towards positive behavioural change and the highest economic contribution to the destination. The work is based on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour and on persuasive communication. Three hundred and ninety completed questionnaires were obtained. The paper emphasises the importance of context in successful communication to influence behaviour and shows that a market segmentation approach to behavioural change can be successful. Complex patterns of visitor mobility and modal choice emerge. For example “New Explorers” and “Familiar Families” are most likely to reduce their car use (45% and 48% respectively) and less likely to perceive this as difficult.     

谈国家助学贷款的贷后管理问题

国家实行助学贷款政策帮助贫困学生圆了大学之梦,得到了广大人民群众的拥护。但在实践中出现了新的问题,那就是还款率低。为了更好地解决这一实际问题,必须切实加强对学生思想政治特别是诚实守信教育、建立信用信息查询制度,依靠制度、机制促使还贷,调整政策加大还贷力度,切实做好国家助学贷款的贷后管理工作。     

开放视角下的国家综合负债风险与市场化分担

随着中国经济金融的日益开放,中国国家综合负债的规模与结构在动态变化:一方面,国家综合负债的某些旧因素(如银行不良资产)的存在形式发生了变化,另一方面,国家综合负债的一些新因素(社保基金缺口、巴塞尔协议的顺周期影响和汇率波动导致的外汇资产损失)开始显现。从开放视角考察,中国的国家综合负债风险形势仍较为严峻。在政府承担社会性支出的基础上,更多地重视和运用市场化分担方式是化解和防范国家综合负债风险的基本途径,保持经济持续稳定增长是应对国家综合负债风险的根本保障。     

国家实验室体系构建与制度创新：理论依据与实施机制

国家实验室是国家科技创新体系的重要组成部分,在国家发展战略中发挥着重要作用。目前,鲜有研究针对国家实验室体系构建进行理论阐述及体制机制探讨。以我国布局国家实验室体系为研究背景,探讨国家实验室体系构建的现实逻辑,结合国家创新系统理论、协同创新理论和合作博弈理论,剖析国家实验室制度创新的理论依据。结果表明：(1)国家创新系统理论是国家创新驱动发展战略的行动指南,也是推动国家实验室发展的重要依据;(2)协同创新理论强调各类创新要素协调合作与相互作用,有助于国家实验室体系实现整体效应最大化;(3)合作博弈理论探讨决策主体均衡问题,对于实验室与外部单位建立良好互信决策机制大有裨益。基于理论分析,围绕政策引导、运行成长、利益共享和风险分担4个方面体制机制创新,提出国家实验室体系构建的政策建议。未来,国家实验室体系研究需要进一步围绕基础理论和实证研究(驱动因素、运行成效和科学评价)等进行深入探讨。     

地方本科高校申报国家自然科学基金项目之思考——以福建地方本科高校为例

地方本科高校申报国家自然科学基金的获准率普遍偏低，究其原因既包括高校本身的“软硬件”条件的欠缺，更重要的是申请人在选题及申请书撰写过程中存在的问题所致。地方本科高校如何根据学校实际情况，在基金委“二十四字方针”的指导下，充分发挥地方优势学科和特色等有利条件，摸索行之有效的申报策略，以求在基金项目获批资助上有所突破，文章以福建地方本科高校的申报经验为例，从科研管理工作的角度出发，在总结基金申报中常见的落选原因的基础上，提出高校应加大基础条件的建设力度，科研人员应进行创新型、特色型选题并认真撰写申请书等建议。     

美国高等教育规划及其参考价值

立法拨款是美国联邦政府早期调控高等教育发展的行之有效的方法。随着经济全球化和高等教育的国际化,联邦政府自20世纪90年代以来开始对全国高等教育制定统一的宏观规划,而国际化、多样化、跨学科等一直都是其高等教育发展的重要战略。但美国高等教育的全面规划是由州政府来执行的。美国政府的高等教育发展规划经验对现阶段我国中央政府制定宏观的教育规划、地方政府积极参与教育规划、确立全国规划重点等具有重要参考价值。     

Computer Simulation as a Tool for Planning and Management of Visitor Use in Protected Natural Areas

The United Nations Environment Programme’s Principles on Implementation of Sustainable Tourism suggest that implementing sustainable tourism must include monitoring visitor use of protected natural areas and directing it to areas where the environmental and social impacts of tourism are minimised. Thus, sustainable tourism management requires information about the spatial and temporal flow of visitor use in protected natural areas to help identify potential tourism-related threats to the natural and cultural resources of an area and the quality of visitors’ experiences. Recent research has identified at least four ways in which simulation modelling of visitor use can facilitate more informed planning and management of sustainable tourism in protected natural areas, including (1) describing existing visitor use flows; (2) monitoring the condition of ‘hard to measure’ indicator variables; (3) testing the effectiveness of alternative visitor use management practices; and (4) guiding the design of research on public attitudes. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate, using findings from studies conducted in the Inyo National Forest and Isle Royale National Park, USA, each of these four potential contributions of computer simulation to sustainable tourism management and planning. The paper concludes with an assessment of the limitations of existing applications of computer simulation to nature-based tourism and recommendations for future research.     

美国生物医学研究概况

美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）专司是美国唯一一家国家级公立生物医学研究机构，负责生物医学领域的研究和管理。在关联邦机构中，NIH掌管的研发经费仅次于国防部。本文对NIH的科研投入情况、资助计划和发展方向进行介绍和分析，旨在从宏观上把握美国生物医学的总体发展水平和重点方向。