Relationship marketing and contract theory

The theoretical foundation of contracts and their limitations in governing exchange between firms is a current area of research in economics and business. The relationship marketing approach in business-to-business markets focuses on aspects in interfirm exchange that contracts cannot deal with efficiently. However, the ability to use contractual forms of governance where possible is crucial to the enhanced scope of relationship marketing management. We argue that contracts and relationships are complementary and that contracts provide an evolving governance structure for relationships. We examine the evolution of interfirm exchange theories in this framework and illustrate the convergence between contract theory and relationship marketing management, with examples from procurement in the supply chain, capacity reservation contracts, and program management.     

The illusion of no control: management control systems facilitating autonomous motivation in university research

Autonomous motivation, a fundamental factor influencing research success, can be undermined when people feel pressured, managed or controlled. So how do universities – which are under increasing external pressure to manage research activities to produce outcomes – exert management control without threatening the autonomous motivation of their researchers? We address this question through an exploratory case study of the management control systems used in two university faculties. Our results confirm the importance of autonomous motivation in driving researchers’ activity and show how incentives, performance evaluation and cultural–administrative structures can be designed to not only preserve, but also enhance and leverage this motivation.     

从项目管理角度看"985工程"的组织结构

常规的职能型组织结构已经不能适应高校实施“985工程”的需要，所面临的问题类似于企业运行多个项目时产生的资源配置和部门协调问题。项目管理中的流程导向型组织结构可以实现企业资源的优化配置，加强相互协调．这种组织结构形式对高校建设有一定的借鉴作用。     

Asymmetric information and contract design for payments for environmental services

In contractual relationships involving payments for environmental services, conservation buyers know less than landowners know about the costs of contractual compliance. Landowners in such circumstances use their private information as a source of market power to extract informational rents from conservation agents. Reducing informational rents is an important task for buyers of environmental services who wish to maximize the services obtained from their limited budgets. Reducing informational rents also mitigates concerns about the “additionality” of PES contracts because low-cost landowners are least likely to provide different levels of services in the absence of a contract. Paying low-cost landowners less thus makes resources available for contracts with higher opportunity cost landowners, who are more likely to provide substantially different levels of services in the absence of a contract. To reduce informational rents to landowners, conservation agents can take three approaches: (1) acquire information on observable landowner attributes that are correlated with compliance costs; (2) offer landowners a menu of screening contracts; and (3) allocate contracts through procurement auctions. Each approach differs in terms of its institutional, informational and technical complexity, as well as in its ability to reduce informational rents without distorting the level of environmental services provided. No single approach dominates in all environments. Current theory and empirical work provides practitioners with insights into the relative merits of each approach. However, more theoretical work and experimentation in the laboratory and the field are necessary before definitive conclusions about the superiority of one or more of these approaches can be drawn.     

加强和改进新形势下高校反腐倡廉建设的调查与思考

近年来部分高校职务犯罪案件时有发生,严重玷污了党风校风,损坏了高校良好的社会声誉和公众形象,加强和改进新形势下高校反腐倡廉建设研究十分重要。文章根据安徽省属四十余所高校反腐倡廉建设现状全面调查的情况,剖析了我省高校反腐倡廉建设存在的薄弱环节及其原因,并结合实际情况,提出了科学的解决方法和途径,对构建有效的惩治和预防腐败体系,提高我省高校反腐倡廉建设科学化水平,具有重要的现实指导意义。     

布朗执政时期英国教育管理体制的变革

从1839年英国政府成立枢密院教育委员会,到2010年卡梅伦新政府成立教育部,英国教育管理体制经历了数次变革.而新近的最大变革则是布朗政府将原教育与技能部分解为儿童、学校与家庭部和创新、大学与技能部两个部门.这一变革引起了英国和国际教育界的广泛关注.回顾英国教育管理体制的发展历程,剖析布朗执政时期英国教育管理体制的变革背景、职能划分及运行机制并总结其成功与不足,可以为我国教育管理体制的改革与发展提供启示和借鉴.     

从营销角度看节目生产

进行节目营销,是当下在纷繁众多的电视频道中占有一席之地并获得收视长虹的必由之路。本文从营销内涵的基本理念入手,探究如何实现节目营销。     

我国垄断协议“坦白从宽机制”的完善——对《关于禁止垄断协议行为的有关规定(征求意见稿)》的建议

文章主要目的是对我国垄断协议坦白从宽机制提出完善建议。首先分析垄断协议、坦白从宽机制的相关规定及实施情况,然后通过分析坦白从宽机制与主动报告者之间的关系,依此提出几点建议以详细坦白从宽机制。     

马来西亚"双联课程"的社会经济背景及其对广西高校的启示

20世纪80年代,为了提振本国高等教育,马来西亚实施了一系列措施并在之后的发展中迅速成为留学目的国,其中最核心和最有特色的是首创"双联课程"."双联课程"是指本地私立院校通过与外国大学签署正式合约,外国名校的部分课程被转移到私立院校完成,学生毕业后被授予外国大学受国际公认的学历文凭和学位证书.马来西亚"双联课程"的初步形式有"1+2"和"2+1"两种形式,后又由于东南亚金融危机的推动,产生了"3+0"的形式,为了加强和美国的教育合作,又有了"4+0"、"2+2"等新形式.双联教育对广西高等教育具有启发意叉.