Idiosyncratic use of credit facilities by consumers in an emerging economy

A worldwide increase in household debt since the turn of the century has created considerable concern about the indebtedness of households, especially those in emerging economies that have been hit particularly hard by the global economic slump. In this study, the credit consumption of consumers in Swaziland (N = 264) was investigated by means of a survey that aimed to identify and describe factors that encouraged consumers' use of credit, the influence of credit on their buying behaviour when choosing major household appliances or furniture as well as consumers' knowledge of the conditions of credit facilities that were available for their use in retail. Findings revealed that consumers unequivocally appreciate the convenience that is associated with credit, specifically to cope with unexpected purchases, to benefit from special offers and opportunity to afford expensive goods. These advantages apparently negate the negative consequences such as high interest rates and strain on household budgets. Mean scores that were obtained in the knowledge test that only reflected upon credit agreements that respondents have actually entered into in the past, confirmed their ignorance pertaining to their contractual obligations and their consequent vulnerability. Consumers' age and gender seem to have noteworthy consequences for efforts to enhance informed consumer decision‐making. Younger females were significantly better informed that their older counterpart while the reverse was true for males, although differences were not significant. The significant inverse relationship between income and the LS‐means for the credit knowledge test differ from findings in developed countries and provide valuable opportunity for further investigation.     

全球创意产品贸易发展趋势及中国机遇

对全球创意产品贸易发展的趋势及其特点进行了简要分析,并剖析了中国当前创意产品贸易的发展趋势、特点以及在全球创意产品贸易中所处的地位。分析认为,作为全球贸易新的增长点和新引擎,全球创意产品贸易的快速发展为中国带来了新的机遇,应从增加创意产业的科研投入以及加强创意产品贸易的政策支撑力度等方面,提升中国创意产品贸易的国际竞争力。     

灌片节水配套改造工程的必要性和可行性研究

文章以4个灌片为例,探讨了灌片节水配套改造工程的必要性和可行性。通过对项目区渠系水利用系数极低、实灌面积严重缩减以及水资源供需平衡进行分析,得出灌片节水配套改造工程的必要性;通过对典型工程的实际设计,得出灌片节水配套改造工程的可行性。     

南宁市创意地产发展探析

创意产业是21世纪社会和经济变革的驱动器,如何开发并利用好这一驱动器,将成为城市打造自身核心竞争力的重要途径。文章立足分析国内外关于创意产业的研究理论,并结合南宁市的实际条件,提出在南宁市开发建设建筑设计创意产业园的建议,以期为南宁市的创意产业发展提供借鉴。     

电气自动化技术在火力发电中的应用

火力发电是我国电能生产的重要形式,随着科学技术的不断发展,先进的火力发电技术得到了广泛的运用。电气自动化技术推广到火力发电厂之后,企业必须重视自动化技术的重要性。电气自动化技术凭借其高效率的使用性能在火力发电中的运用更为广泛,企业需顺应技术发展需要开展电气自动化研究。电气自动化技术的推广促进了火力发电模式的革新。针对这一点,文章分析了电气自动化模式的实际运用。     

南方医科大学南方医院住院病人退药情况分析及其对策

目的:了解我院住院病人退药情况,分析退药原因,为减少并规范临床退药提供参考。方法:收集我院2011年1-4月的住院病人退药申请单1341张,对退药原因,退药科室和药品种类进行统计分析。结果:消化科,普外科和血液科居前三位;病人临时出院,医生更改医嘱和医嘱录入错误是主要原因;抗微生物药的退药频次最高。结论:应规范医疗行为,加强用药管理,建立健全的退药制度,加强医、药、护、患的沟通,减少退药发生。     

论单位犯罪中追诉时效制度的适用

根据刑法原理,单位犯罪应适用追诉时效制度。在现行刑法规定下,单位犯罪中单位的追诉时效期限应以单位责任人员中最长的追诉时效期限来确定;单位责任人员的追诉时效期限应以自然人的追诉时效期限来确定。从立法的角度来看,单位犯罪的追诉时效制度还有待通过刑法的修订来进一步完善。     

铁岭市土地利用总体规划实施环境影响评价研究

在分析铁岭市土地利用存在的生态环境问题的基础上,提取土地利用环境影响因素,建立土地利用环境影响评价指标体系,运用层次分析法进行土地利用总体规划实施环境影响评价,并提出减轻不良环境影响的对策和措施。     

供热系统中平衡阀的性能与用途

本文主要阐述了供热系统中手动平衡阀、自力式压差控制阀、自力式流量控制阀、自力式流量控制阀的选择、自力式流量控制阀在暖通工程中的应用等问题。     

MTBE行业供需现状及市场前景

近年来在汽油高标号需求大幅增长的推动下,国内MTBE产量随着产能大幅增长,但仍未能满足国内MTBE的需求,MTBE市场整体呈现"供不应求"局面,依靠部分进口资源填补国内的空缺。后期随着国内汽油质量的不断升级及调和技术的不断成熟,MTBE用于调和的量将会不断增多。另外MTBE用于化工各行业存在生产高技术含量、附加值高、需求稳定,今后对MTBE的消费量将会有较大的增加,具有较好的市场前景。