Land rental market, off-farm employment and agricultural production in Southeast China: A plot-level case study

This paper performs a plot-level analysis of the impact of land rental market participation and off-farm employment on land investment, input use, and rice yields for 215 plots cultivated by 52 households in three villages in Northeast Jiangxi Province. Our findings show that households that rent extra land are relatively more productive, but contradict results of earlier studies which found that tenure status of plots affects the level of land investments. We further find that off-farm employment does not significantly affect rice yields. This result contradicts those of earlier studies which found that the negative lost-labor effect of off-farm employment dominates the positive income effect. Another novel finding is that people working locally off-farm tend to switch from green manure planting towards the use of organic manure on their rice plots. We conclude that policies that will further stimulate the development of land rental markets, which is still in its infancy, can contribute significantly to higher rice production in Southeast China. Another implication of our results is that worries about the negative impact that the continuously growing off-farm employment may have on China's goal to remain self-sufficient in grain production are less relevant at the moment for the region examined in our study.     

Employment Effects of Offshoring across Sectors and Occupations in Japan

In the case of Japan, the studies conducted so far focus alone on firm‐level data and delve into the productivity effects and the skill upgrading between skilled and unskilled workers. Here, we carry out an empirical analysis of the employment effects of offshoring for Japanese industries on a broader classification of skills or occupations, while considering the three major sectors of the economy and taking account of both services and materials offshoring. The results suggest that various types of offshoring affect occupations differently. In particular, services offshoring tends to benefit highly skilled occupations more, while materials offshoring tends to benefit production workers instead.     

The employment environment for youth in rural South Africa: A mixed-methods study

South Africa has high youth unemployment. This article examines the predictors of youth employment in rural Agincourt, Mpumalanga Province. A survey of 187 out-of-school 18 to 24 year olds found that only 12% of women and 38% of men were currently employed. Men with skills/training were significantly more likely to report employment, mostly physical labour (adjusted odds ratio: 4.5; confidence interval: 1.3, 15.3). In-depth interviews with 14 of the youth revealed that women are perceived more suitable for formal employment, which is scarce, informing why women were more likely to pursue further education and yet less likely to be employed. Ten key informants from local organisations highlighted numerous local youth employment resources while, in contrast, all youth in the sample said no resources were available, highlighting a need for the organisations to extend their services into rural areas. Because these services are focused on entrepreneurship, programmes to increase financial literacy and formal employment opportunities are also needed.     

女大学生就业问题分析

女大学生就业难的原因是多方面的。为促进女大学生顺利就业,政府要完善法律法规,社会要消除性别歧视,高校要加大就业指导力度,女大学生自己要树立信心,努力提高自身综合素质和能力。     

论“公正”重于“关护”———对中国就业弱势群体税收支持政策的哲学反思

随着我国就业弱势群体的出现,财政部和国家税务总局陆续出台了一系列促进就业的税收政策,但由于这些税收政策在“公正”与“关护”两个基本原则运用上存在侧重点的偏差,导致这些政策的作用效果并不明显。“公正”与“关护”同属人类伦理学理论资源中的两个基本道德诉求。在就业弱势群体税收支持政策制定中,两者缺一不可、互相关联,但从国家宏观就业指导方针、道德原则的稳定性、持久性以及普遍性的角度看,应该坚持“公正”重于“关护”。     

Organizationally Sensible vs. Legal-Centric Responses to the Eroding Employment At-Will Doctrine

Most private sector American employers have responded to the uncertainty created by the erosion of the employment at-will doctrine by adopting tactics aimed at avoiding the perceived costs associated with salient legal concerns (e.g., requiring written agreements to preserve the at-will relationship and defeat implied-contract claims). This article discusses the limitations of such a highly legal-centric approach, and provides an alternative decision framework that will promote more strategic, or organizationally sensible, employer responses. In addition to providing specific guidance for employers facing the employment at-will issue, the article's analysis and discussion illustrates a general approach that has relevance wherever organizational decision makers address employment decisions with potential legal implications.     

Tourism occupations,career profiles and knowledge

This paper summarizes the approach and main findings of a research study undertaken by the Tourism Society into occupations, career profiles and knowledge requirements of professionals engaged in tourism. It outlines the main stages in the research program, including the identification of a body of knowledge about tourism, the development of an occupational classification, and a survey of professionals employed in tourism. It then presents and comments on findings covering occupational classifications, career profiles and knowledge requirements, making particular reference to the implications for tourism education. The study is very much a pioneering work in this field and it is confined to the experiences of the United Kingdom.     

The “Good Cause Norm” in Employment Relations: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications

Critics of the American employment at-will doctrine have argued that it should be abandoned because it is at odds with a societal level norm that employees should only be discharged for good reasons (the good cause norm). This paper examines the extent to which there is conceptual and empirical support for the existence of such a norm. Theoretical perspectives supporting the norms existence are discussed and integrated, and an interdisciplinary review of relevant research is provided. In light of the support that is found for the existence of a good cause norm in the American workplace, it is proposed that the current employment at-will default rule be changed to a waivable employee right to be discharged for good cause only.     

Evaluating a method of integrating generic skills with accounting content based on a functional theory of meaning

This paper documents and evaluates an intervention designed to integrate the learning of selected generic skills, particularly analytical thinking and written communication skills, with the learning of accounting content. The method used was to scaffold practice in analytical thinking skills through specially designed writing activities. Content‐focused learning materials adapted from task‐types currently used to teach language skills were used to facilitate the analysis and interrelation of accounting concepts, principles and problems in interpersonal communicative contexts typical of actual accounting practice. The materials, in three assignments, were designed to incorporate: (i) selected generic skills, taken from those listed by the professional accounting bodies; (ii) writing, both as communication and as an instrument for analytical thinking and learning; (iii) knowledge of accounting concepts and principles; and (iv) awareness of the interpersonal dimensions of professional communication. Overall, students showed improved learning outcomes, with improvements of 19 percentage points for non‐Australian students over the three assignments. We were also able to show significant positive relationships between the assessments of assignments 2 and 3 and performance in the knowledge‐based final examination. Improvements in the quality of learning were shown in students’ improved ability to assess their own work.     

非农就业机会不平等对地区间农村收入差距的影响分析

文章通过建立农村收入模型，分析了东、中、西部地区间的农村收入差距。分析结果表明，农村地区间的工资性收入差距是构成农村收入差距的重要因素。区域间农村工业化发展水平和城市非农部门发展水平差异所造成的非农就业机会的不平等，以及农民在获得非农就业机会能力上的差异是导致地区间农村工资性收入差距的主要原因。