Modeling and optimizing the integrated problem of closed-loop supply chain network design and disassembly line balancing

This paper describes an integrated model that jointly optimizes the strategic and tactical decisions of a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC). The strategic level decisions relate to the amounts of goods flowing on the forward and reverse chains. The tactical level decisions concern balancing disassembly lines in the reverse chain. The objective is to minimize costs of transportation, purchasing, refurbishing, and operating the disassembly workstations. A nonlinear mixed integer programming formulation is described for the problem. Numerical examples are presented using the proposed model.     

混业经营发展趋势对我国保险业的影响

我国加入WTO后,金融行业已全部对外开放,通过混业经营实现整个金融行业实力的提升成为应对国外资本入侵的一种重要途径。保险行业作为最早对外资开放的行业之一,如何面对外来竞争,如何通过加强与其他行业的合作来增强自身实力都成了很现实的问题。     

“逆向混改”如何影响战略性新兴产业民企绿色创新？ ——基于代表性产业比较分析的视角

以“逆向混改”现象普遍的高新技术、节能环保两类战略性新兴产业为研究对象,基于民营企业“逆向混改”的准自然实验,实证检验“逆向混改”对民企绿色创新的影响。结果显示,“逆向混改”可以有效驱动战略性新兴产业民企提高绿色创新绩效。机制检验发现,“逆向混改”具有促进专业化发展和融资约束缓解的“双重功效”,有利于促成民企绿色创新发展的“护城河”和“蓄水池”。基于代表性产业比较分析发现,环境规制的合理设计及强化,可以有效地促进高新技术产业民企“逆向混改”对绿色创新的协同效应;创新补贴政策的适度强化及激励,可以有效地促进节能环保产业民企“逆向混改”对绿色创新的互补效应。研究揭示了“逆向混改”推进民企绿色创新的影响规律,为促进战略性新兴产业高质量发展提供了理论和政策启发。     

所有权与自然垄断产业规制——组合模式及选择

对于自然垄断产业采用何种所有权结构的规制模式,在理论研究与实践操作中都存在着多样化的选择。本文主要比较分析了民营外生规制、国有内生规制和混合所有权规制三种不同组合模式,并认为混合所有权规制模式较好地兼容了其他模式的优点,可以成为自然垄断产业改革与治理进程中的一个可取路径。欧盟国家自然垄断产业的改革经验,从实践上证明了混合所有权规制模式的可行性,尽管其也存在一定的局限性。同时,本文认为对于转型改革时期的中国,针对自然垄断行业的国有企业,可以考虑采用混合所有权规制模式的改革路径,通过股权开放的形式放松民营资本进入自然垄断产业的行业管制,并有效、平稳地建立起自然垄断产业规制体系。     

Cooperatives, regulation and competition in Norwegian agriculture

This article analyses the efficiency of current market regulations and market structure in Norwegian agriculture. Based on their potential to coordinate farmers' supplies, large marketing cooperatives are assigned a market regulation role. However, market prices frequently tend to fall below target prices, spurring costly additional market regulations. This is not necessarily a result of inefficient coordination by the cooperative. Using a mixed market model, the study shows that over production may be explained by the competition between marketing cooperatives and investor-owned wholesalers (IOW), typically weakening the cooperatives' ability to coordinate market supply. This conclusion is robust over a variety of IOW contracts. However, to what extent competition is to blame, depends on the target price level and the contract structure of the IOW. Moreover, it is shown that current market interventions to remove excess supplies may induce further incentives to increase production.     

Using choice experiments to value catchment and estuary health in Tasmania with individual preference heterogeneity*

Choice experiments (CE) have become widespread as an approach to environmental valuation in both Australia and overseas. However, there are few valuation studies that have addressed natural resource management (NRM) changes in Tasmania. Furthermore, few studies have focussed on the estimation of estuary values. The CE study described in this paper aims to analyse community preferences for NRM options in the George catchment, Tasmania. Catchment health attributes were: the length of native riverside vegetation; the number of rare native animal and plant species in the George catchment; and area of healthy seagrass beds in the Georges Bay, which was used as a measure of estuary condition. Mixed logit models with interactions between socio‐economic variables and the choice attributes were estimated to account for systematic and random taste heterogeneity across respondents. Results reveal considerable variation in preferences towards the attributes and show that value estimates are significantly impacted by the way in which we account for preference heterogeneity. Preference heterogeneity thus needs to be considered when estimating community willingness‐to‐pay for environmental changes. This study further shows little responsiveness to the presented changes in estuary seagrass area.     

Corruption in agricultural processing firms: A comparison of cooperatives and investor-owned firms

This paper examines managerial corruption in cooperatives (co-ops) and investor-owned firms (IOFs), including its impact on prices and farmer welfare. Even when co-op managers have greater incentives to engage in corruption because of the co-op's larger production, the resulting corruption is not sufficient to offset the competitive effect that co-ops exert vis-à-vis IOFs. This conclusion holds regardless of the functional form of the production function, the farm input supply curve, and the demand curve for the processed product. In addition to showing the robustness of the competition effect, the paper provides a highly flexible modeling framework that can be used to examine other co-op behavior questions.     

股权制衡、非国有股东委派董事与公司绩效

从公司治理层面完善国有控股企业的股权制衡是国企混合所有制改革的重点和难点,以往学者仅仅研究了股权制衡与公司绩效之间的关系,很少研究两者关系的作用路径和影响机理.因此,引入非国有股东委派董事这一概念,研究非国有股东委派董事在股权制衡与公司绩效之间发挥的中介效应.结果表明:股权制衡有利于公司绩效的提升,非国有股东委派董事在股权制衡与公司绩效两者之间发挥了中介效应.     

国有商业银行表外业务发展的现状与对策研究

改革开放以来，国有商业银行表外业务的发展取得了长足进步，但是范围还很狭窄，多以金融服务类业务为主，“或有类”业务较少，因此与西方发达国家商业银行相比差距十分明显。具体来说，存在表外业务收入占比偏低、创新能力不足、发展不平衡、管理不规范等问题，究其原因主要包括分业经营管理体制的约束、金融市场环境欠佳、市场交易主体不够成熟、银行体制改革滞后及专业人才与先进技术缺乏等。因此，国有商业银行大力发展表外业务必须深化金融体制改革、尽快实行混业经营制度。统筹规划、强化产品开发，加大科技投入和人才储备力度，实施有效市场营销策略，强化风险防范和金融监管。     

Mixed farming in Africa: the search for order, the search for sustainability

This paper examines the interest in the development and promotion of mixed farming in sub-Saharan Africa. For over 70 years mixed farming has been a dominant model for agricultural development despite the limited success of many of the programmes which have specifically promoted it. It is suggested that the establishment of mixed farming as a strong development theme is related to its promise to address a range of environmental and social concerns, and in so doing, help create order out of a ‘chaotic’ African countryside. Mixed farming is again being highlighted with the more recent interest in sustainable, environmentally friendly agricultural systems. However, there is considerable evidence that African farmers have adopted a flexible principles-based approach to the use of component technologies commonly associated with the mixed farming model. This must be fully acknowledged, and the seduction of unitary models avoided, if agricultural research is to contribute efficiently to the development of more sustainable farming systems.