Risk management of logistics systems

Nowadays, with the globalization of business operations, logistics systems are threatened by all kinds of uncertainties and disruptions. Almost every month, serious accidents in transportation and natural disasters all around the world are reported in the media. As a result, an effective and efficient risk management scheme is of a top most priority in the mind of all professionals in logistics management. This paper concisely explores risk management of logistics systems in several critical areas, namely disruption risk management, operational risk control, disaster and emergency management, and logistics service risk analysis. The papers featured in the special issue are also introduced and examined. This paper ends with a proposal of various future research directions for advancing risk management of logistics systems.     

DO ELECTRONIC LOGBOOKS CONTRIBUTE TO MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY PERFORMANCE?

Within the U.S. Department of Transportation and among U.S. motor carriers, there has been increased interest in the potential benefits of electronic logbooks to improve the safety of trucking operations. This paper investigates the specific contribution of electronic logbooks to improving firm safety performance (as measured by the number of crashes and hours of service violations). The models presented demonstrate that electronic logbooks contribute positively to crash reduction and to decreases in hours of service violations, particularly among carriers with poor overall safety records. Moreover, hours of service violations fully mediate the relationship between electronic logbook use and number of crashes. These results have policy significance as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed a rule that would require the use of electronic logbooks for some carriers.     

从比较法的角度谈中国食品安全监管机构的完善

美国、日本、欧盟是世界上公认食品最安全的国家和地区,其进行食品监管的模式一直以政府监管为主,怎么进行监管机构的设置就是需要重点研究的问题。立足于美国、欧盟、日本食品监管机构的设置,讨论我国如何完善食品安全监管机构,通过比较各发达国家机构设置不同得出结论:发达国家食品安全监管机构设置模式分为集中型和分散型,而我国的特有国情导致我国要建立以品种划分的分散型监管模式;风险分析的方法是各国食品安全监管机构采取的食品安全监管的重要手段,风险评估与风险管理的职能由不同的监管机构承担,各监管机关在风险交流的基础上细化各自的职责,注重部门间的协调和统一的组织,能够使食品安全监管机构发挥更大的作用;另外,必须要加重监管机关的责任。     

Recursive Moments of Compound Renewal Sums with Discounted Claims

Under regularity conditions, Le´veille´& Garrido [6] gives a derivation of the first two moments (resp. asymptotic) of a Compound Renewal Present Value Risk (CRPVR) process using renewal theory arguments. In this paper, with the same procedure and assuming that all the moments of the claim severity and the claims number process exist, we get recursive formulas for all the moments (resp. asymptotic) of the CRPVR process.     

THE ECONOMICS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK: AN INTERDICIPLINARY REVIEW OF THE THEORY AND POLICY

Abstract This paper engages in an interdisciplinary survey of the current state of knowledge related to the theory, determinants and consequences of occupational safety and health (OSH). It first describes the fundamental theoretical construct of compensating wage differentials, which is used by economists to understand the optimal provision of OSH in a perfectly competitive labour market. The plethora of incentives faced by workers and firms in job and insurance markets that determine the ultimate level of OSH are discussed in detail. The extensive empirical evidence from the hedonic wage and stated choice approaches used to assess the value of OSH is reviewed. The causes of inefficiency and inequity in the market for OSH, such as externalities, moral hazard in compensation insurance, systematic biases in individual risk perception/well‐being and labour market segregation are subsequently examined. The implications of government intervention and regulation for tackling the aforementioned inefficiencies in OSH are then considered. Finally, the survey identifies areas of future research interests and suggests indicators and priorities for policy initiatives that can improve the health and safety of workers in modern job markets.     

Effects of transitory shocks to aggregate output on consumption in poor countries

This paper provides instrumental variables estimates of the response of aggregate private consumption to transitory output shocks in poor countries. To identify exogenous, unanticipated, idiosyncratic and transitory variations in national output we use year-to-year variations in rainfall as an instrumental variable in a panel of 39 sub-Saharan African countries during the period 1980–2009. Our estimates yield a marginal propensity to consume out of transitory output of around 0.2. To explain this result we show, using instrumental variables techniques, that there is a significant negative effect of transitory output shocks on net current transfers and a significant positive and quantitatively large effect on the trade balance. An important implication is that frictions to private financial flows do not necessarily imply large effects of transitory shocks to aggregate output on private consumption in poor countries.     

大风条件下货车篷布和绳网试验分析

在南疆线前百公里风区和兰新线百里风区,进行了3次大风条件下的货车篷布、篷布绳索和绳网试验。试验结果表明:D型篷布主要技术指标优于X型篷布;篷布的强度指标能够满足大风条件下的运输安全要求;挡风墙和防风网可以有效降低篷布绳索受到的气动力;最大平均风速达到32 m/s以上时,篷布、篷布绳索和绳网均出现损坏,影响运输安全;篷布绳网可以有效降低篷布绳索气动力;弹力绳可以有效解决货物沉降造成的篷布松懈问题。     

Chinese consumer demand for food safety attributes in milk products

Little is known about emerging demands for food safety among consumers in developing countries. This study presents results of an investigation of consumer awareness, willingness to pay, and price premiums for milk products manufactured using Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) management, a quality management system used to reduce food safety risks. Chinese food processors initially sought HACCP certification to access export markets, but now HACCP is rapidly being adopted for domestic products and HACCP logos have begun to appear on labels in China. A survey of Beijing consumers found that less than one in five respondents was aware of HACCP, and most who had heard of HACCP had learned about it within the previous year. After receiving information on HACCP nearly all respondents were willing to pay a modest price premium for HACCP-certified products. Products with HACCP labels in Beijing supermarkets sold at a price premium of about 5% over products without such labels, holding other product attributes constant. The results indicate that demand for food safety is emerging as an attribute demanded by Chinese consumers.     

发达国家药品安全规制经验及对中国的启示

发达国家药品安全规制机构独立,法律体系及召回制度完善,对中国建立健全药品安全规制体系具有重要启示作用。我国需要建立健全独立高效的药品安全规制机构,完善药品安全规制法律体系,发挥药品专家咨询委员会的作用,健全药品召回制度,提高技术支撑能力。     

从土方车频发恶性事故看我国货车后下部防护质量安全

在土方车频发恶性事故中，缘起钻撞（tlnderrmum）的事故尤为突出。本文通过借助我国货车后下部防护装置标准GB11567．2—2001，分析这类恶性事故的原因，并阐述后防护装置对防止轿车与货车发生钻撞事故的重要性。文章还结合实际情况分析了该标准的适用性及实施效果，并列出了一些典型的问题。为提升货车后下部防护装置的质量、确保行驶安全提出建议。