Defined benefit versus defined contribution pension plans: How are the interests of employees and the public best served?

Prior to the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 the rate of formation of defined benefit retirement plans exceeded the rate of formation of defined contribution retirement plans. Following its enactment the trend has been reversed. This article reviews the development of public policy with respect to privately sponsored retirement benefits, takes note of the legislatively mandated regulatory distinctions between defined benefit and defined contribution plans, outlines the distinctions between the plans from the perspective of plan sponsors versus plan participants, and questions the appropriateness of the movement away from defined benefit plans in terms of public policy objectives regarding retirement income security.     

Research issues for employee empowerment in hospitality organisations

Employee empowerment is said to have much to offer hospitality organisations. Empowered employees will respond to customer needs as they arise, they will react appropriately to customer complaints, and they will develop a sense of ownership taking personal pride in ensuring that service encounters are a success. A more considered approach suggests that claims for employee empowerment need to take account of different definitions and meanings used by managers. They fail to recognise the initiatives which are called empowering take different forms which result in different working arrangements and boundaries for what the empowered can do, and represent different benefits to employees and employers. Whatever the intentions of managers, the effects of empowerment will be mediated by the experiences of the empowered. There are likely to be tensions between managerial intentions and employee experiences of empowerment. This paper suggests that there is unlikely to be a simple trade-off between empowering employees and improved organisational performance. A framework of analysis is needed which both examines each step in the process and the effects created.     

“长三角”旅游服务质量预警机制建立的研究

打造中国旅游的“金三角”,苏、浙、沪三地必须实现旅游资源的整合。而建立有效的旅游服务质量预警机制是实现旅游资源整合的基础。     

关于网络行业竞争与接入定价的理论分析

网络行业在引入竞争后,很难再保证其普遍服务目标的实现。本文根据进入者进入情况的不同,从理论上分析了针对不同的情况,管制者应如何设立普遍服务基金及制定相庆的接入价格,使得网络行业在保证普遍服务目标实现的同时,又能有效竞争,提高这些行业的经营效率。     

Financial Turbulence and the Japanese Main Bank Relationship

Under the Japanese main bank relationship, a bank holds equity in a firm and plays a leading role in its decision-making and financing. This may leave a firm dependent on its main bank for financing due to its information advantage over other potential lenders. This dependency may be particularly severe during episodes of financial turbulence. We examine the sensitivity of returns on portfolios of Japanese firm equity to the returns of their main banks using a three-factor arbitrage-pricing model. We find no significant dependence when coefficient values are held constant over the entire sample. However, the data strongly suggest a structural break in the relationship subsequent to the last quarter of 1997, a turbulent period for Japanese financial markets. When a structural break is introduced, main bank sensitivity increases after the break, usually to significantly positive levels.     

企业长期投资与商业银行信贷安全——以发电业为例进行分析

由于我国商业银行对企业的长期信贷在宏观上缺乏风险分担和直接控制的制度安排，担任企业长期投资的主要融资渠道是我国商业银行信贷安全重要的不利影响因素。发电业是同时高度运用银行长、短期信贷的典型行业，本文通过对2000-2004年29家发电业上市公司年报数据的分析，证实了在发电业的投资、融资和生产活动中，日常运营中设备开工率和销售利润率的变化对总负债水平和短期负债水平均无显著影响，而高度依赖银行贷款的新增固定资产项目建设对总体负债水平和短期负债水平的提高均有显著正影响。这表明由于缺乏其他项目融资渠道，发电业长期投资的风险过度集中地转移到商业银行体系。     

对我国商业银行发展私人银行业务的探讨

私人银行业务是国际商业银行的高端业务，也是我国商业银行推动经营转型、向建立真正意义上的一流商业银行过渡必须要大力发展的业务。本文详细介绍了国际上商业银行私人银行业务的内容、产品、特点、组织形式、业务流程和重要经营方法。在此基础上，客观分析了我国当前商业银行私人银行业务发展的现状，进而从组织形式、业务品种、人才培养、风险防范等方面提出了我国商业银行发展私人银行业务的对策与思路。     

我国公共服务市场化之困境及改革思路

尽管公共服务市场化理念已被我国政府认可并有许多探索和实践,但是由于在公共服务市场化观念上存在混淆或混乱,对我国实行公共服务市场化的国情把握不准,在实践中遇到了如损害社会公正,腐败,撇脂、管理,技术等问题.为此,政府要积极推进政治、行政、经济体制改革,培育和开发市场,为公共服务市场化的实施创造良好的制度、法治、社会、文化环境和条件.     

我国对外资银行准入的法人导向

《中华人民共和国外资银行管理条例》的出台是我国银行业在全面开放之际，对外资银行监管的一项重大举措，其中要求外资银行在我国境内开展全面业务时必须注册为独立法人的法人导向规定引起了质疑。实际上，这一规定并没有违背我国入世时对金融服务所作出的水平承诺和具体承诺，故我国没有违背我国在WTO项下的义务。而且，这一规定也具有“审慎例外”的审慎性，构成成员方可以背离GATS义务和金融承诺的审慎措施：     

"流程银行"的战略认知及操作风险管理研究

流程银行是当前国际先进银行普遍采用的经营管理模式。本文对流程银行的战略内涵进行了分析，并探讨了流程银行的操作风险管理问题。