Mutual adaptation in buyer-supplier relationships

In buyer-supplier relationships, effective partnerships require mutual adaptation to execute strategies effectively. Using LISREL, we test a model of relational exchange factors that includes dependence, joint action and trust and their influence on the mutual adaptation of supplier and buyer firms in the U.S. automotive industry. The results of the study indicate that both economic and social dimensions of the relationship impact mutual adaptation, but that these two are not necessarily complementary. Specifically, supplier adaptation is negatively impacted by trust between supplier and buyer, but positively impacted by dependence and joint action. Buyer adaptation, on the other hand, is positively impacted by trust between the two, joint action and the adaptation undertaken by the supplier. The negative relationship between trust and supplier adaptation may be symptomatic of deeper issues in the U.S. automotive industry that should merit concern.     

山东半岛城市群旅游资源整合与开发对策研究

现阶段旅游业的竞争已由单个企业层面的竞争、单个城市层面的竞争,发展到城市群的联合竞争。因此,一个地区旅游业要在激烈的市场竞争中做大做强,就必须打破行政壁垒,走城市群发展之路,在更宽领域、更高层次参与市场竞争。山东半岛城市群是继珠江三角洲和长江三角洲、京津塘、辽东半岛等城市群之后,逐步发展壮大起来的,旅游业发展速度较快,现已跻身于我国东部沿海地区发展较快的城市群行列之中,但同时也存在一些不足。因此,对山东半岛城市群旅游资源整合开发的优势及存在问题进行分析,制定半岛城市群旅游资源整合开发的对策,从而为山东半岛城市群旅游资源整合开发提供依据。     

中国中小企业集群化发展的必然性与可行性分析

近年来,中小企业集群化发展战略已经成为中国经济发展中的一个热点问题。本文介绍了企业集群的概念及特征;分析了目前中国中小企业集群化发展战略的必然性与可行性;并提出了有效发展中国中小企业集群战略的一些措施。     

Istanbul Airport (IGA) and quest of best competitive strategy for air cargo carriers in new competition environment: A fuzzy multi-criteria approach

Our paper determines the best competitive strategy that can be implemented by existing and potential air cargo carriers in the Turkish Air Cargo Industry with the operationalization of Istanbul Airport (IGA) and reveals the competitiveness level of the industry for four bases. We look at the competitiveness levels by analyzing the competitive environment of the industry nationally and internationally both before and post IGA (estimated). We use fuzzy TOPSIS (FTOPSIS) based on the Fuzzy AHP (FAHP) to handle vagueness, which is inherent in the nature of new competition conditions integrating the framework of Porter's five forces analysis. In our study, we use the five forces as our main criteria (with a total of 19 sub-criteria) and the competitive strategies as our alternatives. Our results reveal that the cost-focused strategy is the best competitive strategy that can be implemented by existing and potential carriers in the industry. Another significant result underscores the fact that IGA increases the competitiveness level of the Turkish Air Cargo Industry both nationally and internationally to a fairly high level. Also, the threat of potential competitors is first among the five forces in the industry's new conditions. Our study fills the gap in the literature on the effects of major structural changes in an air cargo industry on the competition among carriers.     

Nonrecursive separation of risk and time preferences

Recursive utility disentangles preferences with respect to time and risk by recursively building up a value function of local increments. This involves certainty equivalents of indirect utility. Instead we disentangle preferences with respect to time and risk by building up a value function as a non-linear aggregation of certainty equivalents of direct utility of consumption. This entails time-consistency issues which are dealt with by looking for an equilibrium control and an equilibrium value function rather than a classical optimal control and a classical optimal value function. We characterize the solution in a general diffusive incomplete market model and find that, in certain special cases of utmost interest, the characterization coincides with what would arise from a recursive utility approach. But also importantly, in other cases, it does not: The two approaches are fundamentally different but match, exclusively but importantly, in the mathematically special case of homogeneity of the value function.     

Comparing Digital Strategies and Social Media Usage in B2B and B2C Industries in Spain

ABSTRACT

Using 285 responses obtained in a survey of high- and middle-level managers of firms located in Spain and by implementing clustering techniques, we identify differences in the conception and adoption of a digital strategy and the use of social media. A driver for these differences is represented by whether companies are adopting a B2C or a B2B business model. Specifically, B2B companies are slower to generate an overall digital strategy compared to B2C firms. Moreover, B2B firms adopting a digital strategy are prioritizing the use of more professionally oriented platforms (e.g., LinkedIn), while B2C firms are favoring the use of more socially oriented services (e.g., Facebook). Additionally, we find that those B2C companies without a clear digital strategy are nonetheless significantly using social media, particularly social networks, while B2B companies are delaying the use of social media until conceiving a clear digital strategy.     

Environmental Policies for Sustainable Development: An Analysis of the Drivers of Proactive Environmental Strategies in the Service Sector

This article examines the drivers of environmental proactivity in the service sector. Hypotheses were tested using multiple hierarchical regression analysis with data from a sample of 41 managers in Spanish environmental consulting companies. Results show statistically significant relationships between (1) managers’ attitude towards sustainable development, (2) positive short‐term firm performance and (3) the strategic attitude of environmental consulting firms and the adoption of proactive environmental strategies by the studied companies. This article is pioneering in the analysis of drivers of corporate proactive environmental strategies in the consultancy sector. The findings have practical implications for policy‐makers, investors and other agents interested in a better management of the environment. Economic incentives such as subsidies to environmental training programmes for managers can induce changes in cognitive components of managers’ attitudes. Education policies could also affect managers’ attitudes towards the environment. Companies may also encourage attitude change by providing their managers with financial assistance to receive environmental training. External assistance to develop a strategic attitude could be an interesting policy to encourage voluntary environmental initiatives. Finally, fiscal deductions, tax breaks or subsidies to those companies interested in managing the environment can be effective incentives for those firms facing a weak short‐term financial situation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

政府职能视角下科技特派员功能定位与发展对策研究--以山东省为例

科技特派员制度发挥了积极作用，但如何进一步发展面临困难，需要对其定位进行清晰界定，并出台相关促进政策。从政府职能的角度，基于公共物品相关理论，对科技特派员承担的任务和实现的功能进行分类，依据其私人物品特征的不断增强分为服务、转化、扶持和创业四种，并提出相应不同的政策。然后以山东省科技特派员制度的建立和实施情况为案例，提出应明确科技特派员定位，制定相关法规和规划；对科技特派员进行分类，实施不同的促进政策；增强对各类科技特派员的支持力度；强化对科技特派员的管理。     

汉-英语汇对译中的视角转换

翻译是意义的再现,不是词与词的一一对应。但是形神皆备,是翻译的最高境界;某些情况下,译者对词的处理,无法回避。视角作为识解事物的角度,影响甚至决定人们的判断。在汉-英语汇对译中,视角转换至少存在13种主要类型。其中,原因视角—结果视角、结果视角—原因视角、部分视角—整体视角、整体视角—部分视角、功能视角—方所视角、行为视角—方式视角占有主导地位。汉-英语汇对译中的视角转换,并不呈现规整的规律性对应。