What is a multinational corporation? Classifying the degree of firm-level multinationality

The degree of firm-level multinationality is a key dimension that spans all theoretical frameworks, levels of empirical analysis and domains of investigation in international business research. There is, however, no agreed approach to defining or measuring firm-level multinationality. This is reflected in inconsistent approaches to sample selection and empirical testing, and it has curtailed the advancement of the discipline. We propose that instead of searching for the elusive, all-encompassing definition of an MNC, international business scholars should instead agree on a classification system for the degree of firm-level multinationality. We illustrate the advantages of this approach by constructing a simple classification system that takes into account the firm's breadth and depth of multinational engagements. We illustrate our matrix of firm multinationality by classifying a novel sample of over 1000 firms from seven countries, and we demonstrate how it can guide theory development and empirical testing. We also provide examples of potential future research directions.     

Regional airport choice: Consumer behaviour and policy implications

The analysis of origin airports in multi-airport regions has a well established tradition in transportation and regional economics. The main goal of the paper is to estimate the importance of the different attributes that determine origin airport choice. In our case we adopt a stated preference approach to study this problem and evaluate the effects of possible policy interventions. We also perform a detailed segmentation of the sample studied according to the socio-economic variables that prove statistically relevant when interacted with the attributes used to characterise airport choice. Moreover, in order to test for the presence of heterogeneity in agents’ preferences we estimate several mixed logit models with different specifications, including heteroscedasticity and error component. With respect to previous studies we develop and extend the traditional SP approach by also analysing the role and relevance of attribute cut-offs in this research field. The policy simulations produced are based on the estimation of airport-specific attributes. The study concentrates on a multi-airport region in central Italy where four competing airports are located.     

Incorporating annoyance in airport environmental policy: noise, societal response and community participation

Airport capacity continues to be one of the air transport issues that creates the most concern. The major environmental constraint for airports is the noise generated by aircraft. Annoyed communities living around airports have become a limiting factor for airport capacity and operability. This paper brings together the existing literature in the fields of airport environmental capacity, non-acoustic factors of noise annoyance, NIMBYism and environmental conflicts. We also analyze the socio-environmental conflict between Barcelona airport and the community of Gavà Mar. This case shows that the lack of trust between parties, the impossibility of predicting noise exposure, the absence of opportunities for civil society to speak and the difficulty of accessing relevant information foster annoyance and mobilization in the communities that live around the airport. In addition, it is shown that, in such a situation, communities’ reactions can evolve to a post-NIMBY stage in which proactive attitudes replace reactive ones.     

我国经济增长结构调整的自然观思考

经济系统与自然系统存在关联性,两者都遵循了＂平衡——不平衡——平衡＂螺旋上升的发展轨迹,因此经济系统模拟自然系统具有一定的可能性。消费拉动不足一直是中国经济增长结构存在的主要问题,应运用自然辩证法的原理进行经济结构调整,要均衡增加消费、出口、投资、国家投入,同时注重整个金融市场体系的系统优化和均衡发展。     

点光源追踪系统设计

旨在设计一个模拟强点光源追踪装置,以提高光源的利用率。装置由模拟强光源和光源追踪2部分构成。模拟强光源装置采用TI公司的LM317组成可调恒流源装置控制1W高亮度LED光源,并且使用电阻分流和MSP430f147内部ADC采样数显。追踪装置采用ATmel公司的ATmega16高性能AVR单片机作为主控芯片,将采集到的信号进行综合判别和处理,然后控制舵机实现对光源的跟踪,并可实现手动校准。     

论PLC技术在工业控制系统中的应用

可编程控制器简称———PLC是以微处理器为基础,综合了计算机技术、自动控制技术和通讯技术发展而来的一种新型工业控制装置,在工业自动控制系统中发挥着越来越重要的作用。我们可以通过PLC系统结构和原理以及编程语言的介绍来认识PLC。     

基于WSR基础设施系统管理研究

基础设施系统是经济社会生态持续发展的基础条件,其宏观管理是一项复杂的系统工程。文章分析了基础设施系统及其管理特性,应用物理-事理-人理（WSR）系统方法,研究构建基础设施系统管理WSR模式,并以上海市基础设施项目为例对其进行了WSR系统分析、系统实施和系统评价等研究。基础设施WSR系统管理模式研究可为基础设施管理提供理论基础和指导原则。     

Can farmers extend their cultivation areas in urban agriculture? A contribution from agronomic analysis of market gardening systems around Mahajanga (Madagascar)

The rapid urbanization in developing countries implies an increasing pressure on urban agriculture for production. As most perishable food products come from this agriculture in close proximity to population concentrations, we analysed from an agronomic point of view how market-garden farmers can meet this increasing urban demand. This work took place in the case of Mahajanga, a secondary city with high increasing demographic rate on the Northwest coast of Madagascar. Based on preliminary surveys to characterize the farming systems (on a sample of 91 farms), 11 market-garden farmers chosen in the three main agricultural zones of the urban area were surveyed during two years. Surveys aimed at understanding their decision rules in crop choices, crop allocation to land and resource management, and to estimate their room for manoeuvre to increase their leafy vegetable areas under cultivation. The wholesalers and retailers who buy the farmers’ produce were also surveyed. A previous model of decision rules regarding crop location on farm territory was used to analyse the on-farm surveys and cartographic methods (GIS and on-farm manual representations) were used to quantify the land use. We highlight the following major points. (1) The leafy vegetable production in the surveyed farms already intensively uses land: farmers have complex decision rules largely depending on the water dynamics in the two main environments (lowlands and lakesides) where leafy vegetables are cultivated during the dry season. (2) The scarcity of farmers’ resources (labour money and water) leads to very little internal room for manoeuvre to increase the leafy vegetable production in the farms. (3) At territorial level however, some land reserve exist in one of the lowlands, but not on lakesides. The water availability for agriculture must be better informed through specialized hydrologic studies, as one of the main constraints nowadays to extend the agricultural area. An extrapolation to other cases of urban agriculture is then discussed as well as the role of agronomy to help urban planners to consider the place of agriculture in the urban development.     

复杂产品系统的技术创新及其风险分析

随着复杂产品系统在当今的经济社会中扮演着越来越重要的角色,其创新过程也就成为技术创新研究领域的一大热点。探讨了复杂产品系统的定义、内涵,总结了复杂产品系统的特征,概括了复杂产品系统创新的关键风险因素,并分析了复杂产品系统的技术创新过程,最后得出了进行创新风险管理的途径。     

Overcoming the barriers to successful implementation of information technology in the U.K. hotel industry

This article examines the organisational barriers to successful implementation of information technology in the hotel industry. These are barriers of will, ability, and finance which block the routes to integration of internal systems.