物流企业核心竞争力的财务指标及评价方法

本文认为,企业的产品竞争力及资源整合与创新能力是影响企业核心竞争力的主要因素。而物流营运能力指标、物流偿债能力指标、物流获利能力指标、物流发展能力指标等则是影响物流企业核心竞争力的财务指标。文章指出,可采用层次分析法(AHP法)对其财务指标进行综合评价。即将问题予以层次化,根据指标性质和要达到的最终目标,将考评指标分成不同组成因素,并根据因素间的关联影响及隶属关系将其按不同层次进行聚集组合,形成一个多层次结构模型,从而最终把系统分析归结为最低层(具体考评指标)相对于最高层(总目标)的相对重要权值的确定或相对优劣次序的排序问题。     

Accounting and Medicine: An Exploratory Investigation into Physicians’ Attitudes Toward the Use of Standard Cost-Accounting Methods in Medicine

Research studies demonstrate wide variation in how physicians diagnose and treat patients with similar medical conditions and suggest that at least some of the variation reflects inefficiencies and unnecessary medical costs. Health care researchers are actively examining ways to reduce variations in practice through standardization of medicine to reduce the cost of treatment and ensure the quality of outcomes. The most widely accepted form of this standardization is Evidence Based Best Practices (EBBP). Furthermore, financial health care providers such as hospitals and managed care organizations are investigating methods to tie resource usage to medical protocols in their efforts to monitor and control health care costs. Such proposals are contentious because they report on physicians’ medical practice behaviors (such as the number of tests ordered, use of specific therapies, etc.) and such reports could potentially be used to influence their clinical behaviors. The intent of this exploratory study was to examine physicians’ perceptions about linking a standard costing system to EBBP guidelines. The authors interviewed nine practicing physicians asking each physician to respond to the question, ‘As a physician working in a hospital environment, what are your reactions to and concerns with combining standard costing techniques with EBBP?’ The interviews were in-depth and free form in nature. The physicians’ responses were recorded and analyzed using Grounded Theory Methodology. Using this methodology the field data was categorized into two major themes. The most important theme centered on ethics and the second theme was concerned with the implementation and use of a standard cost system in regard to EBBP. If physicians’ worries about ethical dilemmas and implementation issues are not resolved, then it is likely that doctors would be unwilling to participate in any efforts to develop or use a standard cost-reporting system in medicine. While this study was exploratory in nature, it should provide future guidance to accountants, health care researchers and health care providers about physicians’ issues with the use of standard costing methods in medicine.     

SMEs and CSR: An Approach to CSR in their Own Words

The academic literature reveals the need to undertake more in-depth field studies in order to discover the organisational culture, the difficulties and the perceptions surrounding CSR in SMEs. This study presents the results of analysis of four case studies on Catalan companies that stand out for their social and environmental practices. The conclusions of this paper are the result of dialogue with the main actors – four medium-sized companies – focusing on their actions, understandings and resistance with regard to CSR. The methodological perspective used was Grounded Theory, with the aim of the study being to contribute towards formalising CSR in SMEs, in their daily practices, by analysing some primary data. The results obtained show how difficult it is for SMEs to understand CSR, beyond the explanation of the specific practices carried out by the companies. They highlight the role played by the values of the founding director in the implementation of CSR programmes; they reveal that SMEs still have a long way to go towards learning how to inform both internal and external stakeholders of their best practices, and; finally, they show the interesting links that SMEs establish between responsible practices, improved competitiveness and economic results. Finally, the text points out the implications that the results of this analysis may have on creating ways of promoting CSR in SMEs. We believe that, in light of the opinions expressed by the companies, public organisations should try to concentrate on creating a favourable framework for responsible competitiveness, as a way to deal with CSR when addressing SMEs.David Murillo is a Researcher at the Institute for the Individual, Corporations and Society (IPES), ESADE Business School, Universitat Ramon Llull and Academic Assistant at the same institution. He is the current coordinator of the SMEs and CSR research field at IPES. He holds a degree in Business Administration, a degree in Human Studies and a diploma in Sociology. He is currently pursuing his PhD in SME CSR.Josep M. Lozano is currently a Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at ESADE, Universitat Ramon Llull and Director of the school’s Institute for the Individual, Corporations and Society (IPES). Co-founder of ética, Economía y Dirección (Spanish branch of the European Business Ethics Network), member of the international Editorial Board of ‘Ethical Perspectives’ and member of the Business Ethics Inter-faculty group of the Community of European Management Schools (CEMS). He has been a highly commended runner-up in the European division of the Beyond Grey Pinstripes Faculty Pioneer Award. Author of Ethics and Organizations. Understanding Business Ethics as a Learning Process. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2000.     

A Tale of Two Cities: Case Studies of Group Support Systems Transition

Research shows that, under certain circumstances, people using GSS can be substantially more productive than people who do not. However GSS has been slow to transition into the workplace. This paper argues that the Technology Transition Model (TTM) may be a useful way to explain this seeming paradox. The paper presents a case study of GSS transition in two organizations – one where a self-sustaining and growing community of users emerged, and one where it did not. Following TTM, it explores the frequency with which users perceived cognitive, economic, affective, political, social, and physical value from using the system. Comparison of the cases reveals differences in perceptions of value along several of these dimensions that are consistent with TTM. The findings suggest the model may be a useful way to explain the transition of collaboration technology, but more research will be required to test the model more rigorously.     

人力资源需求预测方法探讨

由于经济全球化及信息技术的飞速发展,使得当今企业面临的内外部环境日趋复杂。如今,企业在进行人力资源需求的预测时,考虑的往往不是单个因素的影响,而是多种因素的共同作用和相互影响。因此,将人力资源需求预测方法总体上分为定性和定量两大类,对目前流行的各种需求预测方法进行分析比较,并根据其在实际中的应用提出了相应建议。     

集群创新网络形成与演进的动因及其作用机制——以绍兴纺织产业集群为例的质性研究

从复杂系统理论、制度理论和组织学习理论等多个理论视角,讨论了集群创新网络形成与演进的动因,提出了集群创新环境因素和集群创新主体因素两类动因,并讨论了各动因间的相互关系。认为:集群创新环境因素通过影响集群创新主体因素中的经济理性动因和企业家动因进而影响其创新合作行为,从而导致不同形态特征的集群创新网络形成;集群创新环境的演进也是通过借助集群创新主体因素中的经济理性动因和企业家动因的传导进而使集群创新网络发生演进的。以绍兴纺织产业集群的创新网络为例,对其特性和结构进行了质性研究。研究结果进一步佐证了正式制度对集群创新网络形成与演进的作用主要是通过影响经济理性动因中的创新合作利益来实现的,非正式制度主要是通过影响企业家动因中的企业家精神和企业家认知来实现的。     

Foreign Direct Investment and the External Wealth of Nations: How Important Is Valuation?

While the balance sheet approach has increased the focus on position data, differences in valuation practices for foreign direct investment (FDI) make cross‐country comparisons difficult. To enhance comparability, the IMF's Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, sixth edition, which some countries have already implemented and others will implement in the coming years, recommends seven methods for valuation of unlisted FDI. This paper demonstrates that both the valuation method and simple differences in estimation techniques can fundamentally change a country's financial balance sheet. Using Denmark as an illustration, unlisted FDI equity liabilities vary from 22 to 156 percent of GDP when applying different estimation techniques, but just one valuation method, price to earnings. These measurement uncertainties can lead to important misunderstandings and affect policy recommendations, thus pointing to the need for further international harmonization. While the results are presented in an FDI context, the uncertainties also apply to other macroeconomic datasets, including national accounts statistics.     

中国民营上市企业的组织韧性驱动机制——基于“资源-能力-关系”框架的组态分析

以全球新冠肺炎疫情事件的冲击为观察窗口,本文基于“资源-能力-关系”的理论视角,采用模糊集定性比较分析(fsQCA)方法分析中国民营上市企业的组织韧性驱动机制,检验非沉淀性冗余资源、沉淀性冗余资源、管理者能力、创新能力、员工薪酬激励和企业社会责任六个条件对组织韧性的组态效应。研究结果表明：(1)中国民营上市企业的组织韧性驱动机制可以划分为三种类型：资源-能力-关系驱动型;资源-能力驱动型;资源-关系驱动型。(2)无论民营企业通过哪条路径构建组织韧性,资源(非沉淀性冗余资源或沉淀性冗余资源)是不可或缺的驱动条件。(3)相较其他条件而言,非沉淀性冗余资源、管理者能力与创新能力对民营企业组织韧性的形成起到更为重要的作用。(4)在一定情形下,资源、能力与关系之间具有替代关系。研究结论为揭示中国民营上市企业的组织韧性实现路径具有重要的理论与实践意义。     

Equity culture development in Central and Eastern Europe: The role of institutional and managerial factors

In this paper we argue that the development of equity culture in the CEECs is dependent on the presence of a combination of factors stemming from the external institutional and internal managerial environments of the firm. We adopt an inductive approach by firstly analysing two levels of data followed by a conceptualisation based on gained results. We examine data for ten CEECs (all current EU members) for four years 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. To examine the characteristics of the institutional and managerial environments of the CEECs and assess their similarities to four benchmarks (UK, USA, Germany, and Japan) we apply a Co-Plot methodology. We find that the presence of an advanced and well developed institutional framework together with the existence of specific managerial conditions is a necessary condition for equity culture development. One could argue that in the CEECs the transition process of institutional conditions necessary for the development of a sound financial system is in place but with some limitations. Furthermore, we find that managers in countries with the best potential for equity culture development are highly motivated, high-skilled people with international corporate experience.