Cooperation strategies in port-oriented bulk supply chains: aligning concept and practice

It seems intuitively obvious that firms in supply chains may have more to gain than to lose from learning to cooperate; but it is now more than two decades since Poirier [1999. Advanced Supply Chain Management. San Francisco, CA: Barrett-Koehler] and others called for cooperation in order to capture mutual gains in supply networks and even now ‘cooperation is neither common nor easy’. The simple fact is that not only are supply chains exceptionally complex but so too is the ‘process of cooperating’ – often in the context of antitrust legislation and competition policy. This paper argues that there is a critical need to rethink the principles and processes of cooperation within the broader framework of the competitive behaviour of firms and business strategy. Particularly, it suggests that the relatively recent thinking of Greenwald and Kahn [2005 Greenwald, B., and J. Kahn. 2005. Competition Demystified A Radically Simplified Approach to Business Strategy. New York, NY: Portfolio, The Penguin Group. [Google Scholar]. Competition Demystified A Radically Simplified Approach to Business Strategy. New York, NY: Portfolio, The Penguin Group] in their ‘radically simplified approach to business strategy’ offers sound conceptual insights into cooperation and cooperative strategies for firms not only in markets but also in chains. Furthermore, it notes that the analytical framework for cooperation and cooperative strategies which the authors develop is far removed from the notion of cooperation as ‘commitment and trust and shared thinking’ and from ‘buyer/seller reciprocity’ and ‘collaborative attitudes’ which tend to underwrite much contemporary thinking and research. The paper also argues that the Greenwald and Kahn framework – its single intelligence model of cooperation and cooperative strategies – resonates with real-world relevance, at least for particular supply chains. The paper focuses attention on research into globally significant export coal chains from major east coast Australian ports and in brief case studies finds substantial alignment between concept and practice.     

危机下中小企业跨国经营的“危”与“机”

2008年开始的金融危机冲击了世界经济,加快了世界经济结构调整的步伐,金融危机产生的威胁影响到了各国企业的跨国经营活动,使企业跨国经营的风险增加;但是金融危机也为企业的跨国经营带来了机遇,各国恢复经济的政策减少了对外资的限制,中国逆市发展也为我国中小企业的跨国经营奠定了基础,中小企业通过制定适合时宜的战略就可以利用危机带来的机遇实现跨国经营的目标。     

第三方物流企业信息化建设的策略研究

第三方物流已经成为社会化分工和现代物流发展的方向,而信息化建设有助于提高现代物流单位成本的运作效率,这就迫切要求第三方物流企业进行信息化建设。文章分析了我国第三方物流企业信息化的现状,并对当前我国第三方物流企业信息化建设策略进行研究,以指导物流企业科学、合理地实施信息化。     

‘Breaking the ICE’: workplace democracy in a modernized social Europe

The EU seeks to improve its labour market performance through implementing the Lisbon and European Employment Strategies which encourage the modernization of work organization through the development of partnership with the assistance of an ‘appropriate’ regulatory framework. Key aspects of this latter framework concern workers' rights regarding information, consultation and participation in corporate governance. European labour laws, introduced in the 1970s, sought to strengthen employers' consultation with their workforce and, more recently, the changing economic, technological and organizational environment has returned issues related to workplace democracy to the top of the social policy agenda. Here we evaluate the significance of the new Directive on Information and Consultation with Employees (ICE) within the context of this planned modernization of European social policy. In doing so, we re-examine the historical development of workers' consultation laws in Europe and assess the economic rationale for regulating workplace social dialogue in an enlarged Social Europe.     

The effect of international staffing practices on subsidiary staff retention in multinational corporations

This paper contributes to the scarce body of research on employee turnover in multinational corporations' foreign subsidiaries and addresses some key issues related to dealing with turnover of local staff. Based on a literature review, I conceptualize locals' perceived career prospects and their organizational identification as key variables mediating the relationship between international staffing practices and local staff turnover. In a second step, the paper develops instruments that help international firms to retain their subsidiary staff. Specifically, I focus on how international staffing practices need to be configured to ensure employee retention and I derive moderating factors. My arguments are integrated into a framework for the effect of international staffing practices on subsidiary staff retention in multinational corporations.     

传统运输企业向现代物流企业转变的分析与对策

分析物流的特点及其在国民经济及企业发展中的地位，分析传统运输企业向现代物流企业转化的客观市场条件，结合我国物流发展现状，讨论我国传统运输企业向现代物流企业转变的必要性与可行性，进而分析我国发展物流业存在的问题和机遇，并提出传统运输企业向现代物流企业发展的对策和建议。     

我国商业银行市场风险管理的特殊性:基于金融生态环境的分析

随着我国经济金融改革和发展,尤其是利率市场化和人民币汇率体制改革的深入,中国银行业面临的市场风险显著增大,根据我国具体情况加强银行市场风险管理是十分紧迫的现实任务。本文以金融生态环境为视角,着重分析我国商业银行的内外部环境状况及其影响,揭示我国银行业市场风险管理的特殊性,并据此提出了以金融生态环境改善为基础,提高银行市场风险管理水平的建议。     

发达地区现代化进程与基本思路：———以江苏省无锡市为例

根据江苏省现代化指标体系测算,1996年无锡现代化已基本完成初期阶段,开始进入中期阶段。与现代化标准相对照,无锡现代化建设既有优势,亦存在有许多不足之处。为达到2000年基本实现现代化的目标,必须实施四大战略及相应对策。     

浅议托口水电站的综合效益与影响

托口水电站是湖南省在建的最后一个大型水电站,其在能源、经济、航运和灌溉等方面都产生着巨大的效益,但在生态环境、移民方面也产生一定的负面影响。本文就这些方面进行分析,并提出一定建议。     

Product design strategies in technological shifts: An explorative study of Italian design-driven companies

This article analyzes the relationship between technological shift and product design strategies in the Italian lighting industry, where design players have experienced a discontinuous technological shift due to the introduction of LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology.