Segmenting U.S. firms for export development

In attempting to aid firms in their exporting efforts, various segmentation approaches have been developed by government agencies and research groups. Each of these segmentation schemes aims at the identification of specific export needs within different groups of firms. The four major approaches suggested in the literature propose to differentiate firms into groups based on the level of international activities, managerial attitudes, size, and service orientation of firms. The research presented in this article investigates these four segmentation approaches by applying them to common data collected from small and medium sized U.S. manufacturing firms and investigating their effectiveness in differentiating among groups of firms. The results indicate that the differentiation of firms according to their level of international activities is the most effective one of the four approaches investigated. Subsequently, various specific needs of exporting firms are presented and a redirection of current export promotion efforts is suggested.     

Regularity and diversity in firm size distributions in U.S. industries

The size distribution of firms in manufacturing industries has long been a matter of interest in industrial organization. Distribution in different industries show considerable regularity that static economic theory fails to explain. Stochastic growth models appear to provide some insights, but empirical tests of the log-normal or Pareto distributions have been inconclusive. This paper draws on market share data for over three hundred U.S. manufacturing industries and analyses the distribution of largest firm sizes. A statistical test of the Pareto hypothesis, rather different from previous tests in the literature, decisively rejects that hypothesis as a general explanation for the upper tail of the distribution. Instead, great diversity among distributions is found, and the regularities that do emerge imply a greater clustering of large firms than predicted by theory.     

Some factors determining municipal revenue bond interest costs

This paper tests for variations in risk premiums on municipal revenue bonds that are related to the geographic location of the issuer, the issue's second rating, and secondary collateral provisions. The empirical findings indicate that investors required risk premiums that depended on local economic conditions. Issuer borrowing costs were also shown to be related to factors that cause or reinforce segmentation of the tax-exempt bond market.     

A model of teenage labor supply

This paper develops a model of teenage labor supply and school participation which stresses the teenager's use of time in a family context. The family is viewed as imposing constraints on the teenager's allocation of time. The teenager maximizes his utility subject to these constraints which differ with his age, sex, and family type. Simultaneous equation estimation is used with market level (SMSA) data on teenage labor supply. Overall, we find well-behaved labor supply equations for teenage age, sex, and family-type groups. Moreover, different groups react differently to variables representing family-imposed constraints.     

华盛顿共识向后华盛顿共识的转变——兼论跨国资本家阶层意识形态的变革

本文主要论述华盛顿共识与后华盛顿共识的内涵以及运行方式等,对华盛顿共识和后华盛顿共识进行比较研究而认为二者的差异就在于策略上的不同而没有本质上的改变。     

Criteria changes across product development stages

This paper analyzes the criteria used at making go/no-go decisions at major points in the product-development process, taking each phase separately. First, the variation in the sets (market, product, and financial) criteria used from one phase to another is studied. Second, the specific criteria deployed are analyzed. The results of the decision-systems interviews conducted show shifts in weights among the three sets of criteria as the development cycle progresses. In terms of criteria, the product-development process can be summarized using the following three questions in this specific order: 1) “Is there a market for the concept?” 2) Can the concept be transformed into a concrete product?” and 3) “Can the concrete product be manufactured and marketed profitably?” The analysis of specific criteria reveals that the use of some criteria is restricted to one particular phase, whereas some are used at every decision-making point. Also, the orientation of the company in question will cause variation among specific criteria use and weighting. Some factors, however, are quite universally applicable.     

Model of management learning styles as a predictor of export behavior and performance

This paper reports the findings of a preliminary investigation of the relationships between the export performance and behavior of firms and the search for market information by the principal international marketing executives of these firms. The first part of the study deals with acquiring objective market information, and the second part is concerned with the acquisition of experiential market knowledge. While the findings of the experiential portion are inconclusive, the use of learning theory in this aspect of the work provides direction for future research in this area.     

Polymorphism in competitive strategies: Trading stamps

This paper uses the example of trading stamps to examine a model of competitive nonprice marketing strategies. A concept borrowed from ethology, polymorphic equilibrium, is developed and used to explain salient features of trading stamp use by retail firms. The results contribute to an understanding of why virtually identical firms may optimally choose quite different competitive strategies. The paper also demonstrates the possibility of cyclical movements in the proportion of firms that adopt nonprice strategies such as the use of trading stamps.     

Market performance and the nature of a competitive fringe

It is sometimes argued that increasing the size of fringe firms in relation to market leaders will result in more competitive performance in the market. This paper tests the hypothesis that the number and size distribution of fringe firms in a market will affect overall market performance. The analysis is based on a sample of 3777 commercial banks located in 372 local markets during 1976–1980. Test results indicate that a competitively structured fringe of firms has a procompetitive influence on performance in the market. This implies that mergers between fringe firms are likely to have an adverse effect on competition rather than a procompetitive effect, as sometimes argued.     

略论"北京共识"对提升中国软实力的启迪

本文从"北京共识"出发,揭示了西方经典现代化理论和"华盛顿共识"的本质其实就是美国等西方国家的意识形态,是美国等西方国家传播、提升其"软实力"的手段。在分析"软实力"增强国家综合国力和综合竞争力的作用基础上,强调中国的和平崛起,应该在强化中国的"硬实力"和提升中国的"软实力"两个方面努力。本文最后还就我国的社会科学以及社会科学工作者在提升中国"软实力"方面所承担的责任和使命等问题进行了分析。