Cross-national product value perceptions

Can a psychographic variable, i.e., a value perception of a product, be successfully compared across national boundaries? Using students in four countries, the authors tested for similarity in a two-stage process. Value perception was tested by comparing samples using only the owners of the products first, and then using only the nonowners. Similarities were found that bridge national borders. These similarities are evident where the respondents sampled are owners of the base products or have a high degree of market knowledge regarding these products.     

Heavy,medium, light shoppers and nonshoppers of a used merchandise outlet

An unsettling economic future coupled with changes in social values indicate that preowned merchandise buying will become increasingly evident. Consumers face the prospects of inflation, unemployment, and shortages, while social values are shifting away from disregard of resource usage by the disposable society. Buying preowned merchandise is a solution to coping with the environmental changes. Although institutions selling used merchandise, like other retailers, require factual information to design effective marketing strategies, this remains a neglected retailing phenomenon.The purpose of this study was to gain insights concerning several aspects of preowned merchandise buying using Goodwill Industries as a case in point. Data were collected to provide demographic profiles of heavy, medium, and light shoppers and nonshoppers, the information sources effective in inculcating awareness, basic patronage motives of heavy, medium, and light shoppers, and various buying behavior patterns of the four groups. The latter included shopping at Goodwill versus other institutions selling used merchandise, future shopping plans at Goodwill, overall attitude toward used merchandise, and the types of preowned merchandise they would be willing to purchase.Telephone interviews were made with a randomly selected sample of household representatives living in a midwestern standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) with a population of 85,000. The 336 respondents (97.5% of the sample) who were aware of Goodwill formed the initial data base from which 320 usable questionnaires were obtained. A composite shopping volume index was used to differentiate light, medium, and heavy shoppers as well as nonshoppers.Results from the study show that some differences exist between the groups in terms of demographics, information sources, and patronage motives as well as part and anticipated shopping behavior. Several implications are suggested for Goodwill in particular and similar organizations in general.     

Of lessees,lessors, and discount rates and whether pigs have wings

Recent articles on leasing suggest five principles that should aid analysts to understand this durable, much misunderstood financial instrument. The principles are 1) the lessor must be happy too, 2) the operating inflows have nothing to do with the case, 3) financial, like physical, matter tends to be preserved, 4) debt is a function of after-tax flows, and 5) inability to use tax shelters cuts two ways. In this paper we illustrate these principles and use illustrations to demonstrate that each of these principles has merit. We argue as well that the impression, often left by the principles, that leasing seldom benefits all parties to the transaction is incorrect.     

加入WTO十年的中国农产品贸易与竞争力问题研究

中国已成为世界农产品贸易大国。在农产品加入WTO十年中,由于成功地运用了两个市场,两种资源的互补性发展格局,带来了农产品贸易额不断增长的可喜局面,但另一方面,由于对外依存度越来越大,农产品国际竞争力整体不强等原因,中国农产品的未来发展仍面临种种问题,因而,制定相应政策目标和政策优化显得极为重要。     

Using dead reckoning in economic projections

Economics is an inexact science, measurement of basic data is at best approximate, and most interesting relationships change relatively rapidly in developing countries. Key variables determining economic prospects are often impossible to include into models. Models and their mathematical algorithms however are deceptively precise, which often complicates the process of constructing and using economic projection models in developing countries.This paper will examine those macro models intended for operational policy purposes and how they are used. These models try to be analytically good and have sufficient plausibility to influence policy. Thus, a great deal of judgment is required in constructing, using, and interpreting projection models in developing countries: the “dead reckoning” element.     

对我国农村教育现状及发展的思考

农村教育是中国教育改革和发展的重点。20世纪90年代中期之后,随着财政体制与农村经济状况的变化,农村教育出现了形势严峻、困难重重的状况。因此,大力发展农村教育,把沉重的人口负担转变为人力资源的优势,不仅是教育发展的重要目标,也是影响现代化建设进程的战略性任务。     

上市公司资产负债率行业影响的实证研究--对已有研究结论的质疑

文章从行业的角度对沪深A股上市公司的资产负债率进行了较为深入的研究。与国内一些学者的研究结果不同,文章研究发现:(1)行业对资产负债率具有显著影响,但这种影响的力度相当微弱;(2)资产负债率的行业差异并不具有普遍性;(3)同一行业内的资产负债率并不具有相似性,且行业内的差异要大于行业间的差异;(4)上市公司并不存在最优的行业资产负债率;(5)大部分行业的资产负债率与其行业特性不符。     

关于我国反贫困问题的认识

反贫困是落实科学发展观、建设和谐社会的重大内涵之一。贫困,是指部分人在社会中由于种种原因被排挤到经济生活边缘、失去了过当时当地基本生活的可行能力的状态。贫困的形成有自然的、经济的、政治的、文化的多种原因。因此,反贫困不能搞单项对策,应实施反贫困的系统工程。     

Volatility in the knowledge economy

Summary. We seek to explain the economic volatility of the last 6 years, in particular the rapid expansion and contraction of the knowledge sectors. Our hypothesis is that these sectors amplify the business cycle due to their increasing returns to scale, growing faster than others in an upswing and contracting faster in a downswing. To test this hypothesis we postulate a general equilibrium model with two sectors: one with increasing returns that are external to the firm and endogenously determined - the knowledge sector - and the other with constant returns to scale. We introduce a new measure of volatility of output, a real beta, and derive a resolving equation, from which we prove that the increasing return sectors exhibit more volatility then other sectors. We validate the main results on US macro economic data of real GDP by industry (2-3 digits SIC codes) of the 1977-2001 period, and provide policy conclusions.Received: 18 March 2002, Revised: 16 February 2004, JEL Classification Numbers: D5, D58, E10, L50, L52, O38, O51.Correspondence to: Graciela Chichilnisky     

农民工返乡创业问题研究——基于对湖南省的实证分析

农民工返乡创业在很大程度上促进了内陆县域(农村)经济发展,对于解决"三农"问题,促进城乡一体化,建设社会主义新农村,贯彻落实科学发展观意义重大.但是,由于国家政策扶持力度不够等原因,导致农民工返乡创业在取得一定成绩的同时,也存在许多困难.在深入调查研究的基础上分析了农民工返乡创业的基本情况和存在的主要问题,并就如何科学引导和扶助农民工返乡创业提出了政策建议.