Let’s face it: Are customers ready for facial recognition technology at quick-service restaurants?

This study aims to provide an integrated model that examines the determinants of customer intention to use facial recognition systems (FRS) in quick-service restaurants (QSRs). An extended model built based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) was tested via structural equation modeling (SEM) using data collected from a sample of 558 QSR customers. The results showed that perceived performance expectancy, social influence, and trust in the system significantly and positively affect customer intention to use FRS to access loyalty and payment accounts. Furthermore, customer hedonic motivation had a positive effect on the intention to use FRS for authorization to their loyalty accounts, but no effect on the intention to use this technology for payment account authorization. The developed model would be helpful to managers for making a decision of utilizing FRS in QSRs and promoting the technology among customers.     

社会保险缴费负担对企业人力资本结构的影响研究

理解社会保险缴费负担如何影响企业人力资本结构,对社保缴费制度改革和供给侧结构性改革尤为重要.本文以中国沪深A股2007-2020年2847家制造业上市公司为研究样本,采用固定效应模型实证检验了社会保险缴费负担对企业人力资本结构的影响.研究发现,社会保险缴费负担能够提高高低技能劳动力的相对雇佣比,具有显著的人力资本结构升级效应.机制分析表明,社会保险缴费负担主要通过固定资产投资规模和员工人均薪酬两个渠道对企业人力资本结构产生影响.进一步地分析表明,社会保险缴费负担的人力资本结构升级效应在非国有、劳动密集型、小规模及高融资约束企业中存在较强的异质性.因此,当前我国社会保险缴费率下调的大背景下,政府应该审慎权衡社会保险缴费负担与企业人力资本结构的内在联系,警惕社保缴费负担降低过多反而会阻碍企业人力资本结构的提升.     

Non-parametric, unconditional quantile estimation for efficiency analysis with an application to Federal Reserve check processing operations

This paper examines the technical efficiency of US Federal Reserve check processing offices over 1980–2003. We extend results from Park et al. [Park, B., Simar, L., Weiner, C., 2000. FDH efficiency scores from a stochastic point of view. Econometric Theory 16, 855–877] and Daouia and Simar [Daouia, A., Simar, L., 2007. Nonparametric efficiency analysis: a multivariate conditional quantile approach. Journal of Econometrics 140, 375–400] to develop an unconditional, hyperbolic, α-quantile estimator of efficiency. Our new estimator is fully non-parametric and robust with respect to outliers; when used to estimate distance to quantiles lying close to the full frontier, it is strongly consistent and converges at rate root-n, thus avoiding the curse of dimensionality that plagues data envelopment analysis (DEA) estimators. Our methods could be used by policymakers to compare inefficiency levels across offices or by managers of individual offices to identify peer offices.     

The working for water programme: Evolution of a payments for ecosystem services mechanism that addresses both poverty and ecosystem service delivery in South Africa

A payments for ecosystem services (PES) system came about in South Africa with the establishment of the government-funded Working for Water (WfW) programme that clears mountain catchments and riparian zones of invasive alien plants to restore natural fire regimes, the productive potential of land, biodiversity, and hydrological functioning. The success of the programme is largely attributed to it being mainly funded as a poverty-relief initiative, although water users also contribute through their water fees. Nevertheless, as the hydrological benefits have become apparent, water utilities and municipalities have begun to contract WfW to restore catchments that affect their water supplies. This emerging PES system differs from others in that the service providers are previously unemployed individuals that tender for contracts to restore public or private lands, rather than the landowners themselves. The model has since expanded into other types of ecosystem restoration and these have the potential to merge into a general programme of ecosystem service provision within a broader public works programme. There is a strong case for concentrating on the most valuable services provided by ecosystems, such as water supply, carbon sequestration, and fire protection, and using these as ‘umbrella services’ to achieve a range of conservation goals. The future prospects for expansion of PES for hydrological services are further strengthened by the legal requirement that Catchment Management Agencies be established. These authorities will have an incentive to purchase hydrological services through organisations such as WfW so as to be able to supply more water to their users.     

信托公司“刚性兑付”手段和潜在风险分析

2014年7月8日,中国信托业协会发布了《中国信托业发展报告（2013-2014）》,《报告》称,困扰信托业多年的“刚性兑付”问题已经开始显现负面作用。但根据68家信托公司发布的2013年年报,对兜底问题仅陕国投一家信托公司做出了相关表述。信托公司的刚性兑付具有隐蔽性的特点,不利于金融管理政策的制定实施和信托市场的健康发展。本文对信托公司“刚性兑付”的手段和潜在风险进行梳理,并提出建议,以期对逐步打破“刚性兑付”有所裨益。     

财政转移支付的绩效评价分析——来自江苏的实践

本文基于ISM方法,构建了能反映区域财政转移支付绩效的评价指标体系;从财政转移支付的效率和公平目标出发,对“十五“以来江苏省财政转移支付的绩效进行实证评价。结果表明,“十五“以来江苏省财政转移支付在促进社会稳定和改善地方经济福利方面的效率稳中有升,但在实现政府公共服务水平均等化,缩小苏南、苏北地区贫富差距方面的绩效变化并不明显,并就相关结论的具体原因进行了探讨。     

薪酬制度人力资源效用研究

本文从经济学角度研究在工资总成本支出一定的情况下,采用何种薪金机制可以使得员工的满意度与企业利润率的最大化,即选择正确的薪酬制度使得以固定的成本获取最大的产出。根据员工对不同薪酬制度下的满意度和工作热情建立模型,拟定了不同的薪酬制度即高底薪惩罚制度严格型和低底薪奖励制度完善型制度,通过设定得到薪金和效率相关关系,依据模型的分析得出员工在不同薪酬制度下,对工作热情及公司效益大小的数据进行比较分析,最后选出两者之间较优者作为制定薪酬制度的依据。     

Payment shock and mortgage performance

The effect of payment shocks on subprime hybrid ARM mortgage prepayment and delinquency is examined. Using loan level data from private label securities, we modeled the effects of payment shocks on mortgage performance. Our study provided interesting empirical results in three main areas: First, we addressed the effect of payment shocks on subsequent mortgage delinquency. Second, we studied how the effect of payment shocks varies and decays over time. Third, we disentangled the impact of payment shocks based on the reason for the shocks: payment shock due to the expiration of a teaser rate (i.e. “teaser shock”) versus the payment shock due to index rate changes at the time of reset (i.e. “market rate shock”).We find that the effect of payment shock on loan performance varies by the delinquency status of the loan at the time of the shock. That is, the payment shock has the most significant effect on “current” loans rather than loans already in delinquency. Also of note, we find that the effect of a payment shock decays only gradually over time. We find that the impact of “teaser shocks” and “market rate shocks” on mortgage performance do not differ substantially, even though teaser shocks may be somewhat more predictable than market rate shocks. This suggests that either subprime ARM borrowers did not fully understand the product and the extent of the shock at the first reset date or that financially strapped borrowers used the product to speculate and were caught by the teaser shock when they were unable to refinance or sell (i.e. “flip”) their properties .The study suggests that any modification plan designed to eliminate potential payment shocks or to otherwise lower payments will be most effective for loans that are currently performing rather than loans that are already in delinquency.     

关于制订民办高校工资方案的几点思考

民办高校如何根据自身的特殊性，制订出科学合理而又具有竞争激励的工资方案，是值得思考的问题。     

互联网支付风险及监管研究

互联网支付在中国发展较早,相关风险监管措施建立的较为健全。在分析互联网支付风险基础上,本文认为在中国当前形势下,互联网支付企业的最大风险是战略风险,即如何让消费者接受企业的服务。同时,本文认为由于支付没有涉及到资金的跨期转移,因此针对互联网支付的风险监管是主要做好平台自身的风险管理体系建设。最后,本章对互联网支付平台的监管进行了简要回顾,并提出政策建议。