A framework to facilitate institutional arrangements for smallholder supply in developing countries: An agribusiness perspective

The industrialization of agriculture and the potential problem of small-scale farmer marginalization calls for a fresh approach to the design of agribusiness supply chain arrangements in developing countries. The objective of the paper is to contribute to a better understanding of institutional arrangements that can promote stable smallholder agribusiness contracting arrangements in a developing country context. A case study approach, incorporating a transaction cost framework, is used to test whether trust can significantly change the contract characteristics of supply. The results suggest that although the presence of trust can influence the contract characteristics of a supply arrangement, it may not be significant because of other factors in a developing country context. Bearing this in mind, a number of institutional arrangements are recommended in order to promote more stable contract conditions.     

Economics at DG Competition 2006–2007

This paper discusses a number of significant developments in the enforcement activities of the Directorate General for Competition at the European Commission, during 2006–2007. It covers a selection of investigations as well as policy initiatives that have triggered a debate in terms of the underlying economics.     

浅析合伙企业在税收协定中的"缔约国居民"之身份

合伙企业是否为“缔约国居民”对税收协定的适用有重要影响。一般来说,合伙企业属于协定意义上的“人”,但并不意味着同时也属于“缔约国居民”,只有当合伙企业被视为纳税实体,对所得负有纳税义务时,才可能成为协定意义上的“缔约国居民”,此时合伙企业本身有资格享受协定优惠。如果合伙人就按份所得负有纳税义务,合伙企业被视为纳税虚体,则不是“缔约国居民”,其合伙人可以享受相关协定的优惠。     

Measures used to evaluate industrial marketing activities

Given the importance of controlling marketing efforts, a study was conducted of industrial manufacturers to determine the extent of their use of various measures to evaluate different marketing activities. The predominate measures used for evaluation were sales volume with much less utilization of profitability, productivity, and expense measures.     

Regional public support to airlines and airports: An unsolved puzzle

This paper proposes a structural model to explain the motivation of regional public authorities to arrange marketing agreements for route and traffic development. Furthermore, using data from Spanish airports, we empirically test this model obtaining the demand function according to the preferences of public authorities. The results show that the public budget, airport’s attributes or intermodal competition affect to the demand for aircraft operations of regional public agencies. Finally, we propose an empirical method to determine the market power of airlines within these marketing agreements in a particular airport or route.     

The nature and dynamics of counter-implementation in strategic marketing: a propositional inventory

This paper highlights the idea that a broader perspective is needed in research into barriers to marketing implementation. It is suggested that this broader perspective should take account of contextual and behavioural issues along with an acknowledgement of implementation as a process. The nature and dynamics of counter-implementation are introduced and a propositional inventory that explicates such behaviour as encompassing actions that may be both intentional and unintentional in nature is developed.These actions may occur at the individual and group level as they evolve over the implementation process and may be both constructive and destructive to organizational performance. Particular emphasis is given to intentional counter-implementation behaviour in terms of how it initiates, manifests and develops, gaining momentum through the transition from individual level action to collective action and, therefore,greater potential leverage for successfully sabotaging implementation efforts. The paper offers implications for management and a research agenda is proposed that highlights content, context and process perspectives for future research in this area, as well as potential methodologies for future research.     

Beta adjustment methods

This study is an analysis of the forecasting ability of adjusted and unadjusted betas. Based on the Canadian data for 252 stocks, random errors in betas are the most important reason for the poor predictive ability of individual security betas. Most of this random error is eliminated if securities are grouped into portfolios. However, further improvements in forecasting ability are gained by adjusting the security betas for bias and inefficiency. Five methods of adjusting the naive beta estimates have been tried, including two methods not tested before. These two, Vasicek's two-stage method and order-bias adjustment method, gave results generally superior to others.     

T-TCM中的状态分析法

本文以系统分析理论为基础，提出了一种新的、以状态分析为基础的T－TCM编码器分析方法。     

Ownership, institutions, and capital structure: Evidence from China

We employ a unique data set to explore the role of ownership structure and institutional development in debt financing of non-publicly traded Chinese firms. We show that state ownership is positively associated with leverage and firms’ access to long-term debt, while foreign ownership is negatively associated with all measures of leverage. Surprisingly, firms in better developed regions are associated with reduced access to long-term debt, suggesting the availability of alternative financing channels and the tightening of the lending standards under the on-going banking reform. The combination of ownership structures and institutions explains up to 6% of the total variation in firms’ leverage decisions, while firm characteristics alone explain no more than 8% of the variation. Further, we show that non-state-owned firms tend to have lower total and short-term debt than their state-owned counterparts in less developed regions. Finally, we show that state-owned firms’ easy access to long-term debt is positively associated with long-term investment and negatively associated with firm performance.     

Contesting rural recreation: the battle over access to Windermere

Different forms of recreation are competing increasingly for space to operate, and arbitrating between these competing claims can be fraught with difficulties. This paper examines the recent conflict over attempts to impose a speed limit, and hence prevent power boating and associated activities, on Windermere in the English Lake District. The competing arguments, as presented to a public inquiry, are assessed in the light of the Inspector's verdict on these issues, and the political responses to the verdict. The case is likely to have a much wider significance in terms of land use planning policy in Britain, both in National Parks and rural areas more generally.