Learning Styles,Motivation, and Career Choice: Insights for International Business Students From Linguistic Inquiry

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a model of motives and career choice based on learning styles in order to apply the model in teaching business. Although the relationship between learning and McClelland’s (1961) three motives (achievement, affiliation, and power) as confirmed that motives are “learned,” little research has examined if learning styles are the key factor to classify motivation into three different implicit motives and whether those motives affect students’ career choice.

Design: The article first examines the Kolb’s (Kolb, 1984, 1999; Kolb & Kolb, 2005) learning styles including active experimentation (AE), reflective observation (RO), abstract conceptualization (AC), and concrete experience (CE). It then measures the learning styles and Holland’s (1985) six career types including realistic, investigative, artistic, conventional, enterprising, and social by the three McClelland (1985) motives including achievement, power, and affiliation using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) 2015 software (Pennebaker, Booth, Boyd, & Francis, 2015). Finally, the article compared the factors of learning styles and career types against each other based on the three motives in order to discuss the teaching strategies for students in their career choice.

Methodology: The study has used LIWC 2015 (Pennebaker et al., 2015) software to find the scores of achievement, power, and affiliation motives in the four Kolb’s learning styles (Kolb, 1984, 1999; Kolb & Kolb, 2005), and the six career interests (Holland, 1985). Correlation analysis was conducted among the motive values to find the relations among the learning styles, motives, and career choice.

Findings: (a) The two learning styles of AC and AE stimulate the need for achievement; (b) the learning style of RO stimulates the need for power; (c) the learning style of CE stimulates the need for affiliation; (d) people with a high achievement motive would be fit in artistic, investigative, and realistic careers; (e) people with a high power motive would be fit in conventional and enterprising careers; (f) people with a high affiliation motive would be fit in a social career.

Originality of the research: Efficient teaching techniques applied based on the study findings indicate that (a) teaching high achievement students will use more challenge techniques such as assignments and projects for thinking and doing training, (b) teaching high power students will use more control techniques such as discussions and presentations for observation training, and (c) teaching high affiliation students will use more socially oriented techniques such as writing tasks for emotion training.     

A State‐Price Volatility Index for China's Stock Market

This study derives a volatility index for China's stock market with similar properties to the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (the ‘VIX’). A long‐term benchmark of historic volatility expectations is here presented for China from 1996 to 2011, called the ‘China‐ State‐Price Volatility (SPV)’. Construction of this index involves the use of SPV methodology, using implied volatility calculated from options on the Hang Seng China Enterprise Index (HSCEI). Historic open–high–low–close volatility on the Shanghai Composite Index (SHCI) is also used to extend the benchmark prior to the availability of HSCEI options data. The China‐SPV successfully forecasts realised volatility for the Shanghai Stock Exchange. It also serves as a ‘fear gauge’ in that it monitors daily movements of the SHCI in the same way that the VIX monitors the S&P 500 index (Whaley, 2009). The China‐SPV evidences an increasing relation with the US market in terms of the dynamic correlation of levels and changes with the VIX since 2004.     

The evolution of State-Local balance sheets in the United States, 1953–2013

State and local debt in the United States more than doubled as a share of gross domestic product between 1953 and 2007. Using a historical accounting framework, we find that there is no straightforward relationship over time between state and local deficits and debt growth. We find that only 17 percent of the variation in aggregate state–local debt ratios comes from variation in the fiscal balance. This is especially true in the 1980s, the period of most rapid increase in state–local debt ratios. Before 1980, there were small but persistent deficits, but stable debt ratios. In the 1980s, state and local sectors shifted toward budget surpluses but saw rising debt ratios. This is explained by a faster pace of asset accumulation. Our results demonstrate the autonomy of balance sheet variables and suggest that changing debt ratios cannot be explained by real income and expenditure flows.     

市场势力、资产专用性与企业研发投入:来自卖方与买方双维度考量的实证研究

在纵向关联市场中,市场势力和资产专用性是企业创新研发投入的重要影响因素。基于2012-2016年我国121家医药制造业上市公司微观数据,从买方与卖方双重视角探究市场势力、资产专用性与企业创新研发投入的关系。结果表明：买方势力、卖方势力与企业研发投入之间均呈现“倒U型”关系,即当买卖双方市场势力较小时,市场势力对企业研发投入的正向“激励效应”占主导地位;在市场势力超过一定水平后,市场势力对企业研发投入的负向“挤出效应”占主导地位,且相比于专用性资产投资强度较低的医药企业而言,卖方势力与买方势力对具有高资产专用性强度的医药企业研发投入所产生的“倒U型”影响更为显著。     

A field experiment to explore the effects of detection and penalties communications and framing among Washington State retail firms

The Washington Department of Revenue facilitated a field experiment to explore opportunities to increase Use Tax and Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax compliance by retail industry firms. The experiment tested two enforcement strategies (actually put in place by the State of Washington): communication of noncompliance penalties and announcement of an enhanced detection initiative. Of special interest was whether the compliance initiatives would differentially influence firms in divergent financial positions (increasing versus decreasing revenues). Findings were consistent with the gain/loss framing concept of prospect theory: the elevated enforcement initiatives increased both actual reported Washington State Use taxes and B&O Taxes more for firms with declining revenues (loss frame) than for firms with raising revenues (gain frame). Historically the Use Tax has had a low rate of compliance while the B&O Tax has had a high rate of compliance; thus we tested two very different taxes. The results of the experiment suggest that revenue agencies with limited resources may benefit from focusing greater compliance enhancement efforts on firms with declining revenues as more tax dollars will be generated from these taxpayers. For tax researchers, this experiment demonstrates that gain/loss tax framing can occur in nature by means other than withholding.     

Urban expansion in contemporary China: What can we learn from a small town?

Rapid physical expansion of urban land use is widely observed in Chinese cities. Although there is a consensus that economic liberalization and decentralization of administrative responsibilities explain the urban changes, it is not clear whether or not actual economic and population growth is the only cause of urban expansion. By using a small town as a case study, this paper shows that urban expansion is a combined outcome of actual needs, planning preparations, profit-seeking, and more importantly, the approach used by local government to achieve economic ambitions. Findings show that local economic and demographic changes do contribute to land-use expansion, but a local development approach that uses urban expansion to improve the competitive edge of the locality plays a critical role. A pro-growth coalition consisting of top local government officials, state work-unit leaders, and developers, whose interests align for short-term gain in economic and political terms, guarantee the mobilization of resources for carrying out the rapid urban expansion, and a vision of the local economic success. These findings add in a new dimension that is not yet seen in the study of China's urban expansion.     

电力建设项目的质量成本管理研究——以A电厂建设项目为例

以项目质量成本管理理论为依据,结合A电厂工程项目施工的质量成本管理现状,分析了A电厂工程项目在现场安装质量成本管理过程存在的问题,提出了电力建设质量成本管理的理念,总结提出了具体且可操作的质量成本管理对策以及相关问题的运作思路,以此为基础提出电力建设质量成本管理的途径和方法。同时,为其他电力企业加强质量成本管理提供借鉴。     

我国能效电厂建设试点分析

介绍了能效电厂的概念,对广东、江苏等省份开展能效电厂试点建设的现状、组织管理体系、融资模式、激励政策以及实施效果等进行了分析,深入剖析了我国能效电厂试点过程中存在的主要问题,最后从政府和电网企业2个层面提出了促进我国能效电厂建设的有关建议。     

国铁企业市场化经营机制建设探讨

建立市场化经营机制是深化铁路改革的重要方向,也是提升企业核心竞争力的迫切需要。在分析国铁企业市场化经营现状及面临问题的基础上,提出国铁企业建立市场化经营机制的总体思路,即理顺国铁企业与政府部门、国铁企业与市场、国铁集团与所属企业3个方面的关系,从进一步落实国铁企业市场主体地位、建立铁路公益性运输补贴机制、加强铁路基础设施网络建设、提升铁路运输服务质量和水平、推进铁路客货运价市场化改革、着力提升国铁资本运作能力、推进国铁资本授权经营体制改革、完善国铁现代企业制度建设等方面阐述国铁企业建立市场化经营机制的重点任务,为深化铁路改革提供参考。     

公司决议无效规范基础的实证考察与认识论革新

原《公司法》第22条规定公司决议“内容违反法律、行政法规的无效”,2023年修订的《公司法》未对该部分进行改动。但实证研究发现,司法实务中被法官援引作为决议无效基础的规范数目大、范围广,且远远超越了实证法对决议无效事由之“内容违法”的限定。决议无效规范基础扩大化成为令人瞩目并担忧的现象。司法实务中决议无效规范基础扩张的路径主要有四种,即基于法律行为规范、“权利保护”与“禁止滥用权利”规范、程序性规范和职权规范的扩张。决议无效规范基础扩大化现象既有其实务根源,也有其制度根源。我国决议瑕疵制度立法应引入“权力瑕疵”这一认识论框架,并明确“决议机关绝对越权作出决议”为决议无效之事由。