Global Sourcing Decision‐Making Processes: Politics,Intuition, and Procedural Rationality

Global sourcing (GS) is a firmly established phenomenon in modern business practice that requires specific expertise from different organizational functions, such as purchasing, production, logistics, and research and development to analyze and select sourcing alternatives effectively. In this context, global sourcing decision‐making (GSDM) processes pose major challenges because two dimensions of functional politics, namely goal misalignment and power imbalance across functions, appear to influence procedural rationality in a manner not understood to date. Likewise, intuition also seems to play a role for the procedural rationality of GSDM processes. To elucidate the conditions under which procedural rationality is hampered or enhanced by politics and intuition, we studied five cross‐functional GSDM processes, in front of extant strategic decision‐making literature. We derive formal propositions on how functional politics and intuition influence the procedural rationality and present contingencies for the divergent role of intuition as well as functional politics in GDSM processes. Our research contributes to existing GS literature by providing a theoretical model of important microfoundations of how GSDM processes evolve. The findings also guide managers on how to structure GSDM processes such that GS projects can be conducted in a more rational fashion.     

Toward a More Phronetic Leisure Science

In this essay, we examine the assumptions underlying natural science, social science, and the humanities. More specifically, we suggest that social science in general and leisure science in particular be guided by a different set of assumptions than those guiding natural science and the humanities. Drawing on the Aristotelian idea of phronesis, we propose that value rationality more so than instrumental rationality guide social scientific inquiry, and that social science in general, and leisure science in particular, be viewed as a bridge between natural science and the humanities.     

The sceptic as an economist's philosopher? Humean utility as a positive principle

Whereas in philosophy David Hume was long regarded as a negative thinker to be criticized rather than read, many thinkers interested in social and economic theory from Adam Smith onwards found key concepts, distinctions and problems as developed by Hume useful and inspiring. This applies not only to his seminal contributions to technical problems in economics. It is argued that the way in which Hume employed ‘utility as a positive principle’ (most notably in his ‘experimental’ moral theory) is of pivotal importance in this context. It allows for:

a. distinguishing between internal motifs and external circumstances and constraints; and for

b. making explicit the abstract logic of social interaction structures, mechanisms and processes.

Both are necessary conditions for employing the logic of social situations and mechanisms in the explanation of social institutions and economic processes. It moreover prepares the ground for the use of simplified or cartoon-like models of individual agency in economic and social theory, but also for its critique. On this basis, Hume's influence on various strands of social and economic thought, but also the specific differences with regard to more ‘rationalistic’ approaches (such as Hobbesianism or important versions of neoclassical economics) can be assessed more clearly.     

The RAS Approach in Updating Input–Output Matrices: An Instrumental Variable Interpretation and Analysis of Structural Change

The main purposes of the paper are to reconsider the rationale of the RAS method, and to attempt to improve on its interpretation and usefulness. The substitution and fabrication factors in the RAS method are interpreted as statistical estimates obtained by the method of instrumental variables. This enables the computation of asymptotic standard errors for the factors and the relative precision of the predicted technical coefficients. Furthermore, an adjustment cost minimization model to describe how a sector determines its substitution and fabrication factors is presented. The solutions of the model provide another rationale for the RAS method, and the associated Lagrangian multipliers can be useful for assessing structural constraints and structural change.     

Class Size,Teacher Hours and Educational Attainment*

We employ a regression‐discontinuity design to identify effects on educational attainment after compulsory school of class size and the number of pupils per weekly teacher hour using administrative rules as instruments. We use Danish administrative panel data. Average class size is 20, about the same as in the US and most European countries. Restricting the sample to observations close to the enrolment discontinuity points where the administrative rules have greatest predictive power, instrumental variables estimates are consistently negative. Estimates from the preferred specification are marginally significant and indicate modest effects in line with earlier studies. Estimates for subgroups are less precise, but they indicate larger effects for pupils from less advantaged backgrounds.     

赫尔德对启蒙理性的反思

启蒙思想家们无限夸大理性的作用,把理性看成是万能的,从而压制了不同群体的天然差别。赫尔德对启蒙理性主义进行反思并发动了浪漫主义运动。他强调个体性,认为每个个体都具有特殊性、变动性、多元性、不确定性和无规律性,这自然就和理性的普遍性、不变性、一元性、确定性和规律性形成根本对立。     

浅论自创商誉的会计处理问题

自创商誉是商誉的一个重要组成部分,是指非购买的,企业在生产经营过程中,自行发展起来的商誉。传统的观点认为,确认自创商誉有悖于会计信息可靠性的质量特征、有悖于稳健性的会计原则。但笔者认为,在现代社会经济迅猛发展的情况下,传统的会计核算理论已经开始受到来自理论和实务的挑战,文章在对自创商誉确认的合理性进行分析的基础上,阐述了自创商誉会计处理的有关问题,包括:自创商誉价值的计算,自创商誉的摊销、披露及自创商誉会计发展的相关基础工作。     

行为金融述评：渊源、定位与在中国的研究

由于标准金融学的理性人假设和有效市场假说的缺陷,行为金融以心理学和行为学为基础,提出有限理性和非有效市场,来解释金融市场的异象,这是对标准金融学的强有力挑战。标准金融学和行为金融学之间的差异是研究目标不同。标准金融学描述经济个体的最优决策行为,而行为金融描述的是真实决策行为。文章综合了国内外的研究文献,对行为金融的渊源和定位作出综述,并提出目前行为金融的研究框架内容和在中国的研究展望。     

Moment-based estimation of smooth transition regression models with endogenous variables

Nonlinear regression models have been widely used in practice for a variety of time series and cross-section datasets. For purposes of analyzing univariate and multivariate time series data, in particular, smooth transition regression (STR) models have been shown to be very useful for representing and capturing asymmetric behavior. Most STR models have been applied to univariate processes, and have made a variety of assumptions, including stationary or cointegrated processes, uncorrelated, homoskedastic or conditionally heteroskedastic errors, and weakly exogenous regressors. Under the assumption of exogeneity, the standard method of estimation is nonlinear least squares. The primary purpose of this paper is to relax the assumption of weakly exogenous regressors and to discuss moment-based methods for estimating STR models. The paper analyzes the properties of the STR model with endogenous variables by providing a diagnostic test of linearity of the underlying process under endogeneity, developing an estimation procedure and a misspecification test for the STR model, presenting the results of Monte Carlo simulations to show the usefulness of the model and estimation method, and providing an empirical application for inflation rate targeting in Brazil. We show that STR models with endogenous variables can be specified and estimated by a straightforward application of existing results in the literature.     

精准扶贫过程中工具理性的越位和价值理性的回归——基于湖北省B村的调查

精准扶贫包含着以效率为核心的工具理性和以人文价值为核心的价值理性,以两种理性视角审视湖北省B村的扶贫现状,发现B村精准扶贫在实施过程中出现工具理性和价值理性的失衡,主要表现为政策形式偏离价值初衷、效率优先忽视公平诉求、技术思维淡化人文关怀等问题,工具理性僭越到价值理性之上。为了促进扶贫工作顺利开展和扶贫任务的圆满实现,必须要推进精准扶贫过程中科学与民主、效率与公平、扶贫与扶志、扶智的统一,来助力价值理性的回归。