Financial Development,Interest Rate Liberalization,and Macroeconomic Volatility

This article examines the relationship between financial development, interest rate liberalization, and macroeconomic volatility in fifty-six emerging and developed economies over the period 1980–2009. We find that financial development plays a significant role in dampening the volatility of macroeconomic growth rate, but up to a limit. The more the interest rate is liberalized, the more likely that financial development can stabilize the economy. Particularly, interest rate liberalization has a more positive influence on emerging and developing countries. Financial development and interest rate liberalization can also alleviate the influence of external shocks. They mutually enhance their functions as economic stabilizers.     

Inductive research in last-mile delivery routing: Introducing the Re-Gifting heuristic

The last-mile problem presents a daunting challenge for many logistics service providers, especially some 7000 small, localized operations for whom the cost of complex software solutions is often prohibitive. As a result, last-mile dispatchers rely on simple heuristics to ensure adequate customer service at an acceptable cost. This research effort extends prior qualitative work by developing and testing a simple vehicle routing heuristic, based on behaviors observed in practice, that prioritizes customer service over cost against other simple vehicle routing heuristics across a variety of environments using simulation. The results support the inclusion of a customer service focus in vehicle routing and the addition of such heuristics to existing algorithm portfolios, specifically in urban areas with well-developed highway systems.     

How does employee development affect turnover intention? Exploring alternative relationships

This study explores alternative relationships between perceived investment in employee development (PIED) and turnover intention by including affective commitment, perceived internal employability, and perceived external employability as potential mediators. Data were collected through a structured survey from 337 employees working in two large companies in Italy. The factorial validity and dimensionality of the latent constructs studied were evaluated in a confirmatory factor analysis framework, and the mediation hypotheses were tested in a full structural equation model. Results show that the overall effect of PIED on turnover intention is negative and almost fully mediated by external employability and affective commitment, whereas the path through internal employability is not supported. More specifically, PIED increases commitment, which in turn limits the likelihood of turnover. In addition, although perceived external employability is positively associated with turnover intention, PIED seems to reduce this effect by negatively affecting employee perceptions of their marketability in the labour market. The study supports the assumptions of social exchange theory in explaining turnover behaviour as a consequence of employee development support. Contextually, it questions the existence of the employability paradox because it does not reveal either a retention path via perceived internal employability or a turnover risk via perceived external employability.     

Financial inclusion and food insecurity: Examining linkages and potential pathways

Considering the worsening levels of food insecurity globally, studies exploring the link between financial inclusion and food insecurity have become imperative. This paper contributes to the literature by examining the effect of financial inclusion on food insecurity using a multidimensional index of financial inclusion and a food insecurity construct obtained from the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Based on data extracted from the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey, our preferred endogeneity-corrected results indicate that improvements in financial inclusion is associated with a reduction in food insecurity. This finding is consistent across different conceptualisations of food insecurity, alternative weighting schemes and cut-offs for the financial inclusion index and different quasi-experimental methods. Financial inclusion is mainly effective in reducing food insecurity in male-headed and rural-located households. Our findings reveal that entrepreneurship is an important pathway through which financial inclusion influences food insecurity.     

An emerging market multinational Company's internationalization: From original equipment manufacturer to global brand leader

We examine an emerging market multinational company's (EMNC's) transformation from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to an original brand manufacturer (OBM) and global leader. Our longitudinal study of Hisense—China's largest TV company (and the world's third largest) spans three decades and involves detailed interviews with over 50 executives. We study how the company's global value chain network evolved, how it reconfigured its organization, upgraded its capabilities, and enhanced its brand reputation. We develop propositions that may contribute to improved explanations for an EMNC's internationalization sequence, development of competitive advantages, overseas management practices, and brand building.     

建设抚—哈合作开发区的设想

抚远县和一江之隔的哈巴罗夫斯克市及其周围地区,以其优越的地缘优势、资源优势和互补性,具有发展双边(多边)经济技术合作的广阔前景。建设抚哈合作开发区,不仅有利于振兴当地经济,而且可作为参与东北亚国际分工与合作的窗口,通过外参内联,实现由边疆到内地,由双边到多边的多种形式的经贸合作,带动和促进两国内地经济的发展。     

区域经济协调发展与财税政策研究

区域发展不平衡是当前我国经济发展中遇到的最大问题,这与财税政策有着密切的关系。本文分析了我国财税政策在协调区域经济发展方面存在的问题,提出了规范转移支付制度、调整中央和地方共享税范围与比例、适时开征财产税以及改变现行税收优惠措施等一系列政策建议,以期为促进我国区域经济协调发展有所裨益。     

关于宜居城市的几个基本问题

建设什么样的城市，怎样建设城市是当前我国城市化进程中亟待解决的问题。宜居城市是由自然物质环境和社会人文环境相互交织、融合形成的一个复杂巨系统。倡导以人为本的科学发展观，建设宜居城市应当成为中国城市建设的方向之一。基于宜居城市发展演变的一般规律，宜居城市的判别标准理应包括经济发展度、社会和谐度、文化丰厚度、居住舒适度、景观怡人度、公共安全度等多项指标。     

基于成本——效益分析的安徽农村生物沼气发展研究

生物沼气为生物质能源中最为普及的一种,由于其分散性、小型化和就地取材适合农村发展。文章运用成本——效益函数,通过将农村沼气发展具有代表性地区的实地调研情况与函数的理论前提进行对比分析后发现,发展大中型沼气项目更适合农村实际,从而提出下一阶段农村沼气的发展模式。     

旅游资源可持续利用研究框架透析

旅游资源的开发和利用伴随旅游业的发展已迈入成熟调整时期,由市场调节和宏观调控共同作用和影响下的旅游资源的开发现状和利用趋势呈现出小幅震荡、利好消弭、补仓不济的特点,而学术界针对当前情势下的相关研究则因市场秩序的自我修正出现了短期混沌,故提出了旅游资源可持续利用研究的系统框架,通过"概念体系—理论体系—认识体系—实践体系"这一阶梯型研究脉络,勾勒出较为清晰的研究思路和高效的研究方法,以此为后期研究提供依据。