Agriculture–nutrition linkages with heterogeneous,unobserved returns and costs: Insights from Tajikistan

Agriculture–nutrition linkages (ANLs) have been increasingly investigated in the literature. However, nutritional returns and costs of household agricultural production practices (APPs) in semisubsistence settings are poorly understood. We fill these knowledge gaps using pooled cross-section data sets in Tajikistan, where semisubsistence farming and undernutrition coexist despite relatively good agricultural infrastructure and education systems. Agricultural diversification, yield enhancement, production expansion are positively associated with various nutritional outcomes, particularly in areas with poor food market access. Decomposition exercises suggest that nutritional returns and costs of these APPs vary across households, and the adoption of APPs is driven by the expected nutritional returns. In Tajikistan, improving nutrition through household ANLs requires growing the smallholder agricultural sector in multiple dimensions, including diversification, intensification, and expansion, while also understanding better the pathways of ANLs and addressing bottlenecks at appropriate stages of such pathways.     

商业银行主动负债发展的经济效应

主动负债发展会带来商业银行间融资增加,通过分别设立模型研究商业银行间净融资规模增加和不同期限互相融资规模增加两种情况后,可以得出主动负债发展的微观经济效应:(1)净融资规模增加后银行流动性改善,资金投放规模增加;融资环境改善后商业银行备付金率可降低,流动性进一步提高.(2)商业银行彼此融资后,在不同期限资金投放业务上成本不同的银行会发挥各自相对优势,实现差异化经营,促使银行总收益增加.在上述微观分析基础上,通过对我国金融环境的具体分析,可以得出主动负债发展能推动我国利率市场化、发展金融市场、促进货币创造等宏观经济效应.     

基于量子三叉树的量子Black-Scholes期权定价

将量子概率引入到期权定价是最近几年一个新的研究趋势,也称为量子金融.为了期权定价更方便,文章建立了量子三叉树模型,同时利用量子概率建立了连续量子Black-Scholes(B-S)模型。实例应用和Matlab期权敏感性分析都验证了量子B-S优于经典B-S,从而为连续期权定价提供量子决策的途径。     

最优天线选择的空时分组编码

本文针对TD－SCDMA系统的MIMO（Multiple-Input Multiple-Output)信道，采用天线选择技术来提高空时分组码（Space-Time Block Coding)的分集性能。其依据是利用TDD系统上、下行信道的互易性，将系统对上行信道的估计直接应用于行链路。仿真结果表明，将天线选择技术与空时分组码（STBC）相结合对系统的误码率性能有较大的改善。     

气候障碍因子对城市绿化适生树种选择的 影响——以上海世博公园为例

通过对上海近30年的气候因子汇总分析,结合对上 海世博公园主要绿化树种生长状况调查和年度生物量计算,通 过典型相关性分析发现,极端高低温、强风和暴雨等5个气候 因子对树木的生长产生了不同程度的影响,有些因子严重阻碍 了树木的正常生长,成为障碍因子。经过10年的绿化实践验 证,上海世博公园对骨干树种的选择,以乡土树种为主,群落 结构较为稳定,且气候障碍因子对乡土树种的影响较小。在引 种外来树种时,采用气候相似植物区系法,结合植物耐寒、耐 热带图,把种源地划分为2个气候带和3个植物区系,并确定了 最南引种线,成功引种了红花槭等20种观花色叶乔木树种。     

能源安全测度的新维度:能源多样性

作为经济发展的源动力,能源及其安全测度问题一直是政府和学者研究的热门话题。将多样性引入到能源系统和能源安全研究中,探讨了能源安全和多样性之间的关系;界定了能源多样性的内容,包括国内能源供应的多样性和能源进口的多样性;利用香农-威纳多样性指数和Pielou均衡度指数,计算和分析了美国和中国近5年来的能源供应及进口情况,进而对其能源安全进行了对比研究。在2009—2013年,美国的能源多样性水平比中国高。结果表明能源多样性在一定程度上可以作为衡量能源安全的维度,中国能源多样性水平表明应致力于改变煤炭的主导局面,改善能源供应结构,拓宽和均衡能源进口渠道。     

Culture' Effects on Job Satisfaction and Performance in a Bicultural Context

Abstract

This study looks at culture' influence on employee job satisfaction and performance as it pertains to competitiveness. The researcher investigated whether INDSALES (a job satisfaction scale) is compatible with a Hispanic salesperson sample, focusing on automobile sales situations. The methodology relied heavily on field research and on an experimental design that applied different employee/manager combinations. Two hypotheses were proposed and subsequently tested. Results demonstrate that Hispanics and Anglo-Americans view job satisfaction somewhat differently. The study also found that there are significant differences in the levels of job satisfaction between mono-cultural and bicultural relationships. Managerial implications for better competitiveness are incorporated. Future research could investigate a different geographical region with Hispanic and Anglo automobile salespersons or other nations where different cultures work together     

Educating the Global Manager

Abstract

The culturally diverse classroom would seem to be the ideal resource that educators can tap to develop their students' cross-cultural competence and bridge different cultures. However, evidence from the education literature suggests that students typically do not benefit from classroom diversity and that, in general, there is a lack of cross-cultural interactions between different cultural groups on campus. In this paper, we provide an integrated framework for developing students' cross-cultural competence by drawing on the cultural diversity in the classroom. The framework incorporates established and frequently used strategies for developing cross-cultural competence, as well as additional strategies that we have devised (such as diversity audits, self-awareness and ‘other’-awareness tools, student-generated cases and virtual linkages). We explain how this approach uses cultural diversity inherent in the classroom as a basis for students' awareness and understanding of cultural differences, knowledge of other cultures and the application of skills.     

Ethnic Identity in Advertising: A Review and Meta-Analysis

The corpus of research on ethnic identity in advertising indicates that (1) ethnic identity influences commonly examined attitudinal and purchase-intention outcomes, and (2) attitudes toward both the actor(s)/model(s) and the ad moderate attitudes toward brands depicted in ethnically resonant ads. Individual studies often differ by measurement type (i.e., single-item measure versus multi-item scale), study design (i.e., experiment versus survey), and diversity of respondent sample. Seemingly, ethnic-identity effects are greater for studies that relied on single-item measures, experimental designs, and more diverse samples. Implications and future research directions are suggested.     

Investor reaction to women directors

Existing studies on women directorships present equivocal results on the association between appointing women directors and firm performance. These studies tend to focus on western countries and largely ignore investors' reactions to such appointments. This paper applies the financial event study method and finds that investors generally respond positively to the appointment of women directors in Singaporean firms. Regression analyses also reveal that investors are most receptive when the women are independent directors and are least receptive when the directors assume the CEO role. This study not only tests the theory of gender diversity in an Asian context but also examines whether investors react systematically to the different positions that women directors hold on corporate boards, a question that has received little attention in prior studies.