Persistence of Price–Cost Margin and Technical Efficiency in the Indonesian Food and Beverage Industry

Abstract

This research investigates the persistence of price–cost margin (PCM) and technical efficiency (TE) of firms and the relation between these two factors in 44 subsectors of the Indonesian food and beverage industry in the period 1980–2014. Data envelopment analysis with a bootstrapping approach is applied to estimate TE. An autoregressive model, accounting for endogeneity, is applied to estimate the persistence coefficients of PCM and TE. A cross-sectional regression model is also applied to estimate the relation between the persistence of the PCM and the persistence of TE. The results show that for these food and beverage firms, high PCM and low TE persist. Furthermore, the persistence of PCM negatively affects the persistence of TE in the industry.     

‘Real without being concrete’: the ontology of public concern and its significance for the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF)

Abstract

Public concern is a pivotal notion in the risk perception, communication and management literature. It is, for example, a central concept with regard to the social amplification of risk, and as a justification for policy attention. Despite its ubiquity, the notion of public concern remains a ‘black box’ presenting a poorly understood state of affairs as a reified matter-of-fact. Paying attention to the deployment and metrics of public concern, and the work it is required to do, will enhance the power of approaches to understanding risk, and policymaking. Thus, the broad purpose of this paper is to unpack the notion of public concern by adopting an ontological yet critical perspective, drawing on a range of literature that considers ontology. We reflect on how publics and public concern have been conceptualised with regard to the dichotomies of individual/social and private/public, given that they imply different levels and dimensions of concern. We draw on empirical work that illuminates the assessment and measurement of public concern and how the public have responded to risk events. Considering public concern through an ontological lens affords a means of drawing renewed critical attention to objects that might otherwise appear finished or ready-made.     

网络环境下博物馆信息资源的采集策略

博物馆信息资源建设是博物馆信息化建设的重要组成部分。网络环境下的博物馆信息资源建设除了传统的藏品资源建设以外,还包括文献信息资源建设和网络信息资源建设等。针对不同的信息资源类型,采取不同的采集策略。对博物馆藏品档案信息,输入要完整、处理要规范、输出要主动,充分揭示藏品的文化内涵及实现其科技信息价值;对博物馆文献信息资源要拓宽进书渠道,实行采购方式多样化,重视数据库及灰色文献;充分挖掘网络信息资源,开展共建共享,全面提升文献信息保障能力。     

Antecedents and consequences of social capital on buyer performance improvement

The ability to leverage social capital within strategic buyer–supplier relationships is increasingly cited as a key driver of value creation. Despite the importance of strategic partnerships, the process by which social capital accumulates within buyer–supplier relationships and contributes to buyer performance improvements is not well understood. Drawing on social capital theory, we develop a model linking positive relational capital, and its antecedents, supplier integration and supplier closeness, to buyer performance improvements. Further, we hypothesize that structural capital, as reflected in managerial communication and technical exchanges, is also positively related to buyer performance improvements. Using data provided by 111 procurement executives from the United Kingdom, we find support for our hypotheses. The study extends the supply chain management and social capital literature and suggests important implications for both research and practice.     

Productivity efficiencies in Ukrainian polyclinics: lessons for health system transitions from differential responses to market changes

Ukraine’s recent elections revealed deep divisions between eastern regions, which favored central economic planning, and western regions, which preferred more free market reforms. This study compares polyclinics in Ukraine to see if the inflexibility of Soviet-style planned economies results in lower economic efficiency in eastern regions. Using data from two geopolitical regions, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) scores for polyclinic efficiencies are modeled as a function of demographic and economic determinants. Surprisingly, results indicate that polyclinics in western Ukraine are less efficient. Possible explanations, including case mix intensity, responsiveness to local preferences, physician entrepreneurial behavior and a legacy of inequitable funding, are discussed.

Publish or peer-rich? The role of skills and networks in hiring economics professors

This paper analyzes the determinants of success at the concours d'agrégation en sciences économiques. This is a centralized hiring procedure through which professors of economics are selected in France. Using detailed data from all concours held between 1984 and 2003, we focus on the role of the candidates' publication records (number and quality of articles) and networks (defined as professional links between candidates and the jury members who take the recruitment decisions). Both sets of variables have statistically significant effects on the likelihood of getting hired. The effect of network connections is important in the sense that a substantial improvement of the publication record is needed to compensate for not being linked to the jury.     

浅析跨国公司在华逃避社会责任原因与对策

戴尔"血汗工厂"事件再次使跨国公司在华社会责任问题引起全社会关注。少数跨国公司在华逃避社会责任,其原因一方面是企业为了追求利润最大化,不惜牺牲社会责任;另一方面是我国法律制度不完善,监督不到位,跨国公司钻了制度的漏洞。为此,建议一方面跨国公司自觉维护自身形象,增强责任意识;另一方面政府加强法制建设与企业社会责任的宣传与监督,引导与规范跨国公司社会责任的落实。     

基于粗神经网络的港口集装箱吞吐量预测

运用粗糙集神经网络建立了广州港集装箱吞吐量的预测模型,预测了2007～2010年的集装箱吞吐量。该预测方法融合了粗糙集理论与神经网络方法具有的优点,具有很强的学习与泛化能力,非常适合处理多因素、非线性的复杂系统。预测结果对广州港的发展有较强的借鉴作用,可以为广州港未来发展提供参考。     

中国外汇储备适度规模实证分析

近年来,我国外汇储备的快速增长引发了理论界关于当前外汇储备规模是否适度的广泛讨论。本文在外汇储备适度规模研究现状的基础上,从需求角度出发,采用1985～2006年的年度数据,运用多种统计方法对影响外汇储备的因素进行分析,测算出外汇储备的适度规模,并解释外汇储备的失调情况,最后提出了优化外汇储备规模和结构的相关建议。     

中国金融业专利的发展特征及影响因素分析

本文通过对1985年以来国内金融业专利状况的统计分析,发现其发展具有以下特征:第一,申请数量2000年以来发生了大幅波动;第二,申请者结构发生了改变;第三,主要集中在传统银行业务的电子化和网络化方面;第四,国外申请者的申请数量接近一半,并且在发明专利的占比上远远超过内地金融机构。本文的实证部分利用多元回归和主成分分析方法,发现中国金融业竞争程度和金融业对外开放程度所代表的需求性因素是影响金融业专利发展的主要原因。