Squatting as a transition problem in South Africa

This paper applies principles of transition to land tenure and squatting in South Africa. Political transition in South Africa reassigned political property rights, which produced contestable, and rent‐seeking incentives for squatting as a means to privatize land and redistribute wealth. Government failure to establish and protect private property rights in a squatter camp resulted in common‐pool problems that resisted private and public resolution with consequent rent dissipation and social loss. In response to this retreat from duty, informal agents emerged to claim their own share of the prize. Without enforceable rules of capture, the growth of squatter camps in South Africa will continue. JEL classification: D7, H8, K1, K4, R1, R4.     

Strategies to prevent economic recessions from causing business failure

An average of more than 500,000 businesses failed in the United States during each of the 10 recessions that have occurred since the end of World War II. Yet, scholar and practitioner understanding of how to prepare for and respond to the challenges of an economic downturn remains extremely limited. This article analyzes and synthesizes the information from academic theory and business experience on managing through an economic recession. To assist firms in successfully navigating economic recessions, we suggest a program that involves positioning by investing in multiple markets and geographies, planning by developing a turnaround plan for facing sharply declining sales, promoting by maintaining marketing initiatives, and preparing by acting in anticipation of economic recovery.     

培养高端IT人才的“项目教学法”的研究

针对目前市场急需的高技能、应用型的高端IT人才的培养,给出了一系列的教育教学改革途径：实例驱动的项目教学法,利用多种教学方法的工学结合的教学模式。突出＂实战＂能力培养,对传统的教育教学方法进行了改进,对提高高端IT人才的应用能力的培养与具体实施具有可行性和可操作性的特点,值得借鉴和推广。     

农业高新技术投资项目风险评价

The agricultural high-teeh investment project （AHIP） is eharaeterized by technology-intensive, high risk and great profit. This article analyzes essential factors of the risks of the agricultural high-tech investment projects and the traditional risk evaluation method of agrtcultral projects. We think that the applications of the sensitivity, analysis and probability ore defer. Therefore; this article introduces a structural model to evaluate the risks of the agricultural high-tech investment projects and the system of the concrete evaluation indexes.     

“货币补偿”总是最优策略吗?——高星级酒店不同服务失误归因下的情境研究

酒店服务的异质性和顾客需求的多样性使得服务失误在所难免。服务补救成为酒店修复服务失误,赢得顾客口碑和再次光顾的重要举措。在酒店管理实践中,货币补偿颇受管理者青睐,通常被作为应对服务失误的首要选择。然而,货币补偿是否为服务失误发生时的最优选择?文章以高星级酒店为研究背景,对服务失误进行情境设计,检验不同失误归因下货币补偿和非货币补偿的补偿满意度差异。数据分析结果显示:酒店因素导致的服务失误情境下,相比货币补偿而言,非货币补偿具有更好的补偿效果;其他顾客因素和顾客自身因素导致的服务失误情境下,货币补偿与非货币补偿间没有显著效果差异。此外,补偿满意度对顾客信任、重购意向与口碑有显著正向影响。     

电气化铁路供电工程建设中存在的问题及相关建议

介绍了我国电气化铁路发展的现状。分析了我国电气化铁路供电工程建设中存在铁路部门与供电部门工作流程衍接不畅、技术观点不统一、供电工程本身缺乏统一的技术体系等问题;指出这些问题是当前影响工程项目顺利开展的主要障碍,并提出了相应建议。     

企业投资项目比选决策方法研究

由于信息不对称或者有些投资项目本身没有先例可循,企业投资项目存在很大风险.为了较全面地考察项目投资所面临的各种因素,作出合理的项目投资决策,采用多属性决策中确定属性权重的熵权法联合决策者对属性重要性认识的主观权重和用于排序比较的TOPSIS法,为企业投资项目的比选决策提供一种新的决策方法.该方法综合考虑了决策者的主观权重和投资项目各影响因素信息之间固有的客观权重、综合考虑了风险和收益的多方面因素对投资项目作出比选决策.最后举一项目投资比选实例加以说明.     

浅析水利水电工程的合同管理

合同管理是我国水利水电建设工程项目管理的薄弱环节,也是我国水利水电施工承包企业的管理弱点。加强合同管理是市场经济的需要,也是国际一体化的要求。施工过程中,承包商面对干扰事件,详细分析索赔理由,及时编制索赔报告,才有机会获得显著的工程效益。     

论施工企业对工程分包的管理

建设工程的分包是指总承包人承包建设工程后,将其承包的某一部分工程或某几部分工程,再发包给其他承包人,与其签订承包合同项下的分包合同。文章主要阐述施工企业对分包方和其所分包的工程在工程进度、安全、技术、质量等方面的管理。     

Failure to learn from failure: The 2008 mortgage crisis as a déjà vu of the mortgage meltdown of 1994

This article traces the developments in the market for residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) during the period 1970–2008. Drawing on an analysis of trade publications, business press, and interviews with practitioners, it shows that an MBS market meltdown in 1994 provided clear signals of problems with MBS. The market participants did not re-evaluate their use of risk management tools or adjust security design in response to the 1994 crisis, suggesting a lack of understanding of the implications of the crisis. The 1994 meltdown showed that MBS were vulnerable to systematic risks and that these risks could precipitate an MBS market crash. Furthermore, the 1994 meltdown demonstrated that large-scale investment in MBS could affect the primary mortgage market, thereby rendering the MBS risks unpredictable. After 1994, MBS investment shifted to MBS backed by mortgages with default risk – a development that led to the crash of 2008. By drawing parallels between the 1994 and 2008 crises, this article shows how the MBS market failed to self-correct. The results suggest that financial market participants do not always incorporate relevant information in their decision-making and that market participants have difficulties in both foreseeing the effect of financial innovations on markets and interpreting these effects.