An Examination of the Interaction Between Modelling and Its Relationship with Construction Kits: Lessons from the Past and for the Future

Construction kits have played a significant part in nurturing the growth and development of the minds and manipulation-based skills of children (and adults) in formal and non-formal education settings. These kits have origins rooted in the representation of the built world and now have a diversity of form and function, including technical versions with moving parts. This article examines some of the historically based ideas that lie behind the role that kits may have in terms of physical modelling. The article traces the transformation of kits from simple bricks and blocks into more complicated pieces for space-filling and achieving the transfer of forces and motion. This transformation occurred during the Victorian era when the influence of the ideas of educationalists and, perhaps rather strangely, exponents of early aviation, played major roles in determining the diversity of forms of construction kit and modelled possibilities that are now to be seen in classrooms and homes. The article ends with a review of some of the lessons from the past and present that will need to be considered in relation to concrete modelling in schools for the future. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Incentives for voluntary disclosure

Rule l0b-5 of the 1934 Securities and Exchange Act allows investors to sue firms for misrepresentation or omission. Since firms are principal–agent contracts between owners – contract designers – and privately informed managers, owners are the ultimate firms’ voluntary disclosure strategists. We analyze voluntary disclosure equilibrium in a game with two types of owners: expected liquidating dividends motivated (VMO) and expected price motivated (PMO). We find that Rule l0b-5: (i) does not deter misrepresentation and may suppress voluntary disclosure or, (ii) induces some firms to adopt a partial disclosure policy of disclosing only bad news or only good news.     

Gestaltung der Abschlussprüferhaftung – Implikationen theoretischer Modelle

Business scandals such as Enron, WorldCom or Parmalat have sparked intense discussions on the quality of corporate governance as well as the trustworthiness of statutory auditors. It is therefore no surprise that regulators have issued a large number of new regulations concerning auditing. The civil liability of external auditors has not changed in Germany, but such changes have already been announced by the German government. An increase in the existing liability cap in cases of negligent misconduct and extended third-party liability are planned. As a consequence, the results of analytical research on this topic are highly relevant. This paper summarises and comments on prior analytical research, in particular its assumptions and results, and focuses on important elements for the design of a liability regime. To this end, the paper addresses the questions of joint–and-several vs. proportionate liability rules, negligent vs. strict liability regimes, the extent of third party liability, and limited vs. unlimited liability.     

瓦尔拉斯新古典一般均衡体系质疑

通过对瓦尔拉斯一般均衡体系由简单的生产交换经济到扩大的包含资本形成方程在内的经济体系的分析,指出一直标榜为现代主流新古典理论支柱之一的瓦尔拉斯一般均衡体系内部存在着一系列逻辑矛盾,从而表明它描述的只是一种差别利息率下的实物经济一般均衡,而并不是现实资本主义经济关系下为获取统一利润率竞争的货币经济均衡。     

A note on the projection properties of Hadamard matrices obtained by the first Payley construction

We show that the projections on four factors of an arbitrary orthogonal array of strength 2 allow the estimation of main effects and two-factor interactions when all other effects are assumed to be zero, if those projections satisfy the bounds given by Weils theorem. The only exceptions are the Hadamard matrices of orders 16 and 24. A consequence is again the estimability of main effects and two-factor interactions for the projections on four factors of the first Payley construction for arbitrary run size.     

农村金融:现实挑战与发展选择

农村金融体制的改革严重滞后，已经成为农村发展的重要障碍。当前中国农村经济已进入新畴发展阶段，其面临的主要矛盾是由增加供给转变为提高效益，传统的数量扩张为主的增长方式受到严重挑战。农村和农业发展对资金要素的依赖程度日趋增强．然而现实表明：由于农村正规金融组织功能不全、农村合作金融明显缺位，农村金融抑制变得更加严重，农村非农产业和农民获得金融服务极为困难已成为普遍存在的现象。     

新型农村金融组织与县域经济协同发展研究

从当前发展现状来看,新型农村金融组织与县域经济未能互生互长,协同发展.在此情形下,建立新型农村金融组织与县域经济协同发展机制对推进两者互动发展有着重要的实践指导意义.在对新型农村金融组织与县域经济协同发展概述的基础上,分析两者协同发展要素,探讨两者协同发展的一般模式,深入研究两者协同的理想模式——门槛条件下新型金融组织深化的内生增长模型,并制定出两者协同发展路径.     

Does the transformation of accounting firms’ organizational form improve audit quality?Evidence from China

In this study,we examine the effects of the transformation of accounting firms’organizational form on audit quality.We find that the transformation from limited...     

Live streaming commerce from the sellers’ perspective: implications for online relationship marketing

ABSTRACT

Live streaming has recently become a popular direct selling channel which offers small, self-employed sellers unseen levels of consumer interaction and engagement. While the extant research focused on consumer motivation and intention to shop via live streaming, little is known from the seller’s perspective. Indeed, the potential advantages of live streaming commerce are accessible to everyone, but sellers experience different levels of success with this medium. Using a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach, this study analyses Facebook data of live streaming sellers to assess the nature and extent of engagement metrics, and delineate the dynamic, interactive live streaming sales process. We identify four sales approaches and twelve strategies adopted in acquiring and retaining customers. This typology of sales approach representing seller-focused antecedents is mapped against the relationship process and outcomes to provide a framework for understanding relationship mechanisms in live streaming commerce.     

企业目标管理的基本问题研究

目标管理是现代企业管理的一种创新。文中通过梳理、评析目标管理思想的内涵和四种常见观点,进而提出了第五种能全面涵盖前四种的综合观点——系统观,并对系统观中的关键要素进行论述。目标管理思想的三个关键维度反映出其创新性和科学性,但由于目标管理存在对象选择性,其成效大小依赖于企业内部的资源要素,因此在实施前应做好评估和管理创新工作。在企业目标管理中,目标设置、目标的实施与控制、目标考核、利益机制构建、反馈等是其主要环节,应特别加以重视。