Investor behaviour and reaching for yield: Evidence from the sterling corporate bond market

We provide evidence on how corporate bond investors react to a change in yields, and how this behaviour differs in times of market‐wide stress. We also investigate ‘reaching for yield’ across investor types, as well as providing insights into the structure of the corporate bond market. Using proprietary sterling corporate bond transaction data, we show that insurance companies, hedge funds and asset managers are typically net buyers when corporate bond yields rise. Dealer banks clear the market by being net sellers. However, we find evidence for this behaviour reversing in times of stress for some investors. During the 2013 ‘taper tantrum’, asset managers were net sellers of corporate bonds in response to a sharp rise in yields, potentially amplifying price changes. At the same time, dealer banks were net buyers. Finally, we provide evidence that insurers, hedge funds and asset managers tilt their portfolios towards higher risk bonds, consistent with ‘reaching for yield’ behaviour.     

Greater patience and monetary expenditure: How shopping with companions influences purchase decisions

Shopping with companions plays a crucial role in daily consumer activities. However, only a few studies have explored the influence of this factor on consumers’ patience. We conducted four studies, including two field studies, to investigate the effects of shopping with companions (e.g., friends and peers) on purchase decisions. We found that consumers exerted greater effort when shopping with friends and peers by spending more money and being willing to wait longer for a product. This effect could be explained by three mediators: positive emotions, negative emotions, and perceived value, in which the hedonic and social value, unlike the utilitarian value, played essential mediating roles. This study elucidates the underlying psychological processes involved in purchase decisions shaped by companions. Retailers should encourage shopping with companions to increase sales and customer retention.     

Targeted saving by renters for housing purchase in Japan

This paper examines the extent to which wealth accumulation for housing purchase increases household savings and suppresses consumption. The study employs an estimation method based on simultaneous equations with limited dependent variables developed by Nelson and Olson to examine the relationship between wealth accumulation and housing purchase plans, using data relating to young Japanese renters. The estimation results provide evidence that young Japanese households severely reduce their consumption by around 30–40 percent.     

Comparing the impacts of Internet technology and national culture on online usage and purchase from a four-country perspective

The Internet has successfully generated an ever-expanding cohort of users for all its major concomitant activities, including information gathering, communications and transactions. So far no attempt has been made to validate whether such a success is so deep as to transcend national cultures. Nor any work has been conducted to compare the internationalisation¹ performances between online usage activities. The current study addresses these two research gaps from the perspective of four countries, i.e. Britain, Germany, Japan and Taiwan. Results show that although the technological forces have been quite successful in internationalising overall online usage activities, they succumb to the cultural forces as far as only the transactions activity, or more colloquially online purchase, is concerned. This indicates the relative difficulty in internationalising online purchase vis-à-vis other online usage activities. Further research on locating a series of step functions or kick-off time points regarding the development of online purchase is suggested.     

供应链集成下的企业采购管理

供应链集成下的采购管理是供应链管理的重要内容之一，基于供应链的采购管理模型利用现代信息技术的成果解决了供应链中核心企业与供应商之间的联系问题。供应链集成下的企业采购管理策略从本质上讲是一种理念，旨在提高采购管理的效率，降低企业采购的成本，建立新的供需合作模式。     

如何建立有效的物资供应体系

物资供应是环环相扣的紧密闭合链，任何一个环节出问题．都会使这条连续的链断裂。因此，建立一套行之有效的物资供应体系以保障物资的正常流动对于企业的正常经营而言至关重要。本文按照一般物资供应的流程，分别从物资采购，物流管理，库存管理，供应体系评价四个部分来论述如何建立一套行之有效的体系以保障物资的正常供应，并对我国企业的物流管理提出若干建议。     

消费者与组织购买行为的比较研究

消费者购买行为是消费者为满足个人或家庭生活需要而发生的购买商品的决策或行动，组织购买行为是组织与组织之间的营销活动。组织购买与消费者购买有着较大的差异，因规模远比后者大而对市场经济的作用巨大，在市场营销理论中也占看重要的地位。对消费者与组织购买行为进行比较研究，对组织购买决策模型加以对比分析，有助于更好地理解组织购买活动与购买决策过程。     

规范政府采购专家评审机制 完善市场经济体制

本文从政府支出的角度,分析了政府采购制度在健全我国社会主义市场经济体制中的作用,并阐明依法规范政府采购专家评审机制,充分发挥政府采购评审专家作用,是实现我国《政府采购法》的关键。     

国企物资采购供应管理的思考

文章针对国有大中型企业进行物资采购供应管理的重要性,对如何加强企业物资采购供应管理,节 约采购成本进行初浅的探讨。