Economic perspectives on public relations

This paper explores the relationship between economic theory and public relations, in order to explain how public relations management contributes to companies’ overall economic gains. It uses a “blend” of economic theories to explain the role and contribution of public relations from the economic point of view. The paper sees a link between the strategic management of public relations as a function, and portions of neoclassical theory, as well as to alternative economic approaches relating to investments and transaction costs.     

A case study of Congressional hostility to agency public relations: The Federal Reserve and Senator Heflin, 1922

This is an historical case study of one US Senator's effort to reduce the public information activities of a federal agency. In 1922, Senator Thomas Heflin, an opponent of the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank, took especial umbrage at the Bank's use of public relations to reply to his own attacks on it. This is an example of a politician trying to muzzle government public relations regardless of fairness or reciprocity.     

Public relations for peripheral places and their national media coverage patterns: The Israeli case

One of the ways to alter the negative image associated with peripheral locations and assist them in constructing a positive image in national media is by directing resources and maintaining a professional, skilled PR system. This article focuses on the relation between PR and coverage patterns in the press, and examines whether media coverage of locations with similar characteristics is influenced by the systematic use of PR. Israel provides a unique opportunity to examine this relation, due to the existence of three towns with extremely similar characteristics that during the time of this study differed only in their use of PR. Examining the relation between the use of PR and media coverage was accomplished using a variety of research methods, including quantitative and qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews.     

Development of demand pull type control methods: The design of block action production control methods to reduce throughput time and improve supply chain synchronization

In this paper the implementation of time based manufacturing strategies and pull type control systems in an organization manufacturing electrical switchgear built to customers individual requirements are discussed in detail. The concept of block control to synchronize the production time of all internally and externally sourced components and materials is also introduced in an attempt to simplify production control methods and reduce throughput time. Savings in time and cost are described during a twenty months period of restructuring. Foundations were laid for a second objective which is an attempt to gain some linkage between throughput time reduction and resultant production costs.     

我国保险业有效供给能力研究

我国现有保险业的发展水平仍然很低，未来的增量空间巨大。未来增量空间所形成的巨大需求缺口亟需保险业提高自身供给能力来满足，而由于我国保险业有效供给能力低下，需要我们从完善市场结构等多方面来强化有效供给能力。     

Production seat booking system for the combination of make-to-order and make-to-stock products

This study deals with the problem of the production seat booking system. Like an airline or train booking system, customers' orders are assigned a production seat. Using the production seat booking system, inquiries about the delivery for individual orders can be answered quickly. The key issues in the production seat booking system are: (1) In which manufacturing environments are the production seat booking system appropriate and efficient? (2) How should the production seat be set? (3) How should orders be assigned a production seat? A production planning model is formulated for a production seat booking system with a combination of make-to-order and maketo-stock as production environment. Two kinds of variables are set as policy in the model: one is a variable for setting production capacity and the other a variable for assigning orders a production seat. By focusing on the characteristics of market demand, this paper clarifies the following points: (1) How do these policy variables affect the manufactuiring performance? (2) How does the buffer inventory for make-to-stock product affect the degree of the delivery date satisfaction for make-toorder products? (3) Within what range should the two policy variables be set in order to maintain the unfilled-rate of maketo-stock product under the specified level and the degree of delivery date satisfaction for make-to-order products over the specified level? This paper presents a basis for designing for a production seat booking system through a series of numerical experiments.     

日本“肯定列表制度”对山东省农产品出口的影响——兼论山东省出口农产品绿卡行动计划的完善

为提高出口农产品安全质量水平,增强国际竞争力,冲破国外技术贸易壁垒,打通进入国际市场的“绿色通道”,山东省实施了“出口农产品绿卡行动计划”。面对日本“肯定列表制度”这一新的贸易壁垒措施对我国尤其是山东省农产品出口造成的影响,应当进一步完善“出口农产品绿卡行动计划”,发展绿色农业,走上一条健康持续发展的绿色农业之路。     

An integrated supplier-buyer model for improving supply chain coordination

This study develops a decision support model that can be used by a supplier in making production and price decisions at contract renewal times in a supply chain environment. The supplier first makes aggregate production decisions with a special attempt to estimate buyer commitments, and then determines the price of the item so as to satisfy his own profit and buyer cost reduction expectations simultaneously. Mathematical programming models are designed to achieve these in accordance with the contract terms. The main emphasis is placed upon the conceptual and negotiation aspects of the models, and some solution procedures are cited from previous studies. Then the approach is implemented in the biggest electric motor manufacturer in Turkey which has a large number of buyers in household appliances sector, and it is shown to be a useful tool for developing fair partnership.     

高等院校应当重视自身的公共关系

在市场经济条件下,高等学校的发展离不开公共关系管理,通过有效的公共关系工作,可以提高高校的公共关系形象,提升学校的竞争力,可以增进学校与社会的沟通,使高等院校的教学活动更加符合社会的需求。     

In the Eye of the Storm: Civil Servants and Managers in the UK Department of Health

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the UK government faces some tough choices over public expenditure, and these choices will have important implications for both the future of health policy and the way in which health services are managed. In this article, we examine the organization and leadership of the UK Department of Health and weigh its suitability to meet such challenges. We find an organization that is culturally split between public servants and managers, highly reliant on the ability of its key personnel to bridge these divides, and extremely responsive to the political goals of government ministers. We explore the modern DH using three types of evidence. First, the history of the department shows clear political efforts to reduce civil service discretion and focus the DH on the management of the English NHS. Second, the recent organizational structures of the DH show a bifurcation between policy direction and NHS management tasks. Third, an analysis of the top ranks of the department since 2005 shows the implementation of political preferences that are consistent with managerialism but inconsistent with the perceived characteristics of traditional civil servants. The result is a department which has changed just as frequently as the health service it oversees – a department which has been moulded by successive ministers into one for the management of the NHS. Our findings raise important questions about the value and purpose of long‐term organizational knowledge in policy formulation.