Managing Quality in a Heterogeneous Contract Manufacturing Environment

The outsourcing of production is a prominent strategy across industries. While the strategy can have many benefits, the popular press reports numerous examples of quality issues originating with contract manufacturers (CMs). Observing these quality issues, multiple scholars call for the quality management (QM) literature to be extended to explicitly address the challenges of managing quality in an inter‐organizational context. Additionally, QM researchers recognize the need to consider contextual contingencies for the effectiveness of specific QM practices. Responding to these calls, we focus on the potential contingent factor of CM heterogeneity (i.e. the degree of product and process diversity at the CM plant). We first test the direct relationship between CM manufacturing heterogeneity and CM quality conformance performance, as reported by the CM's customers, brand‐owning firms. Next, we evaluate the effectiveness of multiple practices that these brand‐owning firms can employ to mitigate the anticipated negative effect of heterogeneity on their CM's conformance quality. We utilize paired dyadic data on 106 contract manufacturing relationships in the food, drug, and medical device industries to test our hypothesized model. The results of our analysis reveal a negative association between heterogeneity at CM facilities and their conformance quality performance. Our results also identify cooperative relationships, contractual coordination provisions, and formal performance assessment programs as practices that brand‐owning firms can employ to largely eliminate the negative impact of heterogeneity on CMs’ conformance quality performance.     

Construction of incomplete Sudoku square and partially balanced incomplete block designs

Abstract

The present article deals with the study of association among the elements of a Sudoku square. In this direction, we have defined an association scheme and constructed incomplete Sudoku square designs which are capable of studying four explanatory variables and also happen to be the designs for two-way elimination of heterogeneity. Some series of Partially Balanced Incomplete Block (PBIB) designs have also been obtained.     

投资者保护公益组织与股东诉讼在中国的实践——基于中证投服证券支持诉讼的多案例研究

以2016~2017年间中证中小投资者服务中心(以下简称"中证投服")提起的4例证券支持诉讼为研究对象,本文深入分析了该组织在证券支持诉讼中的作用实现机理及其在中小投资者利益保护方面所产生的直接经济后果和溢出效应。本文发现:中证投服提起的证券支持诉讼在很大程度上改善了虚假陈述案件的赔偿机制,主要体现为赔付主体更加合理化,赔偿金额的计算更加科学,赔付比例有明显提升,赔偿款项的执行力度得以加强;在作用实现机理方面,中证投服作为投资者保护公益组织向中小股东提供了公益服务,同时又具备政府弹性监管的色彩,与我国现行的司法制度形成互补;更为重要的是,中证投服参与证券支持诉讼产生了显著的溢出效应,在唤醒中小股东维权意识的同时,明显提升了民间律师团体的活跃程度,进而从整体上极大地带动了民间股东诉讼的兴起。     

异质、冲击与对策：互联网金融与银行业的共生发展--基于博弈视角的分析

互联网金融的崛起,既通过"增量式"改革模式推动我国金融体系的完善和再造,又以"搅局者"异质效应冲击当前金融市场主体,特别是银行业的传统优势。目前,我国互联网金融发展模式相对单一,与银行业相比具有异质性。基于博弈论的视角,有必要加强对互联网金融的监管,充分发挥互联网金融和传统银行业的比较优势,错位竞争,形成互利共生的良性循环。采取多种措施促进互联网金融和传统银行业健康可持续的共生发展。     

可行能力与农民工的福利状况评价

基于辽宁省沈阳市农民工调查数据,应用森的可行能力理论和模糊数学方法对农民工的福利状况进行整体评价。结果发现,农民工福利水平的总模糊指数为0.365,处于较低水平。分指标看,健康状况方面的福利状况处于较高水平,居住环境和精神感受方面的福利状况处于中间水平,其它功能性指标的福利水平较低。在影响农民工福利的主要因素中,工作环境和防护性保障的改善对提升农民工福利影响最大。运用OLS回归模型对农民工的福利状况进行扩展分析,发现农民工群体内部存在较强的异质性,并且不同特征的农民工群体福利水平相差很大。     

中西文论异质性比较研究——新批评在中国的命运

新批评是现代英语学界文学研究中影响最大的一个理论流派,持续时间也最长.但是新批评对中国文论界的影响始终不大.英美新批评与作为中国现代主流文论的马克思主义文论,在意识形态上存在着难以逾越的鸿沟,在艺术理论上也有着鲜明的异质性.中国古代文论带有强烈的印象式批评特点,而新批评则带有强烈的形式主义和科学主义倾向,尽管新批评与中国古代文艺思想之间也有着某种程度上的相通之处,但是两者之间这些强烈和根本的异质性,决定了新批评在中国始终处于边缘化的境遇.     

重庆市县域商品房价格时空变化特征研究——基于空间统计分析法

以2005—2015年重庆市38个区（县）商品房价格数据为样本，利用空间自相关等空间统计分析方法对重庆市县域商品房价格的空间分布和时空演变特征进行研究。研究结果表明：渝东北地区商品房价格稳定性相对最好，渝西地区次之，渝东南地区再次之，主城区商品房价格稳定性最差；重庆市商品房价格具有较强的空间集聚性，但随着时间的推移，空间集聚性逐渐减弱，商品房价格空间差异逐渐缩小；重庆市商品房价格区域差异呈现明显的空间二元结构，房地产发展热点区域主要集中于主城九区，远郊区县的房地产发展相对缓慢。     

股权集中度与会计信息质量相关性的实证研究

构建了一个会计信息质量综合指数，利用股权分置改革后的样本数据，采用多元回归分析法对我国上市公司股权集中度与会计信息质量的相关性进行了实证研究。研究结果表明，当前我国上市公司中的股权集中度与会计信息质量是正相关的，上市公司的最终控制人性质与会计信息质量没有关系。     

Copula-based regression models: A survey

In this review paper we collect several results about copula-based models, especially concerning regression models, by focusing on some insurance applications.     

Structural holes and managerial performance: Identifying the underlying mechanisms

Structural holes theory suggests a variety of possible explanations for the empirically observed relationship between structural holes and individual managerial performance. However, little has been done to disentangle one mechanism from another. This paper empirically tests a mediated moderation model that distinguishes between the five different theoretical mechanisms: autonomy, competition, information brokering, opportunity recognition and innovativeness. The findings suggest that of these five theoretical causal motors, innovativeness plays a key role in linking network structure and network content to performance.