Service diversification and growth of professional service firms

This study investigates the impact of service diversification on the rate and mode of firm growth in professional service firms (PSFs). Drawing on the extant PSF literature, we identify differing views regarding the growth impact of service diversification. Specifically, some scholars suggest that the external client benefits associated with service diversification should allow PSFs to expand revenues at a rapid pace and pursue less merger and acquisition activity, whereas others imply that increased diversification can cause internal challenges with respect to learning costs, coordination and innovation that can limit the rate of revenue growth and encourage more mergers and acquisitions. We test these competing views using longitudinal data on 137 accounting firms and cross-sectional data on 125 law firms and find that service diversification is negatively associated with the rate of firm revenue growth and positively associated with the use of mergers and acquisitions.     

高技术复杂度中间品进口会加剧制造业中间品进口依赖吗?

本文在测度制造业和服务业中间品进口技术复杂度的基础上,剖析了中间品进口技术复杂度对中间品进口依赖的作用机制及其作用渠道,并进一步分析了中间品进口技术复杂度对经济量增和质增的作用机制。得到的结论主要有:一是高技术复杂度中间品进口会加剧一国的中间品进口依赖,该结论在多维度检验中均稳健成立,这一机制不仅有助于高技术中间品先发企业成为制衡全球价值链的链主,还容易导致高技术复杂度中间品后发企业成为全球价值链的被俘获者和尾随者;二是高技术复杂度中间品进口通过抑制制造业的资本积累和科研人员规模扩大来加剧高技术复杂度中间品进口国的中间品进口依赖,中国的制造业和服务业中间品进口技术复杂度远高于自身经济发展水平,这使得中国承受的中间品进口依赖压力可能远高于其他国家;三是高技术复杂度中间品进口是经济量增和质增的重要推动力量,促进经济量增和质增战略与降低中间品进口依赖战略之间存在潜在冲突,这一潜在冲突也证实了中国当前以国内大循环为主体发展战略的科学性和正确性。     

Effects of Firm-specific and Country-specific Advantages on Relative Acquisition Size in Service Sector Cross-Border Acquisitions: An Empirical Examination

Using a sample of 348 service sector cross-border acquisitions by U.S. firms in 44 countries during 1990–2006, our study seeks to identify factors that influence relative acquisition size (acquisition transaction value as a percentage of acquiring firm's asset value). Our findings indicate that firm-specific advantages (FSAs) in the form of available financial slack and target industry knowledge were positively associated with relative acquisition size. However, contrary to expectations, we observed a negative relationship between cross-border acquisition experience and relative acquisition size. In addition, our results suggest that country-specific advantages (CSAs) associated with higher market potential, lower political risk, and greater cultural similarity contributed to increased relative acquisition size in service industry cross-border acquisitions. Finally, our analysis reveals that the relationship between available financial slack and relative acquisition size is contingent on cultural similarity with the relationship being more pronounced when cultural similarity is high.     

生产性服务资源环节错配对高技术产品出口的影响分析

本文以修正Antràs et al（2012）模型为切入点，首次构建了生产性服务资源环节错配的测度方法，进而以WIOD数据库中发展中国家为样本首次细致分析了生产性服务资源环节错配对高技术产品出口的作用机理。研究发现：首先生产性服务资源环节错配系数对发展中国家高技术产品出口的作用力呈现倒U型，生产性服务资源环节错配不利于发展中国家高技术产品的出口，这一结论在分位数回归、控制内生性、分时间段和分产业等条件下依然稳健；其次中国生产性服务资源环节错配系数在所有样本国中最高，中国生产性服务资源过于偏向上游原料环节导致了上述现象的出现，这使得中国生产性服务资源处于“偏离最优值较远的低效扭曲使用”状态；最后高等教育、企业经营环境和经济效率均对高技术产品出口具有较为显著的促进效应，而“资源诅咒”使得丰裕的资源禀赋对高技术产品出口表现出一定的负效应，空间型贸易地理优势和契约型贸易地理优势均有助于高技术产品的出口，金融危机则对高技术产品出口产生了较为显著的负向冲击。     

从“四化同步”到“六化协调”:县域产业升级发展新思路

随着“绿色化”理念的不断深入人心以及在中国经济发展过程中经济服务化在我国GDP产值中所占比值越来越大，把“四化同步”适时调整为“六化协调”已是大势所趋。“六化协调”发展与县域产业升级的密切关系为河北省县域产业升级振兴带来新思路，如何做?首先要找差距，抓重点，提升县域“六化协调”整体发展水平；其次要加强“六化”各系统之间互动，提升县域“六化”各系统发展水平；最后要制定区域化的“六化”发展战略，优化河北省“六化”协调发展的空间格局。     

The servant leadership advantage: When perceiving low differentiation in leader-member relationship quality influences team cohesion,team task performance and service OCB

How does servant leaders' unique ability to place each follower's needs above their own influence relationships between followers and impact their collective performance? In a study that integrates principles of servant leadership with the social comparison theoretical framework, we tested a group-level model to examine how servant leadership induces low perceived differentiation in leader-member relationship quality (perceived LMX differentiation) within a group, which strengthens team cohesion and in turn positively influences team task performance and service-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (service OCB). Our sample comprised 229 employees nested in 67 work teams. Structural equation modeling results indicate that servant leadership significantly predicts low perceived LMX differentiation; perceived LMX differentiation is strongly related to team cohesion such that the lower the perceived differentiation, the stronger the team's cohesiveness. And, team cohesion is also strongly related to both the team's task performance and service OCB. Perceived LMX differentiation and team cohesion mediate the effect of servant leadership on both team task performance and service OCB.     

Life Satisfaction of Rural Migrant Workers in Urban China: The Roles of Community Service Participation and Identity Integration

Abstract

China is home to approximately 245 million rural-to-urban migrant workers. The influx of migrants into urban areas has posed various challenges for local social service systems. Recently, increasing number of community services have been developed to meet the growing service demands from the migrant population. However, whether increase in community service use results in improved wellbeing among migrant workers remains critically unexplored. As such, this study examines the role of community service use in migrant workers’ life satisfaction and the potential mediating effect of identity integration in Shenzhen, China. Bootstrapped models were adopted to examine relationship among variables. Drawing from a sample of 1,087 rural-to-urban migrant workers, we found that community service use is positively correlated with both identity integration and migrant workers’ life satisfaction. Moreover, identity integration served as a partial mediator between community service use and life satisfaction. The mediating effect of identity integration was found to increase with age. This study highlights that diverse services should be implemented to address divergent needs of migrants in different age groups. Community service can also serve as a vehicle to foster integration among migrant workers in host communities, especially for older age groups. Future studies may further investigate the relationships between community social capital, community social support, quality of community-based organization and frequency of service use so as to optimize the life satisfaction of migrant workers.     

Les appels abusifs à Police-secours. La responsabilité des usagers mise en cause

Inappropriate calls that clog up emergency switchboards and prevent the emergency services doing their jobs properly, are becoming a growing concern for the professionals concerned. They hold the users of this emergency service responsible for the situation and, more specifically, speak of malicious intentions, incompetence, need for assistance and irresponsibility. The analysis of 3162 emergency calls provides a way of exploring other explanations than those spontaneously adopted by the emergency services, and leads to the conclusion that callers represent only one aspect of the phenomenon, and not necessarily the most important.     

两岸大学生志愿服务动机与激励机制比较研究

20世纪70年代以来,志愿者组织在全球范围兴起并得到发展,逐渐成为现代社会发展的一支活跃力量,在全球掀起了开展志愿服务的热潮。大学生志愿者作为我国志愿服务的重要参与主体,在志愿服务中起到了举足轻重的作用。在两岸和平发展新时期,两岸出现了大交流、大合作、大发展的新局面。作为志愿服务的主力军,两岸大学生志愿服务动机和激励机制的比较,有利于促进两岸大学生志愿服务合作机制的建立。