Effective leadership in the Mexican maquiladora: challenging common expectations

This article reports a cross-cultural study of Mexican and U.S. leaders in Mexican maquiladoras. The research builds on relational demography to determine if leader ethnicity, regional Mexican culture, and organizational affiliation moderate the impact of leadership behavior on important organizational outcomes. We examined the impacts of specific leader behaviors on follower attitudes and performance. Contrary to expectations from the current cross-cultural leadership literature, managerial leaders from the United States had approximately the same effects on the Mexican workforce as managerial leaders from Mexico. However, regional differences within Mexico and organizational affiliation were significant moderators. We postulate that there are at least two leader prototypes in Mexico: the “transitional” leader and the more “traditional” leader. Additional implications of these findings for leadership in Mexico are discussed.     

Effects of the Canada-U.S. Trade Agreement on U.S. agricultural exports

This paper investigates the effects of the Canada-U.S. Trade Agreement (CUSTA) on U.S. exports of agricultural products. Econometric analysis found that CUSTA has had a large impact on many U.S. agricultural export categories. All of the consumer-oriented products (except wine and beer), five of the intermediate products, and four of the bulk products had significant CUSTA effects. It is clear that the CUSTA effects have been larger for consumer-oriented food products. There is also evidence that U.S. affiliate sales in Canada have stimulated U.S. exports of consumer-oriented products and intermediate products.     

Trade and foreign direct investment management strategies for U.S. processed food firms in China

This research examines the relationship between U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) and exports of processed foods to China and identifies management strategies to enhance U.S. competitiveness. Two-stage least-squares empirical econometric results from a simultaneous equation system indicate that there exists a strong complementary relationship between U.S. exports and FDI into China. Therefore, the appropriate managerial strategy to access Chinese processed foods markets is to increase overall business activity, both FDI and exports into China.     

Optimal Tracking and Testing of U.S. and Canadian Herds for BSE: A Value-of-Information (VOI) Approach

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) tests a subset of cattle slaughtered in the United States for bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE). Knowing the origin of cattle (U.S. vs. Canadian) at testing could enable new testing or surveillance policies based on the origin of cattle testing positive. For example, if a Canadian cow tests positive for BSE, while no U.S. origin cattle do, the United States could subject Canadian cattle to more stringent testing. This article illustrates the application of a value-of-information (VOI) framework to quantify and compare potential economic costs to the United States of implementing tracking cattle origins to the costs of not doing so. The potential economic value of information from a tracking program is estimated to exceed its costs by more than five-fold if such information can reduce future losses in export and domestic markets and reduce future testing costs required to reassure or win back customers. Sensitivity analyses indicate that this conclusion is somewhat robust to many technical, scientific, and market uncertainties, including the current prevalence of BSE in the United States and/or Canada and the likely reactions of consumers to possible future discoveries of BSE in the United States and/or Canada. Indeed, the potential value of tracking information is great enough to justify locating and tracking Canadian cattle already in the United States when this can be done for a reasonable cost. If aggressive tracking and testing can win back lost exports, then the VOI of a tracking program may increase to over half a billion dollars per year.     

Modeling Phytosanitary Risk of Unintended Commodity Use: The Example of U.S. Potato Exports to Mexico

Diversion of commodities from their intended use to an unintended use, e.g., when commodities intended for consumption are used as seed for planting, is an important issue in agricultural trade that has implications for the establishment of pests and pathogens in an importing country and for the appropriate strength of plant health measures. Consequently, understanding and accurately characterizing the risk of diversion from intended use is highly relevant to policymakers, trading partners, and in trade dispute arbitration. To our knowledge, no risk assessments have ever accounted for the likelihood of diversion from intended use. Here we present an approach to analyzing this risk using diversion of U.S. table stock potatoes to seed for planting by Mexican potato producers as a case study. We use probabilistic pathway models to characterize the movement of white, yellow, and russet potatoes from the United States into Mexico at current and double export volumes. We then model the likelihood of these potatoes being diverted for seed and the subsequent establishment of bacteria, nematode, and virus pests in Mexico. Our approach demonstrates how diversion from intended use can be quantified in one scenario and, in particular, how it can be analyzed to estimate the magnitude of diversion required to produce a high risk of pest establishment.     

CROSS‐COUNTRY VARIATION IN THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION: CANADA,MEXICO, AND THE UNITED STATES

Using data drawn from the Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. censuses, we find a numerically comparable and statistically significant inverse relation between immigrant‐induced shifts in labor supply and wages in each of the three countries: A 10% labor supply shift is associated with a 3%–4% opposite‐signed change in wages. Despite the similarity in the wage response, the impact of migration on the wage structure differs significantly across countries. International migration narrowed wage inequality in Canada; increased it in the United States; and reduced the relative wage of workers at the bottom of the skill distribution in Mexico. (JEL: J31, J61)     

Managers in the NAFTA countries: A cross-cultural comparison of attitudes toward upward influence strategies

This paper presents a cross-cultural comparison of U.S., Canadian-Anglophone, Canadian-Francophone, and Mexican managers' attitudes toward upward influence strategies. Generally, it was found that all four groups have similar perspectives in terms of the relative acceptability of various influence strategies. However, examination of absolute ratings of influence behaviors suggests that Canadian-Francophones could serve as a cultural “linking-pin” along a continuum anchored by Anglo cultures at one end and the Latin-American culture of Mexico at the other. Implications for cross-cultural interactions within the NAFTA region are discussed.     

FROM MAIZE TO HAZE: AGRICULTURAL SHOCKS AND THE GROWTH OF THE MEXICAN DRUG SECTOR

Understanding how economic incentives affect illegal drug production is essential for crafting policies in response to the international drug trade. Policymakers typically face a choice between two strategies: targeting criminal groups via law enforcement, and offering producers incentives to engage in alternate activities. Yet, little is known about how the returns to alternate legal activities affect drug supply. We contribute to this literature by examining how shocks to legal commodity prices affect the drug trade in Mexico. Our analysis exploits exogenous movements in the Mexican maize price stemming from weather conditions in US maize‐growing regions, as well as exports of other major maize producers. Using data on over 2200 municipios spanning 1990–2010, we show that lower prices differentially increased the cultivation of both marijuana and opium poppies in municipios more climatically suited to growing maize. We also find impacts on downstream drug‐trade outcomes, including drug cartel operations and killings perpetrated by these groups. Our findings demonstrate that maize price changes contributed to the burgeoning drug trade in Mexico, and point to the violent consequences of an expanding drug sector.     

次贷危机前后国际原油市场与中美股票市场间的协动性研究

本文运用基于动态条件相关的多元GARCH(DCC-MVGARCH)模型,对美国次信贷危机发生前后国际原油市场和中、美股票市场间的协动性变化进行了研究。实证结果表明在次信贷危机发生后,国际原油市场与中、美股票市场间的协动性有了明显的增强,不同市场间的波动具有明显的传导作用。国际原油市场与美国股市的协动性相对于中国股市波动性更强,说明冲击在国际原油市场与美国股市间的传导更强烈,其协动性对冲击的反应更敏感。另外,运用偏最小二乘方法(PLS)对影响国际原油市场和中、美股票市场的诸多因素在次信贷危机爆发前后对协动性解释能力的变化进行了分析,结果发现次信贷危机对这些因素的解释能力有明显的影响。     

Competition within the U.S. National Security Regime: A study of the U.S. Aerospace Defense Sector

This article examines the aerospace defense sector and the national export control regime within which U.S. corporations operate. While the U.S. federal government plays many roles in this industry, the focus here is on its role as regulator of defense exports from the United States. From this vantage point, ten case studies illustrate the difficulties faced by companies in this challenging environment, and highlight factors that lead to noncompliance with U.S. government regulations. Firm performance effects are investigated, including impacts on profits, share price, and reputation. The paper concludes with implications for international management practice and international business research that reflect realities in the aerospace defense sector.     

International investment motivations of U.S. wineries

This study used personal and telephone interviews of wine industry executives and observers to examine the foreign direct investment motivations of U.S. wineries. Underlying most winery motivations was the recognition that U.S. wineries sense increasing pressure to offer a competitive range of wines that meet the price/quality needs of consumers and retailers in important markets and market segments. Wineries’ marketing plans are often constrained by their ability to obtain adequate grape and juice supplies that meet important price and quality criteria, especially when domestic grape production drops. The importance of product portfolios and the industry’s resource dependence have placed tremendous pressures on U.S. wineries to coordinate winegrape and juice acquisitions, especially as retailers consolidate their supply chains. Some U.S. wineries have invested abroad in response to these pressures while others have not. Interview results suggest that foreign investments by U.S. wineries were primarily motivated by the need for greater access to stable or adequate winegrape/juice supplies, the need for more control over the winegrape costs within given quality levels, and the desire to expand wine portfolios.     

Counterfeit Smuggling: Rethinking Paradigms of Diaspora Investment and Trade Facilitation

In this paper we explore the phenomenon of Chinese counterfeits smuggled into Mexico, the world's fourth largest counterfeit market, particularly highlighting the role played by Chinese transnational crime in the production and financing of these illegal exports and the role of the Korean diaspora in the distribution of Chinese counterfeits within Mexico. Based on this case study and the extant literature, we suggest propositions concerning diaspora criminal enterprises and diaspora participants in informal markets that amend current theory concerning two streams of literature — diaspora homeland investment and trade facilitation by diasporas.     

美国对中国反倾销的贸易效应:基于木制卧室家具的实证分析

本文探究了美国对中国木制卧室家具反倾销的贸易效应,研究发现:(1)美国对中国木制卧室家具反倾销产生了贸易调查效应,课征反倾销税对美国该行业进口产生了显著的贸易限制效应,实施反倾销措施引致了美国进口向越南、马来西亚和印度尼西亚转移,并促使中国木制卧室家具出口发生国家间贸易转移,特别是家具产品间贸易转移。(2)美国对中国木制卧室家具反倾销引致了价格上升效应。外国直接投资旨在跨越反倾销税壁垒,但增强了企业之间的竞争,由此减少甚至逆转美国反倾销政策的保护作用。美国对中国WBF反倾销已导致部分外资家具企业开始向第三国转移投资。本文建议中国商务部可引导建立行业预警机制,鼓励WBF企业加强研发和设计创新,被控企业应积极应诉,谋求市场导向行业地位;鼓励和支持中国WBF企业开拓国际市场,努力实现出口市场多元化。     

Global Maize Trade and Food Security: Implications from a Social Network Model

In this study, we developed a social network model of the global trade of maize: one of the most important food, feed, and industrial crops worldwide, and critical to food security. We used this model to analyze patterns of maize trade among nations, and to determine where vulnerabilities in food security might arise if maize availability was decreased due to factors such as diversion to nonfood uses, climatic factors, or plant diseases. Using data on imports and exports from the U.N. Commodity Trade Statistics Database for each year from 2000 to 2009 inclusive, we summarized statistics on volumes of maize trade between pairs of nations for 217 nations. There is evidence of market segregation among clusters of nations; with three prominent clusters representing Europe, Brazil and Argentina, and the United States. The United States is by far the largest exporter of maize worldwide, whereas Japan and the Republic of Korea are the largest maize importers. In particular, the star‐shaped cluster of the network that represents U.S. maize trade to other nations indicates the potential for food security risks because of the lack of trade these other nations conduct with other maize exporters. If a scenario arose in which U.S. maize could not be exported in as large quantities, maize supplies in many nations could be jeopardized. We discuss this in the context of recent maize ethanol production and its attendant impacts on food prices elsewhere worldwide.     

An analysis of export market strategies and barriers perceptions by U.S. agricultural HVP exporters

This study identifies barriers perceived by agricultural exporters and examines how these perceptions influence use of export market strategies. Ordered logit models are used to estimate effects of perceived barriers and firm characteristics on export market strategies. The results from these models show that perceptions about import restrictions influence use of diversification of exports across products, competition influences use of competitive export pricing, and overseas product regulations affect product adaptation for export markets.     

人民币汇率形成机制改革后的股价和汇率相关性研究

通过协整检定、向量误差修正模型和VEC格兰杰因果检定,使用2005年7月22日~2007年4月27日的日交易数据,实证考察了人民币汇率形成机制改革之后,人民币兑美元汇率与我国国内股价之间的关系。结果发现,人民币兑美元汇率与上证综合指数间存在协整关系,达到了长期均衡;股票价格和汇率间存在着由人民币兑美元汇率到上证综合指数单向的长期和短期因果关系,不存在由上证综合指数到人民币兑美元汇率长期的或者短期的因果关系,人民币兑美元汇率是上证综合指数变化长期的和短期的原因之一。     

基于Hawkes过程中美股市大幅波动互激效应的研究

近年来,由于中美经济联系日趋紧密,中美股票市场大幅波动的互激效应明显增强。本文考虑中美股市时差和法定节假日差异等因素,运用标值Hawkes过程对2006-2017年CSI300和S&P500大幅波动收益率数据进行建模,结果表明：（1）中美股市大幅波动互激效应存在不对称性,美股市场大幅波动对中国股市的互激效应更强;（2）中美股市大幅波动的幅度对互激效应不存在显著影响;（3）中美股票市场对于大幅波动互激效应的消化速度存在差异,中国股票市场消化美股大幅波动互激效应的速度较快。本研究对金融市场监管者和投资者均有一定意义。     

Organizational Philosophies of Japanese companies in the U.S.A.

The paper presents data about the Organizational Philosophies of fifty-nine Japanese owned companies in the United States. Harmony emerged as the single most popular element in these Organizational Philosophies. Data about specific concepts of Organizational Philosophy (kaizen, correct attitudes) were also obtained. Mechanisms to encourage the adoption and use of Organizational Philosophy were investigated. The evidence suggests that Organizational Philosophy continues to be an important aspect of Japanese companies in the U.S.A., and that American managers of these companies are accepting these Philosophies.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1991 International Academy of Management and Marketing Annual Conference held in Detroit, MI.     

The influence of retailing trends on the food industry

This article is concerned with retailing trends and the food industry with reference to countries of the EEC, Sweden and the U.S.A. The author examines trends in various sectors of the food market, relating U.S. and European activity and considers the influences of the future growth of mass merchandisers on manufacturers and suppliers.     

How does homeland security affect U.S. firms' international competitiveness?

This paper frames the issue of homeland security and its relationship to the international competitiveness of U.S. firms in general. This is largely a conceptual statement, identifying the areas of national security (homeland security) that are key to business, and exploring the management concerns of business to the new threats and opportunities that have arisen.We establish the point that homeland security is a purposeful, conscious, and rational response to terrorist events that is an emergent and evolving systems phenomenon. This systems approach is an especially useful way to look at the implications of homeland security in its relation to business. We then look specifically at the kinds of costs and risks that are generated for U.S. international business (exports, imports, incoming and outgoing investments) as a result of this phenomenon. Management strategies for dealing with these costs and risks are explored for U.S. firms.Our conclusion is to demonstrate the scope of analysis that is needed to understand and to managerially cope with the homeland security problem. We show the value of using theory from various disciplines for analyzing a multi-dimensional problem like this. And finally we are able to recommend some policy dimensions for both companies and the U.S. Government toward mitigating the negative impacts of the homeland security problem.