Societal projection: Beliefs concerning the relationship between development and inequality in China

We examine how the relationship between development and inequality at the societal level is perceived and evaluated by ordinary Chinese people. We hypothesize that because the Chinese have recently experienced rapid increases in both economic growth and social inequality, they tend to view economic development as a driving force of social inequality. To address this question, we conducted a social survey in 2006 in six Chinese provinces (n = 4898). The survey data reveal that a large proportion of Chinese people have internalized a causal model in which they project high levels of inequality onto countries they view as more developed and low levels of inequality onto countries they see as less developed. However, results also show that a smaller proportion of Chinese believe in a negative relationship between development and inequality. Hence, the study reveals heterogeneity among ordinary Chinese in their perceptions of the causal relationship between development and inequality. Surprisingly, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics provide no explanatory power in explaining this heterogeneity.     

Is experience valuable in international strategic alliances?

This study investigates whether firms benefit from prior alliance experiences as they undertake international strategic alliances. Different from previous studies that mostly focus on equity joint ventures, this study investigates non-equity alliances. This specific investigation is essential, because the complexity and uncertainty associated with such alliances potentially magnify the benefits of experiential learning. With a sample of 629 international, non-equity alliances formed by US firms, our results confirm the contribution of ISA experience in general, as well as that of experience specific to partner's country of origin and alliance activity type. The results also reveal a contingent benefit of ISA experiences, where experience of technological cooperation and experience with alliance partners from emerging countries both add more to firm value. We derive consistent evidence, as performance is assessed either by the market's perception of ISA value creation, or by the post announcement operating earnings in practice.     

Incorporating scientific,ethical and economic considerations into the design of clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry: a sequential approach

A flexible sequential approach to the design of clinical trials is discussed herein. This approach is based on a “confidence sequence” viewpoint instead of the rigid stopping and terminal decision rules in conventional sequential testing theory. By using an appropriate confidence sequence, one can always ensure a prescribed degree of scientific rigor (confidence) in establishing the drug to be effective. Moreover, one also has the option of terminating the trial early when there is already enough statistical evidence for concluding that the drug is effective, or when the drug shows uniorseen harmful effects, or when the data predict that there is little chance of arriving at a definitive conclusion in favor of the drug by the scheduled end of the trial. We discuss how these and other ethical and economic considerations can be readily incorporated into the stopping criteria of the trial.     

Personal and Family Correlates of Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

Based on the family ecological model, personal (hopelessness, social problem solving, emotional competence) and family (parent-adolescent communication, family functioning) quality of life measures related to adolescent suicidal ideation were examined in 5,557 Secondary 1 to Secondary 4 students in Hong Kong. Results showed that suicidal ideation was positively related to adolescent hopelessness but negatively related to emotional competence, social problem solving, father–adolescent communication, mother–adolescent communication and family functioning. Multiple regression analyses showed that hopelessness was the most important predictor of adolescent suicidal ideation, followed by mother–adolescent communication, family functioning, social problem solving, father–adolescent communication, and emotional competence. Path analyses with and without direct effects showed that hopelessness mediated the effect of personal and family correlates on adolescent suicidal ideation. Theoretical and practice implications of the findings are discussed.     

Levels of urbanization in the world’s countries: testing consistency of estimates based on national definitions

Estimates of urbanization levels for all countries, as published in the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects, are not comparable across countries because they are based on national definitions of urbanization, which vary greatly across countries. We construct alternative estimates of urbanization that are comparable across countries, to use these estimates to point out definitional problems or outlying countries with interesting urban characteristics. The alternative estimates are constructed using variables that are associated with urbanization, as well as a categorical variable that summarizes the urban definition used in the country. We find that among the 181 countries included in the analysis, 21 % have a restrictive definition, and 31 % a generous definition of urbanization. In 2000, the difference between the alternative estimate and the UN estimate was more than 10 % for 67 countries. An examination of six countries with surprisingly low or high reported levels of urbanization, as compared the alternative estimates, highlights issues with the plausibility of the official estimate. We conclude that comparison of urbanization estimates across countries should be treated with care, given the wide range of definitions used. To produce more informative estimates of urbanization, several countries would need to clarify or rethink their definition of urban.     

北京市粮食应急保障系统发展构想

北京粮食应急保障体系经过多年的研究布署已经取得很大进展,建立了不断完善的应急指挥体系,构建了应急储备、投放、加工环环相扣的应急流程体系,但适应城市发展应急保障体系建设还存在需要解决的五个瓶颈问题,本文针对现存问题,从加强实时运行的应急指挥调度信息系统建设、创新土地使用模式、转换投放思想、调整储备结构、增加储备品类、提升企业储备规模、将大型连锁超市集团纳入市级应急投放体系、加强储备库应急投放的标准化建设升级、发展现代粮食物流、优化应急储备、投放、加工布局、推进北京本地加工产业升级等八个方面提出北京市粮食应急保障系统发展思路。     

Parenting Stress and Perceived Family Functioning of Chinese Parents in Hong Kong: Implications for Social Work Practice

This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1002) conducted in November 2008, which aimed to identify parenting stress and perceived family functioning of Chinese parents in Hong Kong; to explore the effects of the parents’ socio‐demographic characteristics (gender, family income, education and family structure) on the aforementioned stress and functioning variables; and to examine the interrelationship among these characteristics and the two variables in question. Results showed that the reported parenting stress was at average level, while the perceived family functioning was slightly below average. The results also indicated that the parenting stress of mothers, single parents, the low‐income and the less‐educated was higher than that of fathers, parents of nuclear and extended families, the high‐income and the better‐educated. Socio‐demographic characteristics except the parent’s gender had similar effects on perceived family functioning. Higher parenting stress was associated with lower family functioning, and explained a larger variance in the perceived family functioning than the socio‐demographic characteristics taken alone. The results of the study have provided empirical support regarding the interrelationships among the vulnerable groups in society, parenting stress and perceived family functioning. Implications of the study for social work practice are discussed.     

Staging the nation at expos and world's fairs

Setting an historiographic context, this article proposes a new reading of Colombian nationhood in which growing regional participation – in particular, Caribbean interest – leads to adjustment. This change, it is claimed, results from the cultural industry that subverts traditional channels for the construction of Colombian identity as well as from globalisation, which forces a re‐examination of identity within a new, transnational context. Thus, if Colombia is to survive its present crisis as a modern nation‐state, the profile of regional culture ought to increase, fostering greater tolerance for social, political and cultural difference, and bringing about the gestation of a new, more comprehensive collective.     

Can external corporate venturing broaden firm's technological scope? The role of complementary assets

This study applies two theoretical perspectives—resource-based view (RBV) and organizational learning—to explore how a firm's external corporate venturing (CV) influences its technological scope. Using data from 583 electronics and information technology firms in Taiwan for the period from 1997 to 2006, the results indicate that external CVs facilitate an established firm's broadening of its technological scope. Moreover, this study calls into question the idea that a firm's decisions regarding technological scope may be due to a specific factor that governs the extent of technological specialization and diversification. We identify this factor as the complementary assets of established firms. This study, thus, investigates whether complementary assets moderate the relationship between external CV in established firms and those firms’ technological scope. The analytical results also support the idea that increasing investments in specialized complementary assets will urge firms engaged in external CV to concentrate on their technological scope. Therefore, this study addresses the notion that concentrated technological scope is the conjunction of technological capabilities and complementary assets, not determined by either individually.     

中国古代罪刑关系初探

罪刑法定主义在中国古代刑法中的缺位使得罪刑关系极其不稳定,致使古代刑法仅仅具有工具性价值而没有独立价值。罪刑法定主义的阙如导致重视刑罚种类、实施方式和效果,轻视定罪在刑法中的作用。由于古代刑法的身份性使其容易受到宗法、伦理等法外因素左右,导致不稳定的罪刑关系。罪刑关系呈现出较为独特的构造,报应观和礼法思想同时影响着刑罚权的行使,两者并不是简单的共存关系,而是在共存的同时存在对抗和博弈。