An Examination of the Effect of Continuous Quality Improvements on Optimal Pricing for Durable Goods*

This paper investigates the nature of optimal prices for a durable good in the presence of continuous quality improvements. The analysis of optimal prices is based on a nonlinear dynamic model of sales response that relates price, quality, average life of a product and the persistence of quality perceptions. Numerical solutions to the model are derived by employing the generalized reduced gradient algorithm. The results show that optimal price depends on the persistence of quality perceptions and the average life of a product (an aspect of quality). The analysis of optimal results affirms results based on other models and provides insights on the influence that quality has on optimal pricing. The implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

A scoping review of knowledge syntheses in the field of evaluation across four decades of practice

This scoping review of 62 knowledge syntheses published in evaluation-focused journals between 1979 and May 2018 provides a portrait of synthesis practices and their evolution in the mainstream of the field of evaluation. Concerns surrounding the production of knowledge syntheses to answer policy questions are not new in the field of evaluation. However, during this last decade, knowledge synthesis methods have expanded as a means to go beyond the limits and constraints of singular evaluations. This scoping review reveals and discusses two key issues with regards to the expansion of knowledge synthesis practices within the field of evaluation: the diversity—and muddling— of methodological practices and synthesis designs, and the frequent omission of quality appraisals.     

Bringing Japanese Continuous Improvement Approaches to U.S. Manufacturing: The Roles of Process Orientation and Communications*

Continuous improvement (CI) has played a key role in Japan's quality management. U.S. companies have begun to adopt CI in recent years. This paper studies the implementation of CI in seven U.S. manufacturing companies. We view values as the core concept of culture that impacts CI effectiveness. Using both qualitative and quantitative data with a sample of seven companies, we observe empirically a relationship between process-oriented values and CI effectiveness. We also find that communications involving workers is strongly associated with CI effectiveness. Finally, we find an association between process orientation and communication frequency, and argue that communications act as an intervening variable between process orientation and effectiveness.     

A Path Analytic Model of a Theory of Quality Management Underlying the Deming Management Method: Preliminary Empirical Findings*

Despite the impact that Deming and his 14 Points have had on the practice of quality management, empirical support for the effectiveness of the Deming Management Method has not advanced beyond the presentation of anecdotal, case-study evidence. In part, this is because theory to guide the conduct of empirical research has not been available. Only recently has such a theory of quality management to describe and explain the effectiveness of the Deming Management Method been articulated in the literature. This paper continues the journey of theory development; it reports the results of an exploratory empirical analysis of an articulated theory of quality management underlying the Deming Management Method. The constructs in the proposed theory are operationalized using measurement statements developed by the World-Class Manufacturing research project team at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. Path analysis is applied to the World-Class Manufacturing project data to explore the empirical strength of relationships advanced in the theory. The path analytic results provide support for several of the proposed relationships in the theory, and more importantly, suggest a number of new relationships which have not heretofore been proposed.     

不完全契约、质量监督与农业企业外包——基于中国农业上市公司的实证研究

农业企业的产品质量与组织分工形式密切相关。在契约不完全理论的基础上构建引入质量监督与企业外包决策的经济模型,提出质量监督成本的提高会促使农业企业选择纵向一体化生产模式的理论假说,并基于2012-2021年中国农业上市公司数据,采用动态面板系统GMM方法展开经验研究证实。结果表明,生产环节的难以监督和契约制度环境不完善产生的质量监督成本使农业上市公司外包水平显著下降,间接验证了农业企业为保证中间产品质量需增大对专业化经营主体的监督费用,从而影响其组织分工形式的理论假说。此外,企业的资产专用性、市场规模和资产规模都会对外包程度产生影响。进一步分组回归发现：与养殖类企业相比,质量监督成本对生产过程相对复杂的种植类企业外包水平的负向影响更为显著。     

要素匹配与中国投资效率空间差异性——基于双层嵌套型函数的分解研究

本文基于四要素双层嵌套的生产函数,利用1990-2016年全国层面及省际层面数据测算投资效率,并分析其空间结构特征及演变轨迹,检验投资效率匹配效应影响因素。研究发现：①1990-2016年我国整体投资效率呈下降趋势,资本-技能劳动匹配效应与整体投资效率走势趋同,快速累积的资本存量和不断升级的资本质量与短缺的技能劳动之间矛盾突出。②东中西部地区投资效率增长非一致性明显。东部地区资本相对投资效率明显高于中西部,但下降幅度大于中西部,中西部与东部地区之间差距缩小,其中匹配效应是区域间投资效率非平衡的主要成因。③若产业结构升级的技能劳动需求不能满足,将引发要素错配,不利于有效投资。房价与工资提升分别通过影响技能劳动供给和需求抑制要素匹配效率;教育和公路设施会对地区要素匹配产生积极影响,改善地区间投资效率非均衡性;地区投资效率存在显著正向空间相关性,毗邻地区的要素流动和经济发展相近地区的技术溢出均对投资效率产生积极的影响。     

产业协同集聚的资源错配效应研究

利用2003－2016年中国280个地级市的数据,分别测算了产业协同集聚指数、资本错配和劳动力错配指数,采用差分GMM方法考察产业协同集聚对资源错配的影响。结果发现：产业协同集聚的提高,会显著降低资本错配和劳动力错配指数;分地区的回归发现,东部地区产业协同集聚改善了资本错配,对劳动力错配负向作用不显著,中部地区产业协同集聚会改善资本错配,但会恶化劳动力错配,西部地区产业协同集聚则加剧了资本错配,但可以缓解劳动力错配情况。进一步作用机制分析表明,产业协同集聚水平的提高,会显著提高金融业的专业化分工,进而改善资本错配,同时会提高劳动力成本,改善劳动力错配。文章的政策含义是通过产业协同集聚,可以提高金融业的专业化分工和劳动力成本,进而缓解资本和劳动力的错配,提高经济效率,促进经济增长。     

论新形势下高校学生干部队伍的建设

新形势下,高校学生工作受诸多因素的影响,面临着巨大的挑战,而作为学生“自我服务、自我教育、自我管理”的重要实施者——学生干部队伍的建设,关系着学生管理工作的成败。如何根据新时期、新形势下学生干部的现状,培养和建设一支“政治强、业务精、素质高、能吃苦、能战斗”的学生干部队伍就显得尤为重要。     

环境规制强化的经济增长效应与机制研究

基于中国275个地级市2004-2018年的面板数据,以环境空气质量新标准的实施为准自然试验,采用渐进双重差分方法,实证研究环境-经济双重红利效应的理论依据及实现路径。研究发现,环境规制强化能显著促进地区经济增长,结论在经过一系列稳健性检验后依然成立。并且该效应会随着地区经济水平提高而呈现边际递增的规律。机制研究发现,环境规制强化会通过增加政府公共支出、倒逼企业创新、促进公众消费及人才流入提高地区经济发展水平。     

加强课程建设 推进素质教育——《电磁检测》课程教学的探索与实践

本文介绍了<电磁检测>教学课程组在加强课程建设、深化教学改革中所作的部分工作.在教学工作中大力探索理论与实践的教学方法,注重学员分析、解决工程问题的能力培养,鼓励创新思维,推进素质教育.