返璞归真：从研究方法到研究问题的本位回归

研究方法是科学研究的重要组成部分,也是科学研究发展的动力之一.我国传统的建立在主体体验基础上的知识生产方式忽视对研究方法进行系统的整理与反思,以逻辑自洽为主的知识检验标准强化了对研究方法的忽视.建立在西方话语体系下的现代社会科学研究缺乏对西方研究方法的审视和批判,对研究方法过于推崇,在方法移植时缺乏细致深入的考察.鉴于此,研究方法的创新必须建立在以问题为本位的研究取向之上,从实践出发、理论联系实践以推动和检验研究方法的创新.     

学科化服务视阈下的高校图书馆IC服务模式探析

介绍了学科化服务的内涵及IC服务模式的特点和优势,分析了高校图书馆IC实现学科化服务的途径和条件,并对学科IC的具体服务内容进行了探讨,旨为高校图书馆IC服务模式提供新的思路,满足高校学科建设和教学科研的日益个性化的信息需求。     

Sequential and Simultaneous Decision Making for Optimizing Health Care Resource Flexibilities

Health care administrators commonly employ two types of resource flexibilities (demand upgrades and staffing flexibility) to efficiently coordinate two critical internal resources, nursing staff and beds, and an external resource (contract nurses) to satisfy stochastic patient demand. Under demand upgrades, when beds are unavailable for patients in a less acute unit, patients are upgraded to a more acute unit if space is available in that unit. Under staffing flexibility, nurses cross‐trained to work in more than one unit are used in addition to dedicated and contract nurses. Resource decisions (beds and staffing) can be made at a single point in time (simultaneous decision making) or at different points in time (sequential decision making). In this article, we address the following questions: for each flexibility configuration, under sequential and simultaneous decision making, what is the optimal resource level required to meet stochastic demand at minimum cost? Is one type of flexibility (e.g., demand upgrades) better than the other type of flexibility (e.g., staffing flexibility)? We use two‐stage stochastic programming to find optimal resource levels for two nonhomogeneous hospital units that face stochastic demand following a continuous, general distribution. We conduct a full‐factorial numerical experiment and find that the benefit of using staffing flexibility on average is greater than the benefit of using demand upgrades. However, the two types of flexibilities have a positive interaction effect and they complement each other. The type of flexibility and decision timing has an independent effect on system performance (capacity and staffing costs). The benefits of cross‐training can be largely realized even if beds and staffing levels have been determined prior to the establishment of a cross‐training initiative.     

Time Series Modeling of Degradation Due to Outdoor Weathering

Environmental variables have an important effect on the reliability of many products such as coatings and polymeric composites. Long-term prediction of the performance or service life of such products must take into account the probabilistic/stochastic nature of the outdoor weather. In this article, we propose a time series modeling procedure to model the time series data of daily accumulated degradation. Daily accumulated degradation is the total amount of degradation accrued within one day and can be obtained by using a degradation rate model for the product and the weather data. The fitted model of the time series can then be used to estimate the future distribution of cumulative degradation over a period of time, and to compute reliability measures such as the probability of failure. The modeling technique and estimation method are illustrated using the degradation of a solar reflector material. We also provide a method to construct approximate confidence intervals for the probability of failure.     

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。     

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。     

Customer Behavior in an Online Ordering Application: A Decision Scoring Model*

This research presents the development of behavioral scoring models to predict future customer purchases in an online ordering application. Internet retailing lowers many barriers for customers switching between retailers for repeat purchases; thus, retaining existing customers is a key challenge for achieving profitability. Survey data were collected from 1,089 online customers of two companies. The subjective survey data were then used to predict purchases over the ensuing 12 months based on data from the company databases. The analysis illustrates the general applicability of predictive models of future customer purchases while also demonstrating the need to develop specific models tailored for an individual company's operating and marketing environment. The models provide insight on how companies can target marketing dollars more effectively and allocate investment across multiple operational areas for maximum return. The research answers a call for rigorous research in the area of predictive marketing, an area in which many companies are excelling but where there is a scarcity of detailed knowledge regarding application of such models.     

Cross‐training Decisions in Field Services with Three Job Types and Server–Job Mismatch*

To be cost‐effective, field service managers must balance the high cost of machine downtime with the high cost of cross‐training technicians in multiple skills. We study a field service system with three job types requiring three different skills. Each server has a primary skill, the cost of which is considered sunk, and up to two secondary skills, which is a managerial decision. We model two important characteristics that distinguish field services: server–job mismatch and the ratio of travel time to service time. We use a queueing framework and simulation to study three cross‐training decisions: the number of servers cross‐trained in secondary skills, the number of secondary skills each server should have, and the efficiency in each secondary skill. We find that complete cross‐training is cost‐effective in some field service situations. Typically, efficiency in secondary skills must be close to 100%, but when the probability of mismatch is high and the ratio of travel time to service time is high, efficiency in secondary skills must be less than 100%.     

Ability of Experience Design Elements to Elicit Emotions and Loyalty Behaviors

Experience design, an approach to create emotional connection with guests or customers through careful planning of tangible and intangible service elements, has gained popularity in many hospitality and retail businesses. With ever‐increasing competition, service providers seek to develop loyalty by aggressively designing, continuously innovating, and managing their customer experiences. This article explores the relationship between different service elements designed to create enhanced experience and customer loyalty. In addition, it looks at emotional responses as mediating factors between the physical and relational elements and loyalty behaviors. A model is proposed and tested with a VIP hospitality tent for an internationally renowned touring circus. Results of the study indicate that while a few design elements directly affect loyalty behavior, the relationship between most design elements and loyalty behavior is strongly mediated by eliciting certain types of emotional behavior. This connection has implications for the focus of service managers' efforts in different environments.     

A Mathematical Model of Service Failure and Recovery Strategies*

Understanding the nature of service failures and their impact on customer responses and designing cost‐effective recovery strategies have been recognized as important issues by both service researchers and practitioners. We first propose a conceptual framework of service failure and recovery strategies. We then transform it into a mathematical model to assist managers in deciding on appropriate resource allocations for outcome and process recovery strategies based on customer risk profiles and the firm's cost structures. Based on this mathematical model we derive optimal recovery strategies, conduct sensitivity analyses of the optimal solutions for different model parameters, and illustrate them through numerical examples. We conclude with a discussion of managerial implications and directions for future research.