An exploratory study of the influence of the IS function and organizational context on business process reengineering project initiatives

To help evaluate the risk of process reengineering failure and enhance the prospect of its success, three potential sources of influence on BPR initiatives and success are examined in this study. These include the innovative capacity of the organization, IS maturity and strategy-IS interface. It was found that while factors related to IT maturity and influence such as experience in mainframe and client/server computing may facilitate the decision to reengineer, they are not critical in the later stages of the initiative. On the other hand, factors having significant relationships beyond the initial decision include variables pertaining to innovative capacity of the organization and strategy-IS interface. These findings suggest that technical IT competence as a critical enabler is necessary but not sufficient for reengineering success. Based on study findings regarding the innovative capacity of the organization, guidelines for reengineering risk assessment are proposed. In addition, implications of the findings, limitations of the study and opportunities for further research are also discussed.     

Principles for Conduct of Pest Risk Analyses: Report of an Expert Workshop

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) have focused attention on risk assessment of potential insect, weed, and animal pests and diseases of livestock. These risks have traditionally been addressed through quarantine protocols ranging from limits on the geographical areas from which a product may originate, postharvest disinfestation procedures like fumigation, and inspections at points of export and import, to outright bans. To ensure that plant and animal protection measures are not used as nontariff trade barriers, GATT and NAFTA require pest risk analysis (PRA) to support quarantine decisions. The increased emphasis on PRA has spurred multiple efforts at the national and international level to design frameworks for the conduct of these analyses. As approaches to pest risk analysis proliferate, and the importance of the analyses grows, concerns have arisen about the scientific and technical conduct of pest risk analysis. In January of 1997, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (HCRA) held an invitation-only workshop in Washington, D.C. to bring experts in risk analysis and pest characterization together to develop general principles for pest risk analysis. Workshop participants examined current frameworks for PRA, discussed strengths and weaknesses of the approaches, and formulated principles, based on years of experience with risk analysis in other setting and knowledge of the issues specific to analysis of pests. The principles developed highlight the both the similarities of pest risk analysis to other forms of risk analysis, and its unique attributes.     

Compliance Strategies and Regulatory Effectiveness of Performance-Based Regulation of Chemical Accident Risks

This paper investigates the role that performance-based regulations can play in linking a firm's environmental, health, and safety concerns with their corporate strategy. The specific focus is on the performance standards required by the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) which require firms that store or use certain chemicals to develop a Risk Management Plan (RMP) for reducing the likelihood and impact of accidents at their plants. Data from a series of case studies and interviews of executives in chemical firms reveal that proactive companies integrated many of the requirements of the CAAA into their management systems prior to the regulatory requirements. Most of these firms tend to be large ones. Small firms often lack the resources to implement these regulations and hence have tended to have a more difficult time with compliance.     

国有商业银行贷款风险现状分析及优化策略

运用现代商业银行管理理论,对国有商业银行贷款风险的现状与成因进行了分析与探索,并就国有商业银行贷款风险的控制及优化策略作了论述,     

抽象体系的危机与吉登斯的制度性风险研究

现代风险的本质是一种制度性风险。抽象体系作为现代社会运行的基础,是吉登斯理解和分析现代制度性风险的核心概念,而现代性断裂的理论假设、现实主义的风险认知取向以及制度与结构的研究视角是理解吉登斯制度性风险理论的3个基本维度。吉登斯通过抽象体系的危机对现代风险进行了深刻剖析,具体表现为符号系统的异化产生了文化风险,专家系统的失信导致了技术风险与政治风险。吉登斯作为一个制度主义者,认为反思性的制度建构是突破现代风险困境的出路。     

重思邻避困境的风险沟通与治理问题:基于核电的讨论

如何赢得民意和社会许可已经是目前国内核电风险设施选址过程中的主要障碍。而要破解该难题,我们既需要在微观层面针对潜在风险承担者的利益补偿,针对风险感知差异之重点群体开展理性沟通和共识协商,同时也更需要宏观层面的制度建设,通过制度化措施来缓解社会不信任,将我国在环评和社会稳评等风险沟通领域的相关制度安排落实为具体实践,并突破结构性障碍,在风险协商治理方面创新政治过程和制度,以制度的确定性来适应,甚至控制技术风险的不确定性。     

系统信任、风险感知与转基因水稻公众接受——基于三省市调查数据的分析

基于重庆、湖北、浙江三省市城镇居民的入户抽样调查数据,分析我国公众对转基因水稻的接受态度及区域差异。研究发现,转基因水稻的接受态度存在区域差异,湖北、重庆分样本的接受度明显高于浙江;从影响因素来看,总体上城镇居民转基因水稻接受态度主要是受粮食安全收益感知、对科技系统的信任程度、健康与环境风险感知等因素影响,分样本比较显示浙江城镇居民的态度较之重庆、湖北受到更多风险感知因素的影响。基于此,提出了农业科技风险管理中注重粮食安全、培育科学自生系统等建议。     

产品类型和感知风险对消费者属性同异选择的影响研究

前期的情境效应研究发现,相同属性同异选择集下的消费者选择行为完全相反,这为同异属性选择集下的消费者选择研究留下了悬而未决的矛盾.文章利用情境模拟实验法,将感知风险和产品类型纳入整合的研究框架,从感知、风险规避和效用等方面研究消费者属性同异选择行为.研究发现,高感知风险下消费者对趋同产品的选择显著多于低感知风险情形,而低感知风险情形下对趋异产品的选择则相反.同时,感知风险和产品类型对消费者属性同异选择存在交互作用,在高感知风险下对实用品的选择情形中,消费者倾向于趋同选择;在低感知风险下对享乐品的选择情形中,消费者偏好作出趋异选择;在其他情形下对消费者选择的影响则不显著.研究结论弥合了属性趋同效应和知觉聚焦效应的矛盾,对企业的同异策略选择提供了重要的参考依据.     

大型基础设施项目融资风险动态评价体系研究

提出以“融资风险阶段划分-分担-评价”为主线的融资风险评价体系。基于“新两阶段论”把融资风险划分为缔约阶段融资风险和履约阶段融资风险;针对划分后的融资风险,构建灰色关联度和TOPSIS法相结合的分担模型;利用遗传算法优化支持向量机,在融资风险分担完成后,对融资风险展开评价;以青岛胶州湾海底隧道为例进行实证研究。研究表明:该评价体系实现了“动态性”“针对性”和“准确性”,是科学合理的,可以为大型基础设施项目中各利益攸关方及时准确地掌握各自的融资风险状况提供帮助。     

国际工程项目的脆弱性与政治风险的相关性研究

在分析国际工程政治风险形成机理的基础上,通过文献综述法识别22个国际工程项目的脆弱性影响因素,并采用因子分析法建立国际工程项目的脆弱性评价指标;通过问卷调查法获得134个国际工程项目的信息和政治风险损失,并采用TOPSIS法测量其工程项目的脆弱性,分析两者的相关性。结果表明:政治风险是工程项目外部干扰和系统脆弱性相互耦合的结果,在相同干扰度下,国际工程项目的脆弱性与风险损失存在显著正相关。国际承包商可以依据工程项目的脆弱评价指标以及脆弱性与政治风险的关系,不断改善和降低工程项目的脆弱性,从而更好地应对政治风险,并形成自身的竞争优势。