广东省国际竞争力评价指标体系研究

文章分析了建立省级区域国际竞争力评价指标体系的必要性 ,并对包含中国六个较先进省份在内的 1 9个国家和地区的国际竞争力进行评价。结果表明 ,中国六省市的国际竞争力明显低于发达国家 ,但高于发展中国家。文章进而分析了广东省国际竞争力的优势和劣势 ,对广东省如何提高国际竞争力的战略取向提出建议。     

中日制造业服务化测度及其对产业国际竞争力的影响——基于国际投入产出的分析

从生产性服务投入角度,借助世界投入产出数据库(WIOD)最新公布的2000-2014年世界投入产出表,测算中日两国制造业服务化水平,对比中日两国制造业服务化发展特征,并基于增加值贸易核算中日两国以增加值显示性比较优势指数表征的制造业国际竞争力水平。结果表明:(1)中国制造业服务化水平和国际竞争力整体上落后于日本,中国低技术、中低技术密集型制造业国际竞争力比较优势明显,日本高技术、中高技术密集型制造业国际竞争力更高;(2)从细分生产性服务投入行业类型看,中日两国服务化类型结构相似,批发零售和仓储运输服务化水平相对较高,其他类型服务化水平较低;(3)制造业服务化与国际竞争力水平之间并非简单的线性关系,而是存在显著的倒U型关系。此外,信息通讯服务投入对制造业国际竞争力的促进作用存在门槛效应,且产业国际竞争力的提升更多依赖专利科技服务要素的投入。     

全球媒介事件的重新定义及其作用

随着现代传播技术及其传播理念的发展,可以在国际传播和媒介融合背景下对“媒介事件”进行理论申发——升华为“全球媒介事件”。全球媒介事件是指通过新媒体、电视、报刊等各种技术媒介,在国际主要媒体有持续重要报道的全球性事件。伴随现代媒介的变迁,全球媒介事件表现出了新的时代特征：议题充分世界化,各种技术媒介相互联合,与国家形象密切相关等等。全球媒介事件可以分为重大突发事件和提前策划两个类型,其对国家形象一般分别会产生消极或积极的影响。     

城市街头务工农民的状况及成因分析--以福州市为例

以偶遇抽样的方式,采用问卷、访谈和观察等方法,对福州市186名街头务工农民进行调查。调查数据显示了该群体的基本状况,分析表明:对职业介绍中介机构的弱信任、对工厂企业提供的待遇和劳动条件的不满、对街头务工所得的可承受性以及自身文化教育等综合素质的局限是该群体选择以街头务工方式谋生的主要原因。     

Critical approaches to private education in the Global South

This article highlights the key themes that animate the critical discourse on private education initiatives targeting poor children in the Global South. Scholars in the field remain skeptical that public-private partnerships, low-fee private schools, and various subsidy and voucher programs are best suited to addressing the underlying issues of equity and quality that plague public education systems in low- and middle-income countries. Most, however, tend to adopt one of two different, though complementary, lines of analysis in drawing attention to the issue. Some scholars, for instance, use empirical evidence to show how low-fee private schools fall short of delivering on promises to address the needs of all children and enhancing basic literacy and numeracy scores in comparison to public schools. Other scholars, however, map networks of people and money to reveal how private education in the Global South is guided by power and profit. The paper outlines the moral and analytic interests that guide these two approaches to the challenge private education presents, while also making the case for an additional mode of analysis that would test the democratic and social justice claims that feature in mission statements of larger foundations and institutions set in vulnerable societies.     

Offshore Remanufacturing with Variable Used Product Condition

We consider the acquisition and production decisions of a remanufacturer who acquires used products of variable condition and allocates remanufacturing activity to domestic and offshore facilities. The problem is formulated as a multicommodity network flow model with economies of scale and product obsolescence. We show that the remanufacturer's optimal strategy can be chosen from a finite set of simple policies in which each product is routed to a facility based on its condition. We then numerically investigate the impact of key parameters on optimal decisions regarding offshore remanufacturing.     

A Purchasing Framework for B2B Pricing Decisions and Risk‐sharing in Supply Chains*

This paper presents a common modelling structure for (i) the implementation of operational policies by individual purchasing managers of risk‐sharing agreements among supply‐chain partners, and (ii) the integration of brick and click purchasing policies in a B2B. The problem of price uncertainty created within these two environments is modelled as a stochastic repetitive‐sales problem, applicable to any probability distribution. The model identifies sufficient conditions for regenerative ordering cycles, which allows for the use of the renewal reward theorem. The end result is a two‐price purchasing policy, which may substantially ease implementation problems across a global corporation's purchasing managers world‐wide and across B2B markets.     

A Comparative Analysis of Quality Practice in Manufacturing Firms in the U.S. and Taiwan*

The aim of this paper is to determine if there is a causal relationship between multivariate constructs for quality (i.e., customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and employee service quality) and organizational performance. The presence of such relationships, as well as the identification of key indicators within each quality construct for different types of firms, are explored in this empirical study on the perceptions of middle managers in Taiwan and the United States. The study found a significant causal relationship between the quality constructs and organizational performance. These relationships are different, however, for the four types of firms based on age and size. Also, within the same firm types, there are differences among countries. For example, for older firms, Taiwanese managers tend to perceive customer satisfaction as the most important quality construct in improving organizational performance, while U.S. managers tend to perceive employee satisfaction as the most important. For younger firms, U.S. managers perceive customer satisfaction as influencing organizational performance, while Taiwanese managers perceive both customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction as doing so. A further breakdown of the quality constructs identified the key indicators within each construct that separates “better performers'’from “lesser performers'’in both countries for the four types of firms. These indicators are dissimilar, thus suggesting that focus on quality constructs may lead to improvements in organizational performance by focusing on different indicators in different environments. These results have implications for the adoption and implementation of quality practices in different countries.     

‘There is trauma all round’: A qualitative study of health workers’ experiences of caring for parents after stillbirth in Kenya and Uganda

BackgroundStillbirth is a traumatic life-event for parents. Compassionate care from health workers supports grief and adjustment, alleviating psychological distress and minimising serious adverse health and social consequences. Bereavement support in facilities in LMICs, including in sub-Saharan Africa, often fails to meet parents’ needs. However, very few studies have explored health worker’s experiences in these settings.AimTo explore the lived experiences of midwives, doctors and others, caring for women after stillbirth in Kenya and Uganda.MethodsQualitative, guided by Heideggerian phenomenology. Sixty-one health workers, including nurse-midwives (N = 37), midwives (N = 12) and doctors (N = 10), working in five facilities in Kenya and Uganda, were interviewed. Data were analysed following Van Manen’s reflexive approach.ResultsThree main themes summarised participants’ experiences: ‘In the mud and you learn to swim in it’ reflected a perceived of lack of preparation; skills were gained through experience and often without adequate support. The emotional and psychological impacts including sadness, frustration, guilt and shame were summarised in ‘It’s bad, it’s a sad experience’. Deficiencies in organisational culture and support, which entrenched blame, fear and negative behaviours were encapsulated in Nobody asks ‘how are you doing?’.ConclusionHealth workers in Kenya and Uganda were deeply sensitive to the impacts of stillbirth for women and families, and often profoundly and personally affected. Care and psychological support were acknowledged as often inadequate. Interventions to support improved bereavement care in sub-Saharan Africa need to target increasing health worker knowledge and awareness and also embed supportive organisational cultures and processes.